The “Fuller” Understanding of the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:14-18)

The (Passed) Historical vs. (Present) Eschatological Mark of the Beast

“Historical” Mark of the Beast

            That the Historical interpretation of the Mark of the Beast is, as taught by SDA’s: ‘Civilly Legislated and Enforced Sunday Sacredness and Worship’ is indeed Biblically founded and sound in itself, and this is readily concurred in this blog. That is indeed, in this limited Historical part, not at all disputed in this blog post, or this entire “Theologial Views” blog. However the operative word here is: “Historical”. And there will be much more on this later. What is being particularly address in the first part of this post on the Mark of the Beast, is the, either believed, or seriously considered/pondered view (see e.g., in this David Asscherick Prophecy sermon (#20) [mp3] [10:45-14:48ff]) that, effectively, the Mark of the Beast will be, and actually is (secretly and/or decidedly), knowingly being set up by Catholic/Jesuit “subversives” who are increasingly infiltrating democratic governments, particularly the government of the United States of America. 

Ezekiel's Valley of Dry Bones and the "Shaking"

A “Prophesyingly” Interpretive Commentary (Ezek 37:1-14 (NASB))

The Vision

Ezekiel 37:1 - The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.

-hand of the Lord upon & brought out by the Spirit - Ezekiel was made to see this representation through a vision only and not in reality. As such it was God showing him what was the case/condition with Israel. As Israel, in mainly the surviving tribe of Judah then, which had actually been judged (Ezek 9) some ca. 7 years before[1] (See also in the outline chart of Ezekiel here). This vision is therefore a representation of what is, however, to the extent that it is shown (i.e, many, dry, bones strewn across a valley), which was not a depiction of actual reality with the people of Judah or Israel, it is really a representation of how God was seeing things.

Conflict of the Ages 3.0

The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan (Version 3.0)

            Here is an “overview” of my Great Controversy understanding. It started out with one that was basically quite similar to the standard SDA view. However over the course of these now 13+ years of engaging in deeper, exegetical and scholarly studies of the Bible, also using the SOP, these findings have greatly deepened this GC understanding. So all of my Theological understandings, as found throughout this blog, contribute to this GC view.

The Third, Prophetic, Shut Door

The Third, Prophetic, “Shut Door” (Rev 3:7)

            The topic of the Shut Door has been, frankly, due to prevailing misunderstandings, an “embarrassing” one in the history of Seventh-day Adventism. That mainly stems from the fact that it is the one teaching/understanding where early Adventist all had to express that they had been somewhat wrong, even in “error”, in their prior understanding on what was then such a decisive and divisive issue. (See this document by the White Estate for a developmental history of this topic amongst early Adventists/SDA’s). The fact of the matter is that these early Adventist were actually pointedly wrong in the extent to which they had believed that the (first understood) Shut Door (a.k.a. the “Midnight Cry’s” Shut Door (Matt 25:1-13)) applied, and not merely because they had believed that there had then been a “Shut Door” event (i.e., a demarcating point in time that enduringly separated the aware “just” from the equally aware/knowing “unjust”).[1] As EGW correctively said in 1883 (Ms. 4 = 1SM 63-64):

God's Whirlwind Judgement on SDA Church

God’s Whirlwind “Shaking” of the SDA Church (Ezek 13:1-16 = EW 48.2-50.3ff)

The “Sheep Which Have No Shepherds” Vision of EGW (1 Kgs 22:17)

            There has come to be an, ultimately, “chicken-or-the-egg” situation with a prophetic statement that is asserted to have been said by Ellen G. White in ca. 1908. In trying to refute this asserted EGW origin, SDA proponents, on top of trying to discredit the reliability of the claimant himself, have effectively, quasi-substantively based their position on a defence that it is: ‘a claim that does not agree with what EGW has said on such a topic.’ However on top of, understandably, examining the claimant’s reliability, and doing a thematic comparison with the rest of EGW’s writings, there are deeper issues that need to also be analysed in order to conduct a proper investigation. This “deeper look” thus also involves “Biblical Exegesis” (i.e., does the statement harmonize with the/a message of the Word of God, as well as the Spirit of Prophecy, for SOP revelations are ultimately the continuing divulgence of God’s Word (cf. Num 12:6; Rev 19:10)).

The Four Living Creatures Throughout the Bible

The Foundation of God’s Triumphant Restoration Plan[s] (Num 2|Ezek 1&10|Rev 4)

Important Reference: The exegetical verse-by-verse commentary of (mainly) Ezek 1 & 10, (-as well as Spirit of Prophecy statements), which underlie the conclusions and applications posted here are presented in detail in this supporting post.

            The mention of the Four, -frankly freaky, Living Creatures in, especially, continuingly in a New Testament context and in direct association with God’s Throne in e.g., Rev 4:6b-11 can lead one to candidly ask: “What is going on here?” To think of God’s Throne as involving animals, namely: a Lion, Ox, and Eagle, and also Man, -animals/creatures which are indeed objects of various form of worship and reverence (as it can be seen today in the emblem and insignias of world countries and seats of government), along with the idolatrous (humanistic) self-worship of man by man, feels like all of this in association with the Throne of God borders on the sacrilegious/blasphemous, or at least a -endorsement/validation of the various forms of paganistic idolatry of men. One would expect such association with adversarial entities towards/against God, as patently seen elsewhere in the prophecies of especially Daniel and Revelation. However these are here deliberately, explicitly, and most prominently, associated with the Throne of God. Well, it happens, that, as with anything else that is mentioned in Bible prophecy, the key to understanding what is being communicated here lies in Biblically interpreting the symbols.

The Message of the Seven Thunders

The Message of the Seven Thunders (John 12:27-32)

.... “Rev 10:4”....

The Unrolling of the Scroll

The “Unrolling of the Scroll” (Rev 5 & Rev 10-11|Dan 10-12)

            In an address to the General Conference on March 2, 1899, Ellen White made a statement that turns out to be quite intriguing when it is considered in a wider and specific context. Speaking on the work of the Church under the Third Angel’s Message (Rev 14:9-11), she said:

“The light that we have upon the third angel's message is the true light. The mark of the beast is exactly what it has been proclaimed to be. All in regard to this matter is not yet understood, and will not be understood until the unrolling of the scroll; but a most solemn work is to be accomplished in our world.”  (GCDB, March 2, 1899 par. 3 - bold emphasis supplied; cf. 6T 17.1 (1900)).

            This statement becomes self-evidently “quite/most intriguing” when it is taken into consideration that Early SDAs, including EGW had been preaching, based on a special revelation and supporting Biblical exegesis that the Mark of the Beast is Sunday Sacredness, particularly when it will be enforced by civil, legislative and law enforcement acts.[1] This was indeed the understanding that was being published and circulated in the writings of EGW (e.g., The Great Controversy (1858, 1884, 1888, [also 1911])), as well as works by other SDA Pioneers such as Uriah Smith in his Daniel and the Revelation. If it is merely said here

Lessons From Waco (1993)

Lesson From Waco 1993 (Acts 17:11)

            From just what I have learned in the past week or so after having stumbled upon a Youtube video on Gun Control (this one) which made a reference to the incident in Waco, TX involving the David Koresh and the (Davidian) Branch Davidians, much can be written up here on how, to my surprise, as it has been for many who have come across this factual information, the Assault and Siege on the Waco Compound was completely unnecessary, and the end result on April 19, 1993 was not “an engineered mass suicide by fire of Koresh and the 80+ people who were there”, but, at the very least, “accidentally” caused by FBI unprofessionalism and (spiteful) exaggerations. There is ample documentation of this available on the internet and a simple, e.g., Google and Youtube search including combinations of key terms such as “Waco”; “Tragedy|Massacre|Assault|Siege”; “Congressional Hearings”; “David Koresh/Vernon Howell”; “Branch Davidians”; etc.  will reveal much information. A short listing of key documentary resources is given here:

Testing the Spirits (1 Cor 12:10)

Evaluating the Prophetic Claims of Various SDAs (1 Thess 5:19-22|1 John 4:1)

            It is easy to notice around SDA circles today various people who are claiming to being directly led by God. All also claim to have Final Events implications. I.e., some claim that God has expressedly led them to conduct a ministry to Finish the Work, others claim that He led them to writing a special prophetic and/or prophecy interpreting message in a book, and at the pinnacle of such claims are those who claim to have received visions and/or dreams from God which have direct implications in regards to the Second Coming. In regards to such claims, and as SDA’s should clearly know due to the life and prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White, God can indeed work in such ways, and that, at His discretion, and so, contrary to the unfortunately basely (i.e., really more pridefully vexatious and/or jealously covetous) quite common reaction to such claims, the due reaction is not to be the summary dismissal of such claims, but as counselled by Paul in 1 Thess 5:19-22, to do an adequately thorough examination of them. The reason why such a, and that, default, ‘due testing of the Spirits’ is indeed important is that, God will indeed call whomever He variously sees is capable/fit, as He has deemed worthy, for such a prophetic ministry, because, unlike humans, He looks on the heart and not on outward appearances and thus will see who is “deserving” to receive such a gift,... and also who is not (e.g., those who are variously ‘rebelling against understood light’).