Tuesday 28 September 2010

Die Daily

A friend posted this today:

"When the Apostle Paul speaks of dying daily, he was at that time in daily danger, and he was saying that if he did not believe in the resurrection, he would not have continually put his life in harm's way." ...Meaning, Paul was speaking about the danger of dying daily that he lived in."

Sunday 26 September 2010

The Millenium

The Old Covenant Prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom. When Jesus came, He explained the nature of that Kingdom. And the Apostles explained in what manner the Gospel fulfilled prophecy.

The Millenium is not mentioned by name by the Prophets, nor by the Lord, nor by the Apostles in their Epistles. Whatever is meant by the thousand years (mentioned in the Book of Revelation) therefore must be consistent with what is revealed elsewhere about the Kingdom by the Lord and by the Apostles.

So, exactly what does the rest of the Bible say about the Kingdom? It would be a good exercize to take another look at the manner in which the Lord and the Apostles interpreted Biblical prophecy about the Kingdom - and then make the meaning of the 1,000 years mentioned in the Book of Revelation fit it.

Monday 20 September 2010

Interpretive Licence Regarding the 'Mark' of the Beast

Do you believe God would cast a person into the lake of fire for merely accepting an implant? in order to be able to buy food for his family? Would that in itself be any worse morally than having one's ears pierced? or having a titanium splint implanted? And yet the Bible says that all who had been marked by the beast were seen to be cast into the lake of fire.

The Bible explains that it was only those who had worshiped the beast and his image who were 'marked' by the beast. Participating in barcoding, credit cards or chips however, are not indicative that a participant has worshiped someone or his image (statue, idol).

Also, the way the text of the Bible is worded doesn't necessarily have to be taken to mean that anyone made a choice to receive or refuse the mark - the text can be taken to mean that it was the beast who chose who to mark and whom not to mark based on the criteria of whether or not the person was known to be a worshiper of the beast or seen to be a worshiper of his idol. Textually, that meaning is a possibility.

This reinforces that the issue surrounding the 'mark' was worship - literally worshiping a person or his idol. I don't see worship as the criteria today upon which any politician is deciding to issue or not issue microchips. So far, at least.

Also, the way the text of the Bible is worded does not necessarily mean that the mark was functional. It was merely a mark. The mark was of the beast's name or number. The text does not say that the mark distinguished each individual. It does not say that the mark was something functional in and of itself as a chip would be. The only thing the mark distinguished between was between those who had worshiped the beast and those who had not. Beyond that there was no distinguishing capability between individuals. Worshipers were allowed to buy and sell - non-worshipers were discriminated against.

The Book of Revelation also talks about God's mark in people's foreheads. Where's this mark on your forehead? Since God's 'mark' is understood to be figurative, why do we insist that the beast's 'mark' must be literal? The 'beast' himself is after all not literally a beast but it speaks figuratively of a man.

All of this shows that a large degree of interpretive licence is required by those who insist that the modern microchip must be the mark of the beast. It isn't written in the Bible in black and white like many have been led to think that it is.

I'm not saying that degree of interpretive licence shouldn't be taken - I'm only wanting those who take such licence to acknowledge that that is what they are doing - and to concede that an alternative interpretive model might therefore be just as credible as theirs.

Mark of the Beast Not an Individual Choice

The way the text of the Bible is worded doesn't necessarily have to be taken to mean that it was individuals who chose to receive or refuse the mark of the beast. It could just as well be taken to mean that it was the beast who chose who to mark and who not to mark - based on his criteria of whether or not an individual was known to have worshiped the beast or his idol. There may or may not have been any direct involvement by individuals in the choice of whether or not to be marked. Their only choice may have been in whether or not they had worshiped the beast or his idol.

The meaning was simply that non-worshipers of this particular ruler were deliberately discriminated against economically. The way the text is worded doesn't necessarily imply that individuals shall choose or refuse to be microchipped - it requires a fair bit of interpretive licence to insist on that view, which is just one of many possible interpretive models that have been proposed through the centuries.

The Reason for Poverty

The following is an adaption to suit Australia of a satirical response originally written by someone in response to a video about poverty in America:

"The reason that we have poverty in Australia is because wealthy Coalition supporters (not wealthy Labor and Green supporters) own a large house and drive a nice car. If only we could take that large house and nice car away from the wealthy Coalition supporter (not wealthy Labor and Green supporters) then somehow the poor people will finally be able to prosper. Almost overnight. Like pushing a button.

The poverty in this country has nothing to do with the government killing our industries in the name of really showing those rich people. It has nothing to do with regulating businesses out of the country. It has nothing to do with laying off people due to the artificial inflation of labor costs via unions. And it has nothing to do with managing a poor education system that has the most money in the world flowing into it and the worst results. It's Woolworths fault. It's BP's fault. If only we could force Coles and BP to go out of business then there wouldn't be any poor people."

Sunday 19 September 2010

Lifting Up Holy Hands

My dad explained something about the Scripture, "Let the lifting up of my hands be as the evening sacrifice".

As part of the pagan ceremony of cutting a blood-covenant, both parties used to raise both hands to show that their wrists had been cut. That's not a Judaeo-Christian custom though.

Under the Old Covenant, the Jews would sacrifice an animal - and wave it before the Lord, revealing the blood - perhaps some of it on their hands too.

So David desired that raising his hands before the Lord would be regarded by God as having the same significance as the evening sacrifice: it was to David an outward expression of an inward sacrifice being offered to God in his heart.

Saturday 18 September 2010

Genesis 1:1

The terminology of Genesis 2:1 seems to imply that Genesis 1:1 was part of the six days of creation. Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 don't appear to have been separated from Genesis 1:3-31.

Also, the six "days" were probably 24hours long each - because each day consisted of one period of darkness called night followed by one period of light called day. If each of these periods of darkness lasted for many years, plantlife which relies on photosynthesis for survival could not have become viable.

Adam and Eve

It seems to me that Eve was made on the same day as Adam.

The female is mentioned within the list of events that took place on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26-31).

God had already made everything else. He placed the man in the garden, probably before noon on the sixth day. He brought all the animals to Adam. Adam named every one. The animals were not left unnamed, once Adam came onto the scene. But there was no helper found for Adam. So, probably no more than an hour or two into the afternoon, God put Adam to sleep and made the woman. All on the sixth day!

Perhaps the way the text is worded also makes room for the view that Eve may have been created a number of days later or longer.

What is the Mark of the Beast

What was the mark of the beast? The Bible describes the mark of the beast for us:

1) It was visible - it was a "mark";

2) It was the beast's name - not the bearer's name - but the beast's name; or

3) It was the beast's number - not the individual bearer's own number - but the beast's number.

That doesn't sound like a microchip - not in appearance, nor in function.

But the Bible's description is only an allegory which required interpretation. Any interpretive model - such as the microchip theory - is therefore just that - an interpretive model. It's not necessarily black-and-white Bible truth.

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Contemporary Praise and Worship Music

I think a lot of contemporary praise and worship music needs to recover melodiousness.

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Speaking WithTongues Without Interpretation

It's okay to speak with tongues in public without interpreting it, in many circumstances.

For example, during times of congregational singing, there's no harm done if you sing in tongues in a manner that doesn't attract any attention away from the proceedings of the meeting.

Or during a prayer-meeting, there's no harm done if you pray with tongues to yourself and to God in a manner that doesn't distract attention from the proceedings of the meeting.

Or if you're in a meeting where everyone has agreed together to sing or pray in unison with tongues - that's fine if you are all doing it - even when there is no interpretation.

Or when you're hanging-out informally with friends, there's no harm done if you say something with tongues, so long as you don't expect everyone else to drop whatever they're doing and listen to you - so long as you're not interrupting the overall flow of the occassion. It's okay!

Sometimes, to speak with tongues, is the overall flow of the occassion. It's okay to speak with tongues without an interpreter during a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit - and it doesn't have to be limited to two or three speakers either.

In Acts chapter two, 120 people spoke with tongues all at once. Later, at Ephesus, twelve people were baptized in water and were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues and prophesied - and there is no record that anyone interpreted the tongues.

In those cases, it wasn't distracting to the proceedings of the meeting, nor did it attract undue attention to the speaker of tongues - it was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit - everyone was speaking with tongues at the same time - no individual was holding the floor demanding undivided attention while he spoke - and there was no interpretation, as far as we know.

Those are totally different scenarios to what Paul was addressing at Corinth. In I Corinthians chapter 14, Paul was talking about a scenario where individual after individual was standing up in a congregation, holding the floor, demanding the entire congregation's undivided attention, and rattling-off ten thousand words in an unknown tongue, without interpretation. The only thing it was achieving was that it showed the congregation that the speaker was able to speak witb tongues - but it didn't benefit anyone else. Obviously if the church persisted in doing that, visitors would rightly think they were mad.

But there are many other circumstances in which it isn't unreasonable to speak with tongues without an interpreter - and it's okay because it doesn't demand anyone else's attention - it doesn't distract attention away from any other proceedings that are going on at that time and place. That's totally fine. It has absolutely nothing to do with the type of scenario Paul was addressing!

"I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all," said Paul.

More on this topic here

Is Soul-Sleep Scriptural?

When a believer's body dies, it is buried - but he, that is, his spirit, goes to be with the Lord. Paul said, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord". Paul wouldn't have described death as a "departure" if death meant staying in the ground with his dead body. He certainly wouldn't have described death as a "far better" option. To Paul, the death of the body meant to depart and be absent from the body and to go and be with the Lord in a far better existence.

Moses did die. That leaves only Enoch and Elijah who didn't die (as far as we know). But John saw 24 elders in heaven - not merely two. John also saw the souls of those who had been martyred, under the altar. He also saw multitudes from every ethnic group praising the Lamb in heaven.

It is only a person's body - the outer man - that awaits resurrection and, if he's a believer - glorification.

Paul wrote that "to be absent from the body" is "to be present with the Lord". Being "present with the Lord" must refer to the period of time in between when Paul would depart from his body, and his resurrection on the last day - because after the resurrection he would no longer be absent from his body!

It was revealed to John that far more than merely two men were active in heaven prior to their resurrection - namely, the 24 elders; the souls under the altar; a great company that had come out of great tribulation; and multitudes out of every tongue, tribe and nation who sang the praises of the Lamb. It is only the "outer man" - our body - who is silent in the grave and who "sleeps" (in death), awaiting the resurrection. The "inner man" is either carried immediately by the angels into heaven, or descends immediately into hell - depending on his works, whether good or bad.

Jesus said whoever believes in Him would never die. Our "outer man" - our body - does die - but as believers our "inner man" shall never die but is passed already from death (spiritual death) to life (eternal life). Eternal life of the spirit doesn't begin at the resurrection - it begins the moment a person believes. It is only the body which shall die - "sleep" or "rest" - awaiting the resurrection.

Paul said, speaking of those who have died, that Christ shall bring them with Him. Obviously then, they must presently be with Him where Christ is - that is, in heaven. When Christ comes, all who are in the graves shall hear His voice - that means, their physical bodies shall be brought back to life and shall physically hear Christ's voice and, having been reunited with the spirit shall physically rise. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of damnation or the "second death".

The last enemy to be destroyed is physical death. Every other enemy was destroyed already, and received by faith. Physical death does not interrupt our unending enjoyment if those other victories - namely, of enjoying uninterrupted fellowship in spirit with the Lord!

It was revealed to John that death and hell (KJV) shall be cast into "the lake of fire" at the end. Evidently then there is a thing called hell (KJV) which is distinct from both the lake of fire and distinct from physical death. It is the place where the rich man lifted up his eyes being in torments. It is a place of flames. But it is distinct from the lake of fire into which the wicked shall be cast bodily after their physical resurrection at the end.

Ziglar Quote

"Many people have gone a lot farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could" - Ziglar

Monday 13 September 2010

Is the Microchip the Mark of the Beast?

Since when could a microchip be described as a 'mark'? Last time I checked microchips were always implanted invisibly! (Oxford Dictionary: "mark, ...visible sign, stain, spot, or dent on something..." NB 'visible' sign.)

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Civilization - by Reinhard Bonnke

"Civlisation in every age rests upon the revelation of a God of integrity to whom we are all accountable" - REINHARD BONNKE

Wesley's Explanatory Notes on Matthew 24

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

24:1 Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

24:2 There shall not he left one stone upon another - This was most punctually fulfilled; for after the temple was burnt, Titus, the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploughed up by Turnus Rufus.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?


24:3 As he sat on the mount of Olives - Whence they had a full view of the temple. When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? - The disciples inquire confusedly, Concerning the time of the destruction of the temple; Concerning the signs of Christ's coming, and of the end of the world, as if they imagined these two were the same thing. Our Lord answers distinctly concerning, The destruction of the temple and city, with the signs preceding, ver. 4, and c, 15, and c. Mt 24:4,15. His own coming, and the end of the world, with the signs thereof, ver. 29 - 31. Mt 24:29 - 31. The time of the destruction of the temple, ver. 32, and c. Mt 24:32. The time of the end of the world, ver. 36. Mt 24:36.

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.


24:4 Take heed that no man deceive you - The caution is more particularly designed for the succeeding Christians, whom the apostles then represented. The first sign of my coming is, the rise of false prophets. But it is highly probable, many of these things refer to more important events, which are yet to come.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

24:5 Many shall come in my name - First, false Christs, next, false prophets, Mt 24:11. At length, both together, Mt 24:24. And indeed never did so many impostors appear in the world as a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem; undoubtedly because that was the time wherein the Jews in general expected the Messiah.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

24:6 Wars - Near: Rumours of wars - At a distance. All these things must come to pass - As a foundation for lasting tranquillity. But the end - Concerning which ye inquire, is not yet - So far from it, that this is but the beginning sorrows.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.


24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to affliction - As if ye were the cause of all these evils. And ye shall he hated of all nations - Even of those who tolerate all other sects and parties; but in no nation will the children of the devil tolerate the children of God. Matt 10:17.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

24:10 Then shall many he offended - So as utterly to make shipwreck of faith and a pure conscience. But hold ye fast faith, Mt 24:11. in spite of false prophets: love, even when iniquity and offences abound, Mt 24:12. And hope, unto the end, Mt 24:13. He that does so, shall be snatched out of the burning. The love of many will wax cold - The generality of those who love God will (like the Church at Ephesus, Rev 2:4,) leave their first love.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.


12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

24:13 Matt 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

24:14 This Gospel shall he preached in all the world - Not universally: this is not done yet: but in general through the several parts of the world, and not only in Judea And this was done by St. Paul and the other apostles, before Jerusalem was destroyed. And then shall the end come - Of the city and temple. Josephus's History of the Jewish War is the best commentary on this chapter . it is a wonderful instance of God's providence, that he, an eye witness, and one who lived and died a Jew, should, especially in so extraordinary a manner, be preserved, to transmit to us a collection of important facts, which so exactly illustrate this glorious prophecy, in almost every circumstance. Mark 13:10.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

24:15 When ye see the abomination of desolation - Daniel's term is, The abomination that maketh desolate, Dan 11:31; that is, the standards of the desolating legions, on which they bear the abominable images of their idols: Standing in the holy place - Not only the temple and the mountain on which it stood, but the whole city of Jerusalem, and several furlongs of land round about it, were accounted holy; particularly the mount on which our Lord now sat, and on which the Romans afterward planted their ensigns. He that readeth let him understand - Whoever reads that prophecy of Daniel, let him deeply consider it. Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20; Dan 9:27.

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

24:16 Then let them who are in Judea flee to the mountains - So the Christians did, and were preserved. It is remarkable that after the Romans under Cestus Gallus made their first advances toward Jerusalem, they suddenly withdrew again, in a most unexpected and indeed impolitic manner. This the Christians took as a signal to retire, which they did, some to Pella, and others to Mount Libanus.

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:


24:17 Let not him that is on the house top come down to take any thing out of his house - It may be remembered that their stairs used to be on the outside of their houses.

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

24:19 Wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck - Because they cannot so readily make their escape.

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

24:20 Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter - They did so; and their flight was in the spring. Neither on the Sabbath - Being on many accounts inconvenient; beside that many would have scrupled to travel far on that day. For the Jews thought it unlawful to walk above two thousand paces (two miles) on the Sabbath day.

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

24:21 Then shall be great tribulation - Have not many things spoken in the chapter , as well as in Mark 13:14 and c., Luke 21:21 and c. a farther and much more extensive meaning than has been yet fulfilled?

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

24:22 And unless those days were shortened - By the taking of Jerusalem sooner than could be expected: No flesh would be saved - The whole nation would be destroyed. But for the elect's sake - That is, for the sake of the Christians.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24:23 Mark 13:21; Luke 17:23.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

24:24 They would deceive, if possible, the very elect - But it is not possible that God should suffer the body of Christians to be thus deceived.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:27 For as the lightning goeth forth - For the next coming of Christ will he as quick as lightning; so that there will not be time for any such previous warning.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.


24:28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles he gathered together - Our Lord gives this, as a farther reason, why they should not hearken to any pretended deliverer. As if he had said, Expect not any deliverer of the Jewish nation; for it is devoted to destruction. It is already before God a dead carcass, which the Roman eagles will soon devour. Luke 17:37.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days - Here our Lord begins to speak of his last coming. But he speaks not so much in the language of man as of God, with whom a thousand years are as one day, one moment. Many of the primitive Christians not observing this, thought he would come immediately, in the common sense of the word: a mistake which St. Paul labours to remove, in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. The powers of the heavens - Probably the influences of the heavenly bodies. Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25.

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.


24:30 Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven - It seems a little before he himself descends. The sun, moon, and stars being extinguished, (probably not those of our system only,) the sign of the Son of man (perhaps the cross) will appear in the glory of the Lord.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


24:31 They shall gather together his elect - That is, all that have endured to the end in the faith which worketh by love.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

24:32 Learn a parable - Our Lord having spoke of the signs preceding the two grand events, concerning which the apostles had inquired, begins here to speak of the time of them. And to the question proposed, Mt 24:3, concerning the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, he answers Mt 24:34. Concerning the time of the end of the world, he answers Mt 24:36. Mark 13:28; Luke 21:29.

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

24:34 This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done - The expression implies, that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was. For the city and temple were destroyed thirty - nine or forty years after.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

24:36 But of that day - The day of judgment; Knoweth no man - Not while our Lord was on earth. Yet it might be afterward revealed to St. John consistently with this.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:37 Luke 17:26.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:40 One is taken - Into God's immediate protection: and one is left - To share the common calamities. Our Lord speaks as having the whole transaction present before his eyes.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.


24:41 Two women shall be grinding - Which was then a common employment of women.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

24:42 Ye know not what hour your Lord cometh - Either to require your soul of you, or to avenge himself of this nation. Mark 13:33; Luke 12:35; 21:34.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.


44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?


24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant - Which of you aspires after this character? Wise - Every moment retaining the clearest conviction, that all he now has is only intrusted to him as a steward: Faithful - Thinking, speaking, and acting continually, in a manner suitable to that conviction.

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.


47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

24:48 But if that evil servant - Now evil, having put away faith and a good conscience.

49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

24:51 And allot him his portion with the hypocrites - The worst of sinners, as upright and sincere as he was once. If ministers are the persons here primarily intended, there is a peculiar propriety in the expression. For no hypocrisy can be baser, than to call ourselves ministers of Christ, while we are the slaves of avarice, ambition, or sensuality. Wherever such are found, may God reform them by his grace, or disarm them of that power and influence, which they continually abuse to his dishonour, and to their own aggravated damnation!

Sunday 5 September 2010

Is the Mark of the Beast a Microchip?

I used the automated cashless self-service checkout in Coles supermarket - and it DIDN'T feel like I was worshiping the beast or the number of his name! It was quite convenient. I didn't feel as though prophecy was being fulfilled before my very eyes.

I sometimes think that when an allegorical book described an allegory in which an allegorical animal was seen causing everyone to receive a mark in the name of another allegorical animal in the allegory, chances are the 'mark' ...may have been allegorical too! To assert that the allegorical 'mark' must be a microchip is therefore at best only an interpretation.

Think about this: the way the mark was described in the text didn't necessarily mean the mark had to be something functional in and of itself like a microchip would be. It may be that it was the edict - and not the mark itself - which allowed or disallowed the buying and selling.

The only direct function the 'mark' may have had may be that it merely identified and distinguished between those who had the mark and those who did not - between those who had worshiped the animal and his idolatrous statue and those who had not. The way the text was worded may not necessarily have meant that the 'mark' had to be something functional or electronic. To assert that it must be a functioning microchip is therefore only one of many interpretive possibilities.

The allegory explained for the reader exactly what the mark was - it was said to be either the animal's name or the animal's number. It didn't say everyone was marked with their own name or number - rather, it says they were marked with another person's name or number - the animal's.

Therefore the 'mark' didn't necessarily serve the function of distinguishing among those who had the mark - it may have merely distinguished those who had it from those who didn't have it. That's less of a function than would be required of an implanted microchip in a cashless society where every individual's chip would need to be distinguished.

Besides, the book of Revelation didn't necessarily describe a cashless society anyway. In chapter six verse six, the Roman currency 'danarius' was described as being in use.

And receiving the mark meant that a person had already been a worshiper of the animal and of his idolatrous statue. Everyone who had received the mark would later be thrown into the lake of fire. Therefore, receiving the mark presumably meant something far more damnable than merely participating in a convenient system of exchange such as is now in use in Coles supermarkets and in several other stores.

Just saying!

:)

Wednesday 1 September 2010

My Thoughts About Health Care

My thoughts about health-care:

1. Better that it is provided by the private sector on a user-pays basis.

2. Or, if it is provided publicly, there should be an opt-out provision for anyone who doesn't wish to participate in the scheme. Non-participation would mean the non-participant wouldn't have to contribute anything (taxes, nor premiums) to the scheme, but it would also means the person would forgo all privileges of the scheme.

3. Perhaps there could be options for varying levels of participation in the scheme with corresponding levels of contribution and privileges.

4. All who choose to participate in any given level of the scheme should contribute at the same rate and enjoy the same privileges - irrespective of their level of income.