Hi Barry, this is my first post… it might be my last – who knows. Just thought you might be interested in a few comments about the international, universal revival of an old protestant ‘friend’. Hmm… the traditional meaning of “in the hand/ forehead” is for another discussion, but I’d be interested in your initial thoughts re what follows.

In Revelation 13:16, ‘the beast’ “causes all… to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their forehead, v17 that no man might buy or sell, save he that has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” This beast (kingdom) would therefore have to be an international organization or government (or both) with far reaching powers over all individuals. In John’s vision ‘of time nearing the end of time’, he says in Rev13:11, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. v12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth… to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” “Worship” gives this beast a distinctly ‘religious’ connotation.
Let’s “… count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man and his number is 666.” So 666 must ‘tally’ as both a kingdom and a man – too hard?

In ancient Greek numbers were derived from the alphabet: A = 1 alpha; B = 2; Ē = 5 epsilon; I = 10 iota; N = 50 nu; L = 30 lambda; O = 70 omicron; S = 200 sigma; T = 300 tau

1) The Latin Kingdom = HĒ LATINĒ BASILEIA [Greek]
HĒ LATINĒ
0 8 30 1 300 10 50 8
BASILEIA
2 1 200 10 30 5 10 1 = 666

2) Italian (Roman) Church = ITALIKA EKKLĒSIA [Greek]
ITALIKA
10 300 1 30 10 20 1
EKKLĒSIA
5 20 20 30 8 200 10 1 = 666

3) Latin Speaking Man = LATEINOS [Greek]
LATEINOS
30 1 300 5 10 50 70 200 = 666

In Latin numbers were also alpha-numeric:
I = 1; V = 5; X = 10; L = 50; C = 100; D = 500; M = 1000

4) Number one, top clergy = DVX CLERI [Latin]
DVX
500 5 10
CLERI
100 50 0 0 1 = 666

5) Vicar of the Family of God = VICARIVS FILII DEI [Latin]
Vicar = Intercessory (of) Filii = Family (of) Dei = God [Usurper of Christ’s role?]
Anti (Greek) means both “against and/ or instead of” Christ, hence “anti-Christ”

VICARIVS
5 1 100 0 0 1 5 0
FILII
0 1 50 1 1
DEI
500 0 1 = 666

6) John Paul II (R.I.P.) = IOANES PAVLVS SECVNDO [Latin]
IOANES
1 0 0 0 0 0
PAVLVS
0 0 5 50 5 0
SECVNDO
0 0 100 5 0 500 0 = 666

7) King of Roman Priests = REX LATINVS SACERDOS [Latin]
REX
0 0 10
LATINVS
50 0 0 1 0 5 0
SACERDOS
0 0 100 0 0 500 0 0 = 666

In Hebrew numbers were also alpha-numeric:
O = 6 waw (vav); I = 10 yod; M = 40 mem; R = 200 resh; T = 400 taw

9) Roman Kingdom = ROMIITH [Hebrew]
ROMIITH
200 6 40 10 10 400 0 = 666

10) Roman Man = ROMITI [Hebrew]
ROMITI
200 6 40 10 400 10 = 666

Firstly identify the beast then ask, “What is your “mark” of authority?” Then, “Come out of her my people my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev 18:14

A) “Sunday is our mark of authority… the (Catholic) church is above the Bible and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” Catholic Record Sept 1, 1923.

B) “Of course the Catholic church claims the change (to Sunday) was her act”… “and the mark of ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.” Letter Oct 28, 1895, C.F.Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons

C) “I want to hear some Americans stand up and shout: ‘Give us justice. Give us decency, and to hell with the Constitution.” The Catholic News July, 1963 (Rev 14:14 “make an image to the beast” unite church and state.)

“The wall of separation between church and state that was erected by secular humanists and other enemies of religious freedom, has to come down. Those opposing our views are the new facists.” K Tournier. Time Jan, 95.

This statement above is a lie. The “separation” of church and state was established by friends “of religious freedom”! Nor are Protestant Christians fascists - millions of whom were slaughtered by both Hitler and Stalin during and after WWII for wanting to maintain separation of church and state powers. It was Protestants fleeing Papal persecution that firmly established the concept of separation of church and state. The separation of such powers maintains religious freedom. True Christianity teaches not to enforce worship. Catholic and Islamic religion historically use force via state power to impose “love of God” on their followers. Seems more like a statement from a fascist, calling a non-fascist a fascist? Actually it’s Jesuit dialectical thinking at its best.

538A.D. was the first time since the end of the western imperial line that Rome was freed of Arian kings and the Catholic bishop held undisputed authority in the Western Roman Empire. 538 also represents the beginning of the 1260 years of papal supremacy. "With the conquest of Rome by Belisarius, the history of the ancient (Imperial Roman) city may be considered as terminating…" George Finlay, “Greece Under the Romans” p. 295. If 1260 years (a prophetic period mentioned significantly seven times in the Bible) began in 538, it ended in 1798, the year Napoleon’s general Belisarius dealt the Vatican its deadly wound… later healed by Mussolini.

Rev 13:11 “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he speaks as a dragon. (Lamb-like, then beast… U.S.? Horns = authority - separate powers of church and state?)
12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” Whose wound was healed? What beast?

“The Pope is again an independent sovereign ruler, as he was throughout the Middle Ages, though his temporal realm, established today, is the most microscopic independent State in the world, and probably the smallest in all history.” - THE NEW YORK TIMES, Tuesday February 12, 1929. Even Catholic newspapers reporting the event declared the "wound" to be healed by the Lateran Treaty. Catholic Advocate - Australia, April 18, 1929.

Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men (9-11? Who was really behind the fiery symbolic World Trade gesture? Over 50% of U.S. citizens more so New Yorkers, believe their own government was implicated in the horrors of 9-11.) 14 “And (this 2nd beast) deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the (1ts) beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Is the 2nd Beast Protestant U.S.A? Perhaps…)

When Papal power went underground i.e. received its deadly wound but still lived, the United States began its rise to prominence. Rev13:14 “And he (2nd beast) deceives them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast (1st beast); saying… that they (the world) should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword (Word of God) and did live.” “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, (a Harlot of Rome?) that the image of the beast (Protestant America?) should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed – preceded by not to be able to buy or sell?

And so another Inquisition is thanks this time to the willing ignorance of the masses. But is Protestant America really ‘doing the bidding’ of the Vatican these days? And what is death penalty going to be for? Rev 13:16 “And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand (i.e. as a sign of agreement – maybe we could ‘shake on it’), or in the foreheads (i.e. in frontal lobes [in your head] as in ‘belief’): v17 “And that no man might buy or sell, (without a PC for every child via the U.N. push, bye-bye cash) save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” v18 “Here is wisdom. Let he that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.”
Routine fulfillment of prophecy is good news for those who want to avoid receiving the worst curse ever written of in scripture. Make sure you understand: 1) who the beast is; 2) and what the ‘mark’ of the beast will be.

‘Traditional’ Roman Catholic, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist rituals and beliefs (for e.g.) are used to replace and even prevent a knowledge and understanding of the true nature of God. Begging forgiveness of ‘a man in a box’, irrelevant penance, pilgrimages, mantra-like repetitive prayer and overt ostentatious rituals were never intended for followers of Christ.

A prayerful, open minded, intelligent study that weights “precept upon precept” of God’s sacred (KJV) Bible is sufficient to know the true meaning of life, including the great prophetic interpretations throughout ages to the close of time. Yet for centuries we have been misguided and coerced to believe drivel and age old pagan rituals instead of living with and through divine knowledge, promises and power of a truly living (creator) God.