11-04-2008, 12:30 PM
I was doing a bit of thinking about the infamous "mark of the beast" last night. I appreciate that many people think it may be some form of microchip or tattoo imposed by the New World Order.
As many of you know, I view the wild beasts as a logical development of Daniel's wild beasts, namely the pagan Roman Empire (1st beast) followed by the Papal power (2nd beast).
However, in thinking about this "mark", I noticed that the footnote to the NWT Reference Bible says this with reference to the "mark":
"Lit., "engraving." Gr., kha'rag.ma; J... (Heb.) hat.taw', 'the taw,' the Heb. letter corresponding to the English letter 'T.' Compare Eze 9:4 ftn."
In other words, it appeared the "taw" was something akin to a T bar... which sounded a bit like a cross to me.
Then I compared it to Ezekiel 9:4's footnote as suggested. This is the passage where Jehovah commands the man in linen to go through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those sighing and groaning over the detestable things being done in the city.
The footnote there says this:
"Lit., 'you must mark a mark.' The Heb. word for the noun 'mark' is taw, the last letter of the Heb. alphabet, which was anciently a cross mark (X). See Job 31:35 where taw is translated 'signature.'"
Now, I found this pretty remarkable, because I was already of the belief that the 2nd wild beast of Revelation is the Papal power, which fashioned the "Holy" Roman Empire out of the "ten kings" that previously made up the Roman Empire in Europe.
And the "taw" was "anciently a cross mark"! We know that the Christians inherited the cross symbol from Constantine, who saw the sign of the cross in the sky and led his armies into conquest, and eventually became head of the Church.
The cross became the symbol under which the Church later went on its conquests and crusades, and it was the sign of the cross that adherents of the Church gave.
In Deuteronomy 6, Jehovah commanded the Israelites to remember his words, saying: "You must tie them as a sign upon your hand, and they must serve as a frontlet band between your eyes; and you must write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (verses 7-9)
In Revelation 13, we have something similar. The "mark" was in their right hand or forehead, mimicking the Law covenant's sign upon the hand, and frontlet band between the eyes.
We can combine this with Irenaeus, an early church father, writing in the 2nd century, who noted:
"Then also Lateinos has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule." (Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 30).
"Lateinos" would describe a Latin speaking man, and was considered a "very probable" solution to 666 by him, because it was the name of the 4th kingdom, the Latins.
Latin was a major common thread between the 1st beast, the pagan Roman Empire, and the 2nd wild beast, the Papal power.
So, given the fact that the "mark" originates from the Hebrew word taw, which was anciently written as a cross mark, is it merely coincidence that this "cross" later came to shape world history in a major way?
Here are the facts about the Papacy that fit the description of the 2nd wild beast perfectly...
(a) It emerged as a power in its own right from the Roman empire,
(b) The Roman empire eventually fragmented into several kingdoms, and the Papal power conquered three of them, at one point having a physical kingdom on earth (called the Papal kingdoms.)
(c ) The Papacy came into being in the sight of the Roman emperor. (Popes often chastized and punished the emperors, even as far back as the 4th century!)
(d) Around 800AD, it had the "Holy" Roman Empire fashioned as an image of the former empire. The "Holy" Roman Empire had secular power, but was subject to the Pope.
(e) Just as the "two witnesses" breathe fire symbolically, the Papal bulls rained down fire from heaven on all opponents.
(f) The prophet Jeremiah was commissioned "to be over the nations and over the kingdoms, in order to uproot and to pull down and to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant". The Papacy also claimed this very thing.
(g) It conquered with the "cross", and its adherents make the sign of the cross (the taw, or "mark".)
If the 2nd beast really is the Papacy, then this begs some questions...
Q: Why can nobody buy or sell without the mark?
Actually, a person only needed one of three things in order to "buy or sell"...
(1) The mark (the X),
(2) The name of the wild beast (Lateinos), OR
(3) The number of its name (666).
During the "Dark Ages", a Papal bull was issued, which prevented Catholics from buying or selling to non-Catholics. This meant that, unless you either accepted the authority of the Church (as a Catholic), or you were part of the Church/State system (i.e. a bishop), you couldn't live in the kingdom and buy or sell.
Q: What about people who didn't know any better than to accept this "mark", during the Dark Ages?
I believe Revelation is broadly chronological, although recapping on themes at times.
During the Dark Ages, the Church locked up scripture in Latin, making it very hard for individuals to realize they were being scammed by the beast. So I think this is taken into account, when viewing Revelation chronologically.
Once the power of the Church was weakened following the Reformation, people quickly identified the Roman Church with Babylon. (For instance, the Geneva Bible, used by the pilgrims to America, contained footnotes which explicitly identified Babylon as Rome). That is why "she has fallen" in Revelation 14, even though she is burned and destroyed in Rev 17-19.
Ancient Babylon was knocked off her perch as "Mistress of Kingdoms" (Isaiah 47:5) in 539BC, but the city did not become depopulated and a complete ruin for hundreds of years.
Similarly, the Roman Church was humiliated from the Reformation onwards, and particularly from the time of Napoleon, who dragged the Pope off to prison in 1798(?), and she had lost her Papal kingdoms by 1870.
By this time, it should have been clear to the world that her "mark" (the X) was false.
We should note that, in Rev 14:9, those who still worship the beast and receive its mark, also drink of the wine of the anger of God.
These are poured out in the seven bowls of Rev 16, which in my opinion describe the events particularly of Europe from 1870 onwards. (For instance, there are 2 bowls which involve blood [the 2nd and 3rd bowls], which I think correspond with World Wars I and II.) The 1st bowl, "malignent ulcers" symbolize the internal disorders, revolutions and civil wars that led up to the two world wars.
All of these things came particularly upon Europe, because they were still worshipping the beast, and still had the mark. For instance, Hitler and Mussolini could not have got anywhere near close to conquering Europe without the help of the Church!
So in short, the "mark" (the taw, or cross [X]) became a compulsory symbol during the Dark Ages, but God's judgment upon people with the mark did not commence until the "seven bowls", when State and Cross lovers were plunged into revolutions (1st bowl), two World Wars (2nd and 3rd bowls), the scorching rules of the dictators such as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tito etc (4th bowl), and the darkness of godless philosophies such as Communism (behind the "Iron CURTAIN"), materialism and atheism (the 5th bowl).
The people of the Dark Ages generally didn't know any better (with perhaps a few notable exceptions, who were usually burnt at the stake anyway.) The people of Europe after the Dark Ages should have known better, because the scriptures became widely published.
That is why, in my opinion, from the time of the initial fall of Babylon (Rome) during thr 19th century, Europe was plagued with wars, revolutions and darkness.
That was the direct result of either the mixing of Church and State (aka the Third Reich), or the attempt to eliminate the mix between Church and State (i.e. the French Revolution, or Communism.)
As many of you know, I view the wild beasts as a logical development of Daniel's wild beasts, namely the pagan Roman Empire (1st beast) followed by the Papal power (2nd beast).
However, in thinking about this "mark", I noticed that the footnote to the NWT Reference Bible says this with reference to the "mark":
"Lit., "engraving." Gr., kha'rag.ma; J... (Heb.) hat.taw', 'the taw,' the Heb. letter corresponding to the English letter 'T.' Compare Eze 9:4 ftn."
In other words, it appeared the "taw" was something akin to a T bar... which sounded a bit like a cross to me.
Then I compared it to Ezekiel 9:4's footnote as suggested. This is the passage where Jehovah commands the man in linen to go through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those sighing and groaning over the detestable things being done in the city.
The footnote there says this:
"Lit., 'you must mark a mark.' The Heb. word for the noun 'mark' is taw, the last letter of the Heb. alphabet, which was anciently a cross mark (X). See Job 31:35 where taw is translated 'signature.'"
Now, I found this pretty remarkable, because I was already of the belief that the 2nd wild beast of Revelation is the Papal power, which fashioned the "Holy" Roman Empire out of the "ten kings" that previously made up the Roman Empire in Europe.
And the "taw" was "anciently a cross mark"! We know that the Christians inherited the cross symbol from Constantine, who saw the sign of the cross in the sky and led his armies into conquest, and eventually became head of the Church.
The cross became the symbol under which the Church later went on its conquests and crusades, and it was the sign of the cross that adherents of the Church gave.
In Deuteronomy 6, Jehovah commanded the Israelites to remember his words, saying: "You must tie them as a sign upon your hand, and they must serve as a frontlet band between your eyes; and you must write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (verses 7-9)
In Revelation 13, we have something similar. The "mark" was in their right hand or forehead, mimicking the Law covenant's sign upon the hand, and frontlet band between the eyes.
We can combine this with Irenaeus, an early church father, writing in the 2nd century, who noted:
"Then also Lateinos has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule." (Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 30).
"Lateinos" would describe a Latin speaking man, and was considered a "very probable" solution to 666 by him, because it was the name of the 4th kingdom, the Latins.
Latin was a major common thread between the 1st beast, the pagan Roman Empire, and the 2nd wild beast, the Papal power.
So, given the fact that the "mark" originates from the Hebrew word taw, which was anciently written as a cross mark, is it merely coincidence that this "cross" later came to shape world history in a major way?
Here are the facts about the Papacy that fit the description of the 2nd wild beast perfectly...
(a) It emerged as a power in its own right from the Roman empire,
(b) The Roman empire eventually fragmented into several kingdoms, and the Papal power conquered three of them, at one point having a physical kingdom on earth (called the Papal kingdoms.)
(c ) The Papacy came into being in the sight of the Roman emperor. (Popes often chastized and punished the emperors, even as far back as the 4th century!)
(d) Around 800AD, it had the "Holy" Roman Empire fashioned as an image of the former empire. The "Holy" Roman Empire had secular power, but was subject to the Pope.
(e) Just as the "two witnesses" breathe fire symbolically, the Papal bulls rained down fire from heaven on all opponents.
(f) The prophet Jeremiah was commissioned "to be over the nations and over the kingdoms, in order to uproot and to pull down and to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant". The Papacy also claimed this very thing.
(g) It conquered with the "cross", and its adherents make the sign of the cross (the taw, or "mark".)
If the 2nd beast really is the Papacy, then this begs some questions...
Q: Why can nobody buy or sell without the mark?
Actually, a person only needed one of three things in order to "buy or sell"...
(1) The mark (the X),
(2) The name of the wild beast (Lateinos), OR
(3) The number of its name (666).
During the "Dark Ages", a Papal bull was issued, which prevented Catholics from buying or selling to non-Catholics. This meant that, unless you either accepted the authority of the Church (as a Catholic), or you were part of the Church/State system (i.e. a bishop), you couldn't live in the kingdom and buy or sell.
Q: What about people who didn't know any better than to accept this "mark", during the Dark Ages?
I believe Revelation is broadly chronological, although recapping on themes at times.
During the Dark Ages, the Church locked up scripture in Latin, making it very hard for individuals to realize they were being scammed by the beast. So I think this is taken into account, when viewing Revelation chronologically.
Once the power of the Church was weakened following the Reformation, people quickly identified the Roman Church with Babylon. (For instance, the Geneva Bible, used by the pilgrims to America, contained footnotes which explicitly identified Babylon as Rome). That is why "she has fallen" in Revelation 14, even though she is burned and destroyed in Rev 17-19.
Ancient Babylon was knocked off her perch as "Mistress of Kingdoms" (Isaiah 47:5) in 539BC, but the city did not become depopulated and a complete ruin for hundreds of years.
Similarly, the Roman Church was humiliated from the Reformation onwards, and particularly from the time of Napoleon, who dragged the Pope off to prison in 1798(?), and she had lost her Papal kingdoms by 1870.
By this time, it should have been clear to the world that her "mark" (the X) was false.
We should note that, in Rev 14:9, those who still worship the beast and receive its mark, also drink of the wine of the anger of God.
These are poured out in the seven bowls of Rev 16, which in my opinion describe the events particularly of Europe from 1870 onwards. (For instance, there are 2 bowls which involve blood [the 2nd and 3rd bowls], which I think correspond with World Wars I and II.) The 1st bowl, "malignent ulcers" symbolize the internal disorders, revolutions and civil wars that led up to the two world wars.
All of these things came particularly upon Europe, because they were still worshipping the beast, and still had the mark. For instance, Hitler and Mussolini could not have got anywhere near close to conquering Europe without the help of the Church!
So in short, the "mark" (the taw, or cross [X]) became a compulsory symbol during the Dark Ages, but God's judgment upon people with the mark did not commence until the "seven bowls", when State and Cross lovers were plunged into revolutions (1st bowl), two World Wars (2nd and 3rd bowls), the scorching rules of the dictators such as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tito etc (4th bowl), and the darkness of godless philosophies such as Communism (behind the "Iron CURTAIN"), materialism and atheism (the 5th bowl).
The people of the Dark Ages generally didn't know any better (with perhaps a few notable exceptions, who were usually burnt at the stake anyway.) The people of Europe after the Dark Ages should have known better, because the scriptures became widely published.
That is why, in my opinion, from the time of the initial fall of Babylon (Rome) during thr 19th century, Europe was plagued with wars, revolutions and darkness.
That was the direct result of either the mixing of Church and State (aka the Third Reich), or the attempt to eliminate the mix between Church and State (i.e. the French Revolution, or Communism.)