Thoughts by Theophilus

[theophilus]

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5:1-5 ESV

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. By Einstein’s definition Simon’s response to Jesus was insane. Not only had he fished all night without results but he was a professional fisherman while Jesus was a carpenter. Logically he should have been the one telling Jesus how to fish.

In this case doing the same thing over again did produce different results.

And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
Luke 5:6-7 ESV

The large catch of fish was only the beginning.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Luke 5:8 ESV

The miracle opened Simon’s eyes to who Jesus really was. He recognized both his sinfulness and Jesus’ sinlessness and realized that he didn’t deserve to be in the presence of Jesus.

He was now called Simon Peter, not just Simon. When they first met Jesus had told him he would receive a new name.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
John 1:42 ESV

The name Peter means rock and Jesus was foretelling that he would undergo a change in character that would make him stronger and more dependable. The first step in that transformation had just taken place.

The greatest result of Simon’s decision was that he and his partners would leave the fishing business and adopt a completely new profession.

He and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:9-11 ESV

Why did Simon’s first and second attempts at fishing produce different results? The first time he was doing what he wanted to do; the second time he was doing what Jesus told him to do. God often commands us to do things that don’t make sense to us but obeying him always produces good results.

The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:25 ESV

And the insanity of God is more rational than men.

[theophilus]

Everyone who is familiar with the Bible knows that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Most don't realize that before this Abraham had been commanded to sacrifice his other son, Ishmael.

Ishmael’s birth was the result of Abraham’s impatience. God had commanded him to go to the land of Canaan and promised that there he would make a great nation of him.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Genesis 12:1-4 ESV

Ten years passed.

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.”

And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.

And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Genesis 16:1-4,15-16 ESV

Abraham probably thought that God’s promise to make him a great nation would be fulfilled through Ishmael but God had a different plan.

And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
Genesis 17:15-21 ESV

Abraham not only had to give up his hopes for Ishmael’s future but the time would come when God would command him to send Ishmael away.

Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”

And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
Genesis 21:9-12 ESV

When God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac he said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love.” Critics of the Bible claim that calling Isaac Abraham’s only son is a mistake but in fact Isaac was Abraham’s only son because Ishmael was no longer his heir.

God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael by sending him away; he commanded him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. The second would be harder to carry out. But God stopped him from offering Isaac; he did nothing to restore Ishmael. Abraham lost Ishmael permanently; of the two sacrifices this was probably the one that caused him the most sorrow.

[theophilus]

The word “doublethink” was first used by George Orwell in his novel 1984. It means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

Orwell invented the word but the practice existed long before he was born. First Kings 18 describes the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal to determine who is the true God. Here is what Elijah said to the people.

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”
1 Kings 18:21 ESV

Some of the people practiced doublethink by worshipping both Baal and the LORD. God condemned this practice and demanded that they choose one side or the other.

There is a form of doublethink that is widely practiced today.

Most people believe the world came into existence as a result of impersonal natural processes and the life that exists on it came developed over a long period of time by a process of evolution. Others reject this and believe the Bible’s account that God created both the earth and the life that exists on it. And some accept both explanations as being true.

I wonder what Elijah would say to this third group if he were on earth today? Perhaps it would be something like this: “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Bible is true believe it; if evolution is true believe it.”

The usual method of reconciling evolution with the Bible is to say that the first eleven chapters of Genesis aren’t literal history. The days of creation are really long periods of time and the story of Noah was a myth or an account of a flood that was local and not world wide.

This belief is often justified by claiming it will make it easier to convert unbelievers. People will be more likely to believe the gospel if they aren’t required to abandon their belief in evolution.

Here is something an atheist said on an internet forum that leads me to doubt the effectiveness of this strategy.

Using reason & logic, I have to reject the story of Noah as a truth. If I reject Noah’s ark as a truth, I cannot accept the genealogy of Jesus Christ as a truth. According to Luke’s gospel, both men are DIRECTLY linked via REAL people.

IF I reject the genealogy of Jesus Christ, then I cannot accept any other historical record (in the bible) about Jesus. I cannot be sure who he was, because the historical “records” are not be based on FACTUAL information.

Here is a comment by another atheist:

I can’t say it’s no longer used, because it is still used heavily – but the concept of “bible as the literal word of God” seems to be falling out of favor at a rapid pace in exchange for a much more liberal allegorical take in christian circles.

The problem here for Christians is that while at the moment it helps make their position seem more reasonable to those who don’t know better, down the line I see this as the loose thread poking out of the sweater… just begging someone to come over and pull.

I don’t think science will be the eventual undoing of this particular faith… I think they can manage it just fine for themselves once they have voided their own authority on their own beliefs.

Even atheists recognize the foolishness of trying to believe the Bible and also believe in evolution. The only way anyone will be able to convert either of these two is to prove to them that the theory of evolution is false and the Bible is true. Jesus said something that applies to this subject:

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
John 3:12 ESV

If we don’t believe what the Bible says about how the earth was created how can we expect others to believe what it says about how to get to heaven?

The reason so many people try to reconcile evolution and the Bible is the widespread belief that evolution has been scientifically proved to be true. Bible believers think they must either find a way to reconcile the Bible with evolutionary beliefs or abandon their faith in the Bible.

The claims made by evolutionists can’t be scientifically tested because they involve things which allegedly took place in the past. Most scientists begin their research believing that everything that exists came about by natural processes and without any kind of divine intervention and this influences their interpretation of the evidence they examine. When they find evidence against evolution they ignore it or interpret it to fit what they already believe.

There is scientific evidence against evolution and you can find some of it here:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v7/n4/ten-best-evidences

Here are two good sites where you can find more evidence:

http://www.piltdownsuperman.com/

http://scienceagainstevolution.info/index.shtml

[theophilus]

When someone bad happens to someone but good results from it the experience is sometimes called a blessing in disguise. But often people experience something that at first seems good but has harmful results. One example of this is people who have won a large amount of money in a lottery and then found their lives ruined as a result. I have never heard anyone call such an event a curse in disguise but it would be an accurate description.

One time Jesus encountered a curse in disguise but wasn’t hurt by it because he recognized it for what it really was.

The sequence of events that led up to the curse began with a visit to his hometown, Nazareth.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
Luke 4:16-22 ESV

He followed the reading with a sermon which upset the congregation.

And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”

And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
Luke 4:23-28 ESV

They disliked what he said so much they tried to kill him.

And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.
Luke 4:29-30 ESV

He then went to Capernaum, where his reception was completely different.

And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.

And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
Luke 4:31-37 ESV

Because the people believed in Jesus he was able to help them.

And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
Luke 4:38-41 ESV

But what happened next was actually a disguised curse.

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them.
Luke 4:42 ESV

To most this would appear to be an opportunity rather than a curse but look at how Jesus responded.

But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Luke 4:43-44 ESV

The people of Nazareth tried to kill Jesus; the people of Capernaum wanted him to stay with them. The responses were the opposite but they had one thing in common; they would have kept Jesus from accomplishing the work God had given him to do.

We can understand why Jesus wasn’t deceived but recognized the curse for what it was by looking at the experience of someone who was deceived.

When Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan he was under orders from God to destroy all of the inhabitants of the land and not make any treaties with them. The inhabitants of Gibeon sent a delegation to make a peace treaty by pretending they lived someplace else.

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly.

And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.”
Joshua 9:3-6 ESV

Here is the response to their deception.

So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
Joshua 9:14-15 ESV

When we encounter danger or difficulty it is natural for us to turn to God for help; when things seem to be going well we sometimes forget how much we need him. I am sure that all of us would be praying if someone was trying to kill us but how would we respond if someone offered us the same opportunity the people of Capernaum offered Jesus? Would we ask God for guidance or would we assume that the offer was a sign of God’s blessing on what we were doing?

Jesus was never deceived because he always looked to God for guidance regardless of the external circumstance of his life. We need to learn to do the same thing.

Originally Posted by theophilus

"To give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth; let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance." Proverbs 1:4,5 ESV.

Thanks for posting this inspirational thread ...
I particularly enjoyed reading the above verse ...
Repeatedly spilling wisdom & knowledge to deaf ears in reptitious topics has become old & boring as well as reading them ...
On to finding the more interesting yet challenging!

[theophilus]

The Bible contains many genealogies. They can be boring and when I read through the Bible I often skim over them without studying them in detail. But they do shed light on one very controversial issue regarding the interpretation of the Bible.

The first eleven chapters of Genesis are a history of the whole world. They tell how the world was created and describe events that affected the whole world, such as the flood and the building of the tower of Babel. Chapter twelve begins an account of the life of one man, Abraham, and the rest of the Old Testament is about him and his descendants.

There is disagreement about how the first eleven chapters of Genesis should be interpreted. Some think they tell of literal historical events; some think they are not intended to be taken literally and that real history begins with God’s call to Abraham (or Abram, as he was then called). The Bible’s genealogies show which interpretation is correct.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 ESV

Those who reject a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11 consider this the beginning of real history in the Bible. There is one problem with this view; this isn’t the first time Abram is mentioned. In the previous chapter he is listed among the descendants of Shem.

These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah. And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Genesis 11:10-26 ESV

How could a real, historical individual be a descendant of Shem unless Shem was equally historical? And if Shem was real the worldwide flood must have actually taken place. Chapter five traces Shem’s ancestry back to Adam. It is obvious that Moses considered Abram, Shem, and Adam to have all been real people and that he considered all of Genesis to be actual history.

The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles consists entirely of genealogies. They begin with Adam and end with a list of the people who returned to Israel after the Babylonian captivity. No distinction is made between the names taken from the first part of Genesis and those that came later. The author of 1 Chronicles considered all of Genesis to be equally historical.

Luke 3:23-38 contains Luke’s genealogy of Jesus. It goes all the way back to Adam with nothing to indicate that any part wasn’t historical. Luke accepted all of Genesis as being literal history.

If the people who wrote the Bible believed that all of Genesis is literally true why should we believe otherwise? The account of creation in Genesis is the foundation on which the rest of the Bible is built. Doubts about the truth of the foundation will eventually lead to doubts about all that is built on it. Here is something an atheist said about this on an internet forum.

I can’t say it’s no longer used, because it is still used heavily – but the concept of “bible as the literal word of God” seems to be falling out of favor at a rapid pace in exchange for a much more liberal allegorical take in christian circles.

The problem here for Christians is that while at the moment it helps make their position seem more reasonable to those who don’t know better, down the line I see this as the loose thread poking out of the sweater… just begging someone to come over and pull.

I don’t think science will be the eventual undoing of this particular faith… I think they can manage it just fine for themselves once they have voided their own authority on their own beliefs.

Even though he is an atheist he has a better understanding of the importance of Genesis than many Christians do.

Originally Posted by theophilus

It is obvious that Moses considered Abram, Shem, and Adam to have all been real people and that he considered all of Genesis to be actual history.

But what proof do we have that Moses wrote the books accredited to him? The fact remains that we have no proof that Moses ever existed.. So how can we say Moses considered anything?

I'm not trying to be a wise guy here. I'm just saying, if all of these books of the Bible were not written by who they say they were... and so much of the history is even flawed. How can we say this book is God's infallible word?

Yes we can pull out all sorts of "archeological evidences" but so many of them have been proven to be frauds or not even pertaining to people mentioned in the Bible... How can one reconcile this and still hold the Bible as "God's Holy Word?"

Please disregard this post. Made in error.

[theophilus]

Originally Posted by Mind's Eye

But what proof do we have that Moses wrote the books accredited to him?

There are many Christians who believe the Bible was inspired by God and that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and who also claim that the first part isn't literally true. The purpose of this post was to point out the inconsistency of believing both of these things.

[theophilus]

This is from Alexander Pope’s poem An Essay in Criticism.

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring.
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

(In Greek mythology the Pierian spring was a fountain which was sacred to the Muses and imparted learning to anyone who drank from it.)

There are times when having just a little learning about what the Bible says can be a dangerous thing.

Most people have heard of the mark of the beast and they know that it is associated with the number 666 but don’t know anything else about it. One result is that many people are afraid they will take the mark without meaning to and be eternally condemned as a result. Here are two examples.

The first is from a news story by UPI.

A Kentucky high school student athlete declined to participate in her team’s cross-country race after she was assigned the number 666, saying it would have gone against her religious beliefs.

The number 666 is often associated with the biblical “mark of the beast.”

The second is a post on a Christian forum.

Hey guys so I’m 17 and after high school I would like to join the military (AIR FORCE!!!) but I’ve read online they might start RFIDing soldiers. I’m worried if I do enlist I will be forced to get the chip and if it turns out to be the mark of the beast…well I’m done for I guess. So can someone tell me about this? Are they really going to do this? If so is the RFID chip the actual mark of the beast? I would appreciate any help I can get guys.

Are their fears justified? The best way to answer this question is to look at what the Bible actually says about the mark of the beast. First the beast is introduced.

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
Revelation 13:1-4 ESV

The beast will receive power and authority from the dragon, Satan, and will become an object of worship for the whole world.

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.

And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:5-10 ESV

Then a second beast is introduced.

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.
Revelation 13:11-15 ESV

Finally everyone on the earth is required to take the mark.

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

The mark of the beast will be given at a time when the beast is ruling the earth and is already requiring that he be worshipped. An order will be issued requiring everyone to take the mark. There will be laws in effect that forbid anyone without the mark to buy or sell. None of those conditions exist today so it isn’t possible for anyone to receive the mark now.

The number 666 will be associated in some way with the beast but now it is just a number like any other. It is simply one more than 665 and one less than 667. It might not even be the number of the beast. There are some manuscripts of Revelation that have the number 616 instead.

It is possible that taking the mark may include implanting an RFID chip as a means of identification but if that is true the chip itself won’t be the mark; it will only be a tool used to implement it. An RFID chip is simply a device that can be used for either good or evil purposes. Perhaps the beast will use it for evil; that shouldn’t keep others from using it for good.

Sometimes having only a little knowledge can be dangerous; the way to remove this danger is to acquire more knowledge. If you are afraid you might accidentally take the mark the best way to overcome your fear is to study Bible prophecy to learn more about what will happen in the future.

Here are two good sites that can help you:

http://compellingtruth.org/truth_End.html

http://raptureready.com/

Revelation 13:16-18 ESV