Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
This passage of scripture depicts in graphic form the results that will accrue to those who choose to permanently disconnect themselves from God by subscribing to the mark of the beast for religious or economic reasons. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that once this separation is made from God the decisions thus made will constitute a point of no return, as far as one's probation is concerned, and by taking the mark of the beast, a person's eternal destiny will be forever sealed. But what is even more worthy of note is that the decisions made at that time will center around worship and the keeping of the commandments of God.
By the keeping of all God's commandments several decisions are ultimately made manifest, the main one being that we thereby show our total dependence on Christ who died for us, so that when our economic privileges have been removed on account of standing firm for the truth and righteousness, Christ will all that we will be left with, and He is all that we will ever need. The general tenor of contemporary modes of thought is to become more independent, by living according to our own standards of right and wrong, without any consideration for what The Lord has said in His word, on the issues that pertain to principle and morality. And because of this, God is gradually being eliminated from the human experience in the minds of millions, a trend that will culminate in the institution of a universal religious and economic system, that will be diabolically opposed to the plainest teachings of God's word. Let's read:
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth 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.
The number six is representative of incompleteness, as opposed to the number seven which represents perfection. Man was created on the sixth day of the week, and although the work of God in creating us was very good, yet The Lord was not finished with what He had begun, for there was one more day to be added to the weekly cycle, a day in which God rested and reflected on the work which His own hands had made, thus setting the example for us to likewise rest from our own works as He did from His. But the powers of earth that are arrayed against the God Of heaven are in the process of establishing a religious and economic system that eliminates God from the equation, and the result will be the establishment of a universal day of rest which stands at the opposite end of the weekly cycle, thus legalizing contempt for the true worship of God as stipulated in the fourth commandment.
It is important for us as Christians to show our dependence on God by obeying His word, even when satanic and human agencies join forces to attempt a forced submission to the powers that be, in direct opposition to what God has commanded. And it will be in those days that are soon coming upon the earth, where the just will need to live by faith and faith alone, for God has promised that our bread and water will be sure, so that we would not need to depend on any man-made system for anything that pertains to life on this planet. To this very time we are now hastening, and thus it behooves us to use every experience that comes our way, to learn that all-important lesson of trusting solely in God.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this point, and it is the will of God that our personal relationship with Him may deepen and strengthen, so that we can face the future with courage and fortitude. Let's read:
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!