seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 13:11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
Wow.... the mark of the beast... the number of the beast... all in just a few verses. Here's the link to theCommentary.Then I saw another beast: This creature represents someone like the beast rising from the sea, because the same word beast is used to describe them both. At the same time, this beast is different.
He performs great signs: The beast rising from the sea has the “signs and wonders” to back up his false teaching. A specific miracle of the false prophet is described: he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. It is important that John highlights this miracle. In the eyes of the deceived world, it answers the miracle of the two witnesses, who minister during this period and are persecuted by the Antichrist and his false prophet (Revelation 11:5). To the deceived world, this also puts this false prophet in the class of Elijah (1 Kings 18). We can imagine the false prophet as saying, “Let the true God answer with fire” and then performing his deceptive wonder.
He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed: The beast rising from the earth will use a deceptive, animated image as the focus point of the worship of the beast.
It may seem strange to us to have the whole world give this kind of worship to the image of a man, but the personality cults of totalitarian governments in the twentieth century are a good example of this kind of worship. All we have to do is remember totalitarian states like the Soviet Union or Communist China, and their omnipresent pictures of Stalin or Mao and we see a pattern that will be ultimately fulfilled by the Antichrist.
The image of the beast is animated in some way, in that it has breath and can speak. Whether the image is animated supernaturally or technologically, the result will be impressive. The Psalmist mocked idol worshippers because the idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not (Psalm 135:15-16). This image of the Antichrist will be a different kind of idol, because the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
He causes all… to receive a mark: Under the government of the beast and his associate, all will be given a mark. Without the mark, one will not be able to participate in the economy (no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark of his name).
Since the ancient Greek word for mark (charagma) isn’t generally applied to people, some have taken this as a symbolic mark. But a literal mark needed to buy or sell is certainly conceivable and practical.
The technology to give people a mark that enables them to buy and sell in the electronic economy is available. There are many different ways it could happen, and such programs are proposed and tested constantly.
His number is 666: Does this tell us who the beast is, by figuring out the numerical value of a name and seeing if it adds up to 666? Using this method, many candidates for Antichrist have been suggested, such as the Pope or the Papacy, John Knox, Martin Luther, Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and so forth. But the schemes for unlocking the number of the beast are as confusing as they are endless.
His number is 666: Or, the number 666 may harken back to Solomon’s wages. 1 Kings 10:14 says that Solomon received yearly six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold. Perhaps this suggests that the Antichrist, like Solomon, is a good man who becomes corrupted.
Modern interpretations of the idea of the Antichrist are full of the idea of some demon-child, marked by obvious evil from his birth, such as in the Omen movies. But the Antichrist may be someone whose evil is only seen after his rise to power.
His number is 666: Christians need not fear the number 666 in a superstitious way; but it interesting to see the way the world has an attachment to this number — even with things like “666” brand cough syrup.
Good morning. It's so good to be alive and well today!I don't have a clue about all this "666" stuff. Of course it drew me right in this morning. So, I decided to shock you all and say I DO NOT think Trump, Biden, or Putin, will turn out to be the "Beast". Some good guy... Someone who makes us comfortable and secure will turn out to be the beast. The dragon is the opening act and the beast will be the new reason for the season.
I wonder... Who's the nicest guy in the world?
I wonder... We all love being online.... is the nice guy... not really a guy at all... since he had to have breath given to him.... maybe the nice guy is just AI!
Like I said... I don't have a clue about all this "666" stuff. I can't imagine how they are going to scan codes or even boot up a computer after all the earthquakes and meteoric events. The code may very well be a chip.... but how would they read it.... it may be a tattoo... but how would they discern it from any regular tattoo that someone had done while on a good drunk. Oh wait... waking up with the key to commerce may turn out to be a pleasant mishap.
I wonder.... Who's the nicest guy in the world?
