Escaping the mark of the beast won't be an easy task. It is going to require a lot of faith and patience. Attention to detail will become very important. One slip and the beast will have you.

This is not to say that escape is impossible for with God all things are possible.

Wisdom is the key - the goal is to avoid having to take the mark in order to buy and sell in society.

Obviously this means a certain amount of self-sufficiency combined with a friendly network of like-minded people who also want to escape the mark of the beast. The communes or towns where these people live will have to be fairly self-sufficient in themselves - and not affiliated with any government run programs.

This is hard to find but even now groups of people are being awakened to the impending threat and thinking of ways to help one another survive the mark.

People who are now dependent on the government for anything (funds, living arrangements, drugs, etc.) are in the most precarious position. They must learn to rely entirely on Jesus for their support in whatever area they have a need.

People now fairly independent of the government but needing the system to earn their livelihood are also in a bad way. They will soon have to liquidate their assets and find alternative means to survive the coming mark - they should pray that God shows them how best to use the money to provide for the future needs of themselves and others.

Nonetheless, ways and means are being prepared for God's people to survive the great tribulation.

The people who take the mark will seem totally indifferent to the presence of the believer. Their minds will be occupied with the beast's intent to form a cohesive and single-minded society.

It will be like society is gradually becoming a huge cult. Only believers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be able to function freely by faith.

The system will count on hunger and basic needs to force people to take the mark. Also people who initially have money to buy their needs will find themselves helpless in a progressively mark driven society. The needs of God's people will have to be supplied by faith which is the central theme of this essay.

What is Faith?

According to the Bible 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' Heb 11:1 What exactly does that mean?

If we look at the following examples of faithful men listed in Hebrews 11 we notice that faith is invariably accompanied by action. A person believes God exists and believes God has something for them to do - and acting on that belief they go ahead and do it.

An excellent and almost insurmountable example of faith is the ark that Noah built after believing God's command to save his family from the impending flood.

Obviously no flood was in sight at the time but Noah (I think) feared God so much that the Lord whispered His commands and instructions to Noah and Noah obeyed. According to the Word of God Noah built the ark exactly as instructed and loaded it with his family and other creatures and escaped the flood. What an act of faith!

Example after example exists both in the Bible and real life of people who believed they heard God's voice, obeyed and received the rewards of obedience - a clear conscience and whatever fruit that came from their actions - if any!

The Lord doesn't always instruct to produce instant feedback - sometimes patience is required before the fruit of a faithful action reveals itself.

In any case, the system of the beast will force God's people to look to the Lord for their needs - for sustenance - for direction - for shelter - for fellowship - and I believe the Lord will supply those needs until His coming.

According to the Book of Revelation many of God's people will die during these times - however the Spirit of truth will sustain all of God's people until the first resurrection.

Techniques of Faith

Obviously fear and obedience to God is important. When the Lord says 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness' He really means just that.

Let one's attention be not on the problem or distraction but looking for the Lord's presence and guidance - the Lord is present in every believer by the Holy Spirit - it doesn't matter which denomination one belongs to.

- the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who speaks to and guides the believer into all truth
- the Holy Spirit always agrees with the Word of God
- the Word of God feeds and renews the souls of believers
- people who love truth hear God's voice by the Spirit of truth in them
- quite simple really!

As long as one's heartfelt desire is to do the Will of God everything will be O.K. - watching and praying always helps to keep one's attention focused properly.

Most believers know these things and maybe even practice them - however the time has come to practice them diligently - one's future and the future well-being of others depends on it.

Things to Avoid

Even though religious or denominational people may be well-meaning their advice and help may not be Spirit-led. Rather than arguing it is better to agree with what one senses is true and move on as the Lord leads.

Many churches and their flocks will think nothing of taking the mark and turning God's people in to the authorities as the beast gains power in the earth.

The cities will become uninhabitable for God's people and should not be looked to for help. Even small towns and villages should be entered cautiously and skirted wherever possible. Agents of the beast will attempt to tag and track all people without the mark.

- learn to live off the land and travel by night if travelling is necessary -
- stay off major highways and use backroads wherever possible -
- travel in small groups of 10-20 separated by a 1/4 mile or so -
- let communications be by hand held walky-talky only -
- no shouting or flag waving -
- when stopping to camp stay in separated groups and keep in communication -
- light only fires large enough to heat food and douse fires with sand or earth -

The idea is to avoid capture so the travelling will most likely be continuous. Starvation is a real possiblity so learn as much about edible roots and herbs as possible. If camping for awhile stay inland from lakes, rivers and streams as the beast's agents will scour these regularly.

The Lord will guide your paths and add more of His people during the journey. Make sure that every person added confesses that 'Jesus Christ is come in the flesh' otherwise they will need to be converted or disassociated from.

Remember the Lord's words to the man who first wanted to bury his father before following the Lord, 'Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead' - the Lord considers non-believers as dead people and prefers that one follows His instructions rather than associating with the dead - no matter what the personal attachment.

Be prepared for many attempts at infiltration by marked individuals. Remove them right away since they act as GPS's (global positioning systems) and therefore put the group at risk.

I believe the Lord will confuse the beast's agents and any others affiliated with the beast according to Ps 109:29 and Acts 19:29 to protect God's people during these times - however God's people need to trust and believe that the Lord is their protector and provider.

Why Avoid Capture?

The beast wants every person on the planet to be marked or willfully worshiping him. Any individual not willing to receive his mark or worship the beast will be tortured and beheaded (according to Rev 20:4).

This procedure undoubtedly means many believers will take the mark under duress - nonetheless they will become agents for the beast and doubly dangerous because of their background. No longer will they be able to obey God or help God's people - however their souls will be in torment until they surrender to the beast's commands and therefore they cannot be trusted.

At the second resurrection God will judge all the dead and (I believe) be merciful to many who were forced to take the mark.

The great tribulation is an opportunity for the Lord to glorify Himself through His people. Hopefully God's people will recognize this and keep their spirits up during these end time events!