The Last Days Volume 1 Joseph A Cortes TeachingFaith Ministries The Last Days: Volume 1 The Mark of The Beast Contents Page Introduction 1 Chapter One: Mark of the Beast Part 1 3 Chapter Two: Mart of the Beast Part 2 13 Chapter Three: Mark of the Beast Part 3 36 Chapter Four: Mark of the Beast Part 4 48 Chapter Five: Mark of the Beast Part 5 60 Chapter Six: Mark of the Beast Part 6 70 Chapter Seven: Mark of the Beast Part 7 81 Chapter Eight: Mark of the Beast Part 8 92 Chapter Nine: Mark of the Beast Part 9 100 Chapter Ten: Mark of the Beast Part 10 119 Chapter Eleven: Mark of the Beast Part 11 137 Chapter Twelve: Mark of the Beast Part 12 150 Chapter Thirteen: Mark of the Beast 13 164 Chapter Fourteen: Mark of the Beast 14 178 Chapter Fifteen: Lucifer and Allah 188 Chapter Sixteen: Who is Allah? 201 1 Introduction The Last Days is an in-depth eschatological teaching series utilizing the Old Testament, New Testament, secular history, plus many other resources for the purposes of restoring this fascinating subject matter to clarity while providing its reader with a sense of understanding from a scripturally verifiable point of view. Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural references will be in the King James version. Just a few of the topics that will be covered in this series are: • The history of current prophecy preaching: where it came from, how we got it, who were some of the principle contributors behind it, and why it is still being taught and preached today • The 70 Weeks • Hebrew idioms (e.g. time, times, and a half) and timelines • The Two Witnesses • The Two-horned Beast • The Abomination of Desolation • The Olive Trees and the Candlesticks, and how the current definition of those trees and candlesticks has missed the mark • Anti-Christ and what it could be, or who it could be • The False Prophet • Where the United States, England, and Israel occur within prophecy and their interrelationship. • The Great Tribulation • The Rapture—a term which is never used in scripture • The Mark of the Beast But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. – Daniel 12:4 Only the last days ministries and the persons that were called to preach this would have the full knowledge of what to expect and how to accurately interpret the Scriptures. Daniel could not receive the interpretations because they were reserved for the “time of the end,” and for preachers that exist in the last days. That is not only clearly expressed by Daniel, but also John. That means theories and doctrines developed two to five hundred years ago would be flawed in part, if not entirely. Those that are flawed need to be discarded and replaced with the verifiable Word of God. And because these are the last days, we can see the things that have already occurred, but even more exciting, the events that are occurring now. This series will be pointing those things out to you and begins with the topic of The Mark of the Beast. 2 3 The Mark Of The Beast Part 1 Revelation 13:15-18, “And he had power to give life [or breath] unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive [or to give them] a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [understood as 666].” Nothing divides Christians more than end-time prophesy, nothing. They get pretty heated over this subject and they have question after question: What is this mark? What is this 666? People want to know because if they can identify what this mark is, obviously they want to try to avoid it; and secondly, they know the time until the end of time is really right at the door. In fact, the door is open, so they are curious. They want to know. They want that sign. There is nothing more on Christians’ minds concerning prophesy than to know what the mark of the beast is. We will look at these verses using, as I always do, the whole Bible because unless you use the whole book you are going to have trouble. If you think you can use only the New Testament or the book of Revelation then you won’t figure it out and you will end up developing your own Christian Science Fiction theory. Believe me, there are plenty of those circulating. There have been countless numbers of theories and opinions concerning this mark and 666 but I am telling you up front that it is associated with Islam, the Beast, and the Koran. It is necessary to use both the Old and New Testament to show how we arrived at that and prove God’s Word. That is the mistake people make, even for people that understand Islam, the Beast, and the Koran. And they are missing one important element that clearly identifies what this mark is and how it relates to Islam, that we have in history, and the 8th Beast, which we are dealing with now. According to the scriptures above, we see that the mark is both in name and number and we will know the beast when we know the mark. Well, I could flip that. We will know the mark when we recognize the beast. The only problem with that last statement is everybody has been looking for the wrong mark because they have not seen what Scripture says. “You mean it is in Scripture?” Absolutely. Between the front cover and the back cover, the mark is clearly identified. You just have to be trained to look for it. You have to be taught to look for it. Unfortunately, we have too many people more interested in Christian Science Fiction than thus saith the Word of the Lord. “Can you prove that?” We will see. Before I get to that, let’s look at some of the cockamamie theories that are out there from the last 100 years about this mark and 666. This one only goes back to 1990: I personally believe that the mark will be either an invisible laser tattoo or a microchip which will be placed under the skin having the uniform product code [the UPC code]. This mark, a type of barcode in the skin or on the microchip, will be scanned at that point of trade. Sorry, wrong. 4 The UPC code [or the barcode] with leading information on each person will be placed. Concerning the name of the beast, this, I believe, will be a name with six letters in each name invisibly coded into a laser tattoo or microchip. A computer could pick up this as six digits in each name; for example, Ronald Wilson Reagan. I remember when Reagan was President. Some Christian authors even actually wrote some books pinpointing that they discovered who the 666 was using Gematria. They had figured out mathematically that Ronald Wilson Reagan added up to 666. Well last time I checked, that didn’t happen unless they are planning on Reagan rising from the dead. I guess they could use that the beast’s wound was healed and therefore he would come back to life again if they are still going to hang onto that theory. They could hope for that I guess. It is silly, folks. Here is another one: Instead of social security cards and credit cards, the number will be printed on the forehead or hand so that all who receive it will carry it at all times. Using modern technology, it would be a method to eliminate loosing such cards or having them stolen or duplicated. Just how the number will be imprinted? Will it consist only of the number 666? We do not know for certain, but it is possible a small computer chip will be embedded under the flesh, or even in the bone of the forehead or hand. That kind of technology is already in place. Another method may be used but the results will be the same - instant identity and little or no likelihood of counterfeiting or reproducing. I suspect the number 666 will be a prefix followed by other numbers, but I do not know. Here is another person: Yet the Apostle John describes the reality that has only recently come into focus, global banking, laser scanning and the universal barcode. It is a tiny step to go from using a Visa card or a bank card on the Plus System, and other ATM machines, in which the electronic strip is attached to the card, to print in that same strip of information on the human body so they can be laser scanned. This has already been done with laser tattoos and implanted microchips. Again, what better descriptive term could have John found in the ancient world than the mark which would enable every citizen to buy or sell who had it. First of all, do not assume from what John wrote down. All he was, was a scribe and he wrote it all down as Jesus dictated it to him. Do not assume this is referring to a worldwide mark that all peoples on a global scale are going to receive. I will have more to say about that later. Do not assume that. That is the first mistake. I will not leave you dangling in all this. Let’s read somebody else: Europeans believe that the monetary system called ECU or the European Currency Unit [or even the Euro now] will be in place and will serve as the 5 medium of commercial exchange and trade. However, the Bible reveals that a mark (or the symbolic number 666) on the right hand or forehead will replace the ECU and become the mandatory currency expression necessary to conduct trade and commerce in much of the world. Those refusing to accept this mark will be killed. Let’s go to 1978: What will be his mark? It appears that it will be some sort of credit card number and loyalty badge combined into one. Possibly it may be a tattoo invisible to the naked eye, but visible upon some type of light beam scan. It, however, in its numerical aspect has some liberal type connection with the number 666 or code based on these digits which will be related directly to the name of antichrist. This is 1996, another author: It is my well-researched opinion that the mark of the beast… “My well-researched opinion” - now we better listen to this individual. …as related in scripture, is absolutely literal. That is right. It is too bad you have no clue what the literal meaning is. And this is one you cannot look up in your Greek dictionary and try to figure it out. It takes more than that. Soon all people on earth will be coerced into accepting a mark on their right hand or forehead. I am convinced that it will be an injectable passive RFID transponder with a computer chip, a literal injection with a literal electronic biochip mark. I believe that such an implanted identification mark will literally become Satan’s mark of the beast as we discuss further in this chapter. A different era, 1962: All religions will be placed in the control of a counterfeit ruler or false Christ making a single world religion. He will have the power to enforce his mark 666, known as the mark of the beast. This mark or stamp of antichrist will be placed on the foreheads or right hands of all living persons where antichrist rules. Not one single person yet has a clue what they are talking about. This is nothing more than science fiction. Does this technology exist? Sure. I can tell you right now if I had a medical chip put under my skin, because it is the thing that is happening, did I receive the mark? No, because that is not what the mark is. Let’s read someone else’s, 1988: 6 It appears that there will be three separate things or marks which will qualify a man to buy or sell. The first is called the mark of the beast. If indeed the antichrist is the leader of the Soviet Union… Okay, now we have an antichrist and he is the leader of the Soviet Union. …then the mark may well be the red star, the universal communist symbol. This may be a simple tattoo of the communist red star. A second possibility concerns what is meant by the name of the beast. I do not think it will be the name of a specific man. This mark again might be a simple tattoo indicating that the bearer is a member of the communist party and loyal to the antichrist. The third may be more complicated, the number of his name. I do not believe that this means simply the number 666. With the recent advancements in computer chip technology, especially in the miniaturization of them, it is now possible to make them microscopic enough to be injected beneath the skin. Although the microchip could possibly be the ultimate in the antichrist’s control of people’s lives, this would take considerable time to implement and the cost would be enormous. A much simpler form would be the use of a series of bars utilizing the universal products code already in place in most supermarkets. This code could be tattooed, possibly the dye only visible under ultraviolet light on either the hand or forehead. Oh, this one is from “The Complete Book of Bible Prophesy”: This passage in Revelation 13 provides five key clues that is the interpretation of the mark of the beast: 1) the name of the beast; 2) the number representing his name; 3) the number of the beast; 4) the number of a man, and 5) the number of 666. When these five clues are followed through their logical progression, the number or mark of the beast is the number of man who is the antichrist or final world ruler. This number is the number of the antichrist’s own name. After reading that, do you now have any more of a clue what the mark is than you did before reading it? Think about it. More blah, blah, blah confusion. Another author: A timely computer chip painlessly and quickly implanted just under the skin in the hand or forehead will likely become the means of fulfilling this prophesy.