Daily Devotional, Year 2 – May 31 (Mark Now Given? Part 2: Buying & Selling)

By admin On April 22nd, 2015

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – May 31

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Mark Now Given?

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Part 2:

“Buying & Selling”

To read Part 1, go here…April 3rd (Mark Now Given!)

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“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 13:17

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Over the past decades, there has been much speculation about just how will the Mark be given to the people of the world.

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And there is a debate over whether “buying & selling” is to be understood literally or spiritually, or both!

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In other words, the day may be coming when the true Gospel can no longer be publicly shared or preached!

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This kind of buying and selling is found in such places as Isaiah 23:23… “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”

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So this verse lets us know that we are to buy, but not to sell the truth.

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Duct Tape Mouth – cropped/colored – wikimedia – share-alike license

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NO BUYING/SELLING WITHOUT MARK!

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But there is also a growing concern that Christians are coming to that day when we will no longer be able to literally buy or sell!

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And if one looks out on the horizon, there indeed seems to be various laws and court decisions which, when implemented, will test just what kind of substance that each and every Christian is made of: “gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, hay, stubble!” (1st Corinthians 3:12)

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Duct Tape Mouth – cropped/colored – wikimedia – share-alike license

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DOUBLE ENTENDRE

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The fact is, it appears that both schools of thought concerning the nature of this “buying & selling” during the coming tribulation seem to be coming to fruition.

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Yes, there are more and more laws which are restricting free speech.

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But there are also more and more laws which demand that you either forfeit some particular aspect of your Christian ethics or suffer the financial/social consequences.

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Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia

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LIBERTY NOW WANING

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It is amazing to see a society, which was originally founded on the principle of “freedom of speech”, turn away from this great liberty. Yes, freedom of political and religious speech was once so highly valued here!

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And it is equally amazing to see a certain political group which has been first to cry “foul”, when anyone tries to censure their favorite books and music, begin themselves to censure anything that has to do with Christianity.

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Duct Tape Mouth -cropped /colored – wikimedia – share-alike license

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CENSORSHIP NOW BEGINNING

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The Internet began as a wonderful way to evangelize the world.

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But more and more, that freedom is beginning to be taken away.

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Oh yes, those nations which were hostile to Christianity have always been trying to censure the Bible.

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Read about all the Bibles burned during the Dark Ages!

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Book Burning – Santo Domingo y Los Albigenses – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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MARK NOW GIVEN?

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**And so, the point of all this is to suggest that the day in which, “no man might buy or sell (the true gospel)”, is now beginning to become a reality.**

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At least, it sure seems that way! Just look at all the hostility now arising both in foreign fields, but also in our own government, and among the general populace!

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Well, with the long-foretold last-day Satanic snares already beginning to be implemented, this pretty much dispels the notion that Christians will be raptured away, prior to the appearance of the Beast and his Mark!

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Anger during a protest – by David Shankbone – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike-License

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“SO, WHY CAN’T WE SEE THE BEAST?”

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Of course, at this point, many will jump up and shout… “So if the Mark is being given, then just where is the Beast? There can’t be a mark unless there is a Beast!”

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Well, that’s too big a subject for this little devotional to tackle. But suffice-it-to-say, most Bible teachers and theologians ignore what the Bible says… “The beast that thou sawest…The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the (harlot) woman sitteth. And there are seven kings…And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings…And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Revelation 17:8, 10, 12, 15

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This Antichrist Beast of Revelation 13 is symbolic of the world and the worldly church. In short, this beast is a composite beast, the antichrist world-system of which Satan is titled as, “the god of this world” 2nd Corinthians 4:4 (This truth was once understood by Christians, as this 500-year old engraving reveals)

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Whore – Babylon – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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GET READY, GET READY!!

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And so, O Stranger & Pilgrim in this world, it is high time that we put away all our amusements and diversions and flee to the clefts of God’s Word, and unceasing prayer.

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After all we don’t want to find ourselves in this following dreadful situation… “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Luke 21:34, 35

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ABOVE PICTURE: soldiers of the cross – armor up! – www.signsofheaven.org

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TO READ PART 3, CLICK HERE…

September 24 (Mark Now Given? Part 3: “Unjust Laws”)

Mark of the beast XES-pub.-dom.-Wikipedia – Public D

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Keep me from neglecting my great commission of purifying my heart and transforming my life. Mold me and make me into thy likeness…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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LOCATING THE DRAGON

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The Dragon Constellation can be located by finding Orion in winter months. The Dragon is to Orion’s left, and the Dragon’s mouth is right next to Orion’s shield. This Dragon’s mouth is the V-like constellation The Hyades Cluster, which is the very same constellation that comprises the head of Taurus the Bull. In other words, Hyades is also known as the head of Taurus the Bull. And Hyades is the mouth of this Dragon.

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The tip of the Dragon’s tail is composed of that star-cluster known as The Pleiades. The Pleiades is actually in the shape of a lion’s furry tassel tip of his tail. The sketch below shows this Pleiades as the tail tip.

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Now with aid of a dark starry night, you may begin to connect this mouth and the tail with a very long body in an oval shape. The front and back legs are very well-defined with stars. The front legs are made partially of Taurus. The back legs and rear fin are made of the Cetus Constellation. But the long oval-shaped body has relatively few stars, but can been seen, howbeit with a dark starry night. The four stars of the front fins are made partially of Taurus. This Dragon constellation appears in the eastern horizon about mid-summer in the pre-dawn hours, spewing his flood-waters northward toward the Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail). The Wave of Water is primarily composed of the Constellation Auriga. The are two more less bright stars which are closest to the Dragon’s mouth. These two dimmer stars are also part of this Wave of Water.

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TOMORROW:

“June 1 (Strong Delusion in Scripture, Part 3: “Deceiving Even The Elect!”)”

ABOVE PICTURE: Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

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THIS STUDY #516 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain

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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on provided link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing details & tags, and all other necessary information on any particular photo.

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