Mark of the Beast part 2
PROPHECY
Mark of the Beast
Part 2
by Your servant, Dan L Baxley
A mark, a name, or a number? Click the link below for a critical look at this intriguing subject.
A quick look into the Mark of the Beast
We must never forget, the Mark of the Beast is not a day, or a time of the week. Some have tried to tell the Body of the Messiah that Sunday is the mark of the Beast, while the Sabbath day is the Mark of God -- still others will say and teach that the Mark is the Law stamped on your head or accepted totally within your mind. If you have not heard this, you will. This false teaching is found mostly among the Sabbath keepers.
The argument is over which day constitutes the Sabbath day of worship. The 7th day (Saturday) advocates tend to label the 1st day of the week (Sunday, the Sun's day) as the mark of the Beast. They get this from the idea that when Scripture speaks of the "right hand" in a symbolic fashion it is speaking or symbolizing "work" and it is the 7th day of the week where no work is commanded. When we read the Ten Commandments the Sabbath Commandment concerns the 7th day, or Saturday on our modern calendars. While it is correct, the Sabbath day is the 7th day and no other day has ever replaced it by a command of our God and Creator. Men have changed that day, however, making the favorite day of worship Sunday, the very day the pagan spiritualist favored, the very same day upon which Constantine the Great favored. But, that does not make this day the Mark of the Beast as many of the Sabbatarians teach.
The Mark of the Beast is all about his name -- all about his name!. Go to the link above for a deeper study in this and I think you will see the truth in this. The Mark of the Beast is a "mark" or "name" against the true identity, the true "name" of our Creator and Savior YaHshua. Elijah (Eli YaH = My God YaH) came on the scene during a time of Israel's most religious and spiritual history. They worshiped in the religion of Baal, the representative of the "Lord" worship of the day. Baal was representative of the many faces of religion and gods covering every facet of life. Elijah stood alone (or so he thought at the time) in the worship of YHWH, the one God, the Creator of all things God -- Elijah stood alone, his offering to YHWH against the offering of the over 400 ministers of the "LORD" (BAAL = means lord, or master). Later Elijah would find out he was not alone in not having bowed in worship of any of the Baal gods -- YHWH informed him, while he was running for his life, that there were 7,000 others in the land of Israel that had caved in to the worship of the false gods.
There is a push by many who believe they have this Mark all figured out. Teachers telling us that the Mark is something you accept, and turning days of the week into marks. Certainly the 7th day of the week has been set as a sign between Himself and Israel. But what about today, and into the future? We are told in the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 4, that Israel did not enter into His Rest., How can that be when the people of Israel and the Judah have been, historically, the biggest of all people observing the 7th day Sabbath? In fact we are told that the Isralis were never allowed to enter His Rest. Still, there is a Rest we are to enter. If these Sabbath Keepers did not enter His Rest, then how can the 7th day of the week be the Mark? Essentially, the people of Israel are not Marked by Him.
The Mark of the Beast is a Name -- when the Beast is Worship he will be worshipped by name. Those who receive this name/mark will suffer while the Servants of God will have been marked, also by a Name, and be spared what is to come on the Kingdom of the Beasts. What is the Mark of God, it is the Seal of His Name.
Rev 7:3 Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's Name written in their foreheads.
Rev 9:4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Notice, it is the Father's Name written on or in their foreheads. His Seal is a Name, His Name, not a day or a Law, but His Name. Remember, our Lord said that He came in the Name of His Father -- our Savior's Name contains the Name of the Father. His Name, our Savior's Name on us, His servants.
When it comes to names it needs to be understood that Baal worship had invaded every identity and posed in every form of worship possible, essentially covering the true worship of YHWH and later this scheme would also be used to cover the true worship of the Son, YaHshua, our Savior. Looking through the Hebrew Scriptures you will find the Baal associated with every identity and credited with everything, every quality and favor belonging to the one Creator as his, Baal's, own. This is, of course, what the people did under the direction of their ministers, preachers and priests.
Baal Worship:
(Jdg 2:11-13) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the YHWH, and served Baalim (this is a plural reference, indicating the many Baals, gods under this name): And they forsook the YHWH God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the YHWH to anger. And they forsook the YHWH, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
(Baal - worship of many gods by many names, seen as "lord" worship following pagan practices and festivals. Ashtaroth - also known as the Queen of heaven, wife of the lord (Baal), sex goddess, with many names. Their names change but their attributes remain the same, leading the people away from the One True God, YaH)
I replaced the term, LORD, with the Name of our Creator God, YHWH (YaHWeH). The English translators and the Jewish translators, following in the steps of the English, have replaced the Name of our Creator with a term, "lord" in all caps, LORD, and to what purpose? It just so happens this term, "lord" is also a direct definition for the name, BAAL. This pagan name is also defined as "husband", "master" as well as "lord". It isn't as though the Hebrew Name of the God of Abraham was nonexistent, it wasn't but all sorts of excuses were used to replace the Holy Name of our Creator and God with the title of a less, false god. In fact, ancient scribes, when copying Scripture, continued to write YHWH's Name in the Hebrew characters from ancient, paleo, Hebrew as they wrote out the scriptures in the current Hebrew or Aramaic of the day. This makes the Name of YHWH stand out as if shouting from the scrolls. It was only later, after entering into modern history this practice was stopped and the idea promoted by Jewish sages and rabbis that His Name is unpronounceable, which is ridiculous to anyone that does a casual reading of the Holy Bible. YHWH declares Himself over and over and over and over again. Remember, every time you come to the name, LORD, in the Holy Scriptures this is the place where His Name should be. This should also hold true for the New Testament writings as a good third of the New Testament is quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures, so in the many places we see the "Lord" mention it should be rendered as YaHWeH. YaHWeH is the phonetic equivalent to the original Hebrew and revealed Name of the God of Israel.
The Beast Name, the number of his name, or the sum of his name, and his image are opposed to the true identity of the Living God and our Savior, YaHshua. As in the days of Elijah, it is a battle over identity, over names. Either your god will be called after the name of the Beast or the true identity and name of the one true God, YaH. Go to the link above for more on this and I hope will be a blessing to you -- your servant, Dan
H1168 -- ba?al --bah'-al -- BaalimThe same as H1167; Baal, a Phoenician deity: - Baal, [plural] Baalim.H1167 -- ba?al -- bah'-alFrom H1166; a master; hence a husband, or (figuratively) owner (often used with another noun in modifications of this latter sense: - + archer, + babbler, + bird, captain, chief man, + confederate, + have to do, + dreamer, those to whom it is due, + furious, those that are given to it, great, + hairy, he that hath it, have, + horseman, husband, lord, man, + married, master, person, + sworn, they of.H1166 -- ba^?al -- baw-al'A primitive root; to be master; hence (as denominative from H1167) to marry: - Beulah have dominion (over), be husband, marry (-ried, X wife).
If you want more information concerning Baal worship go to this link -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%CA%BFal
Send comments and questions to: dan@servantsofyahshua.com