The Gospel Is Not "Don't Take the Mark of the Beast." It's "Repent."

The beast isn't a science fiction movie kind of animal that you can shoot at with laser guns. It's a Babylonian system of false worship that is functioning on the earth and that will ultimately be destroyed (cf. Revelation 17-18). Don't let Hollywood fool you, nor any actor dressed as a minister of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Come out of and stay out of that system (Revelation 18:4; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

The Bible says nothing in the book of Revelation about running or hiding or carrying weapons in order to not take the mark of the beast. Those who take it gladly receive it because they are already worshipers of the beast and not of God. They are big fans and followers of the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4). Their thoughts (mark on their foreheads) and actions (mark on their right hand) express those sentiments and they are deceived about where they stand with God —utterly deceived, especially if they call themselves Christians but are actually heading to a Matthew 7:21-23 reality check. They may not love the truth that can save them (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Bearing the mark of the beast is rejection of God's reign over one's heart ultimately. It's refusing to submit to God wholeheartedly and to resist the devil (James 4:7-8). It's basically bowing to the devil and remaining under his power (2 Timothy 2:25, Acts 26:18). So, staying with the mark is maintaining the separation between oneself and God because of sin and, alas, despite Jesus having come into the world to bridge the gap between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5) and offer eternal life instead of death to those who would live for Him. The mark of the beast is then fundamentally a spiritual mark that only confirms those who are not doing the will of God on earth when they should have chosen to repent and follow Jesus (Mark 1:15, Mark 8:34).

So, the thing for a person to avoid in this time is to be embracing a false gospel that twists a few scriptures here and there, and thinking that one is saved or a Christian (according to the Bible's definition, cf. Acts 11:26). That is indeed being under a "strong delusion" (2 Thessalonians 2:11). To possibly come out of that, it is necessary to have an immense hatred for lies and no soft spot for any sinful thing whatsoever.

If you know that you have followed Jesus and have become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; John 3:6-7), you have eternal life by faith now (1 John 5:13). The seal of God is already on your forehead (2 Timothy 2:19). Revelation 7:3 has already happened for you. You have no beast nor mark of the beast to worry about. That is in your past and hopefully will stay in your past if you remain faithful to Jesus to the end. It's the beast rather that should worry about you opening your mouth to preach the truth to whoever has ears to hear it until you can't do that anymore. You know who Jesus is and He knows you. And if it comes to it, it's nothing to die for your faith. It would be an honor.

Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Revelation 12:11-12, 17
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. They did not love their life, even to death. 12 Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the land and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.
17 The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
1 I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be diligent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they draw to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto myths. 5 But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.

Titus 2:11-15
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age; 13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works. 15 Say these things and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one despise you.

 

See also:
The Great Tribulation 

The Mark of the Beast - No Forced Worship

The Man of Sin or Antichrist

Difference Between the Wrath of God and the Great Tribulation

The Man of Sin or Antichrist

 

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away [apostasy] comes first, and that man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The man of sin is mankind overtaken by sin as the true Gospel that brings salvation is hardly preached at all, in favor of ear-tickling false messages (2 Timothy 4:3-4) that are gladly and widely received by those who do not love the truth that can save them (2 Thessalonians 2:10, Matthew 7:13). Those receiving the truth now are the few who are found on the highways (Matthew 22:9-10) and who are willing to hear and obey God's truth (Luke 6:46-49, John 12:46-48, James 1:21-22) outside of the teachings put forth by mainstream Christianity that uses the word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2b). The man of sin is the person who is lord of his own life and not submitted to God. It's not one precise man with the capitalized title "Man of Sin." The great falling away (apostasy) has been well under way and the man of sin has been revealed.

Likewise, there is not one man that will be called "the Antichrist." There are many antichrists even now. Anyone who is not worshipping the one true God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23) is an antichrist, a "son/daughter of perdition," according to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 still. It's not what most would want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4). But may those who love the truth be blessed.

1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, whereby we know that it is the last hour.

The apostle John wasn't in any way saying that the antichrists that had already started arising in his day where not yet what the servants of God were expecting. He wasn't in any way saying that the real Antichrist (with capitalized A) was still a figure to come. That can only be conjectured.

John further makes it all the more clear:

1 John 4:3

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God, and this is that of the antichrist, which you heard that is coming, and now is already in the world.

See also 1 John 2:22 and 2 John 1:7 mentioning antichrists. Anyone who is preaching or believing in or serving a "false christ" (Matthew 24:24) or "another Jesus" (2 Corinthians 11:4) than the one the Bible speaks of — the Son of God — is necessarily an idolater and an antichrist, a son of disobedience on whom the wrath of God is coming. Such must seek God while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Matthew 24:12

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

1 John 5:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.¹

1 John 3:4

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Ephesians 5:1-7

1 Be therefore followers of God, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God. 3 But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. 7 Do not therefore be partakers with them.

1. It's very rare to find that scripture mentioned in any Christian sermon or teaching or book. Why? It goes against what false teachers/false ministers of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) want people to keep in their minds. In particular, it would go against the "it's not of works" false grace mindset. So, it's blotted out of the Bible for all but a remnant who live by that very word (Revelation 14:12).

See also:

Anti-Christs

The Great Tribulation

The Mark of the Beast - No Forced Worship

How Do We Know That We Love God?

Are We All Sinners?

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Call to Repentance

Exposing The "Regeneration Before Faith" Myth

Faith is required for salvation through the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5).

No one gets born again then afterwards comes to have faith that leads to salvation. That's backwards and illogical. Someone who has experienced the new birth the Bible speaks of cannot not know that, just like a woman cannot not know that she had been pregnant (whether she was aware of it or not), before giving birth to a child!

You get the point, but this analogy is far from silly.

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). The word of God is a seed (Luke 8:11) and when planted in a good and honest heart (Luke 8:15) it bears the fruit of a new life in Christ standing on the pillars of righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24), not ongoing sin.

Romans 10:13-17

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

And keep these in mind about calling on the name of the Lord to be saved:

Isaiah 55:6-7

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;* Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from unrighteousness.”*

*That's repentance.

Reminder:

2 Timothy 4:3-4

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

A tree is known by it's fruit as Jesus taught (Matthew 7:15-20, Luke 6:43-45, Matthew 12:33). So, on the tree that you find this myth of regeneration happening before faith, you also find salvation by faith alone excluding works or deeds of faith (James 2:14-26), no repentance with deeds worthy of repentance (Acts 26:20) being the square one for a relationship with God, or possibly repentance (some unbiblical definition) coming after regeneration also, living a sin / repent / sin / repent lifestyle forever and claiming eternal security or Once Saved Always Saved, with a dubious "Once Saved" part to begin with, and speaking of sanctification while willful sin goes on. These are teachings of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).


See also: 

Faith Implies Obedience

Romans 10:9 Salvation

Jesus vs False Teachers

How Do We Know That We Love God?

You Cannot Be Unborn

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

Who is Hebrews 10:26 speaking to?

Is There No One Righteous (Romans 3:10)?

Anyone who is tempted to say "There is no one righteous; no, not one" (Romans 3:10) should know that this word does not apply to born again Christians who are new creatures in Christ. Saying "there is none righteous" out of context wipes the righteous off the map.

So, a person who believes in "There is no one righteous; no, not one" is true for him/herself should also agree with the following declarations:

Romans 3:11
--->I understand nothing. I do not seek after God.

Romans 3:12
--->I have turned aside. I am an unprofitable servant who will be cast into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Matthew 25:30). I do not do good.

Romans 3:13
--->My throat is an open tomb. With my tongue I have used deceit and still do. Viper's poison is under my lips. It was like that before I got saved and it's still like that after I became a "born again Christian." I am deceiving everybody.

Romans 3:14
--->My mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. It was like that before I got saved and it's still like that after I became a "born again Christian." I am deceiving everybody.

Romans 3:15
--->My feet are swift to shed blood. It was like that before I got saved and it's still like that after I became a "born again Christian." I am deceiving everybody.

Romans 3:16
--->Destruction and calamity are in my path. I am walking on the broad way that leads to destruction (cf. Matthew 7:14); I have never entered in by the narrow door to the constricted/narrow way that leads to eternal life (cf. Matthew 7:13).

Romans 3:17
--->I have not known the way of peace. So, when Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God" (cf. Matthew 5:9), He is not talking about me.

Romans 3:18
--->There is no fear of God before my eyes. So, I am not wise because God has said, "The fear of the LORD--that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).

___

Romans 3:10-18
10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one." 11 "There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, there is not even one." 13 "Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit." "Viper's poison is under their lips;" 14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16 Destruction and calamity are in their paths. 17 The way of peace, they have not known." 18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

That passage in Romans 3 is a quote from Psalm 14 (it's talking about fools who say in their heart that there is no God):
1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They do abominable works. There is none who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned away. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one. 4 Have all evildoers no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread? They do not call on the LORD. 5 There THEY ARE UTTERLY TERRIFIED, FOR GOD IS IN THE GENERATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 6 You would frustrate the plans of the lowly, but the LORD is his refuge. 7 Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion. When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, may Jacob rejoice, may Israel be glad.

If you are inclined to, make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and don't mind challenging things that you have believed that are false.


May God be with you!




See also:
Are We All Sinners?

"Our (own) righteousness is as filthy rags"

Faith Implies Obedience

Distinction Between the Righteous (Saints) and the Wicked (Sinners)

1 John 3:7
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 

Call to Repentance - video

 

 

 

Total Dedication To God vs The Sinless Perfection Straw Man Argument

"Our own righteousness is as filthy rags"

That is like a mantra constantly repeated to Christians by preachers to keep their minds on the reality of their unrighteousness (that in the first place should not be), while conveniently offsetting it with the righteousness of Christ supposed to be transferred to them as a cover or a robe that again supposedly makes them appear as righteous to God while deliberate sinning goes on.

God forgives sinners but also because of Jesus’ sacrifice saves them from being enslaved to sin and unable to do anything that pleases God. The Gospel does not keep someone stuck in a place where he/she is unable to please God because all he/she does is as filthy rags. That is no Good News at all. That idea of filthy rags comes from here:

Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Back up one verse and see that God does delight in righteousness that is not as filthy rags, and that all righteousness is not "as filthy rags” before God.

Isaiah 64:5
You meet him that rejoices and works righteousness, those that remember you in your ways: behold, you are angry; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. 

The writer is speaking about people who have sinned and need to get saved (v. 5), people who are at the time taken away by their iniquities (v. 6). That is not applicable to the new creature in Christ. But the idea from that passage is systematically applied to Christians who are "saved by grace".

How can a Christian who is led by the Holy Spirit and empowered to walk in God’s will by his grace be inserted into that context?

How can a saved believer be taken away captive by sin, when salvation is synonymous with freedom in Christ, being set free indeed from the bondage of sin (John 8:36)?

How can a place that is like when a dog returns to its vomit or a sow that was washed returns to wallowing in the mire make any sense and be worse than before a person got saved (2 Peter 2:20-22), when righteousness that is as filthy rags is understood as what is normal? It's not because hypocrites exist that righteousness has to be a dirty word. The Bible certainly does not make that point especially concerning the followers of Jesus. Repentance that comes from godly sorrow and that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10) results in a deep change at the core with a heart that is “circumcised” (Colossians 2:11), softened and ready to obey God in all, so one can serve Him with clean hands (Isaiah 1:16-20). 

Why use a text that does not apply to how born again Christians should walk to put a veil on the light of Christ that should shine forth out of them?

What does Jesus have to do with righteousness that is as filthy rags? He came as a light to set people straight so they understand that what they call their "righteousness" that is as filthy rags is unacceptable to God, and so they can get right with God through repentance and faith in Him.

When a person promotes the idea of the Christian's righteousness being as filthy rags, that person also puts the Gospel out of sight, because there is no Good News in producing that kind of fruit that we can call righteousness that is as filthy rags.

"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit." (Matthew 12:33)

The idea from Isaiah 64:6 is used out of context to address Christians (followers of Jesus) who love Jesus and follow Him, that is, obey his commandments (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3, 1 John 5:3). Isaiah 64:6 does not describe them and should never be applied to them. Their obedience to the Lord Jesus out of a faith that works by love (Galatians 5:6) is what establishes for them a path of righteousness which is not as filthy rags.

Romans 6:16-20 speaks of what a saved person does: Obedience that leads to righteousness rather than sin leading to death.

Righteousness that is as filthy rags is not righteousness at all, so it is sin and darkness. But there is no such darkness in God. There is no such darkness in those who are in Christ, or they could not be called the salt of the earth or the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

1 John 1:5-7
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

The grace of God that nobody misses should be so understood (but it is not, in practice):

Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age; 13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.

That grace of God, if not received in vain, in no way enables a person to bring forth corrupt fruit (Matthew 12:33).

So, the apostle asks, for anyone who is not sure how the grace of God correlates to sin:

Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

And the danger remains for anyone who believes that grace and sin go right alongside each other to produce "righteousness" that will be as filthy rags, so no righteousness at all as far as God is concerned. Note that being dead to sin (1 Peter 2:24, Romans 6:5-7) must also be a reality.

And Jesus does expect that his followers will be righteous and have a righteousness that is theirs and not as filthy rags:

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your (own) righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Ezekiel 18:20
The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

1 John 3:7-8
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as He [Jesus] is righteous. 8 He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Righteousness that is as filthy rags is unacceptable to God and is sin, and the grace of God is not given for that. Many false teachings have attempted to destroy the fact that Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil like falsely called righteousness that is as filthy rags, and at the same time obscure the way to walk in the righteousness that He did come to establish in the lives of those who are saved to serve God (no longer to serve sin). These are those in whose lives He has destroyed the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

This calling here is a far cry from righteousness that is as filthy rags:

Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

This speaks of a cleansing by the word, just like here:
John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Why isn't the cleansing happening? May true repentance, true faith and true grace be preached. That will make a difference.

Until then many will go on believing that Christians remain filthy and get clothed in the righteousness of Christ "transferred" to them. That’s something that does not make sense even in the light of Jesus judging the works of 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3 and finding 5 out of 7 of them in trouble and in need to repent or suffer the consequences of not standing right before Him. Why doesn’t He just see his righteousness that (supposedly) had been transferred to them?

If we believe that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7) and purges our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14), who then has an interest in Christians identifying as sinners whose righteousness is as filthy rags before and after they get saved? The purpose of the Gospel “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18) is getting hijacked somewhere. And that righteousness that is as filthy rags is just another way to admit what is commonly called "self-righteousness" without having the appearance of hypocrisy. A Christian should have nothing to do with any righteousness which is not the righteousness that God delights in. In repentance, in calling upon the name of the Lord, people are to depart from unrighteousness.

Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are his. And, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from unrighteousness.

Revelation 19:7-8
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous acts] of the saints. 



See also: 

Is Repentance Just a Change of Mind?

Struggle with Sin and Double-Mindedness

The Bible speaks about the wicked (sinners) and the righteous (saints)

Are we all sinners?

Problem in the Church: Isaiah 64:6

Problem in the Church: 1 John 1:8

Problem in the Church: Romans 7

Call to Repentance