In Revelation 13:16-17 it states that he (the second beast, also known as the false prophet) causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. In this writing I am not going to speculate just what the mark is or when when it is coming. Rather I want to warn you about something that could be a type of the mark of the beast.
What I am talking about is any one of the radical health care reform measures before the congress actually becoming the law of the land. As it stands now, not one of the bills contains language that would prevent taxpayer funding of abortion on demand. If such a provision is part of any bill that becomes law, where does that leave you and me and our Christian witness? Acts 1:8 was originally written in the Greek language, and when Jesus said that we should be witnesses for him, the Greek word was martus or martur, from which we get our English word "martyr." I don't know about you, but I cannot, I will not knowingly help pay for the murder of innocent, pre-born babies.
During the 40 Days for Life here at Planned Parenthood in Norwich, there have been at least two women who have changed their mind, deciding to NOT abort, but to carry their babies full term. It was my privilege today to deliver a crib, mattress and all the fixings to a center that will be holding baby showers for these two women soon, lavishing them with lots of the stuff they will need, but most importantly with the love of Christ. That was so easy; no martyrdom (as we understand the word) involved.
Later today at the bank, the teller (a vivacious young lady, married with a baby and a golden retriever) noticed the name of my ministry on the account and just started opening up about the state of the world and how she is really concerned (like the new movie portrays) that something drastic is going to happen in 2012. This allowed me to share with her that yes, some drastic things are coming on the earth. We don't know whether 2012 is significant, but the days are drawing near. Things will increase in frequency and intensity, like the pains of a woman in labor. I pointed out to her that a battle of cosmic proportions is looming, but there is encouragement: 1) we can know which side will win, 2) we can join the winning side. She was pointed to Christ and to my website, http://www.endtimesencouragement.com/ Please pray for Erin (name changed for privacy).
Back to the Mark of the Beast. All Christ-followers need to start preparing themselves now, to live in righteousness and holiness; hiding the Word of God in their hearts, that they might be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might when those days arrive. This is so important because a chapter later, in Revelation 14:9-10 it says that anyone who worships the beast and who receives his mark will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, mixed with the full strength of His anger, and thus be forever tormented.
1 John 4:4 "Greater is He that is within us than He that is in the world" must become a daily reality to us, not just a slogan to get happy about during a pleasant time of praise. What God gives us is His gift to us; how we work it and use it is our gift back to Him. So be encouraged. Start training. Jeremiah 12:5 (NIV) 5 "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? The secret is to wait upon (serve) the Lord; then you shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
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