What exactly is mark of the beast? i know it is ...

oh it sounds like you were very close to your grandmother  such nice memories!

My grandfather was raised mormon and he came from a large family of 17 but in the 1930's he left Vermont and went out to California he also left mormonism at that time.

He still had his beliefs in G-d and taught my dad to seek god on his own meaning that he was not going to push religion on him.

Except the advice of what grandfather thought was false teachings in catholicism.

And that is what dad taught me too.When i was little i choose to be a baptist because in my child like thinking that's what John the cousin of the Messiah was LOL!

i think the most important thing is to listen to the still small voice when reading the bible and not listening to the voice of man(world)or the church.

Seventh day Adventist was a good start for it's time but we also follow the Feast of YHVH which the bible refers to as High Sabbaths.Because these are the days when knowledge is being increased like in the mid evil times people were uneducated learning was only for the wealthy and now we have computers and books and we can get knowledge on our own.

i think your grandmother was correct in many things i watched Mary Poppins as a little girl,

And there is magic and you might as well say it promotes witchcraft which Disney does on a big scale they make many movies about witches not Good.

There is a lot of evil on tv one friend of mine use to refer to it as the tree of Good and evil but i think it is more evil then good one has to be very careful.

Thanks for the talk Angelis

blessing's Shalom may you never stop seeking Gods Kingdom and His Righteousness!

Try this. Write out the alphabet. Now starting with A, label it 6. then B is 12. C is 18 and so on. when you have done this. Write the word computer and add up the numbers assigned to each letter. the sum is 666

exposing the Mark
Let's pause here for a moment and just think a bit how we could even have the right to take on this job of being witnesses of the LIVING Word, we being mere flesh persons.

The main reason we must be witnesses is because Yashua has told us that is what He expects of Children of His Kingdom. We see the witnesses in Rev 11, as they face the seat of Satan, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His Work, through their hands and mind. They, as mere flesh men have earned the right to help conquer Satan, by their total Faith. How did they get it? The same way we can. By listening and acting in faith solely on what Father has given us, HIS understanding of HIS WORD, and working against everthing else.


We can ONLY succeed if we increase our Faith, by UNDERSTANDING.
Now to make this thought plain, and the experience real, let's look at the falsity of a current teaching, which discernment-ignorant sheeple accept.

Namely that the "mark of the beast", is a chip, a bar code or a 666 stamped on you.

The understanding of Father’s Word is our DUTY, as children of the Kingdom. We cannot be the effective witnesses for Him without such understanding . This is how Faith must be increased, and His Kingdom come.

We have most certain surety that a proper understanding is available to us in His written Word. We have but to believe the clear statement that this promise is indeed given to us. Yashua has clearly said:

Luke 8:
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (KJV)

This promise is a means to both give us confidence that we CAN understand , but also a warning that we MUST hear only His truth, or we as individuals will LOSE what we think we have of understanding. Again, as with the simplicity of directing this concept to a small child, which we are in His Word, we are admonished in the letters of Paul and others that even though we as believers are granted the possibility of having the “mind of Christ”, remember that:

1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (KJV)

Thus Paul says the same thing as Yashua said, but places the warnings in the form of admonishments throughout his letters. This admonishment by Paul is basically to ‘be not carried away with every wind of doctrine’, but ‘prove those things we hear by the Scriptures’.

So what is this “MEANS” for understanding the scriptures? Well, for children of the Kingdom it had better be your MIND, your thinking processes , or you will surely become an orphan, as many do daily become orphans of the Kingdom, primarily due to laziness.

See, as children, lacking confidence, we are too often “peer pressed” into accepting what happens to be false doctrine, which of course has no Truth in the clear WORDS and INTENT of the ‘mind of Christ’, which He has given to us in the Written Word and that only.

This discernment , if you will, can come to us only one way. We must have the sure KNOWLEDGE that our minds, our thinking processes, are not darkened by “words without Wisdom”, and the CONFIDENCE, or FAITH that we can DISCERN the difference as necessary between mans thoughts and Christ’s thoughts.

As He has said, ’my sheep know my voice, and another they will not follow’. Thus children of the Kingdom will not accept lies.

The simplicity of this statement best not mislead you, for Christ taught us as little children. We have but to heed His words and believe them. To do this we first must have confidence and ask, as did David:, and Solomon for UNDERSTANDING . Understanding is what most young children cannot properly use, it’s their THINKING process, is it not?

Ps 119:73
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding , that I may learn thy commandments. (KJV)

Prov 2:2
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding ; (KJV)

Prov 4:7
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (KJV)

Eph 1:18
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (KJV)

I Jn 5:20
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding , that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (KJV)

But, in spite of this vast storehouse of knowledge we have for the asking, many LAZY children who will not Study to become approved of God, listen instead to the ignorance hatched in the MIND of some man, putting confidence where it must not be for a child of the Kingdom. In doing so, they lose the ability to properly discern, and their status as Children of the Kingdom.

As Paul says:

Eph 4:18
18 Having the understanding darkened , being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: (KJV)

Again, now, what is understanding ? Simply put, your thinking process .

Test and exercise your own “thinking process” or understanding now , on this passage:

Rev 13:16-18
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV)

Do you have understanding ? Do you have a mind? Can you read and comprehend?

Lets look in the Word. The very fact that we cannot find a second witness to what the ‘mark of the beast’ in words that are pleasing to us, has resulted in the certain lie. That is, somehow, something physical and mysterious can defile you so that you become unacceptable to God.

We CAN prove from the WORD, however, what this ‘mark’ IS NOT , so lets see what Yashua said about physical things, to the “learned TV preachers of the day“, the Pharisees:.

Mark 7:13-16
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. (KJV)

Now hear this. Do you have understanding ? What comes out of a man but his thoughts, and their product in the physical world, his works?

Further reading will show the obvious. The mark is the mark of a man. See that ?
The mark of a man.
Rev 13:
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man ; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV)

Thus whether the mark is or is not physical is of no consequence to the children of the Kingdom, either way, for we know the truth.

We need to continually mature in the Word of God, as Children of the Kingdom, because a prime duty we presently have is to show the falsity of the words of man. Do you need more understanding ? Then keep studying with your mind, really its OK, not only that, its required to enter the Kingdom. Use your 'forehead'. God Gave it to us to use, not to bang it against a wall.
The "Mark of the beast" therefore is to put the words of man, any man in the place of the will of Father.   Study, and do not be fooled by the man of sin, Satan himself, when he comes, for he surely will. 
Now, we see that IF the mark of Rev 13 was totally physical , such as a credit card, digital or not, implanted in you or not, tattooed on you or not, it BY ITSELF could not spiritually defile you to God. This is plain by
Mark 7:
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. (KJV)
Things coming out of a man (originating inside him) can defile him or not, depending on what their nature is. Thus it is the mind, or seat of knowledge which is meant here in Mark. The seat of knowledge of a Child of the Kingdom must belong only to God. His Holy Spirit dwells there. The mind of another child can place things above God, and worship (honor) other gods, (Satan).
This warning in Rev 13 is not just for some future time. We are warned as early as the book of Exodus to not make gods of gold (money, mammon etc.) This warning is oft repeated in the Gospels and Epistles.
Our God is a Jealous God. He wants you to remember where your blessings come from.
Now as you are well aware, we have to have money to pay bills. Thats why the statement in the NT that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. We don't worship money, we use it as a necessity. We have to live in this world until He returns. We are to be good citizens of the world, AS WELL as worthy citizens of the Kingdom of God. Just like Daniel and His 3 friends were when in babylon.
They were slaves to the King of babylon, He fed them and provided their sustenance, but never worshipped him as a god, even in word. Thus, We must/will never bow down to worship other than God.
1 Cor 3:16
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (KJV)
2 Cor 6:16
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV)
Thus the mind is the Temple of God.
Now, back to Rev 13. Here we have the appearance of the False messiah, topped by Satan Himself, disguised as the angel of light.
The warning is :
II Th 2:1-4
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 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;
4 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 G od, shewing himself that he is God. (KJV)
Now remember where the Temple is? Its your mind. Know the difference.
The Antichrist will come in peacefully, riding a white horse, posing as
messiah, and will deceive many, by his miraculous deeds. (Dan 11:21-23, Mark 13:14-25, Rev 13:11-18).
The defiling "mark" being not physical, is shown as follows.
Note especially
Rev 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.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV)
"mark"
Strong's # 5480 charagma (khar'-ag-mah);
from the same as 5482; a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude ), or scupltured figure (statue):
KJV-- graven, mark. (DIC)
"sell"
Strong's # 4453 poleo (po-leh'-o);
probably ultimately from pelomai (to be busy, to trade); to barter (as a pedlar), i.e. to sell:
KJV-- sell, whatever is sold. (DIC)
"buy"
Strong's # 59 agorazo (ag-or-ad'-zo);
from 58; properly, to go to market, i.e. (by implication) to purchase; specially, to redeem:
KJV-- buy, redeem. (DIC)
"count"
Strong's # 5585 psephizo (psay-fid'-zo);
from 5586; to use pebbles in enumeration, i.e. (generally) to compute:
KJV-- count. (DIC)
"number"
Strong's # 706 arithmos (ar-ith-mos');
from 142; a number (as reckoned up):
KJV-- number. (DIC)
Thus the defiling "mark" will be in your mind-- the only other place this word "mark" is used in the Bible is in Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (KJV)
"Buy and sell" are the same greek words and context used only above, after Jesus cursed the fig tree, and in the parable of the wise and foolish Virgins. Mark 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats
of them that sold doves; (KJV)
Remember the parable of the 10 virgins? They were all 'christians" they were "virgins', espoused to Christ, but 5 did not have enough "oil" or His truth when the time got short. They went to Satan's deception to "buy" some of his oil for their temple by "selling" their souls.
Matt 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for
yourselves. (KJV)
 
"count" is used only in Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (KJV)
How Do we have enough truth to get through the famine of the end times?
Amos 8:11
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: (KJV)

666 in the Bible:
Just Who is "Mr. 666" (six hundred sixty-six)???

Many commentaries on the meaning of 666, also known as six hundred sixty-six, have stated that any time a triple redundant number (in this case, the three sixes constituting 666) is given, it is to emphasize the nature, or the essence implied, by the particular number that is redundant (in this case, the number "6").

Six (6) has been regarded as the number of man (who was created on the 6th day)---sinful and imperfect [as opposed to the number seven, which signifies perfection—ie, God, WHO, after completing His creation, rested on the seventh day (you might say that He entered into His own rest after completing a perfect work---something man is incapable of doing unless he adheres to the will of God, and ‘fulfills all righteousness’)]. Six is also the number signifying those things false , as will be shown next.

An evaluation of Biblical Hebrew
Using the system of Gematria, ostensibly what John the Apostle had in mind when referring to "666" in writing Revelation , one of the two words in Hebrew for which the numbers representing the letters add up to 6 is the word with the letters
** which is, according to Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament , "trifles, falsehoods, great words," as found in Job 11:3; Isaiah 16:6, and Jeremiah 48:30.

Gesenius also includes the plural of this word **
which means "liars ," "soothsayers " and "false prophets ," as given in Isaiah 44:25 and Jeremiah 50:36.

The letters of that plural form add up to 616 . This number is important for consideration because, apparently, there has been some confusion as to whether the number of the "beast" of Revelation 13:18 is 666 or 616 ( New American Bible , footnotes to Revelation 13:11-18).

The number 616 was thought by many to signify, at the time of the writing, the Roman Emperor Nero who, indeed, was no friend of Christians and the Church. The name of the Emperor Nero has been used to signify rulers who persecute the Church and Her people, as well as the power of an all-encompassing state, which likewise lends itself to persecution of the Church and Her people.

So, what else can this mean?
We will either be consecrated to God and His Heavenly Kingdom, or we will be consecrated to satan and his hellish principality. Our "Yes" will truly be a "Yes," and our "No" will truly be a "No." We will either have Christ the King as our "King of hearts," with the Holy Spirit in the temple of our inner, private "sanctuaries," or we will have the inferior alternative, who is the father of lies.

If satan is enthroned in the middle of our inner sanctuaries, he will be so in a most insidious (ie, "hidden" ) manner. Satan, being the liar that he is, will beguile us into thinking that we have a "higher self," and thus no need for God ( Genesis 3:1-5). Satan, and any of his children ( John 8:44) who will have long since "fallen" for this ultimate lie, will continue to encourage people to ‘let their conscience be their guide.’

Indeed, each person is supposed to follow their conscience, BUT ONLY IF IT IS FORMED IN TRUTH ( Catechism of the Catholic Church , elements 1783-1802). Should a person with a malformed conscience continue to listen to what will ultimately be an inner, false oracle, it will be as if the person is enthroning this "guide" in the private "sanctuary" of their inner being , where the Holy Spirit should reside instead (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). Such a "guide," actually being an unclean spirit, cannot co-exist with the indwelling of the Trinity. To do so would be to mix darkness with light, which is impossible.

If a person persists in listening to an ultimately false oracle of a malformed conscience, then the Trinity, at some point will in effect say "Let us remove hence" (cf Josephus’ Wars of the Jews , Book VI, Chapter V). At that point (a) false oracle(s)/"prophet(s)" will have, for all intents and purposes, taken residence in a person’s inner (hidden?) "sanctuary" in the place of God (2 Thessalonians Ch.2; 1 Corinthians 8:5; 2 Timothy 3:1-9). That person will have essentially taken the "mark of the beast," because satan will, for all intents and purposes, be ruling the person through his "deputy" (a person’s lying, false, malformed conscience). At the very least, they will likewise become something false, with lies issuing from them like frogs (unclean spirits) from a false prophet ( Revelation 16:13-14).

Should enough people reach this point of spiritual disfigurement, certainly lies and untruths (click HERE for additional information) will proliferate to such an extent throughout society that satan will be doing just fine ruling through all his "children." Certainly, at that point, chances are pretty good that an ultimately wicked individual or individuals will come to rule the world.

The rule of satan would indeed be very "hidden." Given the occult (which means "hidden" (click HERE to see) nature of the allegedly "higher knowledge" many people seem to be after these days [ie, through consulting of astrologers , palm readers, Tarot cards, psychics , transcendental meditation, "guided imagery" exercises in order to contact their "inner advisor" (in order to ‘let their conscience be their guide’), and the like], perhaps this is why one of the few Hebrew words in scripture that adds up to 666 is the proper name " **

[transliterated as "Sethur " ( Numbers 13:2, 13) which means "hidden "] . This proper name is actually derived from the word " **

which is the more widely word meaning "to be hidden"; "to lie hidden" or "to hide oneself"; and also "hidden things, secrets."

So how do we know who to avoid or watch out for??

A person must adhere steadfastly to the Truth. Only by adhering to Divine Wisdom will we have any chance at all of "calculating" the number of such a "man." We "calculate" it primarily by knowing how to discern Truth from Untruth. Only by doing so will we know how to "know" the difference, and avoid the darkness, which will come only by the grace of God’s Mercy and Justice working together ( Psalm 85:11) in our hearts and in our lives.