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. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 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.
This passage of scripture makes reference to the last superpower to exist upon the earth before Christ puts in His appearing. In the passage, the rise of America as a nation of peace is fitly represented as a lamb, but the scripture also says that it speaks like a dragon. The obvious issue at stake here in these verses, is that of worship, for the word is mentioned no less than five times in the entire chapter, and therefore it behooves us to investigate what aspect of worship will be the centerpiece of the mark of the beast, whose numeric identification is the number, 666.
The Vatican is the only state in the world, in which the head and the judiciary are controlled by the church, with all other branches of its government falling under the direct jurisdiction of the pope. And so we have an ungodly marriage between politics and religion, in which the laws of the state are governed solely by the dictates of the church, and the religious, legislative branch wields power over all its citizens. The mark of the beast therefore represents a religious form of government which incorporates church and state, by which the dogmas of the church are enforced upon the populace, whether they agree to its creeds or not. And the number 666, which is the number attached to that system, will be emblematic of financial persecution to those who beg to differ, and in which dissenters will have all their economic privileges severely curtailed. Let's read:
Revelation 13:16 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.
Question: What then is the aspect of worship that will draw the line between the true servants of God, and those who are so in name only? Without a doubt it must be the issue of the official day of rest, for there will come a time in our nation's experience, where Sunday worship will be enforced by the federal government, and the individual states, and then those who refuse to bow to the false system of worship, will ultimately be stripped of all economic privileges, which many of us now take for granted.
As it stands currently, most of Christendom has embraced the substitute day of rest, in direct opposition to the plainest utterances of scripture upon this very point, and since it is a fact that the overwhelming majority of the legislature are Sunday keepers, it will not be too difficult for the national Sunday law to be passed with popular, majority support, thus ushering an era of unparalleled godlessness, under the guise of Christianity. Even now there are those who are found to be lobbying for the re-institution of Sunday worship, and since the current head of the Vatican is scheduled to address both congress and the united nations this year, we may know for certain that the issue of worship will get legs, as the discussions vouching for its enforcement grow louder and louder.
It is therefore imperative that all true Christians now decide to follow where Christ has led the way, for when He was tempted in the wilderness to adopt an alternative type of worship, He signally dismissed satan for even daring to make such a suggestion. Thus it must be with us, who are called to stand firmly for the true worship of Jehovah, even though it may be at great risk to our safety and freedoms for doing so. The declaration, "We ought to obey God rather than men" should be our motto, and wherever religion and politics collide, there we must be prepared to choose right over wrong, and good over evil.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to stand our ground through faith in Christ Jesus, and He will give us the victory over the beast and the number of his name. Let's read:
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!