Is "The Beast" another name for Satan's corrupt, worldly, system?

[quietthinker]

Again, speaking of the Babylon described in Revelation. Where does it say that Babylon existed prior to the GT?

The spirit of Babylon has always existed through human history.
Babylon is the symbol used for the seduction of the people under the guise of serving God. It manipulates the political arm of nations to do its dirty work in different ages and in dispersed geography.

Revelation 18:24
In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

Revelation 17:4-6
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

Babylon the great
The mother of prostitutes
and of the abominations of the earth.
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

 

[ewq1938]

Revelation 18:24
In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

I think in context this is speaking about those killed during that terrible 42 month period. Certainly Babylon is not responsible for everyone who has been slaughtered of all time.

Revelation 17:4-6
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

That doesn't prove anything.

Babylon the great
The mother of prostitutes
and of the abominations of the earth.
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

Still looks more to be about that one time period. Rev 17 does say she rides upon the beast, and the beast only has 42 months after it rises from the sea.

That same Babylon is not described as having existed in John's time, or before the ten horned beast rises.

 

[quietthinker]

I think in context this is speaking about those killed during that terrible 42 month period. Certainly Babylon is not responsible for everyone who has been slaughtered of all time.





That doesn't prove anything.




Still looks more to be about that one time period. Rev 17 does say she rides upon the beast, and the beast only has 42 months after it rises from the sea.

That same Babylon is not described as having existed in John's time, or before the ten horned beast rises.

Babylon the Great is the metaphor given her because she 'shape shifts' She adapts as necessary to the culture she inhabits.
She considers herself right and above reproach. By her sorceries she gains the ascendancy in mens reality. Most are intoxicated by her seductive principles because they resonate with an unrenewed heart, though they know it not. Such is her charm...and deception.
She is discernible by those who keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

 

[Mr E]

When John described those that didn't worship the Beast in Revelation 20:4, is he talking about all people that were not "of the world"?

Revelation 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

While we're at it, is the "mark" a spiritual mark that we are unable to see? In other words, is it possible that those who are "of the world" or who "worship the Beast" are spiritually marked?

John 15:19 esv
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

I remember from my young childhood. It must have been circa 'the 70's' but I couldn't attempt to pinpoint it. My parents were reading books like -The Late Great Planet Earth and Chariots of the Gods.... I distinctly remember these on the bookshelves. There was another book of the same era, that I don't recall seeing at home, but I do remember the conversations about 'the beast' which was said to be something called a super computer in Brussels that was going to control the world economy. It was said to be massive and capable of conducting incalculable transactions in fractions of seconds. This machine was going to take over everything.

The book was- Behold a Palehorse, by Joe Musser

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The computer in Brussels was named - The Beast, for it's enormity and power.


It's an idea very much alike what we now refer to as AI (Artificial Intelligence) or machine-learning. And the tech-gods who have always built these things with their own hands, have learned to respect, if not fear-- those things which they have made. You would think such peril might dissuade them from continuing development, but instead they will do as they have always done-- seeking advantage over others by harnessing the power and control that innovation always brings.

All the wisdom of all humanity, suddenly accessible in this artificial 'library' that they can now so effortlessly tap. But why stop there? Why not connect directly to it? Why not create a matrix where everyone is linked to this archive of information. Connect brains to the beast.

Neuralink — Pioneering Brain Computer Interfaces

Creating a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.

neuralink.com

Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to change lives for the better. We want to bring this technology from the lab into peoples' homes.

 

[Mr E]

I found this contemporary article that discusses the book and it's seemingly prophetic nature.... remember it was written in 1970. snipped--

'The Beast'

-Said machine was supposed to track all world trade through monitoring the buying and selling of every citizen on the planet. The self-programming 'Beast' would use unique digital numbers given to every human being and invisibly tattooed by laser on the forehead. These could be seen by infrared scanners at "special verification counters" – or cash tills, to you and us.


"There is a scene in the movie that we shot in one of the [then] Bell Labs facilities, with row upon row of the old computers, with tapes spinning, etc. That footage 'depicted' the computer that I nicknamed the Beast in both the novel and the movie," he said.


Musser said:

While 'The Beast' itself is an entertaining piece of fiction, its tech origins might be all too real. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, is convinced a Beast-like supercomputer did exist in the decade that saw the birth of privacy consciousness as well as disco.

"The existence of an all-seeing über-database would have been a dream for Brussels bureaucrats and government agencies. There would have been a computer like the Beast, but it would have been no more powerful than today's business machines. It wouldn't have functioned on a technological level: data-matching was a litany of errors then."

"Due to the nature of technology in the seventies, it would have been kept in a locked room, in an underground location, with a temperature controlled environment. All that would have added to its feared reputation," he said.

IT Myths: Does the 'Beast of Brussels' know everything about us?

Invisible tattooed barcodes on our foreheads and a gigantic three-storey supercomputer…

www.zdnet.com

 

[Mr E]

Way different than say..... Google, or Microsoft or centers you've probably never even heard of, like Switch.

 

[ewq1938]

Babylon the Great is the metaphor given her because she 'shape shifts' She adapts as necessary to the culture she inhabits.
She considers herself right and above reproach. By her sorceries she gains the ascendancy in mens reality. Most are intoxicated by her seductive principles because they resonate with an unrenewed heart, though they know it not. Such is her charm...and deception.
She is discernible by those who keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Most of that doesn't come from the bible though.

 

[quietthinker]

Most of that doesn't come from the bible though.

If you know the scripture you'll recognise that it does come from the scripture.

 

[ewq1938]

If you know the scripture you'll recognise that it does come from the scripture.

Like I said, most does not. Go ahead, list scriptural support for each thing you said.

 

[quietthinker]

Like I said, most does not. Go ahead, list scriptural support for each thing you said.

I will not list any scriptures for you. why? .....It would make no difference to your point of view........you have made up your mind.

 

[ewq1938]

I will not list any scriptures for you. why? .....It would make no difference to your point of view........you have made up your mind.

No, it's because there isn't any, for most of what was posted. You just believe in those things so strongly, you have never needed any scriptural backing.

 

[Zachariah]

When John described those that didn't worship the Beast in Revelation 20:4, is he talking about all people that were not "of the world"?

Revelation 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

While we're at it, is the "mark" a spiritual mark that we are unable to see? In other words, is it possible that those who are "of the world" or who "worship the Beast" are spiritually marked?

John 15:19 esv
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

The mark on the head symbolises conciousness. Conciousness is triune in mind, body and spirit. 666 represent the triune nature of a low consciousness. It is the ego run rampant and is the underlying causal factor of the system and any institution.

Number of the beast:
6+6+6 = 18, 1+8 = 9

Number of God:
7+7+7 = 21, 2+1 = 3

 

[quietthinker]

No, it's because there isn't any, for most of what was posted. You just believe in those things so strongly, you have never needed any scriptural backing.

your response here was guessed well before you thought of it :) ....in any case, I will leave you with your conclusion.

 

[ewq1938]

your response here was guessed well before you thought of it :) ....in any case, I will leave you with your conclusion.

YOUR response here was guessed well before you thought of it :) ....in any case, I will leave you with your avoidance.

 

[Stumpmaster]

The mark on the head symbolises conciousness. Conciousness is triune in mind, body and spirit. 666 represent the triune nature of a low consciousness. It is the ego run rampant and is the underlying causal factor of the system and any institution.

Number of the beast:
6+6+6 = 18, 1+8 = 9

Number of God:
7+7+7 = 21, 2+1 = 3

Fun with numbers: 37 is common to each set.

 

[ewq1938]

Fun with numbers: 37 is common to each set.

So is 1 and 3 and 111. IMO nothing really important about any of it though.

 

[Stumpmaster]

So is 1 and 3 and 111. IMO nothing really important about any of it though.

Yes, obviously, Not important, just fun.