#Resist Evil

[tmarshconnors]

A Call to Stand Firm

Revelation 13:16-17 is one of the most chilling passages in the Bible, a prophecy that resonates through the ages, stirring both fear and resolve in the hearts of believers. It speaks of a time when a global authority will rise, wielding the power to control not just the actions of humanity, but even their capacity to survive.

This passage reveals that all people, regardless of status "small and great, rich and poor, free and bond" will be compelled to receive a mark, either on their right hand or forehead. Without this mark, no one will be able to buy or sell, effectively cutting them off from society and the means to sustain life.

The Symbolism of the Mark

The "mark of the beast" is not just a physical identifier but a symbol of allegiance. By accepting the mark, individuals will essentially submit to the dominion of evil, rejecting God’s sovereignty. This act of submission would be more than just compliance with a regime; it would represent a betrayal of faith and a forfeiting of the soul.

The Bible warns us to remain vigilant. This mark could manifest in numerous ways—perhaps through technology, societal pressures, or ideological conformity. The question is not merely what the mark is but whether we have the spiritual fortitude to resist it, no matter the cost.

The Test of Faith

As Christians, we are called to stand against the tide of evil, even if it means facing persecution. Revelation 13:17 speaks of the economic stranglehold the beast will have on humanity. Imagine the pressure: to feed one’s family, to retain employment, to participate in society—all tied to accepting this mark. Yet, Scripture assures us that God’s reward for faithfulness far outweighs any earthly suffering.

This prophecy is a stark reminder of the spiritual warfare around us. The mark is a test—a dividing line between those who stand with God and those who capitulate to the enemy.

A Personal Resolve

For me, this passage serves as a rallying cry. It fuels my determination to remain steadfast in my faith, no matter how bleak the world becomes. I believe we must prepare ourselves now, fortifying our hearts and minds with Scripture, prayer, and fellowship. The beast’s system will prey on weakness, and only those rooted in God will endure.

Let this be a reminder to hold fast to the truth, to resist the lies of the world, and to trust in the ultimate justice of our Creator.

As for me, I SHALL NEVER SUBMIT AT ALL!

[yeslordmyking]

Deuteronomy 7:26 — Today's Verse for Friday, July 26, 2024

[my-voice-my-resistance]

[waydowntheriver]

This is amazing. Is the book still in print?

The man’s name was Horace Greasley. He was a British POW famous for escaping over 200 times to visit his girlfriend, a local Jewish girl. Why did he keep going back? Loyalty. He returned every time with extra food or other contraband to share with his fellow captives. Greasley spent 5 years as a prisoner of war, during which time he served as camp barber and worked in the marble quarries. Following capture, the men were forced to march for ten weeks from France to Poland. The men suffered deplorable conditions and spent a winter, in temperatures as low as -40C, lodged in an old horse stable. Those who survived the march and train transfer were beaten, tortured, and starved. Greasley was once beaten so badly he lay unconscious for 2 days. In 2008, his biography, “Do the Birds Still Sing in Hell?” was published. Two years after its release, he died at age 91.When I see this photo, I always admire the defiance in his face. He refused to be broken. Be that guy.Oh and by the way, the German officer he’s staring down is Heinrich Himmler.

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

lionfish and clownfish

[karinhart]

my chappell roan x-men pinups have been well-received and i had a lot of fun making them so i drew some more <3

[bs-fangirl]

Seriously, Netflix, what the hell is your problem?

[walkawaytall]

Also, also, why is it that Yoda straight-up says the Luke's anger reminds him of Anakin's in The Empire Strikes Back and the movie very subtly shows Luke's face under Vader's helmet and fandom just glosses straight over that and says that Luke is just like his mom, but Leia yells about a plan being dumb and likely to get everyone killed a few times, and suddenly she's got the same anger in her that turned Anakin evil for twenty-some years?

[vaguely-concerned]

how much have the crows actually been sanitized outside of the very narrow view you get of them both in place and in time in veilguard, and how much is caterina deliberately putting her most presentable and pr friendly foot forward because she needs HELP with both the grandson and the antaam situations and is already playing from a weakened overwhelmed position. is she going to show off all the dirty laundry the crows undeniably have in front of the people she's courting for an alliance? is rook going to be looking a gift crow in the beak too closely when help is offered, go digging through that laundry basket on their own initiative on principle, knowing what you might find further down in it isn't pretty and might still be sharp, while the world is burning? is it entirely coincidental that the people caterina picks to interact with you most is teia -- the youngest, most charismatic and notably most weirdly idealistic of the talons -- and viago -- who is perhaps none of these things naturally but is dependable and logical and sharp and also down so cataclysmically bad for teia that when she runs in shouting 'TEIA YES!!! >:D' he sighs with longsuffering resignation and goes '...viago also yes. I suppose. under duress, let the record note' and follows.

surely parts of how each house functions would be left largely up to the individual talons, right? as long as they produce crows capable of doing the job and keeping up with the competition, I doubt the first talon micromanages how they get there (...for good or ill. lots of dead fledglings buried under that laissez faire policy, probably). they're very far away from a monolithic structure, they're constantly competing merchant houses/families striving to gain the upper hand held in check by little except 'if enough of the other houses shake hands and gang up on us for pushing our luck we're fucked, so don't push it too far'. like I believe lucanis says at one point, even calling them an organization is stretching the definition to a breaking point in some ways lol this is fully herding cats territory. all this to say that in this game we spend most of our time in teia's house. andarateia cantori, of the firm genuine conviction recognized as mildly unhinged by all the other talons that the crows truly are her family, who loves them with her whole unstoppable foolhardy thinks-she-will-die-young-and-live-eternally-in-song-and-story heart for it. teia, who won't leave the cantori diamond even to go home to sleep because she doesn't want the fledglings to have to see the place empty. do I think the way teia cantori would run her house is indicative of the average experience of being trained as and living as a crow? no. obviously. why are people seeming to assume that so immediately? sometimes I do wonder if I'm going insane.

between that and the antaam situation -- which turns the romanticized image antiva already is eager to reach for with the crows (the same way european literary tradition through the ages sure LOVES a knight, no matter what knights were actually like when you had one kicking around in real life) into an effective and recognizable symbol of resistance from an outside force (at least these awful little guys are home grown in a way we're kind of proud of despite it all and also they are deeply inescapably cool)... perhaps indeed a symbol of resistance and freedom that momentarily covers for a multitude of sins. I don't think we need to draw definitive conclusions about what the crows are like universially, historically or in different contexts from what we see in veilguard. sort of like the british in the pop cultural understanding being 'the good guys' when we think about WW2, and the sheer ludicrousness of that characterization of the british empire seen in any other context or angle lmao. I DO think there are some genuine writerly '*handwaves established ugliness aside aggressively* just uuuuuh don't worry about it! not important right now! you can feel at least ok hanging out with the cool theater kids but with murder they're like. comparatively chill in this context it's fine and they're fun' going on too. and you know what. they are fun. invenci is unfortunately objectively right, but the crows are sooo much more fun. and in fiction land that trumps all. absolutely baffling writing choice when you read through to the political/ideological conclusion that's reached from it of course (sort of accidentally? I think???), but would it really be a bioware game without a few of those. it's how you know you're home (derogatory and affectionate)

in short there are writing problems by god are there real problems here. obviously. and it'd take smarter and more knowledgeable people than me to properly untangle all of that. glorifying organized crime is a time honoured tradition in fiction that perhaps... shouldn't be quite so much and is uh risky, you're always playing with fire there. but I frankly don't think the 'de-edgeifying' for lack of a better term is that much of an inescapable one or that it erases what we knew of the crows before, we're just getting the angle on them in one very specific time and place in history and with specific individuals involved setting the tone. eight little talons killing off most of the established leadership beforehand so it's mostly only teia and viago who get to keep their full power base (even caterina and the dellamortes takes some losses in the apparent death of lucanis before the start of the game) probably figures into that somewhere too lol

[chuluoyi]

the past : the dragon and the girl marked for execution

the present : the onychinus leader and the deepspace hunter

[stupidlybookish]

Imogen: How are we going to tell her? She’ll be devastated!

Xaden: Don't worry, we’ll find a way to tell her.

Sloane: Look guys! I drew a picture of the whole gang!

Imogen:

Garrick:

Xaden:

Xaden: Scribble Liam out.

[yeslordmyking]

Titus 1:15 — Today's Verse for Monday, January 15, 2024

[extraaa-30]

how crowley reacts when people on this site shit talk aziraphale

just a reminder 😊✨

[vaszametili]

Gone Hunting [ao3] fanart 🥰

[wozardofiz]

ASHLEY GRAHAM

“Leave it to me, Leon!”