No man may buy or sell without the Mark
Opening hymn: Give me the bible
Scripture: Rev 13:11-17
Closing hymn
Introduction
We have come to accept that buying and selling is just a transaction facilitating the exchange of goods or services. However at the end of this study I hope to show you that the buying and selling mentioned in our scripture reading is much more than just that.
To many it is a fearful thing to approach this time with the existing understanding about buying and selling, but I am here today to tell you that you don't have to be fearful of you understand the truth that this text is pointing to.
Let us Pray
Body
In the book of Revelation, we see a warning about a beast that will cause people to worship it and receive a mark in their right hand or forehead. This mark will be required for buying and selling. This passage highlights the idea that buying and selling can be used to control people and limit their freedom.
In this context we can understand that the way in which buying and selling is restricted, it is a tool used to control the masses. Where as it is understandable how it could be used to control. I think you will agree with me that it has its limitations. Especially upon on a world that is built on trade how can this be possible?
Let me first put your mind at ease by telling you what it is and then going on to prove it from the bible.
Let us turn to Ezekiel 28:15-18
Ezekiel 28:15-18 tells us about the downfall of a cherub who was filled with violence and sin, due to the multitude of his merchandise.
If you are a thinking Bible student this seems like an odd place to put the word merchandise. However in this context it is actually referring to selling slander of Gods character.
It may not be clear in this verse, however the idea of the word is also used in another verse which makes the idea more clear.
Proverbs 20:19 tells us that a talebearer reveals secrets and Proverbs 18:8 warns that their words are like wounds. This highlights the importance of honesty and integrity in buying and selling.
This warns us about the dangers of greed and materialism in our transactions. We should always strive to be honest and fair in our dealings.
Buying and selling as it is presented in the reading means the act of giving truth or holding it back. I plan to explore this much more in today's study.
Please be patient with me as I build the case.
he Bible also warns against being a talebearer, someone who spreads rumors or secrets. We need to be truthful with each other and not spread rumors or secrets that could harm others.
Amos 8:11-12 warns about a famine not of bread or water, but of hearing the word of God. This highlights the importance of seeking out truth and wisdom. We should strive to buy the truth and not sell it, as Proverbs 23:23 tells us. We need to seek out knowledge and understanding in our transactions and not be swayed by deception.
Ellen G. White's The Great Controversy tells us that Satan wanted to keep people ignorant of the scriptures so that he could maintain his power and establish the authority of the pope. This warns us about the dangers of blindly following authority and not seeking out the truth for ourselves.
In conclusion, buying and selling is more than just a financial transaction. It is an act that can either give truth or hold it back. We should strive to be honest, seek out knowledge and wisdom, and not be swayed by deception or greed. By doing so, we can create a fair and just society where everyone can thrive.
Rev 13:[11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
[12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
[13] And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
[14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
[15] And he had power to give life 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.
[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
[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.
Leviticus 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
Amos 8:11-12. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." –
Proverbs 23:23
Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
“Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern his deceptions and withstand his power. In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true position; therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with authority over church and state.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 51.
Ezekeil 28:15-18
15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Proverbs 20:19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
Proverbs 26:20-22 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
Proverbs 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
probably go about, from one to another (for trade or gossip) (? connected with רגל; compare Arabic kick a horse, to make him go [? properly use the foot, compare ?]; Late Hebrew רוֺכֵל, Aramaic רוֺכְלָא, trader, Late Hebrew רְכִילוּת slander [compare calumniator, from go about, Qor 2:19 and elsewhere]); —
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