Old Time Radio at OTRCat!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Taking the Mark, a postmillenial look.



Backward brand is backward




















While it may appear that I am picking on One Group (a group that is largely responsible for my being in the Faith Once Delivered in the first place), I must say that the majority of Mainstream Christian Churches fall in precisely the same category.

Why has the Southern Baptist Church taken the Mark of the Beast?

The Mark is not a tattoo like this:



https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzWGvpFcjxzE9UiA1S9oxspf_oco9Lc4kTFqF8N-0krI3FF_pT


Nor an RFID chip:

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoXrgQxTn-85PCiWIx8k_rKZi1KAe39OXloHEHBPo0pNhC_QXO



It is simple, and eminently lawful. It is spelled "501c3". It is the tax designation for "charitable organisations", and it requires any church so designated to report to the Federal Government. Uncle Sam is Lord. This is because CLEARLY believers only give if they can receive a great charitable deduction. This screed may sound familiar, but it is more far-reaching this time.

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith:

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. (Matthew 6)

Unless of course you really NEED that deduction!

Now, the SBC is in the forefront of "Romans 13 churches", the ones that pretty well teach to do what gubmint says, period, "unless it violates God's law". Seems the Matthew 6 passage points a damning finger from the get-go. Some firebrand talk radio guys are REALLY hot about mega-church "pastors" who are lining the sheep up for Federal slaughter, taking up the FEMA mantle to "handle" parishioners in time of crisis (read: tell 'em to be polite to those who would feed upon them).
(note: I do not endorse the linked site. I merely share it as evidence of my assertion.) 

Pastoral Pacification.

ALSO: local Southern Baptist churches who order screenprinting from us require us to provide a W-9 form. The churches are actual Tax AGENTS of the Government. 

Publicans were not well-liked in Jesus' day.

Hear what the Apostle John saith:

He (the prophet of the Beast) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13) (ital. mine)

The person causing all to be marked is pastoral, prophetic; he is NOT "The Antichrist". He is a personage who leads people to follow the religious system of the Beast. He is religious. 

Let me note that Revelation, in main, is a symbolic book. We must not therefore switch back and forth from literal mode to figurative mode willy-nilly. The text must give us a clue. That this is figurative is signalled by the next sentence:

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Symbolism, but if you have understanding, you can suss it out (this is another clue that Revelation was a message to the readers of the day, not a prophecy for millennia hence). 

The State-Beast is inimical to the Kingdom of God. The Government, too, is a jealous god, and does not take kindly to competition.

The danger of allowing the Federal camel's nose into the Kingdom tent is keeping the rest of the camel out. With the FEMA business, I rest that case. That, too, has been shown to be a problem in Canada, where preachers have been charged with hate crimes for deigning to preach what the Bible says, rather than the pronouncements of the governmental Zeitgeist . Taking the Federal Mark renders a church unfit for the heavy lifting of Kingdom work, for at some point, the suited Fed will go "ahem", and payment for Corleonesque favors rendered will come due. Then to whom will the preacher listen to teach the flock?

Given the direction and velocity of our country's travels, it would be advisable to encourage your church leadership to pull the 501c3 plug, or that failing, find a congregation whose allegiance is not divided.




















13 comments:

Jay said...

I didn't think you were the type to have a copy of Salem Kirbans' 666 lying around (I recognised the first illustration.)

I used to go to a church that was not 501c3. They also would do marriages without "benefit" of a state issued license.

The Aardvark said...

HAH! Kirban's "666" was my favorite end-timey-wimey book in high school. It was so quirky and weird and earnest. The photos gave the story verisimilitude. He also wrote a book about parsley.

Re: the church; good for them!

Jay said...

666 took the BOOK OF REVELATION & tried to turn it into a Duck Dogers adventure.

RAPTURE BUNNIES IN THE TWENTYFIFTH & A HALF CENTUREEEEEEE!

Parsley! Why not ... PONIES!

The Aardvark said...

Now, you know I am no rapture bunny! Nor a rapture pony. (You sure talk about ponies a lot....)

I am merely looking at "666" as an amusing work of sci/fantasy. (It always annoyed me that he got the brand backwards in that photo.)

It's a heckuva lot better than Ernest Angley's book "Raptured". (shudders delicately)

Jay said...

As for the backwards brand, I think he was taking the low comprehension factor (Present company excepted.)of his target audience into account.

Raptured! (ruptured) was great! I like the part where the Four Pony ... er ... Horsemen are riding down a local street.

My favorite end times story is the Evangelion franchise ... uh ... I ... mean ...

The Aardvark said...

Pass the TANG!

Jay said...

SPLAT!

Doom said...

Sometimes I just can't tell what you are on about. As for 501c3... I would rather have churches not give the government more money. But... not sure if that was really your point or if it was the books point?

The Aardvark said...

@Doom- Sorry. The book was NEVER the point. Jay derailed me with our mutual amusement/disdain for "666".

Point- The Embassy of the Kingdom of God (the church) should never make obeisance to the US government, or any other worldly entity. (This is not to mean ignoring civil smartness like following safety codes and such.) Signing up for Charitable Organization status (501c3) to allow deduction of charitable giving to the church on one's federal income taxes (1) violates Jesus' teaching on almsgiving and such, and (2) opens the door for further governmental intrusion into the church. "If you teach 'X', we will pull your 501c3 status.", or as in Canada, charge the preacher with hate crimes.

The same groups who worry over someone being branded with a (figurative) Mark from the book of Revelation, have actually bowed the knee to a worldly sovereign 9the US Government) and taken THAT mark.

Blind spot is blind.

Does this help? It may seem arcane, but geopolitics is moving into dangerous territory for children of the King.

Jay said...

@Doom- There may also be the thought in some governmental circles that if a church is 501c3, then it shouldn't be allowed involvement in anything political. Or at least anything political that's not approved by the morally annointed.

Has something to do with the "separation of church & state clause" found just before the mandatory abortion statute in the First Ammendment.

Not trying to be insulting/sarcastic, merely facetious. ;)

@Vark- Sorry about the derailment. It's just that picture brought back old memories of my days as a rapture po ... er ... "rapture bunny".

The Aardvark said...

No problem, Jay. I enjoyed the remembrance of that odd little thriller.

It would have made a great End-Timey-Wimey movie for evangelical lock-ins...better than "A Thief in the Night". Don't anyone mistake my perverse pleasure in the thing for theological agreement. I also enjoy Lovecraft, but don't go around muttering "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn".

Or DO I???

Jay said...

I know I do! ... Ahem!

A Thief In The Night was what turned me on to Christ believe it or not. Somehow The Late Great Planet Earth got into the house & that piqued my interest.

A news article said a showing of Thief was going to be at a local Assembly of God & I went. Haven't looked back since, but I did pick up the habit of critical thinking in the meantime.

Jesus still, but "rapture bunny" no more.

The Aardvark said...

I downloaded a bizarre little lock-in "scare the heck out of 'em" movie (public domain) "Six Hundred and Sixty-Six". Oughta be a fun popcorn film. Has Joe Turkel (Played Mr. Tyrell in "Blade Runner").