Appeasing established guidelines and rules to be all things to all people.

Acts 21:23-24

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.” Acts 21:23-24

In Jerusalem, the leaders of the way of Jesus Christ [which included Peter and James] had specific guidelines that they wanted Paul to follow while in Jerusalem. That was done for the benefit of the Jewish people who acknowledged Jesus as the Christ and Son of God but held to the practice of circumcision and other such laws. It was blasphemy [by Jewish laws] to acknowledge that forgiveness of sin came through Jesus Christ and not the laws of Judaism and could be punished by death. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem wanted Paul to be purified according to Jewish law, along with four other men. They were hoping that would appease the non-believing Jewish culture, but as we learn in the post on Acts 21:27-29, it didn’t work. The Jewish people came near to beating Paul to death and were trying to kill him.

The vow being spoken about is the Nazarite vow, as described in Numbers 6:1-21. That was a vow of purification to God and required going a period of time without cutting the hair on their head. After the required period of time was up, they would make a sacrifice to atone for their sin and then would cut their hair. The sacrifice was a financially expensive one, consisting of one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering and one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as sin offerings, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings. The four men with Paul were too poor to pay for the sacrifices so Paul paid their expenses.

Paul explains what it means to appease today’s unbelieving culture while acknowledging Jesus as Lord and Savior. This has to do with the effort to win some to Jesus Christ, as quoted, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

In today’s world, there is the beast that governs through people’s thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. That beast expects people to deny God, to turn away from Jesus Christ, and to fight against the presence of the Holy Spirit. As followers of Jesus Christ, we will never appease and try to be all things to all people if it means denying Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The beast that gives people what to speak and do gives breath/life to the image of the beast to speak by speaking and living through people everywhere. Today’s culture despises any attempt to bring Jesus close to them as they are groomed to the mark, name, and number of the beast by what they are given to say and do. That is why Christians and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are driven out of today’s social network.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11