Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Thoughts on Alpha and Omega


Thoughts on Alpha and Omega

Alpha and Omega signify the beginning and the end. In the English alphabet it would be similar to saying from A to Z. This is saying God and therefore Jesus are our beginning and our end. Christ created us and saves us. We have our entire physical and spiritual being in Him. This is specific to creation. When applied to God the term Alpha and Omega does not go far enough. The second part of the verse provides a more far reaching description. God is, was and will be the Almighty. That is, God always was and always is and always will be. God is totally independent of time. Something we have a difficult time understanding. In eternity is simultaneously the past, present and future. With God, unlike with His creation, there is no beginning and end. Again, there is always the past, present and future as one, a unity. Very hard for us to wrap our heads around.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

A thought on the Mark of the Beast

As I was studying the book of Revelation it occurs to me we have only been skimming the surface re. the Mark of the Beast. The Bible tells us the mark will be on either the forehead of the hand. In the Bible the forehead seems to symbolize the mind, how we think, our fundamental philosophy and paradigm.  (Romans 7:25; Ezekiel 3:8,9; Rev 7:3; Eph 1:22, Gen 24:26; Ex 34:8; Dan 4:5-10; Oba 1:15; Matt 21:42; 1 Cor 11:3; Eph 4:15; Col 2:19; )  The hand seems to symbolize our work, what we do, our actions. (Gen 3:22, 4:11, 14:22; Ex 4:20; Psa 144:11; Matt 8:3; Mark 14:42; Luke 6:10; Acts 9:12)

My thinking is that the head (our fundamental philosophy and thinking) show in what we do, the work of our hands. This does not negate an actual mark but does indicate the spirit of the Anti-Christ has been with us since Eve was first deceived and sinned and Adam also sinned. This is consistent with John's writings (1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7).

I realize this is not new, many Bible students have had these same thought. The difference it makes to me is the realization we are emphasizing the mark and not recognizing what causes that mark, what will drive people to take that mark. The driver is the fact those who accept the mark had the spirit of the antichrist already working in them. The problem comes with those who take the mark not realizing what it truly signifies. Will some Christians take the mark because they do not know the Holy Scriptures and are not cognizant of Satan's tricks, or are concerned with their survival?