Is marking of Mark of the Beast is literal or just figurative?

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May 29, 2018
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Hi Dino!

I'd have to agree with preterism as being heresy. It is one of the most destructive teachings out there. Those who have studied Revelation and know about the wrath given in detail, should be using that information to warn people of the coming wrath. Preterism dilutes that wrath by allegorizing and symbolizing that information. Nothing to see here! Nothing to worry about. Preterism is robing God's word of both its meaning and its force. So yeah, I would agree with Nehemiah's choice of words.
https://www.gotquestions.org/partial-preterism.html
 

Ahwatukee

Senior Member
Mar 12, 2015
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We'll have to agree to disagree then. I have been researching preterism, and have not found anything yet that I would call heretical.
Diluting God's wrath is not heretical?

This is the book which says, "blessed are those who read the prophecy of this book and those who hear it and take it to heart."

And

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll."

As an example, I would also remind you about what Paul said regarding Hymeneus and Philetus who were teaching that the resurrection had already taken place. He said that it was godless chatter and that this teaching would spread like gangrene and that they had wandered away from the truth, as well destroying the faith of some.

Full Preterism teaches that the events of Matthew 24 and Revelation has already been fulfilled, including the resurrection. That would immediately put them in the Hymeneus and Philetus group, which means that what preterists teach is godless chatter, will spread like gangrene (and has) and that they have wandered from the truth.
 

Ahwatukee

Senior Member
Mar 12, 2015
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So your saying that the Gospel that the angel in Rev.14:6 delivers is the exact same Gospel as Paul delivered and spoke of in Galatians 1:8?
Jesus said "No man comes to the Father but through me." So yes, the gospel that angel will be proclaiming will be the same. And you can see that this is the truth by what is mentioned regarding those great tribulation saints:

"And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands."

The great tribulation saints will be keeping their testimony of Jesus, which is the gospel. There is no other gospel, but Christ crucified, buried and resurrected.
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
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Jesus said "No man comes to the Father but through me." So yes, the gospel that angel will be proclaiming will be the same. And you can see that this is the truth by what is mentioned regarding those great tribulation saints:

"And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands."

The great tribulation saints will be keeping their testimony of Jesus, which is the gospel. There is no other gospel, but Christ crucified, buried and resurrected.

Then the angel comes with the Everlasting Gospel when it was already preached by Paul and the others, and so by then it is misunderstood,corrupted,forgotten or something. So then do you think this is past tense, future tense or present ,,,is it before or after the rapture?
 
Mar 28, 2016
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The mark of the beast, I suppose must really translate as Sick that makes people Sick that gets things Sicker.
It is said, you must forgive 70x7,
Punishment that is just, and does not overflow onto others, causing them harm.

I suppose it is wrong, that people are evil if they buy or sell.
A state with fair welfare would be good enough,
Otherwise it would be rationing. Which is about the same.
The bible is a spiritual book. The focus is on the things not seen .Things of faith not of ones own imagination.

The buying and selling has to do with the truth of the gospel. Not the temporal things of this world. God sends a famine for hearing the gospel not food needed to maintain these bodies of death . Cain and Esau sold the first born rights seeing no value in the things not seen. men are selling out the gospel for the idea of a literal mark .Batteries not included.

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Revelation 13:17 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.
 
Mar 28, 2016
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Then the angel comes with the Everlasting Gospel when it was already preached by Paul and the others, and so by then it is misunderstood,corrupted,forgotten or something. So then do you think this is past tense, future tense or present ,,,is it before or after the rapture?
That is the natural results of those reckoned as faithless. Those who literalize the signified understanding in parables. Teaching others to make the signified understanding of faith without effect.

Once a person does do the work God requires of rightly dividing the parable (Revelation 20) everything else falls into place

No disappearing of saints only later to come out of hiding.

Revelation 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Take the fact that he sent and signified it away .Then making saints disappear is easy. Just close ones eyes and use ones imagination .
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
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Diluting God's wrath is not heretical?

This is the book which says, "blessed are those who read the prophecy of this book and those who hear it and take it to heart."

And

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll."

As an example, I would also remind you about what Paul said regarding Hymeneus and Philetus who were teaching that the resurrection had already taken place. He said that it was godless chatter and that this teaching would spread like gangrene and that they had wandered away from the truth, as well destroying the faith of some.

Full Preterism teaches that the events of Matthew 24 and Revelation has already been fulfilled, including the resurrection. That would immediately put them in the Hymeneus and Philetus group, which means that what preterists teach is godless chatter, will spread like gangrene (and has) and that they have wandered from the truth.
Your argument is invalid because you are equivocating "preterism" with "full preterism".
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
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The bible is a spiritual book. The focus is on the things not seen .Things of faith not of ones own imagination.
Most of the Bible discusses actual historical events, not "things not seen". Imagination has nothing to do with it.

The buying and selling has to do with the truth of the gospel. Not the temporal things of this world. God sends a famine for hearing the gospel not food needed to maintain these bodies of death . Cain and Esau sold the first born rights seeing no value in the things not seen. men are selling out the gospel for the idea of a literal mark .Batteries not included.

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Revelation 13:17 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.
You have drawn one verse from Proverbs and related it with one from Revelation; that is not the way to understand Scripture. Your conclusion is not valid, becaus your process is deeply flawed.
 
Mar 28, 2016
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Thank you for the advice on how to see it but I wasn't asking how to reason it's meaning,rather his opinion of it. Do you have an opinion of which it is you did not give it?

We follow the formula for rightly dividing the parables .Not only was it sent inspired from heaven but is interpreted by using the temporal things seen to give us the vision of faith the unseen eternal .

The law of interpretation must be applied if we are to rightly divide the parables.

Its not a game of peek a boo. Now you see the church now you do not. .
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
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We follow the formula for rightly dividing the parables .Not only was it sent inspired from heaven but is interpreted by using the temporal things seen to give us the vision of faith the unseen eternal .

The law of interpretation must be applied if we are to rightly divide the parables.

Its not a game of peek a boo. Now you see the church now you do not. .
Where in Scripture is anything called, "the formula for rightly dividing the parables" or "the law of interpretation"?
 
Mar 28, 2016
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The problem with those who interpret it as "not a physical, tangible thing" are blatantly ignoring the plain literal meaning of what the scripture is saying and replacing it with symbolism or allegory, when there is nothing in the context that would lead the reader to even pursue those interpretations. In other words, the forcing those interpretations without any basis for doing so.
Parables don't force the proper interpretation .They reveal it rightly dividing the temporal from the eternal

I would think the problem is men refuse to follow the interpretation instruction in the opening statement of the book of Revelation. and teach the opposite . In that way no man can serve two teaching Master. The parable sets up the unseen context hiding it from men who literalize the gospel understanding. And those who teach the idea of making literal the unseen spiritual understanding without effect. Need to recalculate. .
 

acts5_29

Active member
Apr 17, 2020
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I have to agree with everything garee said, although I (being a different person, of course...) would have used different words.

This life--these tangible things, that we see with our eyes: *THIS* is the allegory. The eternal, the unseen, the spiritual: *THAT* is the literal. People get that backwards all the time. Jesus' parables use tangible things we can see and understand to illustrate the things we don't understand--but which really matter. e.g. When Jesus told the Parable of the Vineyard, He wasn't using heavenly things to illustrate the situation of the vineyard owner down the street. He was using a vineyard to illustrate Heaven.

The key to understanding the symbolism in Revelation and of the Mark of the Beast is to be honest with yourselves, to try and pry out what *GOD* is really telling us in His word. Just to wave your hand and say, "It's symbolic"--and then proceed to interpret in pretty much whatever you want it to say--that is not honest interpretation. When people strictly adhere to literal interpretation wherever they can--while I do think they are honestly trying--I think they are introducing error in the path they are going down. The spiritual thing the symbolism stands for *IS* the literal.
 
Mar 28, 2016
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Where in Scripture is anything called, "the formula for rightly dividing the parables" or "the law of interpretation"?

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

or like when our One Good Master as Lord rebuked Satan by giving word to the Son of man/ peter di not apply the law of rightfully diving parables. The father through the Son of man forgave Peter of his blasphemy .Those who literalize the things seen and do not mix faith

Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.Math 16 ;22-23

Things of men the temporal. Things of God eternal. Not a secret formula .
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
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That is the natural results of those reckoned as faithless. Those who literalize the signified understanding in parables. Teaching others to make the signified understanding of faith without effect.

Once a person does do the work God requires of rightly dividing the parable (Revelation 20) everything else falls into place

No disappearing of saints only later to come out of hiding.

Revelation 1 King James Version (KJV) 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Take the fact that he sent and signified it away .Then making saints disappear is easy. Just close ones eyes and use ones imagination .

If the angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation https://biblehub.com/hebrews/1-14.htm ,,,,

then the angel in Rev.14:6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+14:6&version=KJV is real and literal and sent to those who will inherit salvation and they are real and literal also.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
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2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

or like when our One Good Master as Lord rebuked Satan by giving word to the Son of man/ peter di not apply the law of rightfully diving parables. The father through the Son of man forgave Peter of his blasphemy .Those who literalize the things seen and do not mix faith

Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.Math 16 ;22-23

Things of men the temporal. Things of God eternal. Not a secret formula .
Once again you have not answered my question.
 

iamsoandso

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2011
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I have to agree with everything garee said, although I (being a different person, of course...) would have used different words.

This life--these tangible things, that we see with our eyes: *THIS* is the allegory. The eternal, the unseen, the spiritual: *THAT* is the literal. People get that backwards all the time. Jesus' parables use tangible things we can see and understand to illustrate the things we don't understand--but which really matter. e.g. When Jesus told the Parable of the Vineyard, He wasn't using heavenly things to illustrate the situation of the vineyard owner down the street. He was using a vineyard to illustrate Heaven.

The key to understanding the symbolism in Revelation and of the Mark of the Beast is to be honest with yourselves, to try and pry out what *GOD* is really telling us in His word. Just to wave your hand and say, "It's symbolic"--and then proceed to interpret in pretty much whatever you want it to say--that is not honest interpretation. When people strictly adhere to literal interpretation wherever they can--while I do think they are honestly trying--I think they are introducing error in the path they are going down. The spiritual thing the symbolism stands for *IS* the literal.

Let me ask you then in Revelation 13:15 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+13:15&version=KJV if they worship the image they are dead spiritually but if they do not worship the image then they are not spiritually dead right? If then they are not spiritually killed by the two horned beast then the manner in which the two horned beast kills them for not worshiping the image is then literal right?
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
24,555
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This life--these tangible things, that we see with our eyes: *THIS* is the allegory. The eternal, the unseen, the spiritual: *THAT* is the literal. People get that backwards all the time. Jesus' parables use tangible things we can see and understand to illustrate the things we don't understand--but which really matter. e.g. When Jesus told the Parable of the Vineyard, He wasn't using heavenly things to illustrate the situation of the vineyard owner down the street. He was using a vineyard to illustrate Heaven.
No, He was using a vineyard to represent Israel... both physical, real-world 'things'. Parables do use earthly, physical things to illustrate spiritual truths, but that doesn't mean that this physical world is an "allegory".

Just to wave your hand and say, "It's symbolic"--and then proceed to interpret in pretty much whatever you want it to say--that is not honest interpretation.
Unfortunately, that seems to be Garee's approach.

When people strictly adhere to literal interpretation wherever they can--while I do think they are honestly trying--I think they are introducing error in the path they are going down. The spiritual thing the symbolism stands for *IS* the literal.
You have employed a false dichotomy here. Literal reading of Scripture involves recognizing the genre, audience, and context along with the text of the passage, and treating them as a coherent unit. Poetry is figurative, history is not. Prophecy may or may not be figurative. When Jesus stated, "not one stone will be left on another", that was plain, and it happened exactly as foretold; there was no symbolism involved. Treating everything as figurative or as non-figurative are both erroneous approaches.
 

acts5_29

Active member
Apr 17, 2020
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No, He was using a vineyard to represent Israel... both physical, real-world 'things'. Parables do use earthly, physical things to illustrate spiritual truths, but that doesn't mean that this physical world is an "allegory".


Unfortunately, that seems to be Garee's approach.
.
And mine.

Garree's approach is correct. Jesus explicitly says the vineyard represents the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 20:1 is very specific about it:

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard."

So the fact that you are claiming the vineyard is Israel--or anything other than what Jesus explicitly said it was--undermines your credibility, in my book.
 

acts5_29

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Apr 17, 2020
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Let me ask you then in Revelation 13:15 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+13:15&version=KJV if they worship the image they are dead spiritually but if they do not worship the image then they are not spiritually dead right? If then they are not spiritually killed by the two horned beast then the manner in which the two horned beast kills them for not worshiping the image is then literal right?
I can assure you, there are millions of people in Hell right now who believe that spiritual death is quite literal.
 

Yahshua

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Sep 22, 2013
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And mine.

Garree's approach is correct. Jesus explicitly says the vineyard represents the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 20:1 is very specific about it:

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard."

So the fact that you are claiming the vineyard is Israel--or anything other than what Jesus explicitly said it was--undermines your credibility, in my book.
Isaiah 5:1-7
1 Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved about his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel...



Acts 1:6
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?