I am not going to say too much about the virus itself. Coronavirus remains a mystery as to where it originated. It has caused incalculable damage to economies, individual livelihoods. It has brought education challenges from kindergarten to graduate school. The virus has caused economic hardships, disunity and contention among family and friends. The heavy burdens of sickness and death has affected all of us.
Then came the vaccinations; so rapidly developed and distributed. You all are aware of the popular news reports with their uniformed, coordinated messaging urging everyone to get the vaccination. Hopefully, you are doing your own research to get the other side of the story, from recognized experts and qualified medical professionals who are cautioning against the popular position and suggesting alternate methods to deal with the virus.
And now we have the mandates. From the Federal and State governments to educational institutions, and businesses, small and large. Here are some recent headlines:
- No shot, No proof, No service: NYC businesses begin Checks
- French Retailers Puzzle over how to Keep Non-vaccinated Shoppers from Stores
- No Shot, No Service: Abu Dhabi to Ban Unvaccinated People from Most Public Places
- Scott Morrison Says Businesses Can Deny Service to Unvaccinated Customers
- Popular TV personality, Don Lemon and others are advocating that no one should be able to go to the supermarket, hospital or any place outside of their homes if they are not vaccinated.
I am sure that you all are aware of similar situations in your community and around the country. It is quite amazing to see the number of individuals, of all classes, colors, cultures, and socio-economic background are going along with this program. A program, when examined through the lens of Bible prophecy, seems not only sinister, but eerily similar to what the Scriptures foretell what take place as we come to the closing scenes of earth’s history and the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Let me make two very important points before I proceed. First, It is not my purpose to disrespect, condemn nor ridicule anyone for taking or not taking the vaccine. That’s a personal choice we all must make; hopefully based upon our own research and understanding of the matter. You are responsible to God as to how you exercise your power of choice, the greatest, most powerful attribute in the nature of man bequeathed to us by our Creator and Redeemer.
Secondly, let me make it also very clear that the neither the virus nor the vaccine is the Mark of the Beast. I will address that shortly.
The book of Daniel is known for its power to inspire God’s people as they see how He worked mightily in the lives of His servants, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Let me share with you that there is much more than inspiration in the Book of Daniel. It may surprise you that Daniel addresses, in a very particular way, the very time in which we live.
As you begin to read, we learn of the fact that Daniel and his companions, along with multitudes of the Jewish people were taken into Babylonian captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and his friends were young, well educated, disciplined and very dedicated to the God they had come to know about in their homeland.
Because of their mental acumen and physical abilities, they were selected by the king to serve in his courts. As such, they were required, as the others who were in same position, to partake of the kings luxurious food and delicacies. They sought a religious exemption. The Scripture reads, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king…12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
So he consented to them in this matter and proved them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat” (Daniel 1:8, 10, 12, 14-15).
Daniel and his companions passed the Health test because they believed the word of their God and stuck to the Health Message He had given to them and to all humanity. These are the pillars of that Health Message.
N…Proper Nutrition. No flesh. Nuts, greens, fruit and vegetables and
E…Exercise. Adam worked in the garden to take care of it. In the process, he got the proper exercise
W…Water. He drank plenty of clean fresh water…No sodas, no power juices.
S…Sunshine. In his labors, he basked in the rich rays of the life sustaining sunshine
T…Temperance. He was balanced in all that he did. No over working, no gluttony
A…Air. Oh, how did Adam relish and enjoyed the fresh, untainted H2O as he basked under the sunshine as he labored physically and productively.
R…Rest. Adequate rest each day. And yes, enjoying the blessedness of God’s Holy Sabbath -day.
T…Trust. Daniel and his companions placed their unyielding trust in their God, the Creator.
Daniel and his companions passed the health test. But it wasn’t over as you will see. My question to you today is, How are you doing in the current health test? Are you defiling your body, or are you trusting God like Daniel and his companions?
Then came the Worship test. As we come to Daniel chapter 3, we see Daniel’s companions are faced with the Worship test. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream in chapter 2. The king could not remember dream; but was troubled by it because he thought it was rather significant. When none of his prognosticators and wise men were able to recall the dream to the king and give him the interpretation, he commanded that they should be killed and their houses burned.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as part of that cadre of kingly advisors, were confronted with the same fate. They requested of the king time to consult their God on the matter. Their God not only revealed to them the king’s dream; but also gave them the interpretation.
They related to the king that the dream that he had consisted of a large image of a man. His head was gold. His chest and arms was silver. His belly was brass. His legs were iron and his feet was a mixture of iron and clay. They then related to the king that a stone that a great stone descended from the heavens, crushed the image and scattered it like dust. The stone then stood as an immovable rock.
Then Daniel and his companions explained to the king that the image represented the kingdoms that would rule the world from his time until the second coming of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom over the whole earth. The head of gold, the young Hebrew captives explained to the king, represented his kingdom, Babylon.
Excited that the dream was brought back to his mind; but dissatisfied with the interpretation, the king commanded that an image of all gold be built. He thought that his kingdom will last forever and wanted to demonstrate that through the image of all gold. Further, he demanded that all in his kingdom should bow down and worship the image. Whosoever refused were threatened to be cast in a fiery furnace, heated seven times more that normal.
But the Hebrew boys resolutely refused and informed the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).
The furnace was heated seven times more than usual. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace. It was so hot, that the men that cast them into the fire were burnt up. But for God’s children, the Bible records that when the king came to see what had happened, in wonderment and amazement, he asked his counsellors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
The king, filled with consternation, exclaimed, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:24-25).
To many, the vaccination mandates is quite similar. You do what we say, regardless of your religious objection, or you will be punished. These are the precise principles that surround the vaccination mandates. If you do not take the vaccine, you will not be able to function normally in society. It is the exact template that is outlined in the book of Revelation regarding the Mark of the Beast crisis.
John talks about the Mark of the beast. “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: 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 (Revelation 13:16-17).
On top of the health and worship tests, Daniel himself had to face a third test. I call it the prohibition test.
Daniel is old now and because of his fidelity and faithfulness to Creator God, the Persians who by now have overtaken Babylon, just as prophesied, made Daniel Prime Minister of their Empire. This fostered great jealously among the other high officials in the Media/Persian empire.
They concocted a scheme to get Daniel killed. They deceptively petitioned the king to sign a petition that prohibited everyone to worship only the king or they would be killed.
But faithful Daniel, determined that even in the face of death threats he will worship his God. As a result, he was arrested and cast into a den of lions.
And God honored his faith. The Bible records, “And when he[ King Darius] came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. 22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt” (Daniel 6:20-22).
Finally, let’s talk a little bit about the Mark of the Beast. It is perhaps the most frequently discussed Biblical doctrine today. Not only is this topic eminent in religious circles; but even the non-religious speculate and make determinations as to what is the Mark of the Beast and its ramifications on society. In this Covid environment has become even more a topic of discussion and debate. Regardless of whether you are religious or non-religious, Christian or of any other religious persuasion, you will be affected by the Mark of the Beast. The Holy Bible, the source which introduces the Mark of the Beast, clearly identifies what is the beast. It further portrays the beast most boldly proclaiming to the entire world what is its mark and what are the consequences for not receiving its mark.
But who is this beast and what is it’s mark?
In order to correctly determine what is indeed the Mark of the Beast, we must first discover from the Bible, what is the Beast. Once we determine who is the Beast, then it will be easily determined what is its ‘Mark’. As always, to discover the facts, we go to the word of God, the Holy Bible.
The prophet Daniel, under the inspiration of Almighty God, foretold of the nations, from his time in Babylonian captivity to the second coming of Jesus, that would rule the world and have an impact on God’s plan for the redemption of human souls. In God-inspired prophetic vision, he outlined those nations in the imagery of beasts.
The multi- metal image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 and the beasts of Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7 represent the following world empires:
Image Beasts Nation Reign
Daniel 2:31-45 Daniel 7:1-8
Head of Gold Lion Babylon 606BC-536BC
Chest and Arms of Brass Bear Medes/Persia 536BC-331BC
Belly of Brass Leopard Greece 331BC-168BC
Legs of Iron Non-descript Imperial Rome 168BC-476 AD
Feet of iron and clay Little horn Papal Rome 538-Jesus’return
Daniel explains what the beasts are, “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth” (Daniel 7:17).
Of this little horn that, Papal Rome, Daniel speaks specifically, “And he shall speak great words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time”
(Daniel 7:25).
John the Revelator expands upon the true nature of the little horn power. He writes, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
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” (Revelation 13:1-3).
There is only one power of a political and religious nature that arose out of the Roman Empire, persecuted God’s people, sought to change God’s law, thus claiming to be above God; that is the Roman Papacy. History confirms what the Bible long ago predicted.
Now that we have positively identified the ‘Beast’ as Roman Catholicism, let her tell us what her ‘Mark’ is.
The Catholic Record of London, Ontario, Canada agrees completely. In the September 1st, 1923 edition, we find this declaration, “Sunday is our ’Mark’ of authority…the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact” Talk about blasphemy!!!
We find in Peter Geiermann’s Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine:
- Which is the Sabbath day?
- Saturday is the Sabbath day.
- Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
- We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.
Amazed? So was someone who read this and wrote questioning the late Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore. To which the Cardinal replied, “Of course, the Catholic church claims that the change was her act. And the act is a ‘Mark’ of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.
Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Pope Francis declared to the world about five years ago, in his encyclical, Laudato SI, his proposed solution for the world’s problems: “On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world. Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, the “first day” of the new creation, whose first fruits are the Lord’s risen humanity, the pledge of the final transfiguration of all created reality. It also proclaims “man’s eternal rest in God” (Section, 168).
First, there is no such animal as a Jewish Sabbath. It is the Sabbath of Creator God (Genesis 2:2-3; Mark 2:27-28). Francis most recently declared, “Preserving the special character of Sunday as the Lord’s Day — even civilly where possible.”
In other words, one will be punished, even killed for honoring the God of creation by rejecting the Mark of the Beast.
But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground upon every side (GC 565).
The recently formed St. Francis Day Foundation is established to support the implementation of Laudato Si’ “mandates” to solve the world’s “most pressing problems.”
Rome continues to pressure world leaders to adopt Laudato Si’. The Vatican won’t stop until Sunday becomes the universal day of rest for the environment. They call this the most important issue facing our world. The churches support this. The scientific community is on board. Politicians, bankers and business leaders are on board the climate movement. They’re all in agreement. And the Vatican is orchestrating plans and solutions to deal with the “climate change crisis” with the support of the entire international community. That solution is universal Sunday sacredness.
But, Creator God has given us His holy Sabbath-day, today called Saturday, the seventh day of the week. He admonishes us, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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”(Exodus 20:8-11).
The beast, the Roman papacy, claims that she has changed that to Sunday, the first day of the week. The question for you to answer is whom are you worshipping? The prophet Isaiah admonishes us, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples…To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:16,20).
Are you His disciple?
Worship has always been the key issue of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. It is rapidly approaching a most heinous conclusion. But God gives us the Blessed Hope, the glorious return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He assures us, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).
As we look around the current religious/political landscape, one is forced to consider the seriousness and gravity of the first Amendment of the US Constitution. It reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”.
The beast, the Roman papacy, claims that she has changed that to Sunday, the first day of the week. The question for you to answer is whom are you worshipping?
In this Covid environment, if we purpose in our hearts to serve God, He will preserve and protect us, as He did Daniel and his companions. Even if He doesn’t, we have the Blessed Hope. The soon coming of our Lord and Savior to make all things new.
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