The Mark of the Beast is a symbol of our choice to believe that God operates like Satan and uses Satanic methods. Satan tries to confuse us and make us believe we're following God, but he twists the truth about God's character to resemble his own. In the Garden of Eden, Satan convinced Eve that God was a power hungry liar who she then began to fear. We continue to believe the lies today and will use Satan's methods to bully, threaten and force to get people to do what we think is right. Take a look at the news today. Christian's will picket a funeral with signs saying, "God Hates Gays", or they'll try to shoot a doctor who aborts babies. Watch movies about God and you are led to believe that God is unreasonable, violent and angry. There is another choice, to follow the real God and have the seal of His character imprinted on us. It's a choice to believe in God's character of love.
God uses love and truth to win over our hearts. If He didn't, Jesus would have come down off the cross and punished those who were mistreating Him. Satan expected Him to and He certainly had the power to do it. Satan has spent thousands of years making people believe that God is actually like him. The really sad thing, is that many believe it. They feel that to obey God, they need to fear Him. Nothing is further from the truth! God wants a love relationship with you. Love doesn't exist if there is fear! It doesn't make sense.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..." 1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
Say you have a girlfriend or boyfriend. You guys are enjoying being around each other and you are starting to think about marriage. Your partner decides to pop the question and pulls out a ring. Your heart skips beat and you think, 'yes, yes yes!!!' Then, they pull out a gun and say, 'If you ever decide to leave me, I love you, but I'll have to kill you.' All of a sudden, you just want to get away. You don't love that person now, you fear them. This is how God is portrayed. 'I love you, but if you don't obey me, I'm going to make you burn in hell forever'. You can't have love without freedom!
So think about this... How many people use fear tactics to make you do what they want you to do? How many Christians tell people, 'God hates you because...!' 'You're going to Hell because...' How can people ever come to an understanding that God loves them and died proving what selfless love looks like to them if you tell them God hates them and wants them to suffer and die.
So who do we choose to serve? Is it the god of forces predicted in Daniel 11:38 or the God of love. The mark is stamped on our foreheads and hands any time we think and do things that are contrary to God's character. It isn't a computer chip or tattoo, it's the way we think and act. The spirit of anti-Christ permeates any individual, organization, religion, Christian denomination or institution that uses methods and actions that emulate Satan's character in place of Christ's. Any time you question the motivation or methods of an individual or organization, use the love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 and the commandments as your measuring stick. Even if they have a good cause, the ends DO NOT justify the means. Without love, our actions amount to nothing.
"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:22
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