50 Signs of a No Compromise Christian

50 Signs of a No Compromise Christian – Looks at the Signs, Fruit, & Evidences of a No Compromise Christian or True Believer from the Scriptures in God’s Word. The Purpose is to: Provoke, Exhort, and Stir the Hearts of all those who call themselves a Believer in Jesus Christ— Provoking Believers to Biblically become More & More Conformed into the Image of Jesus Christ in all we: Say, Think, or Do (1 Cor 10:31, 2 Cor 3:16-17,18).

1 – They Do NOT CONFORM To The Things Of This World—Their #1 Goal Is To Be Like Jesus

2 – They LOVE THE LORD their God with all their Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

3 – They Are SEPARATING Themselves From ALL Ungodliness And The Things Of This WORLD

4 – They Are Walking Down The Narrow Road Of God’s HOLINESS—They Are God’s Holy Remnant

5 – They Do NOT WATCH WORLDLY (Lustful, Evil..): TV & Movies, Internet Pornography, Computer Games

6 – They Do NOT LOOK UPON Worldly Magazines & Books From Celebrity Magazines To Pornography…

7 – They Do NOT COMPROMISE With The World By Listening To WORLDLY MUSIC— TRUE WORSHIPPERS

8 – They Do NOT LOOK UP TO WORLDLY IDOLS Such As: Singers, Movie Stars, Sports Figures…

9 – They Do NOT PARTNER UP WITH UNBELIEVERS And Those Who Compromise Their Walk With Jesus

10 – They PURSUE PURE AND GODLY FRIENDSHIPS That Inspire Them To Be More Like Jesus

11 – They Display Christ-likeness In Their THOUGHT-LIFE & ATTITUDES

12 – They Are HUMBLE and Have Child-like Faith

13 – They REFUSE LUKEWARMNESS—Having “One Foot In GOD’S WORD, And One Foot In The WORLD”

14 – They Seek To Please The Lord through GOOD DEEDS & HAVING A SERVANT’S HEART

15 – They Know That FINANCIAL GAIN DOES NOT MEAN GODLINESS

16 – They SEEK FIRST God’s Kingdom, NOT Worldly Wealth & Possessions

17 – They’d Rather SUFFER & BE POOR & NOT Compromise With The World Than Be Rich & Famous—Content

18 – They Are GENEROUS & are GIVERS Whether They Are Poor Or Have Much

19 – They Are SURRENDERING ALL To Follow Jesus—They Are “Taking Up Their Cross Daily”

20 – They’ve STOPPED PRACTICING SIN—And When They Do Sin There Is Deep Sorrow

21 – They SPEAK OUT & WARN PEOPLE Of God’s Coming Judgments, And PREACH THE GOOD NEWS

22 – They SUFFER PERSECUTION & BEATINGS For Standing Up For JESUS

23 – They Will LOVE PEOPLE And DO GOOD To Them—Especially To Other Christians

24 – They OBEY— GOD’S COMMANDMENTS, HIS WORD, and the LORD JESUS CHRIST

25 – They Are DOERS Of The Word, Not Merely HEARERS— Faith Without WORKS is Dead

26 – They FEAR THE LORD And Turn Away From Evil

27 – They Do NOT Seek The Approval Of Man, But Seek Only To PLEASE THE LORD

28 – They Are NOT HYPOCRITES—Giving God Mere Lip Service

29 – Their WORDS & SPEECH Are ENCOURAGING, EDIFYING, AND WISE—NOT Corrupt

30 – They PRAY FERVENT PRAYERS, And Pray Often With Fellow Believers

31 – They STUDY & TEACH GOD’S WORD & HIS WAYS To Sinners & Believers—Making Disciples

32 – They Are WINNING THEIR BATTLE AGAINST SIN & Keeping the FULL ARMOR OF GOD ON!

33 – They Are READY, WAITING, AND EAGERLY ANTICIPATING The Soon Return Of Jesus Christ

34 – They LOVE GOD’S COMMANDMENTS & HIS WORD, Reading It Daily And Memorizing It

35 – They Make Use Of Every OPPORTUNITY To Do Good & To Preach The Good News

36 – They PRODUCE MUCH FRUIT For Jesus— They’re PRODUCTIVE with the GOSPEL & Are GODLY

37 – They Are Co-Heirs With Christ: And Share The SUFFERINGS OF JESUS By “Crucifying Their Flesh”

38 – They Understand GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSES For His HOLY PEOPLE Vs. This Temporal Evil World

39 – They Know They Are Merely Passing Through This World, And Their REAL HOME Is With The Lord

40 – They Do Everything For The GLORY OF GOD

41 – They Do NOT BELIEVE FALSE TEACHINGS & Anything That Is CONTRARY TO GOD’S WORD

42 – They CLEARLY Understand The Gospel & CLEARLY PREACH God’s Word With BOLDNESS

43 – They Let Their LIGHT SHINE—Their FACE & LIFE EXUDES CHRIST

44 – They Put NO CONFIDENCE IN THEIR FLESH – They Are Decreasing & Christ is Increasing

45 – They Have INTEGRITY, HARD WORK, & PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS— They do Not Lie, Steal, Cheat

46 – They Are Always VERY THANKFUL TO GOD For His— Kindness, Provisions, Protection, etc

47 – They Are NOT Full of: SELFISH AMBITION, STRIFE, QUARRELING, JEALOUSY— But Are PEACEMAKERS

48 – They Acknowledge & Obey GOD’S WILL For Their Lives

49 – They Are NOT PREJUDICE— They Show NO PARTIALITY TO THE: RICH, POOR, SKIN COLOR, RACE,etc

50 – They do NOT allow the CARES & WORRIES Of This Life to DOMINATE their MIND & CONVERSATIONS

Source: http://www.marthamac.com/

Should a Christian woman wear immodest dress like bikini, mini skirts, and shorts?

1. Summer and Today’s society: we need to Dress to please the Lord not the world. We live in an age that glorifies immodesty and immorality. Civilization is good; civilization in exposing nakedness is not good. God himself created summer, and all seasons. If God was not serious to give command for women to dress properly he would have said thou shall dress half naked in summer or full in winter. Gods command was for all seasons, for all situations and for all cultures and for all women, for all time.

Summer should not be excuse; souls are more exposed to occasions of offending God through sinful fashions of dress.

Immodesty has become so commonly accepted that it doesn’t bother most people. Most people feel no shame if they see someone on television. or in public who is dressed immodestly, and wouldn’t have any problem dressing the same way. As summer temperatures rise standards of modesty seem to fall. In the U.S.A., as well as many other nations of the world, our societies have become the most sexually saturated societies. Today’s society says, “You can do whatever you think is right”. In the summertime especially, we have our biggest opportunity to test our consecration to Jesus. Sheer blouses, halter-tops, “short” shorts, and skimpy bathing-suits are the norm for many careless Christian women. They use the rationalization that “it’s hot” or “I’m swimming” to excuse their lack of modesty. Clothes that fit too tightly, tops that are cut too low, and skirts that are cut too short are not only a distraction to those around us-but the wearers show an unloving lack of concern for their responsibility as a representative of Jesus.

Unfortunately, it seems that many Christians are lost in their own selfish little world-either oblivious or uncaring about the affect they have on others. They may even appear to have a real excitement and love for the Lord-however, their body is sending out a totally different message. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but the woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30)

2. True Godly and Christian women: Godly women in the bible never dressed improperly. Godly women should stand firm with holiness and modesty being her watchword. Mother Mary (Mother of Jesus), whom God has presented to us, was the Perfect Model of Modesty and Purity.

True beauty radiates from the face of a godly woman, clothing with the righteousness of God. If a woman dresses with dignity and carries herself with grace, most men will approach that woman with respect and honor. If a woman dresses a man will often view her as a sexual object.

But God wants women to be people of influence not because of their female “charms” but because of their character. We have the Holy Spirit living in us and that is supposed to make us different. We are supposed to be watching out for each other and bringing each other closer to Christ, not causing another to lust. Women who love and respect the Lord won’t wear bikinis at the beach, or wear miniskirts or pose in filth magazines. Any swimsuit or any mini skirts or shorts, no matter how modest it claims to be will inevitably cling to your body, drawing attention to the parts that cause men to stumble.

What a privilege it is to honor Him with more than our lip service, but also with our bodies and minds as Paul states in Romans 12! The Godly woman is the woman who draws attention to herself for the cause of the Gospel, not to be considered sexy, freedom of dress.

3. What God and Bible says? The Bible will be our guide and authority not our choice and feelings. Our priority as a Christian is the biblical not the cultural. Dressing modestly is a gift from God. Modesty in dress is one of the identifying characteristics of true saints. In the Bible, God clearly indicates his desire for us to hide our nakedness from others. He helped Adam and Eve hide their nakedness after they sinned against Him. Evidently, the “aprons” that Adam and Eve made for themselves didn’t provide enough coverage in God’s eyes, so He made them garments of skins and dressed them properly. “And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons… And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife, garments of skins, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:7, 21). Our Outward dress should match our inward holiness; and if our inward holiness isn’t up to standard, then let our outer dress reflect the lofty goal we aspire to be in Christ Jesus.

4. Parents have responsibility: As the twentieth century progressed, the Bible and Godly standards was increasingly ignored in our families, relationships, in our society and cultures and shunted aside as an absolute guide and authority for life.

Parents should be committed in raising modest daughters. : A true Godly and a Christian parent will instruct from earliest childhood, how their daughters are to be dressed. we must teach them God’s perspective of modest dress, and educate them about the temptations of men. And we must have clear standards, informed by Scripture and not culture. This will make it easier for them to follow our leadership when difficult choices are necessary. So many girls and young women are growing up today without direction and, like so many misled sheep, are following immoral fashions to the destruction of souls. If we want our girls to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, we’ll teach them to dress modestly. If we want to protect them from boys who are more interested in their bodies than in their minds, hearts, or spirits, we’ll teach them to shop for clothes that present a passion for purity rather than a plea for attention. But as followers of Christ we are to pursue not just physical purity, but mental, emotional, and spiritual purity as well.

When parents let their twelve-year-old dress like she’s twenty, they are not protecting her from vulnerability to unhealthy, premature relationships. Regardless of how powerless we may feel, we do have control over our daughters’ wardrobe as long as they’re living under our roofs. We simply have to be secure enough in our role as parents to exercise that control. If your daughter looks to others to determine what she should wear, she will be more likely to look to others to tell her what to do in other areas of her life. She will be more likely to follow the crowd into sexual compromise. Teach her to blaze her own trail through life — one that will steer clear of the many pitfalls to sexual compromise. Better to prepare her for modesty in the near future by expecting it today. Every struggle you may experience along the way toward instilling these values is worth the fight. Every ounce of energy you pour into encouraging these concepts is a worthy investment. These lessons on modesty and responsible stewardship will guide your daughter not just through puberty and her upcoming teenage years but also throughout her lifetime. The “accepted styles” of clothing generally tend to be immodest, and it is often the case that even Christians, will either encourage or at least allow their children to dress immodestly in order for the child to be accepted by others. They want their children to “fit in” with their friends and classmates, and this desire leads them to compromise biblical principles of modest dress.

This is especially true in the areas of sports and cheerleading. Though these particular activities usually require participants to dress immodestly, yet many parents are so excited about their son or daughter’s abilities and accomplishments in these fields that they are willing to compromise their scruples to promote the child’s physical excellence and acceptance. These parents will sometimes argue “the children are young, and these things do not matter as much at this time in their lives.” Oh, to the contrary! It is exactly at “this time in their lives” when these things matter most! Young people are often more impressionable and teachable than older ones. It is in one’s “youth” that he should “remember His creator” and develop a deep-seated God-Consciousness (Eccl. 12:1). It is in these early years that the principles of Godliness, including the principles of modesty and decency, must be ingrained in the children. The sense of needing to be covered, as well as the sense of shame when uncovered, should be a part of a child’s early psyche. Immodesty leads to lasciviousness, lasciviousness often leads to fornication. God wants people, including young people, to dress and behave in such a way that will not present a stumbling block to others. And once again, let us not be naive. If 10-12 year old children are sexually active, and 12 and 13 year old girls are getting pregnant, then those in this age group are certainly capable of lustful thoughts! As for stumbling blocks, Jesus said, “It would be better for them if a heavy mill stone was tied around their neck and they were thrown into the depths of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). This “stumbling block” is exactly the kind of offense which could lead to the sin Jesus discussed in Matthew 5:28. There He said, “But I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” This “adultery in the heart” is mental only because it lacks opportunity to be fulfilled physically. Those who dress immodestly will generally make the argument that the fault is not with them (or with those whom they defend), but that it is with the person who does the lusting. No one denies that the man who lusts after a woman is wrong, and Matthew 5:28 clearly teaches this. Furthermore, the man’s lust for the woman is wrong regardless of how she dresses! James 1:14-15 coupled with 1 Corinthians 10:13 proves that each person is responsible for his own lust and any subsequent sin that may follow. However, depending upon her attire and demeanor, it is possible for the woman to also be wrong on such occasions. Such would be the case if that woman either dressed or behaved so as to incite the man’s lust, thereby laying a stumbling block and contributing to his sin. Immodest words, clothing and actions are all potential contributors to this sin.

When parents either encourage or allow their children to dress immodestly, they fail to instill a sense of shame in those children, and instead, they succeed in training those children to be shameless and indecent.

5. Worldly fashion is moral confusion: Today’s fashion says that are women are sex objects and can ignore God’s purpose for clothing. The goal of many women today is not dressing to be Godly and covering up nakedness, but rather to be sexy. Sex crimes have increased in numbers and women’s dress habits have contributed to this problem. Some women are good at trying to use their physical beauty, their charms, their bodies to “win” with the men in their world. Todays fashions are unbelieving designers without the true Spirit of Christ. Fashion or style is not bad as long as it does not violate the modesty and sobriety standard of the Scriptures-I Timothy 2:9. We are living in a time of moral confusion, and our generation’s indifference to moral concerns is reflected in many of today’s styles. Christians should be concerned that many fashions, particularly for women, are harlot-like and amount to public undress. A swimsuit will expose nakedness and I have seen some men and women defending themselves that swimsuit will cover important parts. We think that if we get on a swimsuit, our genitals are covered and we are clothed. God says no, you don’t just cover your genitals. You cover the thigh. Plus the swimsuit shows off the form and the figure, and is not shamefacedness. It doesn’t flow. It is not long. It is not modest.

The Bible says we are not to be conformed to the world, in Romans 12:2. And in Proverbs 25:29, the Bible teaches us that “the fear of man bringeth a snare.” We don’t have to have the latest style. We do not have to be afraid of fashion. But at the same time, First Corinthians 7:31 says, “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” So we don’t want to be a slave of fashion.

The fashion industry does not believe that the principle purpose of clothing is to cover the body; it believes that the principal purpose of clothing is sexual attraction. At the beach or pool, nakedness is on parade. Wearing a bikini is sinful because the purpose of it is to show off as much flesh as possible while still covering the absolute essentials of private parts. There is nothing God-honoring about bikinis and much that is gratifying to the flesh: for men to leer and for women to show off their bodies. Scripture calls us to live and dress modestly, not to gratify the flesh. It calls us to do everything to the glory of God: wearing bathing suits that are designed to cause men to lust and women to publicly display their bodies is the opposite of glorifying God. Clothes that begin to reveal what should be covered, such as low necklines and skirts with slits up the side. Many young ladies have fallen to the trend of wearing spaggetti straps that don’t cover their under garments. The harlot of Proverbs 7:10, intentionally dresses in such a way to lure men to her body in a sexual way. much of the modern ladies clothing that we see today would be even more revealing than the harlot’s clothing years ago. There is no reason why decent leg coverings can’t be worn under a dress or skirt. They may cry out, “but what about my Christian Liberty?” Please turn your attention to what God says in Galatians and Romans:

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

6. Some women dress immodestly even in Churches: There are some other women who says that they are Christians but still dress inappropriately even in churches. There are some women comes to church wearing garments which will display all their inner garments. Revealing clothes that attempt to draw attention to yourself in a sexual way, that begins to reveal your “nakedness” , that will cause others to “lust” or “commit adultery” even in their imagination.

The Bible says: Today’s fashions, on the contrary, dishonor and corrupt the Christian woman. Christians should dress in a modest and decent way, showing respect for God, themselves, and others. A woman professing to be godly would never knowingly adorn herself in a way that excites lust in another person.

Modesty then clearly involves an attitude of reservedness, propriety, moderation, of one professing godliness, chaste conduct, one who fears God, whose hidden person of the heart reflects a gentle and quiet spirit – meekness. A great inner spiritual strength that comes to be manifested in the outward demeanor of the woman. Prophets of God have always counseled His children to dress modestly. The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act. Today, the fashions are so pervasively broadcast over every media outlet that everyone dresses the same when they swim. But, there are lots of people in our churches who think that if you are swimming or competing in track and field, it is ok to go half naked or wear revealing clothing.

7. The Way Of The Harlot: A woman in the Bible, named Jezebel, also refused to maintain a shamefaced appearance. According to 2 Kings 9:30, she painted her face and “tired” her hair. This was only a symptom of the inner workings of her heart. She was a deceptive and evil woman. In describing this woman throughout I. and II. Kings the Lord felt it important to mention how she conducted herself, wore her hair, and adorned makeup. If the Lord found it noteworthy then so much more should we. Christian men have trouble in controlling their sexual thoughts toward the opposite sex. Seeing immodestly dressed women does not help Christian men become more virtuous. Immodesty in dress is worldly, excites passions and lusts, places undue emphasis on sex and lewdness, and frequently encourages and invites petting and other immoral practices. It is an outward sign that the immodest person has become hardened to the finer sensitivities of the Spirit and been overcome by a spirit of vanity and pride.

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. — 2 Tim. 2:22

7. Some women who dress like worldly claims as a Christian and Godly: Those who claim to “love the Lord,” and yet wear these styles, testify to little more than their lack of discernment and confused loyalties. They put their personal reputation and the integrity of their Christian witness at risk. The Bible speaks of those that are “double-minded,” and warns that they are “unstable” in all their ways and receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:7, 8). More serious, particularly in the church, they pose an unholy distraction and a stumbling block for others. Scripture is clear: it’s fundamentally a matter of discernment, self-discipline, and self-control (Mark 9:47; Rom. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4:3-8; Titus 2:6). A wise man will do his best to avoid situations that invite impure thoughts and lust (Luke: 9:23; 1 Cor. 6:18). He will do this through faith in God and in His power (1 Cor. 10:13; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 4:13). He will do this because he fears God and doesn’t want to offend His holiness (Ps. 51:4; 2 Cor. 5:9-11, 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:2-5). He will do this because he understands and fears the consequences of disobedience (Heb. 12:9-11; James 1:13-15). And knowing that lust rarely remains a private matter, he will do this on behalf of his own reputation (Prov. 22:1; Eccl. 7:1a) and out of consideration for others (Eph. 5:3; 1 Thess. 4:6, 5:22). People will claim and profess godliness, but their worship will be only a form, only an outward profession, only an appearance of godliness. They will not possess God; they will not have God in their hearts and lives. The look-a-likes will: profess God, be baptized, attend service, participate in the church and sometimes talk about God. Sadly, the people that have a form of godliness will deny the Power of God.

Paul tells Timothy to be careful for there is a form or type of godliness.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – 2 Timothy 3:5

Paul continues to tell us to “exercise ourselves unto godliness”. People that exercise themselves unto godliness have the necessary key for accomplishing anything in this life. This is a personal call that Paul is giving Timothy, “train yourself unto godliness”, not the Church or a group of friends but you, train thyself. The call to train ourselves for godliness also demands directing all of our energy toward godliness.Each person can enjoy different styles of dress as long as they do not violate the principle of God’s word.

8. Scriptures for all the women who keep trying to justify nudity and immodest clothing: We are living in evil times, when unrepentant sinners are trying to justify every sin imaginable with the Bible. To reject the instruction of Scripture because you have already decided what you want to do, is sin and rebellion against God. I heard a woman on the news, a professional pornographic model, claim that God approved of her vile career. She said that God created Adam and Eve naked, so nudity must be ok. Evidently she’s never read Genesis 3:7 or 1st Timothy 2:9. God expects all Christian women to be more concerned with displaying their godly character, than their skin and wealth. The Bible rebukes such compromising Christians in the following verses;

1 Timothy 2:9 says, ‘Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness.’

“Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” (Malachi 2:17).

‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ (Matthew 15:8-10)

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”. (Luke 6:47-49)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Hebrews 10:26)

So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:40-42)

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. (1 Peter 4:3)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:3)

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. (1 Corinthians 5:1)

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)

James4:4:You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. (1 Corinthians 10:8)

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1Peter 3:3-4)

We have been called out (1 Peter 2:9 by God, to be His workmanship (Eph 2:10) for good works. We belong to Christ and are the ones who have crucified our flesh and its passions (Gal 5:24). We are to be as aliens on foreign land, and the world is not to have the same influence over us, as it does those who don’t know God (Eph 2:3).

9. There are some spouses who encourage to be immodest: nakedness in front of a husband is different because they are made of one flesh. But if we dress up either by partially also you showed him something that your husband and only your husband has the legal right to see. First Corinthians 7:4 says, “The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband. You showed him something he had no right to see.

There are many husbands and wives who encourage and sometimes even demand their mates to “look sexy rather than to Look graceful and glorious at the expense of others. We must stay within the boundaries of the Holy Spirit, putting Jesus and His pleasure first in all we do. Some women claim to be doing this to attract their husband’s attention. As we noted from Proverbs 5, marriage partners should certainly be “exhilarated” by each other’s love. Obviously, the principle of Ecclesiastes 3:1 applies here. That is, there is a time and place for everything. No sin is committed by the wife wearing suggestive clothing for her husband, in the privacy of their home, but that is not what we are here discussing. The wife who dresses loosely in public attracts more attention than just that of her husband. She attracts the attention of other husbands, and other men! Her actions do nothing but intensify the problem of immodesty. In fact, her actions are self-defeating. All she really accomplishes is training her husband to focus his attention on those particular parts of her body that are uncovered while in public! A woman is sorely deceived if she thinks that her dressing immodestly will keep her husband’s eyes on her and off of other women. Men do not think that way. What this practice actually does is stimulate the man’s thinking and attention on those areas of the body. This increases the likelihood that he will focus his attention on those same areas of other immodestly clothed women.

It sickens me to hear of “Christian” men who actually encourage their wives to dress in a revealing way in public. By so doing, they not only encourage their wife to sin; they also encourage sin in the lives of any that would look with lust upon her. The man who encourages his wife to dress immodestly has no business condemning her if she commits adultery against him. The Bible speaks of “the attire of a harlot” (Prov. 7:10). If a man is going to encourage his wife to dress like a harlot, he has no business blaming her for acting like one.

Shorts, mini Skirts attract unnecessary attention, by wearing provocative clothing increase the temptation and chances for an accidental look. Modesty in dress reveals a modesty and godliness of the heart, attitudes that should be the desire of all women who live to please and honor God.

Glorify God with your body. Do not allow your body to be on display for the whole world to gaze upon. If you do, you are not glorifying God. You may be glorifying yourself, and you will be leading others into sin.

( This article has been adopted from various internet websites. I give credits to all those websites)

Are you sure Christian can not be perfect and can not avoid sins?

We see many Christians claim to be continuing sinners saved by grace rather than using the past tense, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).God says that we can live without sin by God’s grace and the power of his indwelling Holy Spirit to pursue holiness to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Many Christians are so defensive of sin because they have not been able to stop sinning in their own strength and effort. Instead of making the humiliating confession that they can’t conquer it, they fabricate arguments that it really doesn’t hurt them and quote “no one can be perfect” or “no one can really live without sin anyway” or ‘There is none righteous, no, not one ‘.Jesus Christ came to save sinners perfected through His own sacrifice. We are perfect in Christ not by our own human efforts. The wicked people encourage themselves in sin and also Delight in those who commit sins. They also have numerous unbiblical excuses to commit sin and to defend their sinful ways. When God’s people do not obey Him, He allows a spirit of blindness to come over them. The wicked and Sinful people do not have self-control, they hate discipline, hate God’s law, commandments and his ways.

we can be morally perfect When we walk in Gods ways ,fear god abstain from all sins ,be obedient to his commandments by being holy, pure, and living a godly life . Col 1:28 says:” Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

Many often forget Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48). Many people pick and choose the bible verse to defend themselves that suits their life style but ignore rest of the verses. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-14).

God hates sin, judges sin & chastises the sinner. No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient, For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly (Mark 7:21-22). Gods word says that the wicked encourage themselves in an evil matter, make a mock and Boast at sin, Cannot cease from sins and they throw blame on others and God (Psalm 64:5, Isaiah 3:9, Proverbs 14:9, Genesis 3:12, Genesis 3:12-13, Jeremiah 7:10)

Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:14-15).

Scripture says that Man can live without sin: God wants us to pursue holiness. He wants us to live the Holy Spirit filled life. True Christian believer who has truly come to know Christ will be free from sin, they will be holy, in thought, in word and in deed. God’s power is at work in us (Eph. 3:20). Through Christ, we ARE dead to sin (Rom. 6) and we ARE crucified with Christ; He lives in us (Gal. 2:20) and Word of God keeps from sinning (Psalms 17:4, Psalms 119:11)

No one who abides in him keeps sinning. No one who sins knows who He really is…for God is holy and righteous. (1 John 3:5-9). God says that EVERYONE who sins is a slave to sin. James 4:7-10 says Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. We need to Watch and pray at all times and resist evil ways and pursue Gods ways by putting on the whole armor of God and cover ourselves with the Blood of Jesus. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Hence let us clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:14). Eph 5:5-6. Those who are in Christ are dead to sin, under no circumstances they continue to live wickedly instead they have been raised to walk in newness and purity of life, lives of righteousness, morality and integrity.

Perfect and Righteous people in the Bible: obeying God’s will bring perfection. God says that saints are made free from sin and have became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). Adam, Abel, Joseph the Earthly Father of Jesus Christ ,Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Jacob, Isacc, Rahab, Ruth, Debrorah, John Baptist, Zacharias and Elisabeth, the parents of John the Baptist ,Miraim and many others were all found righteous before the Lord. God’s word says that as obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; (1 Pet. 1:14, 15). All of us have the Capability of Sinning yet we need to choose Not to Sin by the tools God has given to us to avoid sin.

The Coming Conqueror: The Anti-Christ

Introduction

One of the ways that God chooses to reveal Himself is through prophecy. Some prophecies have been fulfilled and some prophecies have not. In this particular case, a prophecy that has not been fulfilled will be looked at in detail. The unfulfilled prophecy that this paper concerns itself with is the identity of the beast in Revelation 13:1-10. There are many points that will be addressed within this theological paper. They include the following: 1.) The Beast Revealed, 2.) The Components of the Beast, 3.) The Beast’s Wound, 4.) The Beast’s Agenda, 5.) The Mark of the Beast, 6.) The Beast’s Religion, and 7.) The Beast’s Destruction. All of these points and more will be discussed in detail, and different viewpoints will be examined until the best possible interpretation in light of biblical evidence is revealed.

The purpose of this paper is to educate people on the importance of the Beast. This writing is not designed to be polemical. This paper will look at each view objectively and determine the best objective interpretation. This paper is important to believers and non-believers. It is important to believers because it shows believers that now is the time to witness to the lost, because today is the day for salvation. It is just as important for lost people because if a person were to live during this period of time, then they would have a ravaging Beast with which to deal. If anything, this paper when all said and done, should be used as an evangelistic tool for the lost as well as a treatise that will bring enrichment to the believer’s life. This paper is important to eschatology, the doctrine of the last days, because what a person believes about the Beast, especially whether he is in the future or not, indicates what an individual believes about the entire book.
One delimitation of this study would be that when dealing with the Antichrist it would take an systematic theology to write everything there is to know about the Antichrist. Because of this, Revelation 13 was chosen because it deals only with certain aspects about the Beast as discussed in Revelation 13. It also has to be noted that the sources that are going to be used will consist of books, commentaries, and journal articles. It also has to be noted that this topic is beyond the scope of this paper. This paper will not discuss all the passages in the Bible concerning the Beast, only certain ones in Revelation, Daniel, Matthew, and in the books that Paul writes. With that being said, by no means is this treatise taken lightly, because this is a very deep topic. It is with hope that as this paper is read that the paper will be so enlightening that it will be as if the individual is actually there experiencing the horrors talked about.
This paper will be written from a pre-millennial viewpoint. The paper will account for the other views but in the end it will affirm the pre-millennial position. It is with anticipation and hope that as this paper is read, people will grow to enjoy and even love eschatology. It has to be said outright that this treatise is written from the view that everything mentioned is yet future.
This paper will show that there is a coming conqueror that will appear on the earth and deceive the masses into believing that He is God. He will be a man of intelligence, a man of oratorical skill, a man of war, and man who will at first bring peace to Israel. He will be resurrected satanically in the middle of the tribulation period and he will cause Hell to break loose on the earth. He is known in Revelation 13:1-10 by one title: He is the Beast.

The Beast Revealed

Since the beginning of time, there has been a war raging in the cosmos. It is a war that starts in heaven when Lucifer decides that he wants to be God. Lucifer was God’s most beautiful creation. He walked before the throne room daily and was considered an archangel. But Lucifer became jealous of God, and it was out of that jealously that Lucifer convinced one third of the angels to join his efforts to overthrow God and become God himself. It was at this point He ceased being an archangel and became the Prince of Darkness. The Devil’s revolt resulted in him being cast out of Heaven by God and ever since Satan and God have been enemies.
In our time we look forward to the day that evil will no longer hold sway in the world. We long for a heaven on earth. And one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth. But until that day comes when evil is finally no longer, evil still remains and causes much pain on the earth. John the Revelator knew of the evil on the earth and thought that it could not get any worse than it already was. But John quickly found out that is not the case. John found out that great tribulation is coming, the day of Jacob’s trouble. John saw the world being judged by God and the things he saw were horrific. He saw stars falling from the sky, water turning to blood, large chunks of hail falling to the earth. John saw many things but perhaps the most dreadful thing he sees is people selling their soul to the Devil and paying homage to a Beast, the Beast which rises out of the sea.

Is The Beast Revealed Before Or After the Rapture?

Revelation 13 introduces the reader to the beast. Arthur Bloomfield says that Revelation calls the Antichrist the beast out of the sea. Here is a symbol used for a name. The symbol is a beast that rises out of the sea, the sea being the symbol of the masses of the people. The question that must be asked concerns the revealing of the beast before or after the rapture. It is important not to leave out the doctrine of the rapture. The rapture has been one of the most debated topics in churches today. Why mention it when this paper discusses Revelation 13:1-10? What a person believes about the rapture has an impact on what they will believe concerning Revelation 13:1-10. There are those that believe that the beast is revealed before the rapture, and there are those that believe that the beast will be revealed after the rapture. There are two views that will be discussed concerning this issue and they are the following: Preterism and Futurism. These two views are completely opposite in nature. That is why they need to be looked at in detail.

Preterism

Preterism is a view that states that the book of Revelation for the most part happened in the past under the old Roman Empire nearly two thousand years ago. The preterist’ interpretation of the beast in Revelation is worthy of examination. Preterists believe that the beast … portrays the Roman Empire generally and Emperor Nero Caesar specifically. So the beast of Revelation 13 is not some future world dictator but he has already been. According to preterists he is none other than Nero, the emperor who led Rome from A.D. 54-68. and was responsible for murdering many Christians during his reign. The Nero Redivivus View is gaining steam among many preterists, The Roman Empire was the most dominant empire on earth at the time, and it is easy to see why those that hold to this method of interpretation interpret this passage of Scripture the way they do.

However, there are some inconsistencies that need to be looked at in detail concerning this view. The first inconsistency about believing that Nero is the beast of Revelation 13 is one of duration. Craig Keener says that none of this is to say that Revelation predicts a literal return of Nero from the dead- at least not before the resurrection of the damned. In Revelation 13:% it is made clear that the beast’s reign will only be approximately forty-two months. Now history tells us that Nero reigned for approximately fourteen years. One cannot overlook this fact. Secondly, Revelation 13:4 says that they worshipped the beast and everyone worshiped him with awe. The reason why this has to be mentioned is that the beast of Revelation will rule the entire world and it is only logical to conclude that the worship the beast will receive will be worldwide. Even though Nero does receive worship from Rome, he did not receive it on a worldwide scale like the beast will. These inconsistencies are hard to overlook because Scripture makes it clear that Nero does not meet the requirements according to the Word of God.

Futurism

The second view that needs to be discussed is the futurist view. This view is also known as classical dispensationalism. Marvin Pate in the book Four Views on the Book of Revelation says that classical dispensationalism believe the teaching about a two-fold return of Christ which accounts for Revelation 1:1-3. Thus the Rapture can occur at any moment, which will then set in motion the prophecies of the Apocalypse and the revealing of the beast. Those that hold to this view believe that after John talks about the seven churches everything following is future and has not happened yet. Thus Revelation 13 would have to be future making the beast also future. This view is the most consistent among evangelicals today. The futurists believe that the beast will be revealed after the rapture and they get this view from different places in Scripture.

The primary place where futurists go for support of their view is found in Daniel 9 and it is in this chapter that it refers to the prophecy of the seventieth week. In order to understand why this is so important and why this has relevance one must look at this prophesy in detail. One very important piece of information that should be discussed while interpreting the full scale of this prophecy is the doctrine of the rapture and how it relates to Daniel’s seventy weeks. What people believe about the rapture impacts what people believe about the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy. Sir Robert Anderson points out that History contains no records of events to satisfy the predicted course of the seventieth week. Most post-tribulationists believe that the seventieth week has already been fulfilled. One question to this interpretation is how can they explain that the tribulation will be started with a seven year peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel. If the seventieth week has already been fulfilled then where is there in history documented proof of a peace treaty that was signed between the beast and Israel for seven years? This is not possible because Christ would have already come back and this world would be over if the Posttribulationist’s interpretation of the seventieth week is true. One simply cannot ignore that these events are yet future. Even Christ said in His famous Olivet Discourse that there would be wars and rumors of wars. These things can be seen before our very eyes.

Is The Beast An Individual Or is the Beast A World System?

Within the eschatological ranks, there is a question that is permeating among theologians. It is the question, is the beast an individual or is the beast referring to a world system? Revelation 13:1 starts out by saying, And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. There are those out there that believe that Antichrist is an individual. Many attempts have been made to identify who the Antichrist is. Some say he is Nero, some say he is the pope, and others even say that he is Judas Iscariot reincarnated. The point is that many of history’s theologians such as Tertullian, Hippolytus, Irenaeus, and Jerome believed in a personal Antichrist that would wreak havoc on earth at some point of time. Whether he has already existed or is a future world ruler does not take away from the fact that in each case he is looked upon as an individual. There are at least two reasons why people look at the beast as an individual and the reasons are scriptural.

First, the apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians writes in 2 Thessalonians 2 that Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Paul clearly refers to his beast as the man of sin, the son of perdition. He also states that this individual will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped. If he was just an entity or a force then why would Paul refer to him as a man?

Second, it has to be pointed out that what John says in Revelation 13:6 and what Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2 correlate. In Revelation 13:6, it is evident that this beast is opening his mouth and blaspheming God. The same is going on in 2 Thessalonians 2. So by making this correlation it is evident that the man of sin and the beast are the same individual.

There are also those who believe that the concept of the beast is just a world view, or a way of thinking that is contrary to the things of God. The apostle Paul clearly said that in the last days there would be a great falling away from the truth. According to Samuel J. Andrews, to apostatize means to fall away from the faith. Andrews points out that in this case, apostasy means falling away from the true standing of the Church as appointed by God and in its culmination, as represented in the man of sin and in his adherents, it is undoubtedly a total denial of the Christian faith. He denies both the Father and the Son.

The apostle distinguishes two forms of the apostasy, one being the corruption of Christianity, the other its absolute rejection. With the rise of all the worldly philosophies that permeate the earth, it is easy to see the spirit of Antichrist at work. Anyone that denies Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is Antichrist, and it will be this attitude that coerces people to worship the beast. So with the philosophies of the world, and the church falling away, beginning with the loss of love, it is not to be confined only with doctrine, it embraces the whole spiritual life; and therefore the whole external order of the Church. There cannot be a loss of or a falling away without a corresponding decay in the entire ecclesiastical constitution, its ministries, its sacraments, its activities, and also, in practical godliness. This apostasy which according to Andrews is already happening will lead to the beast receiving worship in Revelation 13. This apostasy can be traced back all the way to the book of Genesis where Satan told Eve that when she ate the fruit her eyes would be opened and she would be like a god, knowing good and evil. Man from this point on has desired to be like God, and one day there will be a literal beast who will declare that he is god and demand worship.

The Components of the Beast

Within this section several questions will be looked at in detail. The first question that will be looked at is what are the seven heads and the ten horns? The second question that will be looked at is what does Daniel seven have to do with Revelation thirteen concerning the appearance of the beast?

The Seven Heads and the Ten Horns

Revelation 13:1 says that the beast has seven heads and ten horns. What does it mean? Well, in Revelation 17:9 it says that the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sittteth. The city of Rome was known in ancient times as being the city that sits on seven hills or mountains. However, the Rome that historians are talking about no longer exists. It was wiped off the map. Could knowing this provide problems with this view? No because, scripture says that in the last days a world empire will arise and rule the world. So if that is the case then it is not preposterous to believe that the Roman Empire will rise again from the ashes to rule the world again in complete dominance.

Daniel Two And Daniel Seven’s Relation To Revelation Thirteen’s Message Concerning The Appearance of the Beast

The literal interpreters believe that the head of gold that Daniel saw in Daniel 2 symbolizes the Babylonian Empire. The breast and arms of silver Daniel saw symbolize the Medes and Persians. The thighs made of brass symbolize the Greeks, and the legs of iron and feet and toes of iron and part of pottery symbolizes a future empire. The name of the final empire Daniel does not give. However, there has been much speculation as to what this empire is. Most literal interpreters such as John Walvood believe that the Roman Empire is the future empire that is symbolized.
The non-literal interpreters agree that the first four empires are Babylon, the Medes and Persians, and even believe that the fourth is Rome. Where they differ is concerning the interpretation of the stone. The non-literal interpreters such as the amillenialists and the postmillennialists interpret the stone as meaning the Lord Jesus Christ. They say that the meaning of the stone is evident when Jesus came to earth the first time and introduced the gospel, assuring the ultimate victory of the saints over the evil powers of Gentile political rule. However, the premillenialists say that this interpretation is not correct. The literal interpretation is that this vision stretches forward in time to the second coming of Jesus Christ. They believe that the image that Daniel saw has for the most part been fulfilled. However, the feet stage, including the implied ten toes, is yet future and is related to a period just before the second coming of Christ. The point is that the Roman Empire in some form or fashion will be revived and therefore the ten toes representing a ten-nation confederacy are yet to be fulfilled.

Secondly, the vision of Daniel 7:7-8 is depicted and shows that this chapter does correspond with Daniel 2. The difference is that in Daniel 7 he sees four beasts. These four beasts represent the same empires as in Daniel 2. The lion represents Babylon, the bear represents the Medes and the Persians, the leopard with four wings on the back on four heads represents the Greeks, and the beast with ten horns represents the revived Roman Empire. Walvood points out that this vision is more detailed than the one of Daniel 2. Daniel 7 tells the reader that the four beasts are four kings or kingdoms. Daniel 2 does not go into detail, however on the fourth empire. Daniel 7 does. It tells us that a little horn will arise and will uproot three of the kings or horns. There is a question that one can postulate. Has the little horn appeared? Walvood sums it up by saying that any reasonable literal interpretation of this prophesy requires the expositor to take the position that this is yet future from the standpoint of the twentieth century. If this vision is to be viewed as prophetic then people have to ask themselves, has the ten-nation confederacy ever been on earth? The answer is no. So then it requires a future ten-nation confederacy as a key to the political and international situation in the days just preceding the second coming of Christ and his kingdom.

Finally, two more important passages must be looked at in detail, and they are Revelation 13:1-3 and Revelation 17:3,7, 12-18. Revelation 13:1-3 describes a beast rising out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns. The description of the beast is very similar to the one prophesied hundreds of years before by Daniel. The beast John saw was like a leopard, and the feet were the feet of a bear, and his mouth the mouth of a lion. The fact that it mirrors the beast in Daniel 7 confirms that it is the same beast, and the ten horns and ten crowns suggest ten kings who rule ten kingdoms. What is different from Daniel’s prophesy is John’s mentioning of the seven heads. One possible interpretation that Walvood points out is that the seven heads represent seven successive rulers in the Roman Empire which are succeeded by a ten-nation confederacy which has ten simultaneous kings.

Revelation 13 makes it clear that this prophesy is yet future. The beast is given power to rule for forty-two months. The forty-two months describes the future great tribulation, and appears to be the last three half years of the tribulation. Revelation 17 says the same thing as Revelation 13, only this time it adds a wicked woman to the equation. The visions that each prophet had were alike and that is amazing. The ten-nation confederacy will come in the last days. It is not to be taken allegorically, but it is to be taken literally. All of the evidence that the Bible gives indicate a coming world ruler, the little horn, who will rule the world with the help of these ten kings.

The Beast’s Wound

In Revelation 13:3, the verse tells the reader that one of the heads was wounded unto death, and then this wound was miraculously healed. Within this section, questions will be answered concerning this issue. The first question that will be answered is will the beast be resurrected from the dead? Finally the last question that will be answered is how will the world react to this resurrection? All of these questions are important and if the best possible interpretation is to be expounded then these questions need to be looked upon with detail in order to understand this issue.

Will The Beast Be Resurrected From The Dead?

There are several viewpoints that must be looked at concerning this issue. First there is the reincarnation view which postulates the wound of the beast refers to the reincarnation of some individual such as Judas Iscariot.

First there is the reincarnation view which postulates that wound of the beast refers to the reincarnation of some individual such as Judas Iscariot. There are several reasons why some people think that when the wound is miraculously healed that the spirit of Judas Iscariot will enter into the body of the beast, and thus the beast will be Judas reincarnated. The reason people ascribe to this view can be found in the book of Acts. In Acts 1:25 it says that Judas went to his own place. It is not clear what that means. Die he die and go to Heaven or did he die and go to Hell? A.W. Pink argues for Judas Iscariot when he says that the Antichrist is Judas Iscariot reincarnated. However, it can be said that this view can not be scriptural because the Bible says that when a person dies, then the only thing that is left is judgment. Second there is the Revived Roman Empire View. This view means that the great Roman Empire which fell would be revived in the end of days. Thus the wound of death that will be healed refers to the revived Roman Empire, and not the beast. Third, there is the Antichrist View. This view states that an individual yet to appear on the world scene will arise and receive the wound. Then after he receives the wound he will die and then be resurrected from the dead. After all, Satan is the imitator of Jesus Christ. However, it is not clear whether Satan will have the power to resurrect him from the dead unless God gives him the power.

The wound of the beast in the Tribulation, when it is truly dissected should never lean toward an allegorical interpretation. Instead, it should be taken as literal, and in the context of Revelation 13, it refers to an individual man, ( the beast out of the sea), who will receive a wound and will miraculously be resurrected. The only other plausible view is the Revived Roman Empire View, but again context is very important in Revelation 13 and will all the facts out there, it is with the utmost certainty that an individual man that has not been revealed on earth is the one who receives the wound and not the Revived Roman Empire.

How Will The World React To The Resurrection Of The Beast?

Before, it was mentioned that the doctrine of the rapture is important. Based on biblical study there is enough evidence to suggest that the Church, the collective body of Christians as a whole will be snatched away before the tribulation and before the beast is revealed. This view is known as the pre-tribulation view. In other words, all the Christians will be in Heaven with Jesus before the beast takes center stage. There are other views out there.

There is the Mid-Tribulation View which states that Christians will be caught up into heaven in the middle of the tribulation period, just before the worst part of the tribulation starts, the last three and a half years of the tribulation. There is also the Post-Tribulation View which postulates that the Christians will have to go through the tribulation and thus experience all the horrors that everybody else will have to experience during the tribulation, including the reign of the beast. J. Dwight Pentecost thinks that the reason why the pre-tribulation rapture theory stands out is because of the role of the restrainer, the Holy Spirit. Pentecost says that explanations as to the person of this restrainer such as human government, law, the visible church will not suffice, for they will all continue in a measure after the manifestation of this lawless one. He goes on to say that as long as the Holy Spirit is resident within the church, which is His temple, this restraining work will continue and the man of sin cannot be revealed. Thus, this ministry of the restrainer which will continue as long as His temple is on earth and which must cease before the lawless one can be revealed, requires the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, for Daniel 9:27 reveals that the lawless one will be manifested at the beginning of the week, or the tribulation. Why is all of that important? It is important because Christians will not be present on earth during the reign of the beast. That is why the whole world will be in awe of the beast when he resurrects from the dead. Those that are left behind will be those that do not believe in Jesus and will be blinded from the truth. They will think that the Antichrist is the long awaited Messiah and they will worship him. If Christians were left on the earth then they would be able to discern then that the Antichrist was not the Messiah. Even the Jews for a period of time will think that he is their Messiah until he desecrates the temple and declares that he is God.

There are two reasons why people will worship him. First, they will worship because of all the miracles he will do, and then they will worship him out of fear for their lives. If one does not worship him then a certain death is awaiting them. There will be people saved, but there will be many more during the tribulation period that will not get saved because the beast will be the master of deception. People are being deceived today by various cults, but compared to what will happen in the tribulation when the beast rules the world it will fail in comparison.

The Beast’s Agenda

Now, we are on to a very important part about the beast, and it is the beast’s agenda. What will his agenda be during the tribulation period, which is forty two months. Approximately seven years? What are his characteristics? Will he be a military genius? Will be he a peacemaker? Will he be a Jew? Will he be a religious person? These are all questions that need to be answered, and it is with hope that they will be answered according to what Scripture says.

The Characteristics Of The Beast

According to Revelation 13:6-8 it says, And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The one thing that should be noticed is that the beast is in direct defiance against God and against the Lamb, Jesus Christ. In fact, the beast and Jesus Christ contrast in their nature. Here are some ways in which they contrast. Christ came from above (John 6:38), whereas the beast will ascend from the pit (Rev. 11:7), Christ came in His father’s name, and the Antichrist will come in his own name, Christ humbled Himself, the Antichrist will exalt himself, Christ was despised, the Antichrist will be admired, Christ will be exalted, the Antichrist will be cast down to hell, Christ came to do His Father’s will, the Antichrist came to do his own will, Christ came to save, Antichrist will come to destroy, Christ is the Good Shepherd, the Antichrist is the idol shepherd, Christ is the true vine, the Antichrist is the vine of the earth, Christ is the truth (John 14:6), the Antichrist is the Lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11), Christ is the Holy One, The Antichrist is the lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8), Christ is the man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3), the Antichrist is the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3) , Christ is the Son of God (Luke 1:35), the Antichrist is the son of perdition, Christ is the mystery of godliness, God’s manifestation in the flesh, the Antichrist will be the mystery of iniquity, Satan manifested in the flesh (2 Thessalonians 2:7). One can clearly see that the Bible makes it clear that the beast and the Lord are two different people. They are opposite and contrast in everything they do.

The Military Genius

Revelation 13:7 states that the beast will be given power to make war against the saints and he will be given charge over the whole world. How will he be able to do this? The answer is that he will be a conqueror. He will literally conquer the world and establish a one-world government. He will have help in establishing this one-world government. He will have help from ten king who are the ten horns that are spoken of in Revelation 13:2. These ten kings will help the beast achieve world domination. These kings will not rise up against the beast. Instead, they will pay homage to him and worship him like the rest of the world.

The Peacemaker

Everyone in the world wants peace. Politicians have been trying to make peace for years. There will be a man that will rise on the scene (the beast) who will convince the leaders of the world that world peace can happen. The beast will make a covenant with Israel for seven years and within that covenant the beast will promise Israel peace, but it is a false peace. After the first three and a half years of the tribulation the beast will break that peace treaty with Israel and will enter into Jerusalem and proclaim to the world that he is god. When he does this then Israelites will see his true colors and will flee to the mountains, possibly to Petra. So in reality, although he promises peace, true peace never happens in the world.

The Jew

Why will the Jewish people at first believe that the Antichrist is their long awaited Messiah? The reason is because he regards not the God of his fathers. This is found in Daniel 11:36-37. The beast will not regard Jehovah as his father. The only god he has is power. He is not a religious person. He desires worship for himself. So in this way he is a humanist. He believes that he is god. Humanists believe that man can control his own fate. Ed Hindson says that the New Age philosophy has an paradigm. Its logical paradigm is, All is god, God is all, man is part of all, therefore man is god. The Romans borrowed this philosophy from the Greeks. Caesar was worshipped as God. In the twentieth century after Darwin’s theory of evolution, humanism had all it needed. The beast will reinstate emperor worship and he will receive worship. The beast is a humanist. Of course the Father of Lies, Satan himself is behind this. When the beast resurrects from the dead he will get the worship he desires, and the Jews will believe that he is the Messiah because the Old Testament tells the Israelites that the Messiah will rise from the dead and that he would rule the world. For three and a half years the beast will be the Jews political Messiah because he will bring peace to the land and all will seem to be going well. They will be duped by the master of deception himself, Satan.

The Beast’s Destruction

Within this section it will briefly be discussed how the beast will be destroyed and what is the beast’s final destination? When it comes to how the beast will be destroyed, the beast will gather his armies, all the armies of the world, and they will meet at a place called Armageddon, which is in the valley of Megiddo. There the final battle will be fought, and it will be between the armies of Christ and the armies of the world. Revelation 19:11-20 best illustrates this battle: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Conclusion

This paper has shown many different viewpoints. This paper has shown that the Antichrist is an individual who is the head of the revived Roman Empire. This paper has shown that the beast will be given a wound and he will resurrect from the dead. It has also shown that his agenda is that of complete world domination, and to establish a false peace with Israel. The beast has not appeared on the earth yet. He is waiting for the Lord to rapture the Church before he comes on the scene. He will be the embodiment of evil let by Satan himself. He is the beast. This paper was written to Christians because it will show them that there is a time coming on earth that is much worse than it is now. It reminds Christians that they should witness to a lost and dying world. This was written to lost people, people who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. It is with hope and anticipation that many people will be saved before it is too late. If people are saved then they will be in heaven during this time, and if not then they will have to experience a ravaging beast and worst of all they will have to face the Great Tribulation.

The Problem of Evil!

The Problem of Evil

Since the beginning of time, there has been a war raging in the cosmos. It is a war that starts in heaven when Lucifer decides that he wants to be God. Lucifer was God’s most beautiful creation. He walked before the throne room daily and was considered an archangel. But Lucifer became jealous of God, and it was out of that jealously that Lucifer convinced one third of the angels to join his efforts to overthrow God and become God himself. It was at this point He ceased being an archangel and became the Prince of Darkness. The Devil’s revolt resulted in him being cast out of Heaven by God and ever since Satan and God have been enemies.

In our time we look forward to the day that evil will no longer hold sway in the world. We long for a heaven on earth. And one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth. But until that day comes when evil is finally no longer, evil still remains and causes much pain on the earth. In God’s original creation everything that God created was good. In fact for a time, humanity itself knew no sin. Then man sinned, and evil manifested itself into the world. Evil can be defined “as the refusal to accept the true God as God. True evil elevates itself or another to replace God.” The question often arises, if God being holy and just knew that evil and sin would come to the earth than why did He not prevent it or stop it? There are three reasons why God allows evil to continue in the world and they are the following: 1.) God created man with free will and thus gave man the ability to choose to accept Him or reject Him, 2.) The fact that evil and suffering is so prevalent in our lives reveals the fact that we have our own inadequacies and that we need God, and 3.) God allows evil because He does not want His children to get used to the present life because as the Bible says, we are just pilgrims and sojourners passing through and as believers, Heaven is our final eternal state.
God created man with free will and thus gave man the ability to choose to accept Him or reject Him. God did not create evil. God did create persons with freedom who could practice it. So we are who actualize evil, not Him. He could have created a world without the possibility of evil, but He preferred a world with free choice. God created us with the power of choice. To quote from Ravi Zacharias,
“What would it take to create a loving world void of evil? A world in which love is capable of meaningful expression and experience would also imply a world in which there is choice. If someone tells you that they love you, those words mean something because they are freely given. If you learned that someone had told you they loved you but that they had been forced to say it, their words would not mean very much. Thus, if we want to speak of a loving world, we must also speak of a world in which choices are exercised. And in such a world, there is also the possibility of choosing a course of action that is not loving, i.e. evil.”
True love implies and demands a free choice! Or else you would have a fixed environment in which humanity would be robots. Alvin Plantinga claimed the following:
“If God creates human beings with true, morally significant free will (where humans can freely decide to act in ways that really do advance goodness in the world, or really do cause evil in the world against self, others or world), and if God wants a world in which there are significant amounts of moral goodness, it’s possible that God cannot get that kind of world without significant amounts of moral badness as well. After all, if people are left free by God, then the morally significant states of the world will in large part be up to the decisions of humans, not up to God.”

The fact that evil and suffering is so prevalent in our lives reveals the fact that we have our own inadequacies and that we need God. Simply put, all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that one day there would be one coming that would be a sacrifice for sin and would make a way for people to have there relationship restored to God. That was done when Jesus died on Calvary. Jesus took all of humanities sins, and bore them for all of humanity so that people might have a chance to be saved and inherit eternal life. We see here that “Christ’s atonement guarantees the final end of evil and suffering”. Alcorn says, “The drama of evil and suffering in Christ’s sacrifice addresses the very heart of the problem of evil and suffering. One day it will prove to be the final answer.” The answer to the problem of evil and suffering according to Alcorn,“is not a philosophy, but a Person; not words, but the Word.” Jesus Christ is the answer to the problem of evil. Only He can help us with the feeling of inadequacies and the feelings of hopelessness. Only He can save humanity from their sins. Only Jesus can provide true lasting peace.
God allows evil because He does not want His children to get used to the present life because as the Bible says, we are just pilgrims and sojourners passing through and as believers, Heaven is our final eternal state. If everything was perfect and no problems ever surfaced and there was no pain in life then people would not have to rely upon God anymore for anything. Alcorn points out that “in order to appreciate our eternal future, we will remember the sufferings of the present.” Because we have pain and suffering, we must rely upon an Almighty God. Human beings do not have all the answers. Dinesh D’ Sousa writes.

The only way for us to really triumph over evil and suffering is to live forever in a place where those things do not exist. It is the claim of Christianity that there is such a place and that is available to all who seek it. No one can deny that, if this claim is true, then evil and suffering are exposed as temporary hardships and injustices. They are as transient as our brief, mortal lives. In that case God has shown us a way to prevail over evil and suffering, which are finally overcome in the life to come.”

So in reality, in the big picture evil and suffering is only temporary. So every trial and every tribulation that we may face in life is well worth it, because one day those that believe in Jesus will receive new resurrected bodies that will no longer be corrupted. We will be in Heaven where Jesus is, and there will be no more sin. Revelation 21:1-7 best illustrates what will happen in the end: 1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
In conclusion, we have seen the three reasons why God allows evil to exist in our present world. According to Ed Hindson and Emir Caner,
“What evil forces us to conclude is either God is not good, or that our conception of God’s relationship toward us needs serious rethinking. The evidence about evil drives us decisively to this latter conclusion. God uses evil, suffering, and disorder to drive us to Himself. If He gave only good, we would be self-satisfied. If he had given immediate death when we sinned, He would be just. That He gives us partial goodness and partial suffering now forms a texture of hope that in the future, He will in fact make all things right in a final consummation and restoration. God is not through: He will continue to work on us, like a persistent sculptor working the metal with hard blows and constant lighter corrections, to help us become worthy of happiness if we receive Him and submit to His plan. On most occasions, it seems, we do not know why God allows certain evils. But we know someone who knows these things, and we can therefore trust Him to make good on His promise that “he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

What Are You Willing to Give?

Booker T. Washington has left us the following words to consider.  “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”  As Christians in a material world we often forget that our success is not measured by the wealth we obtain or how important our job title is.  Many people waste their lives chasing worldly success and public acknowledgment. Matthew lets us know that these accolades are only temporary (Matthew 6:19).  It is not your possessions or your “public profile” that defines who you are, it’s what you give during your lifetime. 

As practicing Christians we must give our lives to Christ, our best effort to the Gospel, and our hearts to heaven.  If we do this everything else will fall into place.  As it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” True Christianity is not concerned with what one may be able to gain, but how much one is able to sacrifice. In the long run, if we shamefully deny Christ to gain the pleasures of this sinful world, then He will reject us as well to his Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:33)