The use of force is an issue that will confront every person in the very near future, so while we have the freedom to do so, it is important that we take the time to understand it’s import, especially because it pertains to the implementation of the mark of the beast. Satan’s kingdom is based on the use of force, and when contrasted with Christ’s modus operandi, a very stark difference can be seen. For instance, Christ is pictured in Bible as standing at our heart’s door, knocking, and hoping for entry. But since the door handle is on the inside, the choice is ours, to let Him in, or to keep Him out.
But under no circumstances will He ever push down the door and force Himself upon an unwilling heart. This manner of working is characterized in His every
interaction with the human family, and there are several passages of scripture which demonstrate clearly, Christ’s respect for the freedom of choice He has given us; not as a right, but as a freedom. Let’s read:
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak.
1st Samuel 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us.
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
However, in stark contrast to Christ’s manner of working, are satan’s methods, which are based on the use of force. For instance, satanic agencies will not hesitate to kick down the door of the heart, and force themselves upon one who hates them. He will take up residence in the mind of one who deeply resents his presence, and he is perfectly fine with that sort of arrangement.
Hence the reason why the mark of the beast has as its core principle, “The use of force”, for he is willing to starve to death, anyone who does not worship according to his dictates, and if millions are forced into a false system of worship they deeply resent, he has no problem with that.
In civil matters in which the actions of one person adversely affects the lives of others, enforcement is warranted. For instance, the statutes made against speeding, drinking and driving, taxation, and orderly conduct, etc., are well and good, and Christians are duly instructed in the Bible to obey the laws of the land in which they dwell. But in those matters of conscience, such as one’s religious persuasions, the eating of kosher meats, and what one does in their bedroom, are matters between the individual and God, and although there are set consequences for our actions, yet God has given to each person, the freedom to choose.
Rape, martyrdom, competition, and abortion, each have as their core, operating principle, the use of force. Therefore, it is of critical importance for us as Christians, to abide by the principles, and methods employed by Christ, and never resort to coercing the conscience of any, who are unwilling to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. The methods employed by devils are summed up in precis form, by the servant of The Lord, and since we are on the very brink of the times spoken of in Revelation chapter 13, it will be good if we can understand the issues that are at stake. Let’s read:
[The Desire Of Ages. pp 435>436] The strife for the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit which was the beginning of the great controversy in the worlds above, and which had brought Christ from heaven to die. Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifested in unselfish ministry. Lucifer desired God's power, but not His character. He sought for himself the highest place, and every being who is actuated by his spirit will do the same. Thus alienation, discord, and strife will be inevitable. Dominion becomes the prize of the strongest. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a steppingstone on which he himself may climb to a higher place.
One of the reasons why we need to be very careful of the use of force, is because it is often paraded under the guise of achieving something good. But, in matters of conscience, something being good, in and of itself, does not warrant the use of force, for the freedom of choice should always be sacredly guarded by those in high and low places. When king Nebuchadnezzar was finally convinced that Christ is King in the heaven and earth, his acknowledgement of the fact was a good gesture. But then to threaten to cut folks in pieces if they spoke anything against God, was to employ satan’s core principle of force, in trying to achieve good.
For example, as Christians, we would be overjoyed if there was voluntary prayer in schools, especially if those prayers were being made to Jesus Christ. But to try to force everyone to pray to Jesus is contrary to scriptural methods, even as praying is an upright practice. Similarly with worship, for it is good, and acceptable in the sight of God for created beings to worship Him, but to enforce good worship is just as bad as enforcing bad worship, since the use of force is the underlying, motive principle being employed. Let’s read:
During the last eight years of America’s history, it is a well-documented fact that some tried to force the conscience of Christians on alternative marriages, and gender issues, in so much that laws were made pertaining to “Bathrooms”. Now, on the flip side we need to be careful of going to the other extreme, by mandating our interpretation of righteousness, for satan works on both sides of the fence. To force evil or righteousness upon unwilling minds, is a product
satanic agencies, and it should be shunned like the plague. Let’s read:
Daniel 3: 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king,
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Thus, for our study today, we will delve into what many consider a very sensitive issue, as it pertains to the freedom of choice, and the use of force. It is now legal in several states to have abortions, and millions of people guard jealously, a woman’s right to choose. Now, it is true that God has given to man and to woman, the freedom of choice; however, no person, however miniscule, should be preemptively deprived of his, or her God given freedoms by any other individual, without their prior consent.
However, we do acknowledge there are some gray areas, such as rape, incest, etc., in which God alone is the final arbiter. But what we must address is the overarching principle which now permits persons to use their own discretion in the taking of life.
This raises an important question in the discussion of a woman’s right to choose: “When does a person begin to exist? At the zygote, embryo, or fetal stage of development? And if the Biblical designation of a person begins at the zygote stage, then the real question to be answered is, “should that miniscule person be deprived preemptively of the freedom of choice? In other words, should the use of force, via abortion, be implemented, and by so doing, prevent the unborn person from ever exercising their God given freedom of choice?
For answers, we turn to the scriptures, because the very essence of this same issue will soon be played out on the wider world stage, but in the context of religious liberty, as the issue of the enforcement of right or wrong worship takes center stage. In other words, if we were to conclude that a person has the freedom to kill another, based upon their personal assessments, or rationale, then we will also come to the very same conclusions when it pertains to the enforcement of a particular brand of worship. Thus, at main issue in this instance, is the moral law of God which says “Thou shalt not kill. Let’s read:
Your developing baby
First trimester (week 1-week 12)
Your baby's brain and spinal cord have begun to form.
The heart begins to form.
Arm and leg buds appear.
Your baby is now an embryo and one-twenty-fifth inch long.
At eight weeks:
All major organs and external body structures have begun to form.
Your baby's heart beats with a regular rhythm.
The arms and legs grow longer, and fingers and toes have begun to form.
The sex organs begin to form.
The eyes have moved forward on the face and eyelids have formed.
The umbilical cord is clearly visible.
At the end of eight weeks, your baby is a fetus and looks more like a human. Your baby is nearly 1 inch long and weighs less than one-eighth ounce.
Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Luke 1:11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women.
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
However, in some states, abortion is the law, and it is left up to the individual’s rationale to determine the application of God’s law which says “Thou shalt not kill”. But in the larger context, the same type of reasoning will be used, when it comes to another of God’s laws which says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. If our personal or national rationale is made the determining factor in “Thou shalt not kill, then the same mode of thought and action will be implemented with “Remember the Sabbath day”. And thus, the use of force will be employed to enforce our own rationale, as it pertains to worship. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
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.
In closing, let us remember that when any person presumes to deny the God given freedoms which pertain to conscience, and one’s relationship with God, that person is thereby attempting to make himself a god, for the usurpation of God’s authority is akin to sitting in the seat of God. Thus, we close with a pertinent scripture against all such actions. Let’s read:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
God bless!