Revelation 13:16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
We begin with a stark warning: The freedoms, and liberties God has blessed America with will go up in smoke if we continue to squander the opportunities given, through brinkmanship and extreme views. When it becomes the case that reason, and sound judgement are no longer employed, the damages done to the country will become irreversible.
Throughout the Bible, God has warned folks against the worship of idols in any form, whether they be of stone, metal, wood or finite man, for wherever this is done, the concepts of God are severely distorted, and in consequence the concepts of right and wrong are reversed and upended, to reflect the opposite of that which is written in the Bible.
In ancient times, the idols of the heathen always as a rule, represented some intelligent entity that was endowed with Divine or humanistic characteristics.
This went on for many centuries but ultimately it led to the worship of finite man in some form or fashion for the foundational concept of idolatry is to remove God out of the picture, and replace Him with finite objects, or finite man.
One of the key components of worship is that of obedience to the one, or the object that is being worshipped, for it is the willingness to obey what one’s god says that sets them apart as a worshiper.
The gods of fashion therefore dictate what the in thing must be and worshipers bow down and obey by purchasing and wearing whatsoever the fashion god stipulates, even if it contravenes a “Thus saith The Lord.
If persons adopt the policy that they will be guided in their decisions and actions by the “In thing” there is bad news for such, because the mark of the beast will be the “In thing” one day soon, and subscribers will go with the flow, because their minds had been trained to follow that which is popular, fashionable, or that which is the latest.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, 666, the mark of the beast will become the latest “In thing” when it will be released, and thus, according to the scriptures, it will have the backing of the overwhelming majority of earth’s inhabitants, for sure. Let’s read:
Revelation 13: And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Therefore, folks are now being groomed to submit to the number of a man which is a manmade system of worship, living and decision making that’s arrayed against the God of heaven because the minds of the people are being programmed to follow the dictates of the stars, both religious and secular, and popular majorities, rather than the written word of God.
To be more specific, if one’s mode of thought, and action is governed by what Beyonce or Taylor Swift or Snoop Dog says, does or wears, then that person is obeying the dictates of the star in question, and since obedience is an integral part of worship, those who follow the stars are being trained to bow down to mortal man. Let’s read:
Romans 6: 16 Don’t you know, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Again, on the issue of worship, obedience is more important than praise and prayer, for it is what one does in obedience to God, that distinguishes him or her as a true worshiper.
In fact, if ever, God had to choose between praise and obedience, He will absolutely choose obedience hands down. The issue of obedience is so critically important that the true worshiper will do what God says, even if it goes against his, or her natural grain.
For instance, when Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac, it could not have felt all cute and comfy, since Isaac was the only son of promise, and both Abraham and Sarah had waited so many years for the fulfilment of what God had pledged to them.
But now, God tells Abraham to do the unthinkable, unbeknownst to his wife, to whom Abraham would have to do a lot of mansplaining. In other words, he would have a very difficult time explicating to Sarah that such a command came directly from God.
Yet, for everything to the contrary, yet, for all of his feelings, and emotions pulling and tugging at him, the true believer will obey, even though it turns his stomach inside out. That’s because it’s obedience that determines who or what is worshipped, it isn’t primarily or necessarily praise. Let’s read:
Genesis 22: 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom you love, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
With every fiber in his being pulling Abraham in the opposite direction, a true worshiper is going to obey because there is no worship without obedience. Let no one be deceived on this point, because unless he is willing to obey God in this dire circumstance, his claim to worship God will be empty. Let’s read:
Genesis 22: 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
[Patriarchs & Prophets 152] Isaac had been trained from childhood to ready, trusting obedience, and as the purpose of God was opened before him, he yielded a willing submission. He was a sharer in Abraham's faith, and he felt that he was honored in being called to give his life as an offering to God.
And now the last words of love are spoken, the last tears are shed, the last embrace is given. The father lifts the knife to slay his son, when suddenly his arm is stayed. An angel of God calls to the patriarch out of heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” He quickly answers, “Here am I,” And again the voice is heard, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.”
That’s all well and good, because the command was coming from God. But if it was a man who Abraham was worshipping, and such a directive was issued to him, if he obeyed, that will put both the worshiper, and his worship directly at odds with The God of heaven, and as a direct result, the worshiper would have chosen mere mortal man as his god, instead of Jehovah.
When the politicians in our day do or say that which they know to be wrong, in obedience to some man, they are worshiping at that man’s altar, and all such altar boys, and acolytes will be registered under the number of a man if they don’t urgently or decisively change course.
In other words, 666, the mark of the beast and the number of a man has to do with the system of man worship, even if and when individuals may disagree in substance with the directive being given.
Some persons in our day found themselves in the unfortunate position of obeying the dictates of a particular man, even though they had their personal disagreement with what was being put on the table.
In other words, their hearts and minds weren’t fully persuaded, yet they obeyed, and that is the specific mindset that would one day acquiesce to the beast system, if a radical change in mode of thought, and action doesn’t occur, for it is worship and obedience to a mortal man at its very core.
When the issue of worship comes to the forefront in our day, there are many persons who wouldn’t fully be persuaded, yet they will go with the flow as they obey the dictates of a man.
In fact, the beast system may not even force anyone to go to church, once persons obey by accepting the mark, for obedience in and of itself is the essence of worship. The beast system, 666, under the auspices of the devil will make it as easy as possible to obey.
You don’t have to believe or be persuaded, and if a person may be embarrassed by accepting the mark publicly, especially those S.D.A s who would buckle under pressure, the devil will make certain that you can take it in private, all cozy and comfy, once you take it. Let’s read:
[Last Day Events pp 174] In the absence of the persecution there have drifted into our ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity unquestionable, but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us. When the law of God is made void, the church will be sifted by fiery trials, and a larger proportion than we now anticipate will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
Those who serve in the branches of our government as well as in religious circles must be holden to truth and duty, not to position and power, and, wherever there is a conflict between the two principles, truth and duty should bear sway, even if it might cost one his job, popularity, or his reputation amongst peers.
Our country is in dire need of individuals who have sterling characters, who will not be swayed by man worship, who will stand up for truth, righteousness, and justice, men who are willing to put their lives on the line in defense of the freedom and liberties God has entrusted America with.
This is what Joab had failed to do on more than one occasion, as David ordered him to do that which he knew was an act of wrongdoing. For example, when David told him to put Uriah in the forefront of the battle, and retire from him, so that he be slain, Joab obeyed, for his allegiance was given to the king, and for this reason he worshiped David rather than God. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 11: 14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
Again, when David commanded him to number the people, he remonstrated, yet, even though it went against his grain, and his conscience bothered him, he went along with it, for David meant more to him than God, and as a result, Joab would ultimately be worshiping a mortal man instead of God in heaven as he obeys David in numbering the people.
What is most noteworthy about the particular case is that it was not merely David, from whom such a directive was coming. David was the human agent used, but it was satan who actually issued it. Thus, as Joab obeyed, he was worshipping not only David, but he was bowing down to the unseen god behind the diabolic directive, better known as the devil. Let’s read:
1st Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
3 And Joab answered, The Lord make his people a hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?
4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
In the book of Revelation, where multitudes are to be seen worshipping a man, it’s not the man merely that is being worshiped and obeyed; it is the unseen god of this world to whom obedience and reverence are being rendered.
Thus, 666, the number of a man is representative of a system run by mortal man, that commands those individuals under its jurisdiction to do that which is diametrically opposed to what God says. It’s not the mere mortal man that is being worshiped; it is satan himself that folks are bowing down to. Let’s read:
Revelation 13: 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
This worship of a mere mortal man is done in direct violation of the first and the fourth commandments, regardless of what The True God says and therefore, whenever deference is given to any finite command that is contrary to sound doctrine, there you would have the worship of men and devils taking place.
In the Egyptian pantheon, pharaohs were endowed with divine attributes, and therefore, it was not only customary, but it was also the law of the land, that the citizenry must worship, venerate, and reverence the king of Egypt as a god.
The devastation and tragedy experienced during one of the destructive judgments against Egypt was the result of a plague against the sun god Ra, and in our day, if persons continue to worship the sun, and the day of the sun, it will soon backfire because the sun will soon begin to wreak havoc on individuals who continue that form of worship. Let’s read:
Revelation 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
The same thing had occurred in the days of Elijah when Israel was led into idolatry by worshiping the sun god. At that time, they were found following the dictates of Jezebel, a mere mortal, and thus, the sun god they worshipped was made to be their enemy.
History is soon to be repeated. Indeed, the horses have already left the barn, and all our efforts to try and mitigate all of earth’s problems, including global warming, and destructive floods and earthquakes in different places, will not be successful until the issue of worship is addressed.
Thus, as we study the topic”666, The Number of A Man” it will be necessary for us to delve into ancient history, so that a clear understanding of the dangers of worshipping and obeying a mortal man, in direct contravention of the scriptures, will be made plain. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 758>759] The ninth plague dealt a heavy blow to one of the greatest gods of Egypt, the sun god Ra, who had been continuously worshiped from the earliest times of that country's known history. In a land which hardly ever saw clouds in the sky, the sun was recognized as a never-failing power which provided warmth, light, life, and growth to the whole world.
Every Egyptian king considered himself as a “son of Ra,” and carried this expression in his titulary. When Amen of Thebes became chief god of Egypt during the eighteenth dynasty, the power of the sun god Ra was recognized as so great that a compromise was made by combining Amen and Ra to make one god—Amen-Ra.
A few years after the Exodus, when Ikhnaton introduced a short-lived monotheism, the only god retained was Aton, the sun disk.
Seeing how entrenched sun worship was in the religious life of the Egyptians, and how highly the sun god Ra, Amen-Ra, or Aton was revered, we can understand why the plague directed against the god was brought upon Egypt toward the culmination of the fight between the God of the Hebrews and His Egyptian adversaries.
Also, the tenth plague, the slaughtering of the first-born was striking at least one god, and that was the king, who was considered to be Horus, the son of Osiris. As the ruler of the Nile country, he was addressed by his subjects as “the good god.”
Hence, the last plague crowned the actions wrought by the miracle-working power of the Hebrew God. So far, the gods controlling the forces of nature or animals had been disgraced. But now, a god, living in a visible form among the Egyptians was also humiliated by the despised God of the Hebrew slaves, of whom the proud Pharaoh once had said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?
Man-worship has therefore been in existence from ancient days, and, because it is showing alarming signs of resurgence, we must of necessity study the dangers associated with it, lest persons fall for the number 666, the finite number of imperfection.
Man was created on the sixth day of the week, and it was the seventh day that God instituted as being the Sabbath, which brought the weekly cycle full circle.
Thus, the number 6 represents both imperfection and incompletion, and therefore, a system such as the number 666 represents reflects the humanistic endeavors to control the three main aspects of our being, the physical, the spiritual, and the temporal. Let’s read:
3rd John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.
The book of Esther contains valuable information and blueprints which must be understood by those who know what’s coming. In that book, we observe that man-worship was the triggering mechanism for an all-out assault that was scheduled against God’s people.
God signally overturned it, as He will again do when the mark of the beast takes center stage, but we are to be informed as to the nuts and bolts of what took place back then, for in our day we are seeing some disturbing signs, which hearken back to the days of Mordecai.
We will pinpoint the similarities that are reflected in our day currently, and we will see in real time why we keep saying to our friends to study the book of Esther, for there is nothing new under the sun, and man worship always inevitably leads to persecution of persons who beg to differ. Always! Let’s read:
Esther 3:1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
[1] The words “All the king’s servants” tells us that it was the popular thing to do, since everyone was doing it, with the exception of Mordecai.
When 666, the worship and the number of a man surfaces in our day, it will be the popular majorities who would subscribe, with the exception of persons like Mordecai, who have trained their minds to be guided in their decisions by what God says, not by what man dictates.
To be clear, following Jesus in the fullest sense, will never be popular, and therefore, like Mordecai, we cannot and must not go with the flow whenever the flow is contraindicated by the Scriptures for the way to heaven is upstream, not downstream, where any and everything goes. Let’s read:
Matthew 7: 13 Enter in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at.
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.
Esther 3:3 Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why do you transgress the king's commandment?
[2] The above verse tells us that the mandate came down in commandment form from the king, and as such it was not optional.
Similarly, when the issue of man worship comes to the forefront in our day, it will be mandatory, not optional, where persons can freely choose not to go that route. Very stiff penalties will first be instituted, and when these don’t work, the use of force would be employed, to try and coerce persons to bow.
But like Mordecai, there will be a peculiar people who will never bow. Economic sanctions, and loss of their economic privileges will only drive them closer to Christ, and though men, and demons may heckle, bribe, and offer different incentives to bow, those whose minds are captive to the word of God will not budge. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 607] The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and in this work, papists are solicited to come to the help of Protestants. The movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold, and decided. The law is invoked against commandment-keepers. They are threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some are offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith.
Esther 3:4 Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
[3] Man worship always leads to the persecution of those who beg to differ.
One of the reasons why there is so much infighting among members of congress is because the worship of a man is sapping the lifeblood of common sense from the conscience, and those who refuse to bow are being ostracized, alienated and criticized daily, in so much that it’s near impossible for them to run for election again.
Again, as Mordecai refuses to bow, Haman extends his anger to all those who may be affiliated with him either by blood, or by similar religious views. When the dark ages were upon the land it was the worship of a man that was the catalyst for millions of Christ’s true followers to be put to death.
Similarly, as America is currently hurtling towards man worship, we may expect the ghost of Haman to start flitting around, causing upheaval, mayhem and dysfunction across all branches of government, and, when man worship is finally instituted the same way Haman tried to take vengeance on those who would not bow, will again be revisited. Let’s read:
Esther 3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.
[4] “Their laws are diverse from all people”
This particular statement must be understood by all, for it could not be the laws governing most nations that are being referred to, or else they would not be “Diverse” from all other people.
It could not be stealing that Haman is referring to, because in most nations of the earth, stealing is a crime. Just recently Sam Bankman Fried, the crypto king, was charged with stealing millions from his unsuspecting customers, and in the Middle east, if one is caught stealing, he can lose a hand or foot as a result. So, it’s not stealing Haman is referring to.
It's not lying either that Haman is speaking of. Just recently some persons were charged with lying to the congress and the F.B.I, and there are others who are currently facing their own day of reckoning for election lies and hush money payments. So, it’s not lying that Haman is referring to.
Neither is Haman referring to murder, because just recently Danelo Cavalcante, who was convicted for killing his girlfriend, was again apprehended in the state of Pennsylvania, after escaping custody, and he was again hauled off to prison, to continue serving his sentence.
So, the diverse laws Haman is speaking about are not the normal laws of nations. There is one, and only one law that could differentiate the Jews in Mordecai’s day from all other people, and that is the law found in the fourth commandment of the decalogue. Here it is, for persons who may not be aware. Let’s read:
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work.
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Many of the other laws of the Decalogue are still implemented across nations and states, some more, some less, so, when Haman declares “Their laws are diverse from all people” he is primarily referring to the law of the Sabbath.
Esther 3:9 If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.
13 And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
14 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.
[Early Writings pp 282] I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time to put them to death.
Now, it is true that God has true Christians in every church, and there might yet be millions today who are inadvertently worshiping a man, by obeying the instruction to worship on Sunday, the first day of the week.
God would have all to understand that such worship was ordained by man, and has absolutely nothing to do with the command He gave to the inhabitants of earth, to rest upon the 7th day of the week, as being the only, official day of rest.
The Sabbath has never been changed by God, and even though the majority of Christians embrace the first day of the week as God’s day of rest, there is no Scriptural support for such worship anywhere.
Therefore, 666, the mark of the beast, and number of his name pertains directly to the worship of man, in opposition to the clear word of God, and it is for this reason that God is now calling His people out of that system, so that they would not be identified as being part and parcel to the beast’s worship system. Let’s read:
Revelation 18: 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
In closing, let’s keep in mind that obedience to God forms the bedrock essential of all true worship, and even if much praise and prayer are made in sincerity the fact remains that without obedience to God as the main component of worship, it cannot, and will never be accepted in God’s sight, for God will never take a substitute in exchange for “It is written”.
We’ll therefore end with a passage which confirms this sacred truth, and it is God’s will that people the world over, not be sucked into the worship of man in any shape or form, for those who will be saved in God’s eternal kingdom will be those who obey His voice. Let’s read:
Revelation 22: 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
God Bless!