The Supreme Court and the Mark of the Beast

Joshua 24:15 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

The Supreme Court and the Mark of the Beast

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MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #93 – April 30, 2015

Rick Joyner

In Revelation 13 it is prophesied that at the end of the age there will be a false prophet that arises to prepare for and give power to one called “the beast.” This “beast” deceives the nations and requires all to take a mark, 666. Without this mark no one can “buy, sell, or trade.” This “mark of the beast” has been a dominant subject in eschatology (the study of biblical prophecies of the end of the age) since the first century, and many things have been called this that turned out not to be so. However, we know it will come, and it may be upon us.

Few events in history have so remarkably fit the biblical scenario of this mark as the potential U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. As bizarre as this may sound, this is an uncanny parallel to the biblical prophecy. Even if this is not the actual mark of the beast, it is at least a precursor, a “dress rehearsal” that sets up the world for this ultimate test.

Understanding “The Beast”

First, taking the mark of the beast is not the sin, but rather worshipping the beast. The mark is just the evidence of what one is doing. So to understand the mark, we must first understand the beast.

This “beast” has been presumed by many Bible scholars to be an individual, such as the “antichrist” figure. He is also called the “man of sin,” or “abomination of desolation” prophesied by Daniel. Others have seen it as a system, a world power such as a world bureaucracy. Some have believed it to be the spirit that dominates the world at the end of the age. Some have concluded that it could come in all of these forms. There may be some merit to all of these assumptions, but the principles given in Scripture for identifying the nature of the beast are clear enough for any seeker of truth to discern it, regardless of the form in which it comes.

This beast “comes up out of the earth,” which is a term for “earthly mindedness.” Such is the root of what is popularly referred to as “secular humanism.” This is the philosophy, perspective, or “worldview” promoting the exaltation of man, his wisdom and abilities, above God. This philosophy presumes that man does not need God and should not consider Him as a factor in human affairs even if He does exist.

Because man was created at the end of the sixth day, the number six is often symbolic of man in Scripture. For this reason, many have presumed that the number 666, or three sixes, was man’s attempt to displace the Trinity, and could fit with this belief.

The “abomination of desolation” that was prophesied by Daniel, Jesus, and the first century apostles could have been translated “the abomination that desolates.” Because homosexuality is referred to as an abomination in Scripture, and its impact on Western culture is so quickly and profoundly desolating the moral fabric of Western civilization, it is to be expected that many will start to consider this “the abomination that desolates.”

Who could have dreamed just two decades ago that we would have major cities celebrating “Days of Decadence” with all manner of perversions being performed and flaunted openly in our streets? Who would have thought that such a moral and religious nation could fall so quickly to the ultimate national depravity spoken of in Isaiah 5—calling what God calls “good,” “evil,” and what God calls “evil,” “good,” while the dishonorable are honored and the honorable are dishonored? Is that not precisely what has happened to America in just the last generation?

The meltdown of morality in our military could be happening even faster. Just a few years ago, the U.S. military was such a bastion of morality and integrity that adultery was considered grounds for dismissal because one’s vows had been broken. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was the handwriting on the wall that a devastating change was coming. But who could have foreseen the pace of the desolation of our military since homosexuality was openly allowed in the ranks? It moved quickly from everyone having to accept it, to everyone having to celebrate it if you expected any further promotions, to now being forced out if you do not celebrate it.

Christians are now openly discriminated against, if not persecuted, in the U.S. military. Not only are some of the best and brightest leaving the military, they are no longer choosing it as a possible career.

The same is taking place throughout government services on all levels, as well as corporations, education, and the media, as was once the case for a long time in arts and entertainment. Now, with a single Supreme Court decision it could be that Christians, Muslims, and Jews that honor their books as the word of God will not be able to “buy, sell, or trade” in America without the constant threat of losing your business, or your position and livelihood, because of an offended homosexual.

Even if this is not “the mark of the beast,” it will be for those who are now losing what they, in some cases, have given their lives to build, because they would not compromise their religious convictions in order to buy, sell, or trade. If the Supreme Court decision falls the way it is expected to, we can be sure that very soon every Christian in America will have to make a similar choice between obeying the Word of God or this beast.

The Great Awakening

The good news is that few things have begun to wake up the sleeping giant of the church like this issue now before the U.S. Supreme Court. A growing number of the most influential leaders across the spectrum of Christianity are now calling for civil disobedience if the Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right to be enforced throughout America.

Regardless of what caveats the Supreme Court may add to their decision to feign protection of our freedom of religion, an ultimate firewall that protects all of our freedoms will have been breached. Six thousand years of recorded history where marriage was always between a man and woman will have been overturned. Already there are applications for threesomes to be married, and polygamy at any level will have to be accepted. We also have applications filed for some to “marry” their animals. Voices within the gay agenda have declared that they see nothing wrong with pedophilia. One bad decision for our Supreme Court and America’s slide into depravity will then have been greased, and we will go down fast, unless…

Saving America

America’s slide to this point of moral depravity seems to have happened quickly, but it didn’t. It is the result of a very intentional, systematic erosion of our values that has been going on for almost a century. Only recently has the momentum of this evil strategy gained speed as we enter into the last phase of what the perpetrators boasted would destroy America from within.

This strategy has been very public on the part of several major groups, who will end up fighting each other over the spoils if they succeed. But for now, we must focus on what will stop and then reverse this momentum in order to restore the foundations America was built upon.

President Reagan was at least partially right when he said, “Government is not the answer, it is the problem.” Our salvation will not come from the White House, or any other state house. It can only come from the church house. If the church in America does not rise up to become the salt and light she is called to be, there is no remedy, and an ever-deepening darkness will continue to spread over our land with increasing speed and devastation. The encouragement is that the biggest sleeping giant of all is starting to wake up.

When I was in Washington recently, a congressman said to me that there would be more courage in Washington if they saw more courage in the church. He said they do not feel that the church has their back. The church in America must ultimately accept the blame for what has happened in America, but it can also be the solution. Following are the four major crises in the church that are also the basis of the major crises of our times, as identified at a recent roundtable of leaders of national and international stature:

We have a crisis of courage.

This is the failure of Christian leaders to address the crucial issues of our times with clarity and boldness.

We have a crisis of a lack of moral excellence in the church.

This has robbed the church of its moral authority.

We have a crisis of Christian disengagement from our civic responsibilities.

This has robbed the world of the salt and light capable of preventing its corruption and dominance by evil.

We have a crisis of a lack of the church’s preparation for the inevitable challenges of our times.

This will cost loss of lives, and it will cost many the greatest honor we can receive for our lives—hearing,“Well done, good and faithful servant”(see Matthew 25:21 NIV).

The church is called to be the salt and light in this world, and this meltdown has happened on our watch. We must take responsibility, and we must take action. If we will take responsibility, acknowledge our failures, which is repentance, and become what we are called to be, this great failure can become one of our biggest victories, and our nation can be saved. If the church does not do this, we do not have much time left.

When the Iron Curtain fell, the church was not ready. The cults and crooks were ready, and they filled the vacuum. The week following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, churches were flooded with their biggest crowds in history. The church was not ready, did not have the answers, and another one of the greatest opportunities in recent times was lost. The next strike will be our third, and we cannot fail this greatest of all responsibilities and opportunities. If we do, it will very likely be our last chance.

What Do We Do?

First:

We must decide now that we are going to obey God and that we will refuse to obey any mandate from any power that is in conflict with God’s Word. We must be prepared to pay the price for obeying God, which is likely to be significant and can affect the rest of our lives. Of course, the price of not obeying Him will be much higher and eternal, so we need to determine now who we will serve.

For such a choice, we need to be clear about what God’s Word says on these ultimate issues. As the Lord said through Isaiah the prophet, if we do not speak according to His Word then we do not have the light. Each of us must choose whether we believe His Word or not. Then we must choose if we will obey it or not. We can expect these choices to both prune and purify the church. What remains of the church will likely be much smaller, but it will be far more powerful.

Accepting that The Bible is God’s Word to us is a major issue for all who claim to be Christians. Many have accepted the constant attacks on the validity of the written Word by the enemies of the faith. The very first lie of Satan was to get Eve to doubt what God had clearly said, and this has been his basic tactic since causing the fall of multitudes. Make no mistake about it—this is the point at which we will fall or stand.

Let us consider that if Jesus, who was the Word, would take His stand on “It is written!” how much more must we? Now is the time for all Christians to decide this issue. If we are going to follow Christ, we must believe His Word, fortify ourselves in His Word, and obey it.

Many Christians have bought Satan’s lie that would cause them to doubt what God has clearly said. Doing so makes it even easier for them to buy into the teachings that blur what God has made clear on just about any issue. Those who have done this will soon fall away. This will be a major factor separating the true from the false.

The next major factor that will likely cause many to fall away will be the fear of man, or caring more about what people think than what God thinks. The first group cast into the lake of fire at the end of the Book of Revelation is the cowardly. We can expect many who know the Word of God to fall into this category, because they fear men more than God. In Scripture that is an idolatry also called “an abomination,” as is the one who turns their ear from hearing the Word of God (see Proverbs 28:9).

Second:

We must strengthen our own foundations, especially those under specific attack. The most important of these is the family. This is the most basic and important of all units within a culture or nation. Family is under relentless attack now, not just the definition of it.

A happy, functioning family is one of the greatest lights. Being part of a happy, functioning family is one of the greatest experiences we can have in this life. Being in a dysfunctional family is at the root of our most devastating social problems.

We must also teach and esteem manhood and womanhood, with all of the dignity and nobility they are given by God in the Scriptures. After getting one to disbelieve that The Bible is the Word of God, the devil’s basic tactic is to blur the distinctions that God has made clear. If we are going to be lights in our time, we have to stand against the spirit of this age and esteem men who are men, and women who are women.

Third:

We must call what God calls “sin and wickedness,” sin and wickedness, and we must repent of it ourselves. God does not forgive excuses—He forgives sin that is repented of. We’re not repenting if we are making excuses, or blaming someone else for the way we are.

Homosexuality is called an “abomination” in Scripture. Abominations are weightier than other sins because they are so destructive that they bring desolation. Now let’s consider some other things that are also called “abominations” in Scripture:

lying

spreading strife

using unjust weights

devising evil plans

worshipping idols

a proud heart

the way of the wicked

the devious

acting unjustly

those who scoff (ridicule)

shedding innocent blood

wearing clothing of the opposite sex

those who justify the wicked while condemning the righteous

sacrifices made to God by those living in wickedness

those who choose (vote for?) those who are of “no account”

those who oppress the poor and needy, rob, or fail to keep their word

Now, who has never committed an abomination? If you claim you have not, you are likely guilty of the abomination of lying. So what do we do? We do not say everyone is okay because everyone is guilty, which is an ultimate folly that we are warned against. The Word of God is clear in places like Galatians 5 that such will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What we do is: We first get the log out of our own eye if we are guilty of, or are still practicing, any of these. Then we judge those who are trapped in sin for the purpose of their redemption, reconciliation to God, and their restoration from sin and its consequences.

Fourth:

This is not last because it is the least important, but because it is the most important. We must grow in love for God and one another. We are told, “Love never fails” (see I Corinthians 13:8), which could have been translated, “Love never quits.” Anyone will quit at some level except for those who are in love.

We must love God above all to love all as we should. “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” and this is the main thing we are called to do. This will be the main thing that determines if we will be successful human beings or not when we come to the great Judgment Day.

We are also commanded to love our enemies. The gay agenda has turned into the biggest enemy of Christianity in America at this time. Extreme elements within the agenda are resolved to drive Christians into “the closet,” just as they were forced to live for so long. Other enemies of Christianity are joining with them in seeking to drive Christ out of our culture. This is the definition of “antichrist.” Even so, we are told that our war is “not against flesh and blood” (see Ephesians 6:12), or people, but against the spiritual forces that have them in bondage.

We are also told that we, Christians, have been given divinely powerful weapons that can bring down every stronghold exalting itself against the knowledge of God (see II Corinthians 10:4). We will address this in a future Bulletin, but this is a battle we cannot lose if we follow “the Captain of the host,” or the Captain of God’s armies.

We must keep in mind that during the greatest times of darkness, the Lord raised up His greatest lights. Some of those greatest lights were those who came out of darkness, like Paul the Apostle. Paul was possibly the greatest enemy of the church for a time, and he was transformed into possibly the greatest friend of God and builder of the church.

Let us keep in mind that even those who, at this time, may be in the greatest opposition to God and His truth, if saved, can become some of the greatest champions of the faith. The transformation of the enemies of God into friends of God is the greatest victory of all. This will happen to many if the present followers of Christ will stand up as the champions of the faith we are called to be. We are here now for such a time as this, and it is now our turn.

CHARISMA NEWS EXCLUSIVE~ Jonathan Cahn: Will America Avoid Calamity?

I take no joy in being the bearer of bad news.

That might sound strange coming from the author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah. But that’s the point. If I must be that bearer, then there has to be a very strong reason behind it. And so when I’m asked to write how America can avoid judgment or calamity, I find myself in a predicament. The reason is this: I don’t believe it will be avoided. And if we don’t look at the magnitude of the situation, we’ll be of no effect, impact or good in the matter.

What we are now witnessing is unprecedented in the history of America and modern culture. In the 1970s Ruth Graham made the statement: “If God doesn’t judge America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” Those words were spoken at a time when the Ten Commandments were still displayed in public schools and government buildings, when marriage was overwhelmingly upheld, when the idea that God and Jesus could be mocked on national television as the object of comedy would be unimaginable, when the idea that there would come a time when half or more of American children would be born out of wedlock and the president of the United States would be endorsing homosexuality would be unimaginable. And yet if Ruth Graham could speak of God’s judgment on the America of that day, how much more true is it now, and how much farther is this nation down the road to judgment?

While individual believers, churches and ministries may see success in ministry and many brought to salvation, the state of the church as a whole with regard to the culture that surrounds it is another matter altogether. Despite what many preach, these are not the best of times and things are not getting better—but decidedly worse. There has been no great national revival on American shores in years. But there has been a great apostasy. And that apostasy has deepened in its intensity, widened in its scope and accelerated in its speed. And most of the church has been ineffective in slowing it down, much less stopping or reversing it.

We now find ourselves on the defense, having our jobs threatened for merely standing on the Word of God. And rather than causing us to grow stronger, too many believers and ministers have grown timid and weak, not wanting to pay a price for their faith. And in the midst of the greatest moral and spiritual decay in modern times, the pulpits have largely grown silent in answering it, more focused on how God can fulfill our will and desires than calling the church to fulfill the will and desires of God. And we wonder why the culture around us is going to hell. If the American church had been the salt and light it was called to be, there is no way that the culture could have grown so dark and rotting.

So do I believe that we can avoid God’s judgment, the hand of His shaking? No—not any more than could ancient Israel. No nation, so blessed with God’s blessings, can so blatantly war against the God of its blessings and expect those blessings to continue. I believe a great shaking is coming to this nation. Does that mean I have no hope? No, not at all. Rather I believe that America has grown so far from God that without a great shaking there would be no hope. I believe America has grown so deafened to God’s voice, that it will not be in His whispers but in His crying out and shouting that it has any chance of now hearing. Most of us came to the Lord, or drew closer to the Lord because there was some kind of shaking in our lives. If that’s true for individuals, why do we think it less true for nations?

In the days after 9/11, it looked as if there was going to be a national revival. And there was a window of time when it could have taken place. All across the nation, people flocked to churches and prayed for God’s blessing. But there was no revival because there was no repentance. And without repentance, there can be no revival. And so it was not only that America failed to return to God, but in the years following 9/11, grew much farther away from God than it had ever been before. I believe it will take an event even greater than 9/11 for America to wake up and return. I don’t believe that it’s a choice between judgment or revival. At this point in America’s descent from God, I believe it will only be through judgment, as in a great shaking, that revival would come—to those who will hear and turn.

Do we have a role to play in this? Yes. Do we have any biblical model to give us direction? We do. The prophet Elijah likewise lived in a time of national apostasy and judgment. And yet he was powerfully used to accomplish God’s purposes. What does he reveal to us about our calling in this day?

A Time of National Apostasy

Even in the face of great evil and persecution, Elijah never succumbed to the temptation to live on the defensive. He lived decidedly on the offensive. He knew that no matter what it looked like, God was in control and so as long as he followed God, he would be living on the winning side. Elijah lived, not to be acted upon, but to act upon the world around him. In the same way we must resist the temptation, in a day of great evil, to become reactionary and to live on the defense. The Lord didn’t give us that option. We are of the kingdom that only advances. We must therefore live proactively, resolving that we will not be affected by the world, but the world will be affected by us. We must set our hearts, make it our goal, to impact the darkness around us with the light.

Lights in the Darkness

Elijah was engaged with the nation and culture surrounding him. He was a light shining in its darkness. We must be the same. No matter what age we live in and no matter what the state of its culture, our calling to be the light of the world remains. The light doesn’t ignore the darkness. The light doesn’t pretend that the darkness isn’t really that dark. It doesn’t tone down its light to be politically correct or not to offend. It doesn’t hide its radiance in fear of persecution. Nor is it content to live a self-absorbed existence focusing on itself and its own prosperity. If it does any of these things, then it ceases being the light. What does the light do? It shines. It lights up the darkness. It changes the world around it. If we want to see revival, we must do likewise.

Weaned and Plugged In

Elijah lived in the midst of famine, and yet was unaffected by it. He had weaned himself of dependence on his culture and world. At the same time he became more and more dependent on God. The two things go together. Likewise, in the days ahead, we must become more and more independent of the world and culture around us. We must wean ourselves, our spiritual life, our emotional life, our thought life, our identity from the world. How do we do that? By becoming more dependent on God. The more plugged into God we become, the more independent of the world we will be. We must root and ground our lives all the more deeply and strongly on God and His Word. That which can be shaken will be shaken. But that which is rooted and grounded in God’s Word and truth will not be shaken.

Prayer, More Than Ever Before

In the same way, Elijah was a man of prayer. And the Bible records that his prayers were heard and effective. In the days ahead, we must become, even more so, people of prayer. In days of apostasy and chaos, it will be our sustenance and our strength, an anchor in the storm.

The Righteousness Key

Elijah was a man of righteousness. The Bible reveals that his righteousness was a key part of his ability to impact what happened to his nation. If we want to impact the future of our nation, we must likewise live lives of integrity and walk in righteousness. One of the most central Scriptures of revival, 2 Chronicles 7:14, involves as a key component that the people of God “turn from their evil ways.” If we walk in darkness, how can we be a light to that darkness?

If we walk in the ways of the world, how can impact it? And if we’re afraid of being different, how can we make a difference? It is crucial that we do whatever we have to do to live lives consistent with our faith, and walk in righteousness.

Living to Bless

Elijah knew nothing of a self-centered faith, focused on increasing his blessings and prosperity. Had he been focused on such things, he would have become of no effect. We must reverse the momentum. Instead of living to be blessed, we must live to be a blessing. That’s how Paul lived. That’s how Messiah lived. And that’s the vessel that God will use to impact the world.

Unadulterated, Uncompromised

Elijah never softened the Word of God and never compromised. In the same way, we must reject a watered-down gospel. If we want to see the full power of God’s Word, we must take that Word at full strength.

We can’t compromise to win people. Rather it is when we don’t compromise that we burn with the passion of God and shine with His glory—that’s when revival comes.

Your Own Revival

Elijah didn’t just preach the calling of God—He lived it. So we too must not only preach revival and pray for revival—we must start living in revival now. We can’t force others to walk in revival, but we can choose it for ourselves. If there is anything in our lives which has no place in the life of a saint, and which is under judgment, the time is now, not later, not tomorrow, to get it out of our lives. And if God has been calling us to answer His call, and we have not yet done it, the time is now, not later, and not tomorrow to answer it. Revival begins with us—or it doesn’t begin at all.

The Time for Greatness

We must not pray that God will spare America hard times, but rather that God will do whatever it takes to bring about repentance, salvation, and revival. The ministry of Elijah wasn’t hindered by calamity or persecution—rather it thrived. So the days in which we enter will not hinder our calling. In fact, these are the days that cause those who hold true to God’s Word to become great. When the dark grows darker, the lights grow brighter. Choose to do the right thing, even when it’s hard, even when it costs. Choose to be great and you will be—in His power. The eyes of the Lord search to and fro throughout the entire earth seeking the one whose heart is completely His. You be that person. And let us be that people. And God will greatly use us to accomplish His will on the earth for such a time as this.

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