The world is turning anywhere and everywhere they can to find out the mysteries of God, except for the primary source that reveals Him and His character, the Holy Bible. To such the question applies: “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea” Job 11:7-9. While there are some unknowns, the essential truths have been revealed to us. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are] revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” Deuteronomy 29:29. Many in their quest to discover truth have even turned to the entertainment world to find answers.
“The National Geographic miniseries [Story of God] follows [Morgan] Freeman as he travels to 20 cities in seven different countries in a quest to find answers to the mysteries of faith. In episode 2 titled ‘Apocalypse,’ Freeman sets off ‘on a journey to find out why so many religions predict an apocalypse, to discover the roots of Judgment Day, how ancient prophecies reverberate today, and to ask whether the end is really what we imagined, or if it’s all just in our minds. In an interview with CBS News, the Academy Award-winning actor said he hopes for the series to unite people of different religions. ‘In this situation, we’re hoping that the public at large gets the lesson of the sameness of the human condition,’ he said. ‘We’re not as different as we might think we are, we’re all seeking the same thing and asking the same questions, and basically coming up with the same ideas about who we are, what we are, and where we are going.’”1
It is interesting that Morgan Freeman’s desire for the series is to unite people of all religions, which is the very agenda of the final anti-Christ power that is to reign and persecute those who do not follow its dictates. The same power that Morgan Freeman and National Geographic failed to identify, and thus mislead viewers as to the true character and identity of this entity.
The most recent episode of the series documents Freeman’s visit to the Vatican where he meets with a Bible scholar and supposedly uncovers the meaning of 666, spoken of in Revelation 13:18, a topic that has perplexed many for centuries. “In a clip from the latest episode of National Geographic Channel’s ‘The Story of God with Morgan Freeman,’ the actor meets with Kim Haines-Eitzen — a Cornell University professor and leading specialist on early Christianity — to discuss the mysterious reference. Haines-Eitzen’s theory, shared by others in the field, is that the biblical ‘666’ referred to Emperor Nero, a 1st century Roman ruler known for murder and persecution of Christians. In the ancient Greek language, every letter had a corresponding numerical value. When the letters of ‘Kaisar Nero,’ or Emperor Nero, are added up, they equal 666.”2
While this explanation sounds plausible, it ignores the most essential rules of biblical interpretation, particularly allowing the Bible to be its own expositor. It furthermore ignores the immediate context and all the previous evidences that identify the beast that this number is associated with. Because God wants people to make no mistake concerning the identity of this anti-Christ beast power, and his satanic agenda, the Bible provides many clear identifying marks that reveal unmistakably who the beast is, his image, and his mark. The signs given in Revelation 13:1-10 reveal the character of the beast, also the entity who the beast receives his dominion from, the location that he emerges, the time period in which he reigns, as well as his fall and eventual restoration to power. This beast power is none other than the Roman Catholic Church. The Mark of the Beast, which is the mark of Popery’s assumed authority is enforced Sunday observance. The man having the number 666 is the head of that church, the Pope, the man of sin, he anti-Christ (Thessalonians 2:3 and 4).
Because of the significant role of this beast-entity in end-time Bible prophecy, which is his reemergence to world-dominance, his dictatorial rule and restriction of liberty of conscience, and his persecution for those who refuse his mark, the Bible reveals this power all throughout the Bible under various symbols, so that none need be deceived; and always, this entity is identified as a blasphemous power comprised of a union of church and state and is a persecuting power of God’s commandment-keeping people. He is identified as the following: the Little Horn who becomes stout (Daniel 7:8), the Little Horn who waxed great (Daniel 8:9-12), the King of Fierce Countenance (Daniel 8:23-25), the Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 11:31 and 32), The King of the North (Daniel 11:40-45), the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition (2 Thessalonians 2;3 and 4), the Mystery of Iniquity (2 Thessalonians 2:7), Jezebel (Revelation 2:20-23), The Pale Horse (Revelation 6:8), the Leopard-like Beast (Revelation 13:1-10), and Mystery Babylon, the Mother of Harlots (Revelation 17:5 and 6).
What is sad is that the group that this precious truth has been revealed to, Seventh-day Adventists, which was passed down to them as a heritage from the Protestant Reformers, is being ignored and rejected, while at the same time moves are being made in order to lose its peculiar identity and message and join with the fallen churches of Babylon. The President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists stated that the mark of the beast is the worship of God on any other day than His seventh-day Sabbath.3 Other denominational leaders express that they do not know who the anti-Christ is or what the mark is. However, God will have a people that are not afraid to boldly and unapologetically expose the beast for the Satanic entity that it is and thus warn a world groping in darkness and blindly following the beast.
“By a variety of images the Lord Jesus represented to John the wicked character and seductive influence of those who have been distinguished for their persecution of God’s people. All need wisdom carefully to search out the mystery of iniquity that figures so largely in the winding up of this earth’s history. . . . In the very time in which we live, the Lord has called His people and has given them a message to bear. He has called them to expose the wickedness of the man of sin who has made the Sunday law a distinctive power, who has thought to change times and laws, and to oppress the people of God who stand firmly to honor Him by keeping the only true Sabbath, the Sabbath of creation, as holy unto the Lord. The perils of the last days are upon us, and in our work we are to warn the people of the danger they are in. Let not the solemn scenes which prophecy has revealed be left untouched. If our people were half awake, if they realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message. We have no time to lose; God calls upon us to watch for souls as they that must give an account.”4
Sources
1. http://www.christianpost.com/news/national-geographic-the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman-shatters-network-records-161392/
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/morgan-freeman-mark-of-the-beast_us_570be32de4b0885fb50da7e2
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mcpNJJcTxE
4. White, Ellen. Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (1923), page 117 and 118
Prophesy Again
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