Post by Basilikos on Jan 26, 2009 16:14:44 GMT -5
""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" (Rev. 13:17). Our good friends of the "futurist" interpretation of Bible prophecy, with their fascinating and thrilling best-selling books, persist in their horror stories of days now supposed to be impending when for a very brief period of time (say three and a half years at most) the saints will be prohibited from engaging in commercial transactions! Sensationalism is always preferred to true spiritual understanding. The fact that many good men are already in prison, or are prohibited from preaching the gospel in many parts of the world, mean's nothing at all to writers who cannot or will not be persuaded that the book of Revelation is a symbolical and SPIRITUAL BOOK, intended to be SPIRITUALLY UNDERSTOOD, and that buying and selling, in the prophetical sense, has a much more significant meaning that that of supermarket shopping.
Buying and selling in the spiritual sense has naught to do with the principles of commercial trade. The prophet Isaiah faithfully exhorted God's people, "Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come , BUY, and eat; yea, come, BUY wine and milk without money and without price" (Isa. 55:1). The prophet made it plain that he was not talking about worldly commerce, but about PAYING THE PRICE for the "milk" of God's Word and the "wine" of His unspeakable joy and abounding life. The wise man counseled: "BUY THE TRUTH, and SELL it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding" (Prov. 23:23). To "buy" the truth means to PAY THE PRICE to embrace and walk in the truth, and I have learned through many years of experience that the "price" of truth is oft times to simply be willing to "give up" or "sell" an error! To the Church at Laodicea, which prided herself that she was rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing, but knew not that she was wretched, poor, blind, and naked the Lord admonished, "I counsel you to BUY OF ME gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich..." (Rev. 3:18).
There is a pattern in the book of Revelation that shows that the first use of a word establishes the use and meaning of that word throughout the book. In this case, the first use of the word "buy" is with a SPIRITUAL APPLICATION. To "buy or sell" means, naturally, to engage in the ordinary pursuits of life, and to exchange one item of value for another. If the purpose of the whole vision in Revelation thirteen is spiritual, then applying this as a symbol on the spiritual plane reveals that those without the distinctive mark of the bestial system have no more recognized standing in the carnal Church systems than men who are not allowed to buy or sell have in a community. "Selling" as a symbol, specially indicates the DEALING OUT of truth, the MINISTERING of the things of the Spirit, while "buying" typifies the ACCEPTANCE of truth, the RECEIVING of the things of God.
And is it not true that a man of God walking in the Spirit and in the blazing light of heaven's revelation, independent of all the man-made organizations, creeds, methods, and programs of Babylon, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LABOR AMONG THE CHURCH SYSTEMS, after the truth for which he stands becomes known, or until he should take their mark upon him by joining himself to them? And if he holds meetings in the community, the members of the Churches are often warned by their leaders against "buying" - receiving - from this ministry because of his not having the mark or name of the beast. Their ministers are specially marked, for they come out of their colleges and theological seminaries with the stamp of their respective doctrine and traditions upon them and a license from the sect to engage in its ministry; and those not thus marked or designated HAVE NO PLACE AMONG THEM! Whether a man is a man of God with a heaven sent message matters nothing - he MUST bear the mark! This also reveals the manner in which the beast causes those who will not worship the image to be killed - an analogous killing; namely, an ecclesiastical cutting-off, an excommunication - the absolute refusal to either "buy or sell" the things of God with you unless you take upon you THEIR MARK!
How many of my readers would be permitted to "take communion" in most of the Churches in your city on Sunday morning? How many could teach a Sunday School class in one of those Churches? Ah, matters not whether you are a saint of God, and whether you bear the Word of God - you CANNOT "buy or sell" with them unless you take the mark and worship the image! You see, dear ones, there is not the slightest danger that I will be invited to say mass at St. Benedict's Catholic Church next Sunday. There is absolutely no chance that I will be called to be the Pastor at the First Methodist Church, the First Baptist Church, or the Assemblies of God! I do not have to stay awake nights wondering what I will share next week at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. You see, I don't bear their mark, neither will I worship their image! And no man can "buy or sell" the things of God within those institutions save he that has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
An excerpt from J. Eby's: The Antichrist, Book 10
Basilikos
Buying and selling in the spiritual sense has naught to do with the principles of commercial trade. The prophet Isaiah faithfully exhorted God's people, "Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come , BUY, and eat; yea, come, BUY wine and milk without money and without price" (Isa. 55:1). The prophet made it plain that he was not talking about worldly commerce, but about PAYING THE PRICE for the "milk" of God's Word and the "wine" of His unspeakable joy and abounding life. The wise man counseled: "BUY THE TRUTH, and SELL it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding" (Prov. 23:23). To "buy" the truth means to PAY THE PRICE to embrace and walk in the truth, and I have learned through many years of experience that the "price" of truth is oft times to simply be willing to "give up" or "sell" an error! To the Church at Laodicea, which prided herself that she was rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing, but knew not that she was wretched, poor, blind, and naked the Lord admonished, "I counsel you to BUY OF ME gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich..." (Rev. 3:18).
There is a pattern in the book of Revelation that shows that the first use of a word establishes the use and meaning of that word throughout the book. In this case, the first use of the word "buy" is with a SPIRITUAL APPLICATION. To "buy or sell" means, naturally, to engage in the ordinary pursuits of life, and to exchange one item of value for another. If the purpose of the whole vision in Revelation thirteen is spiritual, then applying this as a symbol on the spiritual plane reveals that those without the distinctive mark of the bestial system have no more recognized standing in the carnal Church systems than men who are not allowed to buy or sell have in a community. "Selling" as a symbol, specially indicates the DEALING OUT of truth, the MINISTERING of the things of the Spirit, while "buying" typifies the ACCEPTANCE of truth, the RECEIVING of the things of God.
And is it not true that a man of God walking in the Spirit and in the blazing light of heaven's revelation, independent of all the man-made organizations, creeds, methods, and programs of Babylon, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LABOR AMONG THE CHURCH SYSTEMS, after the truth for which he stands becomes known, or until he should take their mark upon him by joining himself to them? And if he holds meetings in the community, the members of the Churches are often warned by their leaders against "buying" - receiving - from this ministry because of his not having the mark or name of the beast. Their ministers are specially marked, for they come out of their colleges and theological seminaries with the stamp of their respective doctrine and traditions upon them and a license from the sect to engage in its ministry; and those not thus marked or designated HAVE NO PLACE AMONG THEM! Whether a man is a man of God with a heaven sent message matters nothing - he MUST bear the mark! This also reveals the manner in which the beast causes those who will not worship the image to be killed - an analogous killing; namely, an ecclesiastical cutting-off, an excommunication - the absolute refusal to either "buy or sell" the things of God with you unless you take upon you THEIR MARK!
How many of my readers would be permitted to "take communion" in most of the Churches in your city on Sunday morning? How many could teach a Sunday School class in one of those Churches? Ah, matters not whether you are a saint of God, and whether you bear the Word of God - you CANNOT "buy or sell" with them unless you take the mark and worship the image! You see, dear ones, there is not the slightest danger that I will be invited to say mass at St. Benedict's Catholic Church next Sunday. There is absolutely no chance that I will be called to be the Pastor at the First Methodist Church, the First Baptist Church, or the Assemblies of God! I do not have to stay awake nights wondering what I will share next week at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. You see, I don't bear their mark, neither will I worship their image! And no man can "buy or sell" the things of God within those institutions save he that has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
An excerpt from J. Eby's: The Antichrist, Book 10
Basilikos
