Ahad, 27 September 2015

What is the meaning of 666 and the mark on their right hands or foreheads?

By Joannes Simin
Copyright 2014

    We know that God's divine works on earth are revealed through names, whereas governmental activities on earth are numbered—from our birth certificates to our death certificates. Every human activity is tracked and numbered by earthly rulers. Thus, the mission of earthly governments is defined by numbers. The number 666 simply represents the operation of the "last-hour" world government, which is completely devoid of God's divine will; Jesus symbolically referred to such people as "the tares."

    The number 666 reflects the earthly mission of man. This system has its own prophets who serve as the "mouths" or emissaries of the Old Serpent's will on earth. God originally designed the procreation of humankind, but in the days of Noah, the "sons of God" sabotaged this divine design by crossbreeding with human lineages. This produced the accursed offspring known as the Nephilim, whose descendants were later called the Anakites (see Numbers 13:33). Consequently, God determined to destroy all corrupted human and animal lineages, sparing only Noah, seven family members, and the chosen pairs of animals guided by angels into the Ark.

    During the coming judgment period—after the heavenly sign where "the sun turns dark and the moon does not give off its light"—the Adversary will launch an all-out war against God’s agenda. He will confer his demonic authority upon the superpowers of the earth, making earthly rulers his "mouths"—the propagators and enforcers of Antichrist philosophies.

    The name of Christ is "the Word of God" (Revelation 19:13); therefore, "Antichrist" means opposing the Word of God. The Word became flesh as the Son of God and the Son of Man. Saint John revealed that antichrists deny that Jesus, the Word, came in the flesh (1 John 4:2–3). In other words, "Antichrist" refers to anyone who opposes the truth that the Word became human in Jesus, thereby rejecting the Lord’s Passover. Jesus prophesied that these individuals are spiritually equivalent to "tares" (Matthew 13)—Satan’s servants and mouthpieces on earth, fulfilling the ancient prophecy of the Serpent's offspring foretold in Genesis 3.

    From ancient times, as revealed in Genesis chapter 3 and Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 46:10, the end was made known from the beginning: the woman and her descendants would exist in an adversarial relationship with the camp of the Serpent. The apocalyptic conflict in Revelation 12 between the woman and her offspring and the Serpent and its descendants (the evil rulers) was, in truth, foretold in Genesis 3. In prophecy, the Hebrews were predestined to serve as the symbolic mother of God’s people on earth, while converted gentiles represent her offspring. The woman in Revelation 12 is depicted using the same prophetic symbolism found in Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9.

    In Revelation 13, the full array of activities carried out by the earthly rulers centers upon "buying and selling"—activities that revolve around numbers, profits, deficits, and losses. Why, then, is his name expressed as a number (referring to the beast out of the earth, the superpower nation exerting immense influence over world politics)? When the above question is rephrased using the 'mission' instead of name, then it would sound: Why is his 'mission' expressed as a number?

    During the reign of King Solomon, "the weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories" (1 Kings 10:14–15). Through a scriptural and prophetic lens, the present World Bank serves as a platform for manifesting the final monetary system, figuratively represented by the number 666—the ultimate mission of faithless men, whom Jesus called "the tares."

    Solomon received annual tax-like gold collections amounting to 666 talents of gold from all those under his rule. This annual collection serves as a prophetic shadow of the enslaving economic system of faithless men, prophesied as 666. This does not mean future rulers will collect that exact same quantity of gold; rather, it signifies that the coming economic system will operate on the pattern of Solomon's centralized, annual gold extraction.


 Divine missions on earth (names) and the Beasts‟ missions (number) on earth

    God purposely reveals the beast's name as a number because it is far more specific than any proper name. He would not reveal a literal proper name—such as a hypothetical placeholder like Dan ben Tribe—because many men might share it. However, when revealed as a number, it points exclusively to one specific, powerful individual whose mission is to control wealth through an enforced monetary system. Although many powerful figures throughout economic history have acquired global financial dominance, 666 specifically refers to the end-times ruler who will wield control over global finance during the chastisement period known as "a time, times, and half a time." Much like prisoners who are assigned numbers for practical identification, this numeric designation ensures absolute specificity.

    Thus, 666 is not only accurate and specific, but it also denotes a modern, highly evolved form of slavery. This monetary system is likened to the locusts in Revelation 9 that swarmed across the face of the earth, enslaving its inhabitants. Scripture describes those locusts as looking like horses prepared for battle, equipped with the stings of scorpions. Global conquest is no longer achieved through military forces arrayed on a traditional battlefield; instead, it is accomplished through the implementation of global covenants and the insatiable abyss of fiat money, which has drained the wealth of all nations. The accumulating debts of the world seem destined never to be paid until the appointed time is fulfilled.  Interestingly, all paper banknotes are numbered! Who is this future, diabolic individual who controls these numbered notes?

"...and he made it illegal for anyone to buy or sell anything unless he had been branded with the name of the beast or with the number of its name" (Revelation 13:17).

(In this context, "name" signifies mission, and "branded with" refers to the signatory members of the Covenant of Money).

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666” (Revelation 13:18).

 ...A MARK ON THEIR RIGHT HANDS OR ON THEIR FOREHEADS...(REVELATION 13: 16-18).

What does this mean?

    The ancient Israelites’ religious calling to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation... Yahweh's treasured possession" (Exodus 19:5–6) hinged directly upon the observance of Passover, as commanded by Yahweh in Exodus 13. Without observing Passover, true worship of Yahweh across all twelve tribes of Israel could not exist. To worship Yahweh as prescribed by the Torah required that Passover be kept. The purpose of observing this ordinance—answering the question in Exodus 13:14, "What does this mean?"—was to serve "like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead" to remind them that the Lord brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

    The Old Covenant phrase "like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead" sheds light on the cryptic mission of the beast out of the earth in Revelation 13. Why did God reveal to Saint John phrasing so similar to Exodus 13:16 when describing the future monetary enslavement of humanity? The answer centers on the issue of worship. However, in Revelation 13, the object of worship is not Yahweh, but the beast—the creators of money, or the "gods of this world." Earthly rulers (political superpowers) and money (monetary power) are inseparable, reflecting the defining characteristics of beastly rule on earth.

    The prophesied mark on the right hand or forehead reveals a spiritual truth regarding covenant and enslavement enforced by the Beast out of the Earth:

"11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth.  It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." (Revelation 13:11–17)

    Verse 17 reveals that no one can buy or sell without obeying these enforced financial laws. Just as the mark in Exodus 13:14–16 is symbolic, the mark in Revelation 13 signifies total compliance with and submission to these economic laws.


What does the mark really mean?

    To observe is to obey; true obedience stems from our mental acceptance and belief. Therefore, compliance with a covenant through conscious practice signifies that one bears its mark. Just as Old Covenant believers worshiped Yahweh through the strict observance of the Torah, "worship" in Revelation 13 refers to compliance with diabolical laws established by the rulers of the earth (the "tares").

In Exodus 13, Moses instructs Israel:

"14 In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?'... 16 it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand."

    These figurative expressions—"a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead"—were unveiled to Saint John in Revelation 13 to represent the future monetary enslavement of humanity (i.e., obeying the laws of the Beasts). While the presence of God's Spirit liberates us, the laws of the beasts enslave us as long as they enforce their financial decree upon the earth.

    The Holy Spirit drew upon Exodus 13:14–16 in revealing the "mark on their right hands or foreheads" to Saint John. Contrary to popular internet speculation among lay theologians, this mark does not necessarily refer to physical microchip implants or laser-engraved identification. Instead, it points to the Covenant of Fiat Money that ensnares the earth's inhabitants.

    The modern international financial architecture serves as a prototype for this system—beginning with the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944, followed by the 1971 Smithsonian Agreement and the 1976 Jamaica Accords. The global covenant of money demands mandatory compliance, functioning like a false religion. Saint John captured this future enslavement by employing phrases parallel to Exodus 13:9 and 16.

    In our current world system, no secular element carries more influence than money—it is treated as the 'river of life.' Without it, basic survival is impossible, and disobedience to monetary regulations results in being cut off from buying and selling.  Although we see the shadow of 666 today, it has not yet reached absolute diabolical control. The coming Beast out of the Earth will establish total hegemony over global finance, forcing all governments to comply with its monetary decrees.

    Believing in and submitting to this fiat system is what it means to carry "a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead." It demands absolute compliance; any resistance brings exclusion from modern society.

    In other words, the inhabitants of the earth are forced to place their faith in this system and obey all of its laws. Obeying financial regulations is "like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead," demanded by the future Beast out of the Earth who enslaves humanity. The masses exclaim, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?" (Revelation 13:4). Indeed, no one can resist these beast-enforced laws—a framework established through milestones like the 1971 Smithsonian Agreement and the subsequent 1976 Jamaica Accords.

    Humanity is compelled to obey the Covenant of Fiat Money. The Beast out of the Earth acts as the "god of this world," making money the very heartbeat of existence. In modern times—beginning with the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944—all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, have effectively received a mark on their hands or foreheads enabling them to buy and sell. As Revelation 13:16–18 foretells:

16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the beast has authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast (ruler). 18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. (e) That number is 666.

     The phrase "...and it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead" (Exodus 13:9, 16) was originally Yahweh's decree regarding the observance of Passover. When the Beast rules the world through his global financial system, he will counterfeit this divine sign.

    God declared that mankind is given life through the Lord’s Passover; however, in the end times, the Beast will counterfeit this mark by forcing humanity into a mandatory way of life that demands total obedience to financial laws. Just as the ancient Israelites' observance of Passover demonstrated their submission to Yahweh as their ultimate King and Source of life, the corrupt rulers of the earth (the Beast out of the Earth) will compel everyone to comply with the laws of money in the apocalyptic era.

    The Beast out of the Earth will enforce these monetary decrees by mimicking Yahweh’s ancient command to Israel regarding the Passover. Practicing this economic covenant will function as "a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead"—meaning humanity will be forced to obey the laws of money with the same strict devotion that ancient Hebrews gave to the Torah.

      In the same way, the ruler, or Antichrist (666), will demand obedience to the covenant of money. It is the number of the beast because it represents the mission of earthly rulers. We are already familiar with the portraits of these rulers stamped on our banknotes and coins. In the end times, the image of this ruler will be worshiped. He counterfeits Yahweh’s design, thereby glorifying the ‘gods of this world’—the creators of money—as the givers of life. Earth's financial controllers are the beasts; the instrument the adversary uses to achieve future enslavement will be a mandatory way of life enforced through the Covenant of Money: the worldwide laws of finance.

And we have no choice, but to receive the mark (~meaning to obey the enforcement of laws concerning money). Our obedience to the laws of the beast who comes out of the earth would be likened to the ancient Israelites' obedience in worshipping YHVH trough strict observation of Torah. Our observance of the covenant of money would rather manifest our worshipping (compliance to) to the image (enforced Laws) of the Beast out of the Earth--666. 

When the saints refuse to obey the beasts' laws, then surely their acts of disobeying would be seen as against the orders of the world. The coming diabolic rulers are not only denying the Scriptural teachings of Jesus, but also oppressing the saints. The saints’ disapproval of the beasts‘ unscriptural laws would lead her into adversarial relationship with the beasts of the earth. In the end times, the beasts on earth will scoff biblical values, and they try to change set times and laws. Those unwelcomed changes would be manifested during the prophesied chastisement a time, times, and half a time. The saints would be conquered and defeated during the time period of a time, times and half a time...until the Ancient of Days (Adonai Avinu) came and pronounce Judgment in favor of the saints of the Most high, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom (Daniel 7: 22).

            The woman would enter into the desert as soon as the poem of the Lord spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ is pronounced in the court of heaven: “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” Matthew 24: 29.   The desert is the place for a time, times and half a time where some shall fall by the sword and their flesh shall perish. Some shall go into captivity. Some shall be burned, and plundered. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless ...Dan. 11: 34. It is the eschatological period of Chastisement for the saints. The desert is the place for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints (Revelation 13: 10 b).

It may sound a dreadful period of time; however, it is the very place to see the divine dark cloud that becomes your shelter. And the place where you can see the pillar of fire that guides you by night. If we cannot see the guiding fire then we shall stumble in the desert, and our flesh may perish in the desert…But in the days when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished just as he announced to his servants the prophets (Revelation 10: 7). In the ancient conquest of the delectable land, the seventh trumpet of victory was sounded on the seventh day after encircling seven times the city of Jericho and Jericho fell on that day. After a time, times and half a time...the Ancient of days came and pronounced Judgment in favor (the seventh trumpet of victory) of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. ...and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

The kingdom of the world has become
The kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
And he will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11: 15)

In our prayer “Our Father” taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, we recite the phrases, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" and the fulfillment of those phrases would only become reality as prophesied in Revelation 11: 15. Of course, in some aspects of spiritual life and tangible governance, such phrases were fractionally fulfilled by the mission of the name of the Lamb of God or Prince of Peace through the Church's age. Nonetheless, it is waiting for the descended Christ to fully complete the Kingdom of God on earth. It is called full redemption of Christ.

Glossary

Beast The prophetic term "beast" is closely connected to the origin of the "woman" (the house of Jacob betrothed to YHVH). Ever since the birth of this woman at the Passover in Egypt, every ruling world empire during the Old Covenant era was classified as an earthly beast. Although those ancient empires have long since fallen, understanding them clarifies the cryptic language of Revelation 17:10. The probable sequence of these ancient beasts includes:

The Egyptian Empire

The Assyrian Empire

The Babylonian Empire

The Medo-Persian Empire

The Greek Empire

The Roman Empire


World political dominance is a key criterion for being designated a 'beasts of the earth.' Examples of modern counterparts include the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, the ten royal lineages of European continent, the League of Nations, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power, and the United Nations itself.


Horn —is associated with the authority of a leader, and if the horn has a crown or a coronet, then it means the leader is a monarch/king/emperor. See Dan 7: 24 If the horn is having one eye, it means an antichrist leader. The "seven eyes, seven horns and seven Spirits" is referring solely to Christ.

ProstituteThe ancient theocratic nation of Israel was betrothed to YHVH, beginning with the Lord’s Passover in Egypt and the covenant of marriage (the Torah) given at Mount Sinai. The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship; therefore, Jerusalem was symbolically portrayed as a woman—the wife of YHVH (see Ezekiel 16). 

However, when Israel broke this marriage covenant, she turned into a prostitute. When the ten northern tribes abandoned the worship of YHVH, God called them Oholah (the older prostitute). Later, after King Josiah’s death, when the southern kingdom of Judah also abandoned YHVH, God named her Oholibah (the younger prostitute—see Ezekiel 16 and 23). Jerusalem continued her prostitution while ruled by various Gentile kings. This prostitution is not literal; it is a metaphor. Jerusalem was regarded as a true wife when King YHVH ruled her, but when earthly gentile kings ruled over her, she was viewed as a prostitute. 


The Mother of Prostitutes (Revelation 17) — Revelation 17:5 states that on her forehead was written a cryptic name: "Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the Earth." When Israel abandoned YHVH, she turned to spiritual prostitution. God did not call the gentile nations prostitutes; instead, He referred to them as 'beasts.' Later, this Old Covenant prostitute rejected the promised "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"—the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover.

Long ago, Moses foretold their rebellion when God declared, "I will surely hide My face on that day because of all the evil they have done in turning to other gods" (Deut. 31:18). Just as Oholah and Oholibah rejected the Lamb of God, they became the mother of Prostitutes.  In the contextual framework of Revelation 17, a prostitute refers to those who rejected both the marriage covenant with YHVH and the offer of salvation through Jesus. Their disobedience effectively bound the city of Jerusalem (the 'woman') to Gentile rulers, as foreign rule over Jerusalem is prophetically depicted as prostitution. 

In short, the members of the house of Jacob (the Old Covenant woman) who rejected the ultimate Lord’s Passover eventually became the mother of Prostitutes, and their modern secular counterpart corresponds to the territory of the former British Mandate in Palestine. This prostitute entity acquired the city of seven hills by riding the beasts of the earth (the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Nations). In the apocalyptic era, this woman rides her final husband—the Scarlet Beast (perhaps the metamorphosed United Nations).  The phrase "the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified" (Revelation 11:8) corresponds to the great city in Revelation 17:18. It's very suprising, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of Prostitutes, refers to the city of Jerusalem.


Like a river (Revelation 12: 15) —In Isaiah 8:7, "the river" represents the emperor associated with the Euphrates–Tigris region (the Great River), the geographical heartland of the ancient Assyrian Kingdom. The passage depicts "the mighty floodwaters"—divine judgment manifested as conquering power through war—brought forth by the King of Assyria with all his pomp.  In a similar way, Revelation 12:15—where "the serpent spewed water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away in the current"—points to a leader driven by the ambition to destroy the woman. 

However, while the river in Isaiah 8:7 was orchestrated by the invisible hand of Yahweh to bring judgment upon Judah, the river in Revelation 12:15 is orchestrated by the Devil, as it spews directly from the mouth of the Serpent. Just as Christ is the Word made flesh, this satanic river is a demonic counterfeit of God’s handiwork.  Consequently, this leader symbolized as "a river" will manifest during the period described as "a time, times, and half a time," when God allows the devil and his hosts to execute their evil intent on earth. This political leader functions only during this specific period, and his rule precedes the appearance of the Beast out of the Sea. Nevertheless, some biblical scholars believe that this "river-like" force has operated since the infancy of the Church, repeatedly reappearing throughout history.


WomanYHVH’s chosen nation is allegorically identified as a woman. The ancient theocratic nation of Israel (the house of Jacob) was metaphorically betrothed to YHVH; thus, she was portrayed as a wife. However, her disobedience led her into spiritual prostitution. Ezekiel 16 and 23 depict the rebellious house of Jacob as a harlot. The northern ten-tribe kingdom was named Oholah, while the southern kingdom of Judah was named Oholibah.  Revelation 12:1 refers specifically to the house of Jacob, but this heavenly motif—a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head—was subsequently applied to the early Church. The earliest Hebraic followers of "the Way" were betrothed to Jesus Christ, unlike the Old Covenant house of Jacob, who broke her marriage covenant with YHVH and became like a divorced wife or prostitute. Those who abandoned the observance of the Torah collectively fell into spiritual infidelity.  

Those former Old Covenant worshippers who embraced the Lord Jesus’s Passover became the woman of the New Covenant: the woman clothed with the sun. Conversely, those who rejected Jesus' ultimate Passover continued in spiritual unfaithfulness, retaining the identity of the degraded prostitute. The Hebrews who refused to recognize Jesus as the prophesied Davidic Branch were foretold to ride the Scarlet Beast in Revelation 17:5. Just as the Old Covenant nation of Israel was birthed out of the Lord’s Passover in Egypt, the New Covenant house of Jacob (the twelve Apostles and Hebraic believers) was born from Jesus’s Passover, fulfilling Luke 24:44. Those early Hebraic believers evangelized the Gentile nations, whose converts were called the woman’s children or offspring. Thus, whether representing Old Covenant or New Covenant worshippers, the imagery of the woman shares the same symbolic framework. 

Consequently, "the woman"—whether depicted as the prostitute or as the bride betrothed to Christ—refers to the house of Jacob. The converted gentile nations prophesied as her offspring; while they do not directly embody the corporate symbol of the house of Jacob seen in Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:9), they are nonetheless united to Christ in spiritual marriage. Meanwhile, the gentile rulers of the earth are depicted as the "beasts."


Worshipping the beastIn the Book of Revelation, the word "worship" should not be interpreted strictly as worshiping "in spirit and truth"—as we are accustomed to in New Covenant teachings—but rather understood as observing enforced laws. Old Covenant believers worshiped Yahweh through strict observance of the Torah. For example, phrases such as "...and they worshiped the beast" (Revelation 13:4) refer to compliance with Antichrist-inspired, man-made laws enacted by earthly rulers. Modern examples of such beastly decrees include the Covenant of the League of Nations and the United Nations Charter. Therefore, "worshipping the beast" in Revelation 13 does not denote spiritual devotion; rather, it refers to obeying the laws established by the end-times global government or imperial powers (the "beasts") of the earth.

The Seal of GodThe Seal of God refers to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It signifies that a believer's spirit becomes the "Holy of Holies" indwelt by the descending Spirit. Scripturally, tangible manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s presence include a ‘tongue of fire,’ a ‘halo,’ or "a light above the head" (Acts 2:1–4; Job 29:3). Thus, angelic sealing means that a ministering angel is assigned to a believer—an angel who bears the name of God.


References

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The Holy Bible Knox Translation. Baronius Press Ltd. ed. 2012.
<newadvent.org http://www.newadvent.org/bible >.

The Holy Bible, New Jerusalem Bible. 14 Apr.2014. <Catholic.org
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Smith, Tony. Concise Oxford English dictionary. CD-ROM 2001 Version 1.1. Oxford University Press. 10th ed. 1999- 2000

Seamands, David A. Living With Your Dreams. Victor Books SP Publications Inc.,.Wheaton, Illinois. 1991.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. <Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com>.

Devine, A. (1911). Prophecy. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 11, 2014 from New Advent: <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12473a.htm>.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana: Catechism No. 416-419

Martin, Elizabeth A. ed. Oxford of Law. London: University Press. 5th
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