Thinking Thursday

9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 

The "pay attention" command of scripture!

10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. 

You will reap, what you have come to believe.  Saints you must endure and have faith during these trying times.

11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 

As if one beast wasn't bad enough, here comes another bad hombre or false prophet if you will.

12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 

This beast's job is to make the first beast look good and cause the world to worship him.

13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 

This second beast has got some powers that he will happily show off.

14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 

People on the earth will be deluded by these "signs" and be led to create a monument to the first beast.

15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 

The false prophet will make that image come alive and he will also kill anyone who will not worship the beast.

16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,

With no exceptions, the people will be marked.  Still think chip technology is awesome? 

17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

If you don't get the mark, you can no longer be a part of the economy. 

18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. [Rev 13:9-18 ESV]

Understand this people, take the mark and you are disloyal to God and have aligned yourself with Satan, the beast and the false prophet and I highly doubt that will work out well for you in the light of eternity.