Livelihood

1998-12-29 11:03:00

It's been an interesting day of posting. I have been touched by those of you who have shared your experiences.

There is "a new war" for us to fight, but this war will be different from a physical war and in many ways more difficult. The war will be against the ignorance of the sleeping masses and to wake them to the true opportunities of the dawning of a new age. (Note that I say new age rather than new agers.)

To make a person aware of the Mark of the Beast within him is extremely difficult. It takes much strength and power to shift a person's attention to the Name of the Father.

When it is accomplished both good and evil will result. The good part is that as you awaken one person from the hold of the Beast, a thousand more are brought a little closer to independence. The bad news is that many who want to remain in a deep sleep do not wish to be awakened and will struggle mindlessly to avoid the light. Just as one who is sleeping-in hates to have the light turned on, so too will the late sleepers of this age resist that which is inevitable.

All your comments today have been worthy of further contemplation. Several gave interesting additional possible quotes from those who have and don't have the Mark.

Then I asked the following:

"What leverage does the Beast have over us in the free world, which has almost as powerful of a hold as does the power of life and death? In fact some even take their lives when this rug is pulled out from under them."

Basically all your answers were somehow related to the answer I had in mind. The "Image of the Beast" or the totalitarian governments will take the lives of those who do not conform. But it is interesting that the Beast in the free world controls us through our "livelihood" which for many is just as effective as control by physical life or death.

Think of it. After a person has twenty years or so invested in a career he often becomes more terrified of losing his job than his life. We all know the story of the fired postal worker who goes crazy and shoots up the place then kills himself. If the Beast has power to dry up our resources of earning a living that power can generate all the control and fear that is necessary.

The inward desire to escape the power of the Beast or unjust authority is one reason so many people go into business for themselves. Many independent souls are willing to work harder and make less for the privilege of freedom from blind authority.

Someone else mentioned group or peer pressure. This too can be a strong tool of authority.

Someone else mentioned fear. All the tools of the Beast use fear to some degree. In fact the Beast uses illusion to blow the fear up far beyond what it should be. Loosing your job or the respect of your group should not be the end of the world, but many are deceived into thinking it is.

Now consider these questions:

How has business and the art of making a living evolved in the past 100 years in a positive way making it easier for some to move away from strong authority? On the other hand, how are many others even more tied down by the authority of the Beast than ever before?