Before the Emperor's Vision

In the previous post, we discussed the importance of the symbol of the cross in the writings of the New Testament. In this post, we will look at some of the historical evidence that the cross continued to be an important symbol in the Second Century. In doing so, we will destroy the notion that the cross didn't become a Christian Symbol until Constantine saw his famous vision in the year 312 CE before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. In other words, the cross was a well-established Christian symbol that the emperor appropriated for his own purposes!

From Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Christians at Ephesus, we read: "Let my spirit be counted as nothing for the sake of the cross, which is a stumbling-block to those that do not believe, but to us salvation and life eternal. "Where is the wise man? where the disputer?" Where is the boasting of those who are styled prudent? For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water."   Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians

From Justin Martyr's First Apology, we read: "But in no instance, not even in any of those called sons of Jupiter, did they imitate the being crucified; for it was not understood by them, all the things said of it having been put symbolically. And this, as the prophet foretold, is the greatest symbol of His power and role; as is also proved by the things which fall under our observation. For consider all the things in the world, whether without this form they could be administered or have any community. For the sea is not traversed except that trophy which is called a sail abide safe in the ship; and the earth is not ploughed without it: diggers and mechanics do not their work, except with tools which have this shape. And the human form differs from that of the irrational animals in nothing else than in its being erect and having the hands extended, and having on the face extending from the forehead what is called the nose, through which there is respiration for the living creature; and this shows no other form than that of the cross. And so it was said by the prophet, The breath before our face is the Lord Christ. And the power of this form is shown by your own symbols on what are called vexilla [banners] and trophies, with which all your state possessions are made, using these as the insignia of your power and government, even though you do so unwittingly. And with this form you consecrate the images of your emperors when they die, and you name them gods by inscriptions. Since, therefore, we have urged you both by reason and by an evident form, and to the utmost of our ability, we know that now we are blameless even though you disbelieve; for our part is done and finished."  Justin Martyr's "First Apology"

From Tertullian's The Chaplet or De Carona, we read: "At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign."  Tertullian's "De Carona"

The Cross of Christ

 

In his article, Why the Cross Is Essential to Christianity, Dr Philip Ryken (The Gospel Coalition) wrote: "When archaeologists dig through the ruins of antiquity, they have one certain way to identify a place of Christian worship. They look for a cross. When they find it painted on a wall, carved into stone, or even worked into a floor plan, they know they’ve found a church. Since the beginning, Christians have identified themselves with the cross on which Jesus died. And whether it’s carved in wood or etched on our hearts, the cross is the chief symbol and defining reality of the Christian faith." Indeed, the word "cross" appears twenty-eight times in the King James Version of the New Testament!

Paul wrote this in his first letter to the Christians at Corinth: "For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." (I Corinthians 1:17-18, NLT) Likewise, to the Christians of Galatia, he wrote: "Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died." (Galatians 6:12-14, NLT) Finally, he wrote this to the saints at Ephesus: "For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death." (Ephesians 2:14-16, NLT)

Now, unfortunately, there are a few folks who like to point out that the cross existed before it became a Christian symbol. In the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY article, The Cross Is of Pagan Origin, we read: "In its edition of 1908, The Catholic Encyclopedia states in volume 4, page 517: 'The sign of the cross, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both the East and the West, the introduction of Christianity. It goes back to a very remote period of human civilization.' The book The Ancient Church by clergyman W. D. Killen concurs by saying, on page 316: 'From the most remote antiquity the cross was venerated in Egypt and Syria; it was held in equal honour by the Buddhists of the East; and, what is still more extraordinary, when the Spaniards first visited America, the well-known sign was found among the objects of worship in the idol temples of Anahuac. It is also remarkable that, about the commencement of our era, the pagans were wont to make the sign of a cross upon the forehead in the celebration of some of their sacred mysteries.'" Are the Jehovah's Witnesses right? Is the symbol tainted because of its former associations?

According to the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament), the city of Jerusalem was a pagan city before David conquered it. That didn't stop God from adopting it as the place where his Temple would be built and where his name would rest! Thus, the fact that the symbol of the cross was formerly employed by the Egyptians, Syrians, Buddhists, and Native American temples cannot be said to permanently taint/pollute the symbol. Indeed, before Christ's crucifixion, the Romans regarded the cross as a symbol of punishment and shame. The TRUTH is that Christ transformed the cross when he was crucified on one! Thereafter, the cross was a Christian symbol, and all of its former associations ceased to have any hold or power over it - or the people who used it!

When we (Christians) see the cross, we are drawn to the image of our Savior hanging on it for our sins. We are inexorably drawn to this image: "So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.'" (John 19:16-19, NLT) Christians maintain their faith "by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." (Hebrews 12:2, NLT) For us, the cross is the symbol of our devotion to our Savior - it reminds us of his greatest act of love for all of us.

The Number Three in Scripture

The number three appears prominently in the Judeo-Christian canon. Some of the more important of those instances follow:

Noah had three sons (Genesis 6:10)

The ark was three hundred cubits long (Genesis 6:15)

God commanded Abram to sacrifice a three-year-old cow, female goat, and ram (Genesis 15:9)

Three men appear to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-2)

Joseph interprets Pharoah's cupbearer's and butler's dreams that their fate would be determined in three days (Genesis 40)

The baby Moses was hidden for three months (Exodus 2:2)

Three days journey into the wilderness to worship God (Exodus 3:18, 5:3 and 8:27)

Three days of darkness over Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23)

Three times each year a festival before the Lord (Exodus 23:14-17)

Three branches and three bowls on the candlestick (Exodus 25:32-33)

After planting fruit trees in the new land, the fruit was not to be consumed for 3 years (Leviticus 19:23)

The entire tithe every three years for Levites, foreigners, widows, orphans (Deuteronomy 14:28)

Three pilgrimage festivals at the central sanctuary (Deuteronomy 16:16)

Job had three friends to "comfort" him (Job)

Three Jews (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego) refused to worship a statue (Daniel 3)

Daniel prayed three times each day (Daniel 6:10-13)

Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)

Three wise men from the East (Matthew 2)

Satan tempted Christ in three ways (Matthew 4:1-11 and others)

Jesus to be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40)

Jesus, Moses, and Elijah appeared together (Matthew 17:4 and others)

Tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days (Matthew 26:61 and others)

Peter denied Christ three times (Luke 22:54-62)

Do you love me? Feed my sheep three times to Peter (John 21:15-17)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)

Three thousand souls added to the Church on Pentecost (Acts 2:41)

Saul was blind for three days (Acts 9:9)

In Peters vision, the tarp of unclean animals lowered three times (Acts 11:10)

Paul reasoned with the people of Thessalonica three days in a row (Acts 17:1-2)

Faith, hope, and love (I Corinthians 13)

Three that bear witness on earth - Spirit, water, and blood (I John 5:8)

Three gates in each of the cardinal directions (Revelation 21:13)

The Number Forty in Scripture

The number forty appears over and over again in the Bible. What follows is a list of its more important appearances there:

It rained for forty days and forty nights when the flood covered the earth (Genesis 7)

Noah waited forty days after the mountain peaks became visible to release a raven (Genesis 8:6-7)

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20)

It took forty days to embalm Jacob (Genesis 50:2-3)

The children of Israel ate manna for forty years (Exodus 16:35)

Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28)

Forty silver bases to support the frames of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:19-21 and 36:24-26)

Spies looked over the Promised Land for forty days (Numbers 13:25)

The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Numbers 14:33-34 and others)

Caleb was forty years old when Moses sent him to look at the land (Joshua 14:7)

Forty years of rest during the times of the Judges (Judges 3:11, 5:31, 8:28, and I Samuel 4:18)

Forty years into the hands of the Philistines (Judges 13:1)

Goliath taunted the army of Israel for forty days (I Samuel 17:16)

David reigned as king of Israel for forty years (II Samuel 5:4)

Solomon reigned as king of Israel for forty years (I Kings 11:42)

Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai (I Kings 19:8)

Ezekiel prophesied that Egypt would be desolate for forty years (Ezekiel 29:11-13)

Jonah prophesied that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days (Jonah 3:4)

Jesus fasted for forty days and nights and was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, and Luke 4:2)

Jesus appeared to his disciples forty days after he was resurrected (Acts 1:3)

The Number Twelve in Scripture

Like the number seven, the number twelve appears numerous times in Scripture and appears to be important to God. What follows is a list of some of the more important instances from the Judeo-Christian canon:

Ishamel was to be the father of twelve princes (Genesis 17:20 and 25:16)

Jacob or Israel had twelve sons (Genesis 35:22 and 42:13 and 32)

The twelve sons of Jacob gave rise to the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 49:28 and others)

Twelve stones for the ephod of the High Priest (Exodus 28:21 and 39:14)

Twelve loaves of holy bread (Leviticus 24:5)

Twelve men, one from each tribe, appointed as a tribal leader/representative (Numbers 1:5-16)

Twelve silver platters, 12 silver basins, 12 golden spoons for the altar (Numbers 7:84)

Twelve bullocks, 12 rams, and 12 lambs for the burnt offering and 12 kid goats for the sin offering (Numbers 7:87) 

Twelve staffs/rods, one for each of the leaders of the tribes (Numbers 17:2-6)

Twelve stones for each one of the tribes of Israel (Joshua 4:2-20)

Solomon had twelve officers over Israel (I Kings 4:7)

Solomon's great brass sea stood upon a base of twelve oxen (I Kings 7:25, 44)

There were twelve lions, one on each side, of the six steps leading to Solomon's throne (I Kings 10:20)

The Prophet Ahijah tore his cloak into 12 pieces and gave 10 to Jeroboam (I Kings 11:30)

Jesus chose twelve apostles (Matthew 10:1-5, Mark 3:14, Luke 6:13, and others)

Twelve baskets full of leftovers (Matthew 14:18-21, John 6:13, and others)

Twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28)

Twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53)

Jesus was twelve years old when he taught the Jewish religious leaders at the Temple (Luke 2:42)

Twelve hours in the day (John 11:9)

James epistle to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (James 1)

Twelve thousand from each of the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7)

The woman with a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1)

The twelve gates of the city (Revelation 21:12)

The twelve foundations of the wall (Revelation 21:14)

The city measured twelve thousand furlongs (Revelation 21:16)

The twelve gates were made out of twelve pearls (Revelation 21:21)

The Tree of Life will bear twelve kinds of fruit (Revelation 22:2)

Moreover, there are twelve months in a solar year!

The Number Seven in Scripture

To say that the number seven appears prominently and frequently in Scripture is a bit of an understatement. Notice some of those appearances in Scripture:

Seventh day God finished his creative work (Genesis 2:2)

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 2:3)

Noah sent out birds every seven days to check for dry land (Genesis 8:10, 12)

Jacob served Laban in seven year increments (Genesis 29)

Egypt experienced seven years of plenty and seven years of famine (Genesis 41)

The Israelites were to eat unleavened bread for seven days (Exodus 12, 13)

The priests and the altar were to be consecrated for seven days (Exodus 29)

The priest was to sprinkle things with blood seven times (Leviticus 4)

Count seven Sabbaths to Pentecost (Leviticus 23)

Seven High Sabbaths each year (Leviticus 23)

Feast of Tabernacles for seven days (Leviticus 23)

The seventh year and seven years times seven for Jubilee (Leviticus 25)

God would punish seven times more for sins (Leviticus 26)

Seven things are an abomination to God (Proverbs 6:16)

Seven loaves of bread and seven baskets of leftovers (Matthew 15)

Forgive your brother seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22)

Seven deacons (Acts 6:3)

Seven messages to the seven churches of Asia (Revelation 1-3)

Seven seals (Revelation 5)

Seven angels with seven trumpets (Revelation 8)

Seven thunders (Revelation 10)

Seven angels with seven plagues (Revelation 15)

Seven heads and seven mountains (Revelation 13 and 17)

Moreover, there are seven days in a week.

The Beast, Its Mark, and Babylon

A recent post, Assuming A Sunday Law, inspired me to write a post explaining some of the symbolism of the book of Revelation and my own stance against statolatry (worship/celebration of the state). It is unfortunate that the book of Revelation has been so frequently misunderstood and abused by religionists. When properly understood, I believe it is the perfect conclusion to the Judeo-Christian canon - proclaiming the ultimate antidote to humanity's ills.

The author of the book, John, assumed that his audience would have a background in the Hebrew Bible - the part we refer to as the Old Testament. For him, this was the key to understanding this masterpiece of apocalyptic literature, because ALL of the symbols and language which he employed in it were drawn directly from Torah and the imagery used by the Hebrew prophets of old. Moreover, the majority of that imagery is found in the prophetic books of Zechariah and Daniel.

We, however, will focus on the main theme of the book of Revelation: That Jesus Christ and his followers would ultimately prevail/triumph over humankind's system of governance! John was told to "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches." (Revelation 1:11) The glorified Christ also told John that he would see things "that are and those that are to take place after this." (Revelation 1:19) In other words, some of what he would be writing about concerned what was THEN happening, AND what would happen in the future.

After the individual messages for the seven churches (Revelation 2 and 3), John is given a vision of God's throne in heaven (Revelation 4). This is followed by a vision of the triumphant Lamb (Christ), who was found worthy to open the scroll with its seven seals (Revelation 5). These seals revealed a series of events that would befall humankind and Christians (Revelation 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11). Now, we come at last to the real heart of the story of this book, and the basis for what is to follow.

In the twelfth chapter of the book, we read: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:7-12) Notice that the imagery harkens all the way back to the book of Genesis and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden! Notice also that Christ and his followers triumph over Satan and the forces under his control!

This is followed by a "beast" which emerges from the sea (Revelation 13:1). Where do we find this symbolism in the Hebrew Bible? In the seventh and eighth chapters of the book of Daniel we find similar beasts described, and we are informed there that they are representative of human kingdoms/nation states. Moreover, while these "beasts" were on the earth, we are informed that there were simultaneous events happening in heaven at God's throne (Daniel 7:9-10). Then, we read: I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

Moreover, in its interpretation of the fourth "beast," we read: there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:23-27) Notice that these "beasts" represent human kingdoms, and that they will ALL ultimately give way to God's Kingdom under Christ and his saints! Indeed, we find the same basic formula of the failure of human kingdoms and the ultimate triumph of the Divine Kingdom repeated over and over again in both Daniel and Revelation.

Now, returning to the book of Revelation, we read: And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 13:2-8) Notice, once again, the "beast" is clearly symbolic of a human kingdom! Notice too, the martial language associated with it, and the question: "Who can fight against it?" Finally, notice the universal nature of this government, and that EVERYONE, except the people of the Lamb, will worship it!

Next, we notice that a second "beast" arises, and we are told that "It exercises all the authority of the first beast." (Revelation 13:12) Continuing, we are informed that "it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 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 13:16-18) Now, I'm NOT going to dwell on the interpretation of the number here, because my readers can easily do a little independent research and determine that this is referring to a Roman emperor (Rome was another "beast" in a long line of "beasts). Instead, we will focus on the "Mark of the Beast." Where did John get this imagery?

You will recall that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had experienced a terrifying dream, and that Daniel had been brought before the king to interpret what he had seen in it. Daniel began by recounting the dream itself. He said: You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:31-35)

This was followed by Daniel's God-given interpretation of the dream. He said: You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever... (Daniel 2:37-44) Once again, the pattern is repeated: one human government followed by another, until God finally intervenes and establishes his own kingdom!

Next, we read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the King of Babylon's tall golden statue (Daniel 3). We are informed that the great king had his herald to announce: "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace." (Daniel 3:4-6) Now, remember how we read in the book of Revelation that the human subjects of the "beasts" were commanded to worship the state? We are basically witnessing the same exact thing here! We know, however, that God's servants refused to worship the image and were miraculously saved from being consumed by the flames of the "burning fiery furnace." But what does all of this have to do with the "Mark of the Beast?"

One of the primary premises of Torah was that God's people would owe their COMPLETE allegiance to him. Among the Jews, this principle is often recited in the form of the Shema. Let's take a look at three separate instances of this in Torah. In the book of Exodus, when explaining why the firstborn must be dedicated to God, we read that "It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt."  (Exodus 13:16) Likewise, in the book of Deuteronomy, we read: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8) Finally, in that same book, we read: You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always...And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul...You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deuteronomy 11:1-18)

In all of these passages, we see that God expected the undivided devotion of his people. In other words, there wasn't any room for worshipping ANY other entity than God! Notice too, in all of these instances the language about a sign or distinguishing mark on the hand, and a frontlet between the eyes or band across the forehead (as indicated by the original Hebrew). Do we begin to see the connection? Remember the language in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation? We are told there that the "Beast" causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead (Revelation 13:16). This is the antithesis of the mark described in Torah! In other words, the "Mark of the Beast" is a kind of Anti-Shema. It is a symbol of one's devotion to the "Beast," or the human government and its political and economic system. It is the opposite of devotion to God's Kingdom!

Finally, in the seventeenth chapter of Revelation, we read of Babylon and the Beast, and their complete defeat in the following chapter (Revelation 18). We read: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Revelation 17:1-6) Once again, we see John reach back into the Hebrew Bible for a symbol of human governance. In John's day, Rome was Babylon. Many years later, we could say that Madrid, Paris, or London was Babylon. In our own day, we could say that Washington D.C. is Babylon!

The point that John was making should now be very clear to everyone. Human government influenced by Satan and his forces is NOT worthy of the worship/devotion of God's people! Human government has always been subject to human lust for wealth and power. Human government has always been characterized by someone lording it over others. Human government has always been based on conquest and subjugation and has consequently always had blood on its hands! God's Kingdom, however, is based on love and service. It does NOT seek personal aggrandizement or glory. Jesus of Nazareth, the one whom the Romans crucified, is the King of that Kingdom. Instead of conquest and death, he offers salvation and triumph over death - eternal life! How about you? Do you want to wear the "Mark of the Beast" or the mark of devotion to God? What's on your hand and forehead right now?

English Standard Version throughout this post.