What is the mark of the Beast? We hear so much about this in Christian circles today. And yet, there doesn't seem to be a solid consensus on what this looks like and when we'll see it appear. 

World War II German soldiers managed to tattoo numbers on the arms of every Jewish prisoner, but a time in this world when everyone on the earth would receive a mark either on their right hand or in their forehead—how could that be?

In the span of my generation, what sounded like an impossibility in The Book of the Revelation written in approximately 90 A.D., today’s technology has made a reality. 

During that last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus told them, “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He” (John 13:19 NAS).

He instructs us to read, hear, and heed the signs of His coming—to be ready—are you?

Revelation 13:11-18: "Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 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. And it performed great signs,even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 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. 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. 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, 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. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666."

Photo courtesy: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Talaj

We want the cliff notes. Cut-to-the-chase—make it short—dumb it down. We’ve lost sight of the holiness, sanctity, and accuracy of the Word of God in order to bring His Word down to our level of understanding, without the help of the Spirit of God.

“I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore, I shall call upon Him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2 NAS)

The Holidays can be a difficult and poignant time as the seasons of life change due to loss of loved ones, children and grandchildren being unable to make it home for the holidays, lack of money to buy gifts, or harvesting seeds we’ve planted the past year.

I understand and have wasted too many holidays wallpapering my mind with the if-only moments. Mother always quoted, when any of us began that bottomless trek through the quagmire of if-only with one of her favorite retorts. “If wishes were fishes, we’d all have a fry.”

But we don’t need stale, unhelpful, sayings. We need help. Real and lasting help from the Helper of our souls.

Jesus listed certain signs in the 24th chapter of Matthew which would signal the end of the age and His soon return to set up His millennial kingdom on planet earth. The Old and New Testaments record the certainty of His return to claim His bride, make an end to sin, and fulfill His covenant promise with Israel.

“You’re not supposed to judge.” And fingers waggle in the face of believers bold enough to confront the current world rebellion against God’s Word. Those finger-shakers cherry-pick—lifting Scripture out of context to squelch our rebukes. But does Scripture really prohibit differentiating right from wrong? Every believer is to judge him or herself according to the Word of God. But many of us don’t know enough of the Word to correctly judge ourselves much less anyone else. Jesus instructed us to snatch the beam out of our own eye before we attempt to rip the speck from someone else’s eye. God, however, gives authority within the body of believers to rebuke and correct when His Word and His righteousness are violated. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4 NKJV).

Photo credit: ©Rawpixel/Unsplash

The Apocalypse? What does that word mean? According to Dictionary.com, it means “revelation, disclosure, uncover, reveal.” I found the title page to my mother’s 1982, Holman Bible Publishers, King James Version, it reads: “THE REVELATION TO JOHN (The Apocalypse)." Or in today’s vernacular, an account the Lord Jesus Christ gave of Himself to the Church and events that will occur at the end of this age.

A topical look at what scriptures have to say about divorce.

Twelve-year-old Jimmy wore wounded eyes. A Huckleberry Finn lookin’ kid with a loud mouth and language that fried air. Angry should be his nickname. His mama was an addict who lived with men who weren’t Jimmy’s father. The boy’s life was a volcano waiting to explode. But Jimmy needed Jesus.

God’s Word tells the good, the bad, and the ugly concerning events and people. Nobody can predict the impact that these harsh reality stories might have on the heart and mind of a grade school boy or girl, especially kids who don’t have a clue about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Vacation Bible School is a place where kids, church kids, and never-been-there kids should hear the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But what about those other stories?

Photo credit: ©Thinkstock