MOTB by itself does not always = LOF ??

[markalan]

See or detect. Let's say you refuse the mark, and walk into a store and want to buy something. How can they tell if you do not have the mark?

I pay all my bills and buy all my food etc online.
What do you do?

There is an awful lot of speculation being imposed on the text, which should be understood for what it actually says, not what people imagine it might mean.

No where does Revelation say the mark is visible.

 

[markalan]

The literalist argument leads to some rather strange assumptions ... not a single person ("no man") of the 8 billion plus people on the earth, will be able to buy or sell even a tooth pick, anywhere on the planet, unless they have been tattooed or implanted. Somehow this will also include private transactions among neighbors, online shopping, and the black market.

Before we can understand the 'mark', we have to understand where the 'mark' is placed (forehead, right hand) ... it seems to me that some people are putting the cart before the horse.

 

[ewq1938]

I pay all my bills and buy all my food etc online.

Cool, well there will come a time you won't be allowed to do that unless you have the mark. How will they tell if you have it or not?

 

[markalan]

Cool, well there will come a time you won't be allowed to do that unless you have the mark. How will they tell if you have it or not?

There are probably hundreds of ways the government can surveil people right now, let alone as technology develops more.

Underground churches in China are going through this right now.

 

[ewq1938]

There are probably hundreds of ways the government can surveil people right now, let alone as technology develops more.

Underground churches in China are going through this right now.

Doesn't address my question.

 

[markalan]

Doesn't address my question.

I can conjecture a number of different scenarios based on what is occurring under repressive regimes today ... but it would only be speculation because the Bible does not give us this information ... tattoos, chips, etc are also only conjecture.

My speculation would include using Biblical hermeneutics to consider the meaning of all the words as they are used in Revelation, especially the first mention.

I take each word separately and trace its use throughout the whole book so we can gain insight into this unique style of writing.

Those who do not "buy" from Jesus (Rev 3:18) will "buy" from the beast because their hearts are marked/darkened -

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21)

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart". (Ephesians 4:18)