How Greg Laurie Explains 666

Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest (mega)Church in Riverside, is currently teaching on Revelation subjects.

In explaining the mark of the beast he says that everything will be centered on Satanic worship (excerpt from a Christian Post article on Laurie’s teaching):

“The Antichrist is going to introduce a cashless society… The endgame of this is to cause people to engage in devil worship.”

About the changing global economy, the pastor quoted a financial expert as telling Fox News, “The real reform is some kind of a banking union where everyone signs on board, that there’s going to be some kind of a banking overlord, a banking union that everyone’s gonna have to bow down to.” Can this actually happen? Actually, it can, Laurie said. “And the leader of it will be the antichrist, and he will have his mark.”

Laurie added, “The antichrist’s economic policy will be very simple. Take my mark and worship me, or starve to death… No mark, no merchandize… No seal, no sale.”

The technology to do this is already here, the pastor said. A June 1, 2012 headline from New York Daily News read, “‘Human bar code’ could make society more organized.” The article said, “Microchip implants have become standard practice for our pets, but have been a tougher sell when it comes to the idea of putting them in people.”

“Am I saying that this technology will be the mark of the beast? No, I’m not,” Laurie cautioned. “I’m just saying the ability to technically pull this off exists.”

We don’t know when the tribulation period will begin, five or 20 years from now, Laurie said. But with the technology today, we know all this is “totally plausible.” But let’s not overreact, Laurie advised. Not every stamp put on someone’s hand by some authority is the mark of the beast. Or, if an office building’s number is 666, that’s not the mark of the beast.

While we do not know exactly when the mark of the beast will appear, we know this though that a great delusion will come upon the world and many will believe the lie leading to their destruction, as 2 Thessalonians 2:9 warns. Destruction will happen “because they refused to believe the truth that would save them.” At the time of the tribulation, they will choose to believe in a lie that the antichrist is “God,” Laurie said.

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I have never taken a particular interest in speculating about the mark of the beast, but I am inclined to think it will not necessarily be a physical item.  It might be something like a membership, a citizenship, an ideological affiliation, a participatory involvement in worshiping the system.  It will probably be mandatory, but people will do it based on their own volition in order to participate in the global market.

In a post-trib or mid-trib rapture scenario, how will Christians react to this system?  Will they be required to make a confession against their faith and participate in satanic worship, therefore declaring apostasy?  Will they be able to still participate in the global market as an “underground” Church?  What happens if they repent after being marked by the beast?  Is that repentance even possible?

These are just some of the issues that make this subject difficult.  One thing is certain.  If the Church is still here when the Antichrist and his false prophet come on the scene, authentic believers who belong to God will not join them.

The children of God are set apart by God and the Spirit that is in them will testify that they belong to God.  The end will be near for them.  Their glorification will be at hand.

12 comments on “How Greg Laurie Explains 666

  1. I hope we will not be here when God pours out His wrath on the earth, because I don’t think anyone can stand when God pours out His wrath. RFID chips are already everywhere, they are on merchandise in warehouses for easy tracking, for anti theft measures, and soon they will start going into our homes on items that we purchase, so that manufacturers can track their product’s usage, and the day will come when they will be implanted in humans and people will accept it because they will buy into whatever the argument for it will be at that time.

    How about if they give us all a smart phone with a chip first, how many people will turn that down? And then slowly….

    By the way, I have always wondered how other eschatological views dispose of Revelation 13:16 referring to the sign on the hand or forehead?

    However it happens, and whenever it does happen, you are right to point out that God will sustain His true children to the very end, I just hope I won’t be around to see it 🙂 …nor my kids

    • I have lots of difficulty in Revelation because of the symbolism and other interpretative challenges. So I usually give a big smile when I am presented with some brother who is a “specialist” in Revelation… 🙂 They know nothing about the doctrines of grace or Trinity… but they understand Revelation. 🙂

      The sign on the hand or the forehead may very well be literal. We do not know. We have so many other things to deal with in Revelation which may or may not be literal… hard to know…

  2. I really doubt that the sign is a chip… it has to be a lot more than that,,, that will put you outside of God’s mercy… it is demonic…. something that the canaanites had…..that God had to destroy even the children…and please …no “welcome Chuck Missler” anymore 🙂

    And the 666 might only be a wrong translation… or wrong reading…
    Some say that if you look at the signs it resembles the 3 signs of the muslim faith ….

    That religion has to play a major role in the end times …. Ishmael will not be just a nobody ….

    • I tend to agree that we are talking about much more than a physical mark…

      BTW you may have made an error in your comment….

      If the Canaanite children had this mark… and they were outside God’s mercy, how can they be saved?

        • The argument that the sons of God represents angels is a fairly strong one in my opinion. However, the NASB translation would seem to leave open the possibility that the Nephilim were there prior to the children of these unions. Regardless, Genesis also says the children ‘were the mighty men of old, men of renown’. It still refers to the offspring as men….Since the Nephilim were on the Earth after the flood as well, your point of view it would suggest that Noah was also a descendent and then also outside the grace of God?

    • It is a longer discussion… nephilims , spirits, dormant genes, Aleister Crowly, rock and roll, demon possession.. suicidal pigs, I hope that answers it.. 🙂

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