Are Beards The Mark Of The Beast?

[n david]

Originally Posted by Aquila

I do see what you're saying. But seriously contemplate the following with me...

How can something be made into an idol when there is no prohibition for it in the Scriptures???

You could say that of a lot of things. Even things which we were discussing earlier. There's no prohibition for creating organizations in the Bible, yet we agree that one could make an organization their idol.

There's no prohibition for eating or many other things. Yet an idol isn't about the prohibition of something. An idol is anything which comes between a person and God.

Beards don't have to be prohibited to be an idol. If a man uses that as a basis to not attend church, it has become an idol.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Many who are troubled by the beard standard have a deep love and a passion for the Bible.

I don't doubt they do. And if they do have a deep love and passion for the Bible, they would (or should) understand then that the Pastor has been put in this role by God and has the responsibility to watch for their souls and give account of them to God.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Let's be Bereans, NDavid. Let's search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. If the Scripture doesn't have a beard standard... then the standard is a human addition to Scripture, a doctrine of man. If someone put such additional human teachings in a book and called it the, "Apostolic Pearl of Great Price", we'd denounce it. But it is the very same thing. A human contrived doctrine, based on human opinion, that has no basis in Scripture.

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of the Law and the Prophets?

Originally Posted by Aquila

I've seen it. And that is a problem. This is exactly why false doctrine and traditions of man are so dangerous. They undermine faith. If a church were to shift back to the Scriptures, sadly it would all unravel. Why? Because their faith wasn't originally grounded in the Scriptures alone. One false tradition of man taught as doctrine undermines the entire whole. And so, now it must be clung to... because if the pastor was wrong on that... it stands to reason... maybe he's wrong on other things. And slowly even Acts 2:38 becomes suspect.

Sorry, I disagree with you here. The issue is deception and compromise. The devil will try to deceive people into believe that if they just let up here or let this or that go, "tens of thousands" will come. When in reality not only is that not going to happen, but more people will be lost.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Your logic seems sound... unless one reminds us that the Army's FM22-5 and employer standards are not being presented as being on equal authority as the Word of God.

You're right, they're not. Which makes it even more incredible that men would gladly follow the former and resist the latter.