Avoiding The Mark Of The Beast
Below are the steps I believe all serious Bible believers must take to avoid the mark of the beast. Developing a heart for helping the poor, strengthening the weak, and healing the sick while living communally and keeping oneself from being polluted by the world and by unclean foods. I believe there's a very strong command to help the poor and strengthen the weak in the Scriptures that cannot be neglected. See, for example, Psalm 35:10; 41:1-3; 82:3-4; 112:9; 113:7; 140:12; Proverbs 22:22; 29:7; 31:9; Isaiah 61:1; Jeremiah 22:16; Matthew 5:3; 11:5; Luke 4:16-19; 6:20; 14:12-14; Acts 9:36-42; 10:30-31; Galatians 2:10; James 1:27; 2:5. The God of the Bible rewards those that take these matters seriously.
Helping the poor. Volunteer to work in shelters. Don't give money; give your time instead. Too often the poor have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, and gambling. Provide them with healthy food, normal clothing, and good advice on how to change their lifestyles to avoid poverty and other problems. Drive them to places they need to go such as thrift stores, grocery stores, and other appointments for legitimate reasons (not to dope houses or to friends who are bad influences).
Strengthening the weak. Help those who are being bullied because of their size or infirmities. Educate those who are bigger and stronger physically about bullying those who are smaller or physically weaker. Speak out against tyranny and injustice where those in power are taking advantage of those beneath them who are at a disadvantage. Psalm 82:3-4 makes this duty clear. The criminal justice system on the law enforcement model is a failure and in too many cases inflicts harm on the poor and the weak while protecting the worst evil doers in society. The War on Drugs is a major example. It is behind a host of evils in society as can be seen by the chart on The Law Enforcement Action Partnership website at https://lawenforcementactionpartnership.org/our-issues/drug-policy/. These are the honest cops telling the truth about how drug prohibition (just like alcohol prohibition) is behind most of the crime and violence we see in our communities that dramatically effects businesses, families and individuals. 600 churches have gotten onboard with those law enforcement officials who want to end drug prohibition through legalization and through creating restorative justice programs. See news articles at https://www.dropbox.com/s/l3j1dijik7ojmwa/600ChurchesCallForEndOfWarOnDrugs.pdf?dl=0.
The pharmaceutical/medical industry driven opioid crisis and psychiatric drugging are other examples. Documentaries like Making a Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging need to be seen and understood.
Healing the sick. Health and wellness promotion classes on the natural health model are needed in the community colleges. They need to be made easily accessible to the poor. See Natural health program involving the non-intoxicating use of raw cannabis low in THC, high in CBD for public health and safety. God created the cannabis plant for a reason and it should be used as a food for healing and a as preventative of disease. It should not be used for intoxication purposes unless someone is suffering from a severe and debilitating disease. Maximizing the use of cannabis in this way is the best way to have “the mercy, not sacrifice” commanded by Jesus Christ. Matthew 9:12-13; 12:7. This is also shown by His instruction in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.
Unclean Food. Bible believers should follow the prophet Daniel’s example while captive in Babylon of practicing a vegan diet to avoid unclean food. Daniel 1:8-16. Today we live in a nation that has drunk the maddening wine of Babylon (Revelation 18:1-4) where much of the food is contaminated and unhealthy. Meats produced in factory farms are tainted with a variety of chemicals such as pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones. Highly processed junk foods are laden with a variety of toxic chemicals and refined sugars. See, for example, Is sugar toxic? Even the fish are polluted with micro-plastics and other chemicals. See Meat Eating as the Original Sin?
Rich and Poor. Because the Messiah had harsh words for the rich (Matthew 19:23-24; Luke 1:53; 6:24; James 5:1-6) and pronounced a blessing for the poor (Matthew 11:4-5; Luke 4:16-19; 6:20), I'm inclined to believe most of those who do not take the mark of the beast will come from the ranks of the poor and working class. The rich because of their desire to continue making money through buying and selling will take the mark eagerly. Many of the poor and working class (wage slaves) will also take the mark because of their desires to make it rich in the big gambling game of wealth and privilege.
Communal Lifestyle. Developing the communal way life advocated by the early church described in the book of Acts (Acts 2:44,45; 4:32-35) is absolutely necessary. Every serious believer will ultimately need to surrender to this way of life in order to avoid the mark of the beast. It's likely the beast power will have to allow an exemption to its mark for those living a religious, communal lifestyle. Because we will share everything, we will not need to buy and sell as an individual which requires the mark to do.
Helping the poor. Volunteer to work in shelters. Don't give money; give your time instead. Too often the poor have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, and gambling. Provide them with healthy food, normal clothing, and good advice on how to change their lifestyles to avoid poverty and other problems. Drive them to places they need to go such as thrift stores, grocery stores, and other appointments for legitimate reasons (not to dope houses or to friends who are bad influences).
Strengthening the weak. Help those who are being bullied because of their size or infirmities. Educate those who are bigger and stronger physically about bullying those who are smaller or physically weaker. Speak out against tyranny and injustice where those in power are taking advantage of those beneath them who are at a disadvantage. Psalm 82:3-4 makes this duty clear. The criminal justice system on the law enforcement model is a failure and in too many cases inflicts harm on the poor and the weak while protecting the worst evil doers in society. The War on Drugs is a major example. It is behind a host of evils in society as can be seen by the chart on The Law Enforcement Action Partnership website at https://lawenforcementactionpartnership.org/our-issues/drug-policy/. These are the honest cops telling the truth about how drug prohibition (just like alcohol prohibition) is behind most of the crime and violence we see in our communities that dramatically effects businesses, families and individuals. 600 churches have gotten onboard with those law enforcement officials who want to end drug prohibition through legalization and through creating restorative justice programs. See news articles at https://www.dropbox.com/s/l3j1dijik7ojmwa/600ChurchesCallForEndOfWarOnDrugs.pdf?dl=0.
The pharmaceutical/medical industry driven opioid crisis and psychiatric drugging are other examples. Documentaries like Making a Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging need to be seen and understood.
Healing the sick. Health and wellness promotion classes on the natural health model are needed in the community colleges. They need to be made easily accessible to the poor. See Natural health program involving the non-intoxicating use of raw cannabis low in THC, high in CBD for public health and safety. God created the cannabis plant for a reason and it should be used as a food for healing and a as preventative of disease. It should not be used for intoxication purposes unless someone is suffering from a severe and debilitating disease. Maximizing the use of cannabis in this way is the best way to have “the mercy, not sacrifice” commanded by Jesus Christ. Matthew 9:12-13; 12:7. This is also shown by His instruction in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.
Unclean Food. Bible believers should follow the prophet Daniel’s example while captive in Babylon of practicing a vegan diet to avoid unclean food. Daniel 1:8-16. Today we live in a nation that has drunk the maddening wine of Babylon (Revelation 18:1-4) where much of the food is contaminated and unhealthy. Meats produced in factory farms are tainted with a variety of chemicals such as pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones. Highly processed junk foods are laden with a variety of toxic chemicals and refined sugars. See, for example, Is sugar toxic? Even the fish are polluted with micro-plastics and other chemicals. See Meat Eating as the Original Sin?
Rich and Poor. Because the Messiah had harsh words for the rich (Matthew 19:23-24; Luke 1:53; 6:24; James 5:1-6) and pronounced a blessing for the poor (Matthew 11:4-5; Luke 4:16-19; 6:20), I'm inclined to believe most of those who do not take the mark of the beast will come from the ranks of the poor and working class. The rich because of their desire to continue making money through buying and selling will take the mark eagerly. Many of the poor and working class (wage slaves) will also take the mark because of their desires to make it rich in the big gambling game of wealth and privilege.
Communal Lifestyle. Developing the communal way life advocated by the early church described in the book of Acts (Acts 2:44,45; 4:32-35) is absolutely necessary. Every serious believer will ultimately need to surrender to this way of life in order to avoid the mark of the beast. It's likely the beast power will have to allow an exemption to its mark for those living a religious, communal lifestyle. Because we will share everything, we will not need to buy and sell as an individual which requires the mark to do.