The Mark - Afterword

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

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11. Afterword.

I have attempted to keep my approach to this subject common-sense and logical (though ideas of God are necessarily “supernatural”), without useless ivy obscuring the brick walls of Truth, or sweet icing over the foundational cake. I did not write this to tailor the Truth, merely to tell it. Some who read my words may react with anger. Please ponder from where that anger springs. Consider deeply if you are being guided by Truth or lies. Ask yourself, have I taken the Mark of God or the Mark of the Beast?

__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
All rights reserved

"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

http://www.universityoftruth.org

The Mark - Summary

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

__________________________________________________________________

10. Summary.

Who are you? Are you devoted to God, or to your desires? Do you accept the Torah, or do you ignore, even disparage, it? Your Mark is your choice.

There should be no ideology taught that the Torah, the Law of God, has been altered, defused, or destroyed in any way. To do so would be against God and against Christ. Such teachings are antichrist and cause the Mark of the Beast to be applied, even if unknowingly. Whoever teaches against any commandment of God is antichrist and of the Beast. Christ never taught against Torah, or else He would be antichrist! If you accept Jesus, then you accept this.

Who would do such a thing? Who would teach lawlessness? Who would promise and promote Heaven without personal responsibility? Who would sing of the glorification of the spirit without earthly adherence to commandments? Is it Jesus? No!

Who is Jesus? He was the Son of God, that which proceeded from the mouth of God, which is His Word. He is Torah. No one can accept Jesus and also reject Torah. It is an empty acceptance. Recognize the true Christ.

Jesus said (Matthew 7:22-23):

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Recognizing Christ is not the same as acknowledging that He lived in any specific manner, or even that He died for some particular purpose. Instead, accepting Christ is to do as He did: (a) promote God’s Law and His righteousness, (b) give up traditions which obstruct us from living according to God’s commandments, (c) refrain from evil, (d) fight against the wickedness of the Beast, (e) live with joy and hope rather than in anxiety and fear. These things can be achieved now for our recognition later.

It is not up to Christ to keep you free from the Mark of the Beast. You must focus upon God and do it for yourself, exactly as Jesus did, and just as He described Himself (John 3:14). If you rely on false security, at the time of upheaval the Beast will easily claim victory over your soul.

For now, the Mark of the Beast is symbolic. Those who have taken the symbolic mark can be identified by the fruit of their diseased tree. They are savage in the name of God, killing for glory or praise. They are those who seek to destroy the name of God, or the freedom of religion. Their wicked state of mind may even be expressed openly, if they fear no spiritual reprisal. They are already loyal to the Beast. As the final time draws near, more and more souls will take the Mark of the Beast and behave in this way. As we tumble into the future, the Torah will become more despised, Christ will be called irrelevant, and the Mark of God will become a death sentence for all who take it.

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__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
All rights reserved

"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

http://www.universityoftruth.org

The Mark - Chapter 9

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

__________________________________________________________________

9. The Future.

Who is the Beast? Is it possible to know? We can only guess. I believe at this time there are three main groups vying for that power:

First, Communism is well-known as the Beast. It has been with us for a century or more, and has caused nothing but widespread misery of the wickedest kind. Communism denies God and religion, and uses an iron fist wherever it comes into power to control commerce and economy.

Second is Islam. Islam itself is not the Beast, but the radical element of Islam is. This Islamic reconstructive radicalism would have us all be Muslims under threat of violence or death, under one harsh and notorious law, with little freedom, and all commerce under their control.

Third, there is Christianity. This gigantic religion is peaceful (mostly) and uses no force (anymore), but there is still an element of beastliness within the proposal that eternal damnation awaits a godly person who doesn't accept that Jesus is part of a triune God, but eternal paradise is given to anyone who accepts Christ even if that person remains ungodly. Such a doctrine is known as “antinomianism” and breeds antichrists.

Besides these three, there are other beastly forces at work:

First, there is hedonism and decadence. This is not news. The world of morality has always been at war with the world of immorality. Alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual perversions, abandonment of responsibility - these are banes even to those who practice them. One interesting sidelight is that hedonism will never bow to Communism or Islam. While no person wants to give up their pleasures, the spoiled are militant over it. If there is a full-blown war of control, hedonism will put up a mighty battle.

Second, there is fascism. Minority group control is always a danger to the majority rule. In so saying, there is hardly a societal organization which is not fascist. However, we are not speaking of fair governing bodies, but those which would impose their will without consideration to any other, and would authorize force to attain and maintain it. This happened in Nazi Germany, but we see it also in the radical activism of even various social control organizations.

The future thus seems to be structured to unfold in this way: Communism and Radical Islam are converging for a showdown with Capitalism and Christianity. The victor will control the world order. If a new world order emerges, then The Beast is likely to emerge with it.

Next >

__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
All rights reserved

"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

http://www.universityoftruth.org

The Mark - Chapter 8

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

__________________________________________________________________

8. Fighting the Antichrist.

The best defense is a good offense. Rather than waiting for the Beast to come, or attempting to guess which “evil device” the Beast will use, we should be actively taking the Mark of God. If we already have the Mark of God, we need to strengthen it. The time is always now to dig out corruption, build integrity, and follow the commandments of God.

(Proverbs 23:23):

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Commerce. In the future, it will be a major weapon for the Beast. We should be prepared for this. First, it is always a good idea to be as self-sufficient as possible. Second, we ought to remember that accepting certain types of buying power is not the same as accepting the Mark of the Beast.

However, there is a different kind of commerce. Beyond practical concerns, we should be preparing to stockpile, seed, and invest in truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding. These are the greater things which may be bought, and they cannot be denied by mere control of currency. Find the Truth, gain that wisdom, teach it to others, and grow with understanding. Allow no doctrine of security, no human power, no carnal desire, no prejudice, no apathy to divert you from this most worthy goal. Once gained, it should never be surrendered or sold, for it cannot be stripped by any tyrant or demon, and no one can truly be forced to forsake God or Torah, or to take the Mark of the Beast. It is always your decision, and you must stick to it even if it costs your life. I do not say to stand up for every trifling thing, but only those which are essential for human freedom and individual integrity. In short, stand for God and take His Mark.

(Matthew 13:44):

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Christ's view of commerce is similarly detached. Often, we find Him urging a greater form of personal happiness by the divestiture of earthly goods, and here is no exception. In this example, the purchase is not only wise (buy the truth) but also extravagant, costing a man everything. In the time of Antichrist, such fields will be even further concealed (as it will be a crime to disseminate any news of God), and the treasure worth even more (sell it not).

Christ not only said cool things, He also walked the walk. While fasting to starvation in the wilderness, Jesus refused the advances of Satan three times by invoking Torah (Matthew 4:4, 4:7, 4:10). Each time, the Son of God was given an opportunity to renounce His Father for something Satan knew to be essential in Christ's mind. We often think that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, but in that situation it was likely food which was most tempting, and this is how Satan began. But Jesus rejected all of Satan, and would rather have died in that cave than take the Mark of the Beast. How was Christ able to do this? Not that He was superhuman, but that he had the education in Torah, and the willpower to elevate Himself. Are these not the treasures in the field of which Christ spoke? Did not Jesus prefer God over Satan, and Torah over desire?

At His trial, He did similarly. Rather than recant that which He was instructed by God to say, Christ suffered false witnesses, mockery, alienation. Even at the cross, He took the full pathway, accepting the marks of God (crown of thorns on the forehead, nails in the hand) rather than the marks of the Beast. For this, God resurrected Him.

At present, we live mostly in freedom from the Beast, buying and selling without a visible mark. In the future, this may change. However, the Beast cannot and will never be able to limit the commerce in truth, or the spreading of righteousness, between those who will sell everything to obtain it.

Next >

__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
All rights reserved

"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

http://www.universityoftruth.org

The Mark - Chapter 7

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

__________________________________________________________________

7. The Antichrist.

An "antichrist" is described in 1 John and 2 John this way:

They went out from us, but they were not of us (1 John 2:19).

Who is a liar but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist (1 John 2:22).

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now is it already in the world (1 John 4:3; cf. 2 John 7).

The spirit of antichrist is specific. It applies to those who have rejected that God's Word (Torah) became flesh (John 1:1). An antichrist is against Christ but, more importantly, an antichrist is against Torah itself. In this regard, some modern Christian doctrines can be included as being antichrist. This is a serious charge but, unfortunately, it seems to be true. Wrong doctrines and false teachings within Christianity which are anti-Torah allow the Mark of the Beast to be applied to Christians, even without their knowledge. Deceptions of wrong doctrines feed upon selfishness, and many eagerly grasp upon these fantasies rather than embracing the Truth. Does this sound too fantastic? Ask yourself: what is truly being taught in today's churches? How do their doctrines compare to the statements of Christ, as found in the Gospels? Didn't Christ warn the various churches of the world against not only apostasy but also every type of wrong doctrine (see Revelation, chapters 2-3)? The Church cannot claim ignorance.

The teachings of Christ are plainly and surely of Torah. If the Church will not teach Torah, then the flock must be willing to learn Torah for themselves. If you love God, you will try. You cannot refuse without consequences. Clearly, rebellion against God's Law is rebellion against God. Full circle, those who rebel against God’s Law rebel also against Christ; and such are “antichrist.”

As to the Antichrist (with a capital A), it is supposed by many that he will administer the Mark of the Beast, but the Book of Revelation does not state this. Instead, the implication of Revelation is that the Beast will offer the Mark, and many will willingly take it, and do so because the spirit of antichrist will be rampant at that time. As an added incentive (besides the threat of death), the Beast will control commerce (Revelation 13:17):

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

How would this Antichrist apply this mark? Through technology? Would it be a chip? An ID card? A global currency? Actually, it doesn't matter. Predicting the method of control will not prevent the ascent of the Beast. In fact, nothing can really stop the Beast from coming. Throughout history, many Beasts have come: Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Genghis Khan.

We cannot stop the Beast from coming. However, we can stop the Beast from reigning. Human beings have always rejected their own slavery, and have eventually risen up to overthrow the Beast.

The Book of Revelation tells us that no one will take any Mark of the Beast unless they have already surrendered to the Beast. It might be argued that the Beast will lure us slowly to such a Mark (or financial system), without making us aware that we are succumbing, and that it is vital to resist that Mark well before the Beast makes himself known. This is flawed logic. If a person accepts a particular financial device, but no Beast has come, that person has not willingly surrendered to evil but to technological progress. Simply accepting a type of commerce does not mean that one has accepted the Mark of the Beast. How can it be shown that an implanted chip, for example, makes one to be practicing willful disobedience against God? I do not deny that there may be in the future a type of economic motivation to join the minions of Satan, but if one is not implicitly surrendering to evil then one has not truly taken the Mark. There must also be a particular state of mind, a willingness to receive the Beast, which makes the Mark itself damning (that said, I do not endorse accepting implants, or even global currencies).

Next >

__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
All rights reserved

"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

http://www.universityoftruth.org

The Mark - Chapter 6

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

__________________________________________________________________

6. Choosing Torah.

When we choose God, we automatically choose Torah. What is Torah?

For those who don't know, Torah is the Law of God, given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. According to Jewish scholarship, it consists of 613 separate observable commandments, the written law, as found in first five books of the Bible. Furthermore, Torah has an ancillary "oral law" (Talmud, Mishnah, etc) which has been compiled and administered since at least the time of Ezra. This oral law is considered to be essential for detailing, interpreting, and understanding much of the written law.

Just as there is only one God there is only one Law of God, which is Torah. However, why should anyone accept Torah as the one Law of God?

First, if you believe the Law came to Moses, there should be no argument.

Second, Torah is the basis for three great religions, the foundation for Christian and Islamic lawfulness (though with many obvious changes over the centuries). Should these competing faiths, many times hostile to each other, all share a common root if it were not necessary? It certainly denotes respect for Torah, if nothing else.

Third, Christianity is in fact founded upon Torah through Jesus Christ, though this fact is not accepted by many Christians. Christ Himself stated that neither a jot nor a tittle (Hebrew language marks) would pass from the Law until the end of the world (Matthew 5:17-18), and that end has not come. In fact, Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat; all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do” (Matthew 23:2-3). This is obviously not a call to disobedience against Torah. Christ essentially has said, “The Law is Torah; obey it.” There is no reason to believe otherwise. Christ did not change Torah, else he would be a liar.

Now, there is a caveat. Jews are obligated to all 613 commandments of Torah, but non-Jews are not, being responsible only for a certain portion of Torah, as declared by the keepers of the Law, the Jews. Why are the Jews to be the keepers? For the Christian, this should be easy, since Christ (Matthew 23:3) and Paul (Acts 21; Romans 3:1-2) have both recognized that authority, which itself derives from Torah (Deuteronomy 17:9-13). The Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:20) noted this difference, that non-Jews have a lesser yoke under Christ than do Jews; and modern rabbinical opinion is generally the same (they call non-Jewish participation in Torah "Noahide Law"). But certainly Christians are not free from the Law of God.

Fourth, Torah is, with some strength of argument, superior to every other law of righteousness. The Ten Commandments are so powerful that even atheists subscribe to five of them.

Finally, Torah has a deep bond with civil law. In fact, it has been proposed that Torah was the basis for the American Constitution. But was Torah antecedent to human law, or is it extended from it? Despite the “chicken and egg” dilemma, human beings must decide if society has been founded upon the true commandments of a real God, or if men invented laws which eventually come to the greater good. In other words, shall we thank God or man for the foundations of civilization? Who gave us our rights? Who gave us our freedom? Who binds us to righteousness? God or men? If we say men, can we claim to know the difference between good and evil? And, when it comes time, will we be able to reject the Mark of the Beast?

Despite all of this, we find in Christianity an antipathy to Torah. How did this happen? Who teaches Christians to be anti-Torah (in fact, to be against the Mark of God)? Sadly, it is the Church itself, which has, since 100 AD, disparaged or disposed of Torah for Christians, choosing instead a mish-mash of Biblical commandments, ecclesiastical edicts, and strange traditions to rule over the flock. This has been done for a few reasons:

(1) Antisemitism and anti-Judaism. The early church dispensed with all things Jewish, including laws, ordinances, and traditions. This is historical fact.

(2) Power. The Church removed Torah as the basis for judging righteousness, and replaced God’s Law with their doctrines. By this, many God-fearing Jews and Christians have died for perceived or supposed heresies and witchcraft.

(3) Security. Churches have become havens for the doctrine of eternal security, placating worried souls instead of teaching Truth.

(4) Looseness. Churches have become tents of immorality which bend to the desires of the congregation, in the name of "Christian freedom" or "tolerance."

(5) Apathy. Most preachers and churchgoers, though sincere in their faith, have little or no interest in understanding right doctrines and the Truth of Christ, satisfied to accept "stuff" for silence.

But Jesus Himself told us the Truth (Mark 12:28-30):

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

A parallel passage (Matthew 22:36-40):

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Why is this important?

First, Jesus received His principles from Torah (Deuteronomy 6:3-5):

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

(Leviticus 19:18):

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Jesus thus believed that the most important commandments are Torah commandments.

Second, Christ encapsulates Torah in two pithy lines. By this, He is encourages and teaches, even begs, us to learn more Torah. How else shall we know what it means to love God and to love our neighbors except to find it in Torah? Is it left to every man to decide what it means to love God and love his neighbor, or are we not expected to research the Truth in God's Word? How shall we take these two Torah commandments to heart yet not seek Torah guidance to explain and extrapolate them? Shall it be that to "love God" or to "love thy neighbor" is whatever makes you feel good inside? Or, shall we allow these commandments to be defined by church leaders? Who shall tell us what they mean? Billy Graham? St. Paul? In fact, there is only one fount, and that is Torah itself.

The argument that Christ somehow changed Torah, by disabling it, or intervening with His own philosophies or doctrines, is obviously entirely untrue. Christ changed no commandment of God, and warned against teaching such things. Those who oppose Torah by supposing that Christ opposed Torah or any bit of it, are at best incorrect or, in the worst case, have already taken the Mark of the Beast. If anything, Christ is the living Torah, and is an example of one who has the Mark of God.

It should furthermore be strongly asserted that following Torah is not "legalism" in a negative sense, as it has come to mean in the anti-Judaic way. Instead, Torah is legally specific, letting us know what we need to do, and remaining silent where God expects nothing. The extent of one's duty to God is found in Torah. No man can add to it nor subtract from it. Thus, Torah is also the ultimate way to limit the power of tyrants over us. Torah is the last word.

Next >

__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
All rights reserved

"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

http://www.universityoftruth.org

The Mark - Chapter 5

The Mark
by
Tom Wise

__________________________________________________________________

5. Choosing God.

Choosing God is not always easy. It involves making life choices, having firm beliefs, staying strong, and standing up for the rights of others (naturally, this latter point is fraught with controversy). In doing so, you may be insulted, excluded, chased, or killed. This was the fate of Christ. This was the fate of the prophets. This is generally the fate of all who aspire to godliness while remaining peaceful. They are sheep to the slaughter, for the powerful are at war with God for supremacy, and at war with Truth for ideology. Those who are godless reject religion and persecute those who believe. Even those leaders who profess godliness rule with unrighteousness, poisoned by ambition, greed, paranoia, or megalomania. Thus, the godly must always be aware for the safety of their families, and for the state of their nation, even as they pray for the wisdom of their leaders, that is, for the fear of God which should overrule human nature.

From the preceding, it would appear that choosing God has no upside. Yet, Torah tells us specifically what to expect when we take or reject the Mark of God (Deuteronomy 11:22-28):

For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. Behold, I set before you this day blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

It might be argued that no one can say who will actually prosper and who will suffer. This argument has validity but there is a danger to it. For if we suppose that our actions have unguided consequences, we have not chosen God but have embraced savagery, especially if we decide for ourselves the extent of those consequences. On the other hand, if we believe that consequences are guided, then we acknowledge a power greater than ourselves (humility) and a responsibility to walk the path of greatest good rather than that of least resistance. In essence, choosing God is admitting that we would (naturally) rather be treated well than badly, and that the price for such compassion and latitude is reciprocity, that is, to follow the Golden Rule. God's Law teaches us this compassion and latitude, from the commandment to allow life ("thou shalt not murder") to the least nicety (but let us take notice that there is a limit to 613 commandments, which not only spells out our duty but disallows tyrants from creating new duties).

Thus, choosing God has many benefits. First, it increases the chance for reciprocity, which can only serve to improve daily interaction with others. Second, it places our leaders in the position to decide between right behavior and wrong behavior, and, when the people are righteous and alert they will not elect one who is unrighteous. When this happens, the people are happy and free. In America, even those who don't believe such things are free to indulge themselves. Only in an unrighteous land is there outright tyranny.

But there is more to choosing God than merely dealing with fellow-men. There is also a duty to God. This is where many part ways. For though we clearly see the advantage in treating others as we should like to be treated, there is often little or no visceral evidence that obeying God for the sake of obedience has any benefit. In fact, such behavior is often viewed as superstitious, superfluous, or damaging. If, for example, we do not keep the Sabbath, who is hurt and who is the wiser? Or, if someone is homosexual, why is that anybody's business?

We need to approach such things wisely. On one hand, there is no denying that if disobedience to commandments causes no one harm then those who disobey such commandments will cry foul, wondering why they are being persecuted. This causes us concern as creatures, since we fear anything that smells like tyranny. This also provokes our human compassion for the plight of another. However, it's not so simple. For on the other hand is the danger that if certain of God's commandments are discarded for any reason there will be no reason to believe that anything comes from God. The final step in such a journey would be to declare that men do not receive unalienable rights from God, only privileges from royalty and elite. Thus, today's freedom may become tomorrow's enslavement. It would therefore seem to be imperative to secure the rights of all rather than the comfort of a few.

Nevertheless, many who readily admit that the Golden Rule ("love thy neighbor") is necessary for civil rights, peace, liberty, and happiness do not also subscribe to the same practice between themselves and God. This they do for two reasons:

First, to remove from themselves any shackles of slavery which they perceive to be over and above that placed on them by the overwhelming morality of the Golden Rule. It is enough for them to refrain from the evils which they know to be abhorrent if roles were reversed. The idea is that they do what is necessary and no more. But this is incorrect, for they do far more. In their minds, they are animals in a wild world, but in actuality they do not act so much from instinct as from logical reasoning, which is our separation from the animals. For though the lower creatures follow the Golden Rule when it makes them safe or happy, they do not act with human practicality, only from a sensation of pain or pleasure which causes in them certain habitual behavior. The rest is instinct. The elephant, ant, salmon, black widow, and albatross are creatures which follow genetic codes for societal structure and individual behavior. Rare is the individual animal that deviates from the norm, and these are called abnormal. But man is a creature both of habit and creativeness. We can not only build, but we can also dream of new architectures, even bucking the naysayers who would remove progress (this does not, however, mean that all architecture or progress is godly). We are not forbidden by our Creator from thinking beyond the Golden Rule, or acting above the common good, though many things are to our peril. A new or different idea can be a blessing from the Creator. Some even call this "revelation," of which animals seem to have few, if any. My conclusion is that those who view the extent of their duty to mankind, self, and/or Creator limited to the Golden Rule are living a type of arrogant contradiction, for they believe their limitation to be a higher form of human expression than the freedom afforded from expansive thought. This would be true if the result of all free thinking (including freedom to worship and obey God) were only human misery, but we know that obedience to God brings freedom and happiness also. By contrast, no society which hinges on the whim of men can sustain for long.

Second, to remove from mankind that which they perceive to be societal shackles. For though they agree that the Golden Rule is a necessary device to keep themselves free from theft and harm, they do not agree that the Golden Rule is a creation of God. Since they are able to love their neighbor without loving God (or so they think), they have decided that the Golden Rule is a creation of man, and that God is also a creation of man, perhaps a higher power invented to enforce the basic rules of society. By extension, they view any commandment which is not explicitly for the benefit of humans (humanist) to be unnecessary. When such commandments are deemed to oppress certain peoples (for example, homosexuals), they decide that anyone who believes such commandments is a danger. These so-called atheists are not, but are instead anti-theists (against God) or anti-religionists (against those who espouse doctrines), bent on destroying the perceived destroyer. Of course, this is pure hypocrisy, and their endgame is a religion-free society, even by force (actually, there is no other way). Such things are no less than tyranny, against natural law and the Constitution of every free man. The problem, however, is that there is a kernel of truth to what they say, for some religions have been, and some religions are, oppressive.

Even those who are against obedience to certain of God's commandments are subjects of God. This, of course, does not absolve them for their disobedience, but they have a positive purpose. For if we withstand their assaults, our faith is purified. But those who fall will take the Mark of the Beast voluntarily, for they cannot handle being criticized, and they surrender to their embarrassment, compromising. They are ashamed for being "intolerant." It is, of course, irony that those who criticize so fiercely against certain religious beliefs are themselves intolerant. Let me say, however, that no religion should be tolerated if it continues in murder, sins, corruptions, and tyranny. On the other hand, every religion that refrains from such things should be tolerated, even if their beliefs hurt someone's feelings. The key is, how far should we go to protect religion? According to our Constitution, quite far. Not surprisingly, we find that many disagree, and attack the Christian religion especially. But with great double standard, those same people defend Islam's excesses. Naturally, there are good and bad in every religion, and we should differentiate, but there is a great blindness to reason in this regard, and it is due to the fact that many who believe the death of Christianity will solve their problems are quite angry, and will sacrifice the part of human freedom which stems from Christianity in order to pay off some vague debt of vengeance. The rest who argue this are Communists.

It is not important to discuss why the Bible considers, for example, homosexuality an abomination. Islam does as well. In fact, there is hardly a belief system which does not. To many, choosing God means accepting all things written. To others, it does not. This is personal choice. However, the problem comes when these choices become objects of contention, when those who believe spar with those who disbelieve, or when those who refrain clash with those who partake. Obviously, in a free society, those who believe all words should be free to do so, even as those who believe some other thing should be free as well. But when a minority is able to force the majority to acquiesce for the sake of special privilege, there is something wrong. For if laws favor the minority, then the majority becomes weak-willed to support the system. It is the majority which by numbers must be considered first. Of course, the minority and their supporters will cry loudly, but are we to sympathize only with those of less number? It has been proposed that the majority thinks itself privileged to rule, but is it not so? Who else shall it be? Do we swear into office the one with less votes? Thus, when a minority victory comes, unless it is an equalization of Constitutional rights, a special privilege is granted, a writ to despoil the majority. Then, when the tables are turned, it will become known if the oppressed becomes the oppressor. Is this provocative? Of course. But we must remain with our God-given rights rather than become exposed to the whims of cruel leaders. Now, it will be said that I do not defend the rights of the minority. Not so. When the majority is corrupt, removing the equal rights of the minority, there is no righteousness. Whether the black man is oppressed by the white man, or the Christian is oppressed by the Mohammedan, it is a shame against God.

What has this to do with choosing God? Everything. For when you choose God you will be subject to these storms, believer vs. non-believer, religion vs. religion, doctrine vs. truth. But even if you do not choose God, you cannot remove those who do.

Now, if God's promises are accepted, it should be understood that they are not kept immediately. This can be difficult when we understand that Satan's promises are founded upon instant gratification. God's commandments are not always easy nor do they always seem logical, and the quick and easy way of Satan is blinding and attractive, but there is a huge difference in the eventual payoffs. If you stick with God, the worst that can happen is that you live morally, within certain bounds. This will limit your sexuality, hedonism, greed, anger, and consumerism. Many people find these limitations to be boring, even dehumanizing. These feelings are true, but are manipulated by Satan in order to have you reject God. Now, if you go with Satan, though you be free to exploit your wildest fantasies, your eventual end will be bondage and slavery, first to your appetites, then to those leaders who feed those appetites. Abandonment of God always leads to the exploitation of the individual and the collapse of the society which does so.

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Copyright © 2009 by Tom Wise and Dennis Putnam, Jr.
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"The Mark" is available from Lulu Books: here.

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