Hi Stan,
If anyone believes that it is important to identify the beast then they must realize it is just as important to identify the faults prophet.
The first definition of 'prophet' in Merriam-Webster is
one who utters divinely inspired revelations. So a prophet is an inspired teacher of the truth and so then a "false prophet" is someone who teaches against this truth or preaches heresy. The world is filled with these false prophets and yes they make the rules as who can do the buying and selling in Christendom.
These words 'buy' and 'sell' are symbols; selling is
when someone offers, hawks or dispenses something to others. As buying are
those receiving or obtaining something from the one selling.
When we no longer buy into and agree with their traditions, dogmas, and heretical teachings of their religious system - Christendom - Babylon, then you do not have their mark/stamp of approval. You will be cast out, ostracized and accused of being heretics and they certainly will not allow anyone to sell the TRUTH to their membership.
God draws us out of the worldly system and sells us His one and only TRUTH.
Isa 55:1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
v. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Rev 3:18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
And we haven't even toughed on the two witnesses.
Here is an excerpt from 'Twelve Truths to Understanding His Word' that will help you with the "two witnesses."
http://bible-truths.com/twelve.htm --------------------------
(A) "…that in the mouth of TWO OR THREE WITNESSES every word may be established" (Matt. 18:16).
(B) "…In the mouth of TWO OR THREE WITNESSES shall every word be established" (II Cor. 13:1).
(C) "And I will give power unto my TWO WITNESSES…" (Rev. 11:3).
This particular law of Scripture is constantly violated. We are to have at least a second witness to establish a Scriptural truth or doctrine.
Unfortunately, the Church does not follow this truth of God in establishing doctrine. Truth be known, orthodoxy has not even one witness to support any of their doctrines! Example: The Scriptures tell us that man is "mortal," not "immortal." They teach that man’s soul is immortal. Where do they have a Scripture to support this claim? No Scripture—no witness. Where is their second witness to this claim? No second witness. They will not be encumbered with Scriptures to support their damnable heresies and lies.
v
So do souls actually die, or are they immortal? A "soul" in Hebrew is a "nephesh." Does the Church have "two witnesses" that souls do not die? They don’t have even one. Well then, do we have two witnesses that tell us plainly souls do die?
Yes we do:
"…the soul [Heb: ‘nephesh’] that sins, it [the soul, the ‘nephesh’] shall die. (Say, isn’t that exactly what God taught us back in Gen. 2:17? Of course). (Ezek. 18:4). Doesn’t this then contradict both the lie of Satan and the Church?
"The soul that sins, IT SHALL DIE" (Ezek. 18:20).
Jesus tells us in parable of two great witnesses:
"Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which brings forth out of his treasure, NEW AND OLD" (Matt. 13:52).
What "new and old" treasures do "scribes" preserve for us regarding the "kingdom of heaven?" Why the NEW Covenant Scriptures and the OLD Covenant Scriptures, of course. And both the Old (Deut. 17:6 & 19:15), and the New (II Cor. 13:1 & Matt. 18:16) command that we must have two witnesses to establish every Word of God.
I will keep this truth short, as it overlaps with the next spiritual truth # 7 which requires that we compare and match spiritual with spiritual.
v
The purpose for comparing spiritual with spiritual is to find a spiritual match. There is a spiritual match for every symbol in the book of Revelation. This is a powerful truth that will open the whole Bible to us.
In the previous truth we learned the need for two witnesses. In this truth we will learn the need for those two witnesses to be a "spiritual match."
v
no witness can stand alone. We must have at least TWO WITNESSES to establish the truth of any doctrine. For the simple fact that orthodoxy absolutely refuses to give you a "spiritual match" to these Scriptures, it has enabled them to attach all kinds of unscriptural, extra-scriptural, anti-scriptural heresies to the above Scripture. Why won’t they give you a "second witness," and a "spiritual match" to the above Scripture? Because the only second witness which is a spiritual match to the above Scripture, destroys their whole pagan teaching regarding it, that’s why.
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mercy, peace and love
Kat