Page 66 - The Mark of the Beast

Hebrews 5:8-9
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of
eternal salvation...

Luke 24:26
"Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His
glory?"

Even as it was necessary for the Son of God to suffer, so too those who would be
conformed to His image must suffer. As you look at the church today what do you see? Do
you see a message of suffering? Do you see all the saints embracing the working of the cross
and coming to a greater reflection of Christ? Sadly, and tragically, these things are rare, and
most of those who profess to be followers of Christ are not following Him at all. They are
living for pleasure while seeking to avoid the suffering that must attend the formation and
revealing of the image of God in mankind.
I think it is significant that there is such a great number of women who are aborting
their babies in this day. In this is a picture of the church. John describes the church as a
harlot, and like a harlot many women have sought out various lovers, and multitudes have
become pregnant. Yet these women do not desire to experience the discomfort of
pregnancy, or the pain of childbirth. In the same way the church seeks to avoid all that will
bring her discomfort or pain. She wants to continue to enjoy the pleasure of her lovers, and
she wants to appear attractive in a fleshly way. So she aborts, or casts out, all those sons that
are growing to maturity within her womb, caring not whether they perish. She has not set
her eyes upon the desires of the One to whom she is wed. She does not care to produce
offspring after His likeness, but only wants to continue in her pleasures and her harlotry.
The wrath of God will surely come upon a people who so treacherously kill their
offspring in order to live for pleasure, yet an even greater judgment is reserved for a church
who has sold herself to wanton pleasure and who refuses to bring forth offspring after the
image and likeness of Christ. A church who aborts all those who are growing and maturing
within her and discards them as some piece of unwanted tissue.
Yet, Christ does have a remnant! So much is bound up in these words. Christ does
have a remnant who have come out of the great harlot, and more are coming out every day.
Great is the patience of God, and as eager as we may be to see the sons of God revealed, we
should consider the patience of God to be salvation for many.
Can you see the great error of the church today? A multitude of saints are being turned
away from the cross by ministers who tell them to enjoy a good life while awaiting being
raptured to heaven. They are not told that they live in an age where suffering must be the
portion of all who would be conformed to Christ. The Scriptures state:

II Timothy 3:12
Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Yahshua will be persecuted.

All! None are exempt! But many Christians have made themselves to be friends of the
world. A world that lives for pleasure has no problem with Christians who also live for
pleasure. As long as the Christians do not inhibit, or speak against, the wanton pursuit of
pleasure that the world is set upon, the world will abide these carnal Christians. As the