A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Thursday, April 25, 2013  A beautiful natural wreath hanging on the side of our friend's stone farmhouse.  Listen to this message on your audio player. (Note: Due to time constraints this message will not be available through the podcast till mid-afternoon)"The Mark of the Beast" "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead" (Revelation 13:16). I accepted Christ in the early 70's. At that time there was a very popular interest in the return of the Lord with numerous books written on the topic such as Hal Lindsey's, "The Late Great Planet Earth" which was similar in popularity to the "Left Behind" series which was popular about ten to fifteen years ago. It seems that the degree of this popular interest has varied over the last forty years. Those who have followed Christ longer than I or those who have studied church history realize this has always been the case. Of course earnest Christians should always have a firm belief in the return of the Lord and a well-balanced interest in the last-time events. However there has always been a tendency to see significance in certain events as signs of the end. This sells books and draws crowds. Many will recall a book from 25 years ago titled, "Eighty-eight reasons Christ will return in 1988." The author, who is now deceased, had an elaborate conjecture as to significance in a variety of signs and specifically predicted the return of the Lord. More recently a radio preacher, Harold Camping and his fringe followers made a lot of headlines with very specific dates for the second coming just several years ago. Having said that, I do believe there are bigger picture events and advances in technology that are very interesting to apply to what the Scripture says about the end times. For instance, of all the geography on the earth, why is so much of the turmoil in the Middle East, specifically in the very region around Israel? Believers who seriously read their Bible have pondered the daily verse for centuries: "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead." This "mark" is known as the "Mark of the Beast." It's a very specific and unambiguous statement, but we wonder to what does it apply? That's a matter of numerous interpretations that have varied through the years, often depending upon current technology. However there are amazing advances in technology that certainly again lend to conjecture on this matter. For instance small chips were placed in the shoes of runners in the Boston Marathon to track their progress and of course having the capability of pinpointing precisely where the runner is. If you carry a cell phone it can also do that which in some circumstances could be a great blessing. But I sure do wonder as I consider applications of this technology to the daily verse and end time events as foretold in the Bible. Here's a note from a study Bible, "This mark has nothing to do with credit, as is often taught today. In a credit system, everyone must have a different number. In this case, everyone has the same number. The purpose of the mark will be to serve as a sign of identification of those who will own the Antichrist as their god. Only those who have this number will be permitted to work, to buy, to sell, or simply to make a living. The verse does not speak of credit cards, banking systems, a cashless society, a one-world money system, or computers, etc." "It is certainly within the realm of possibility for the mark to serve both as a single identifier of allegiance to the Beast and a globally unique identifier. All that is required is to combine an outward visible mark (indicating shared allegiance) with an invisible digital code (indicating unique identification). The external mark would function to readily cull the obedient from the disobedient while the invisible code would provide the necessary means for digital monetary exchange in the controlled economy of the end. As is typical of Satan's schemes, the unique identifier would provide numerous benefits which would also serve as motivation to take the mark. The cost of refusing the mark is not just the risk of one's life, but also the inability to participate in the global market. The details of the mark are not revealed by Scripture." Whatever happens God is in absolute control and His divine purpose will be fulfilled in prophecy. Our main call today remains as Paul stated in Acts 20:24, "the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." I read with interest events and technology advances that appear to have an impact on prophecy. But I know my main call has not changed and will remain right up to the time that I am either called to heaven at my death or if I hear the "trumpet call of God" while I am still living on this earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Let us all stay faithful! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we are at peace because You are in control. We thank You for the Word of God which prepares our hearts for whatever time period You have ordained for us to live. Above all, we must be diligent and faithful, serving You all the days of our life and all the while "testifying to the gospel of Your grace." How blessed we are! Amen.Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The King Is Coming" Video Gaither Vocal Band "Midnight Cry" Video Charles Billingsley "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" Video |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber(Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 4/24/13: $7,089.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday. To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below. However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!
| You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery. Forward to a Friend | Manage Subscription | Subscribe | Unsubscribe |  |
