Selling Your Birthright
The Mark of the Beast and a Bowl of Soup
How the Story of Esau Foreshadows End Times
In Genesis 25, we read about how Esau sells his birthright, his family inheritance, for a bowl of soup:
Jacob said, 'Sell me your birthright now.'
Esau said, 'I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?'
Jacob said, 'Swear to me now.' So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
--- Genesis 25:29-34
"...unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears."
--- Hebrews 12:16-17
This event is a foreshadowing of the last days when people will take the mark of the beast for food and provision. Since there is no repentance after taking the mark, all who take it give up their inheritance of eternal life. They will lose their birthright that even tears cannot restore.
Temporary Need:
Esau's soup trade represents a careless disregard for something of great spiritual value for something worldly that only provides transient, temporary gratification.
Taking the mark of the Beast is trading something precious for immediate needs.
It's a Trust Issue:
Esau traded something precious (his inheritance) for his immediate need and thus showed his lack of faith in God who says He will supply all your needs.
(Philippians 4:19)
He prioritized worldly convenience over their faith in God.
Esau put his hunger over the long-term significance of his birthright, similar to how someone might accept the mark of the beast to participate in society despite its spiritual consequences.
Lack of discernment:
Esau didn't fully consider the implications of his decision, demonstrating a lack of spiritual discernment, just like someone who readily accepts the mark of the beast without giving it careful thought.
This lack of foresight will be true for many in the last days.
Shows true loyalty:
Esau showed his "true colors" by trading the soup for his birthright. It revealed who he really was.
In the last days, taking the mark will reveal people's true selves, showing where their loyalty lies.
Those who take the mark show that they do not value their position in the family of God.
Esau took an oath:
It is important to note that Jacob made Esau take an oath when trading his birthright.
In the last days, when taking the mark of the Beast, there will also be an oath of allegiance to the Antichrist. The mark of the Beast is more than just a mark; it is worship.
The Blessing is forever lost:
Esau's decision demonstrates a rejection of the sacred agreements and blessings associated with the birthright, which included an important place in the family and a double portion of the inheritance. There was no way to repair what he had done. His rejection of the blessing could not be reversed.
In the end times, the taking the mark of the Beast is a rejection of the Abrahamic covenant and blessings.
And this rejection of God's grace by taking the mark of the Beast cannot be reversed.
Regret even with tears:
Esau regretted selling his birthright and cried out to his father even with tears, but
to no avail.
Taking the mark of the Beast cannot be undone, and there is no going back.
We are warned by the Lord that even regret and tears and crying out to Him will not bring repentance after taking the mark.
"For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears." [Amplified version]
--- Hebrews 12:17
Esau's account is a cautionary tale:
The story of Esau serves as a warning against prioritizing immediate gratification over spiritual values, such as putting material possessions or personal comfort above one's faith.
Esau's tragic story is a foreshadowing of the end times.
It is a story full of metaphors for end-time application.
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Esau had, for a moment, spiritual amnesia that made him forget the irrevocable consequences of his tragic decision of selling his birthright for a bowl of soup.
We need to remember, as the end times unfold, who we are in Christ and that the Lord is our blessed hope and He will supply all our needs.
•
Esau came in from the fields. The "fields" represent the "world" and show us that Esau was world-focused rather than God-focused.
The field indicates his active, labor-intensive lifestyle.
He was a hunter, and his pursuits were the world and the things in the world.
In the end times, many will be living lives of worldly pursuits with a wrong world-view.
Most people have a "live for today" attitude, not giving any thought to tomorrow.
They do not have their eyes on eternity, only on the now and only on the world and their needs.
•
Esau came in from the fields, famished but he had no food prepared.
When the mark of the beast is implemented in the end times, we will not be able to buy or sell.
There may be times that we are hungry, but our eyes should be on the Lord. Remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the desert with food? Our Lord replied,
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
--- Matthew 4:4
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Esau's hunger put him in a position to seek physical needs over spiritual, and because of his impulsive nature, he made bad choices.
In the last days, the Antichrist system will force many down a road of hopelessness and despair.
The Antichrist spirit, which is already in the world, has been working hard to position people on this road
already.
And then when hunger comes, many will choose the easy road, not weighing the consequence of their decision to take the mark of the beast.
•
And Esau was focused on his immediate, physical needs over spiritual or long-term considerations.
This underscores Esau's impulsive nature and his emotional weakness.
It also shows us that he was self-focused on his needs.
But in the end times, believers need to be God-focused and God-dependent and not like Esau, who was world-dependent. One of the strategies of the Antichrist is to make people dependent on him, not God, for their needs.
This may mean times of temporary hunger for believers, but we should be patient to allow God and God alone to supply all our needs. Those who have developed patient endurance and who place their hope in Christ will not succumb to the easy way out.
We cannot allow hopelessness to be our mindset. We have to place our hope in Christ.
•
Deception was part of the Esau story as Jacob deceived his father into giving the blessing to him.
Likewise, the Antichrist will deceive many to take the road of eternal destruction.
As followers of Christ, we cannot permit the Antichrist's lies to cause us to lose our blessing and our birthright as a child of God.
•
Esau's decision was irrevocable. He lost his birthright forever.
In the end times, we cannot allow Esau's tragic story to become our story.
Those who take the mark of the beast for a bowl of soup will not be able to repent and
will end up in the lake of fire forever.
How can we prepare so that Esau's story is not our story.
Begin by making sure you are born again.
Click here: Make sure you are Born Again (Take a test)
Abide in Christ.
Click here: Key to Facing End Times, Abiding
Find out how to get patient endurance.
Click here: Patient Endurance Necessary
Learn how to wait upon the Lord
Click here: How to Wait in the end times
Prepare your heart and mind for what is coming by letting go of the world and the things in the world
and clinging to Jesus.
Click here: How to Prepare
for the end times
Build your faith by reading and meditating on the word of God.
We need to be vigilant against all temptations that might cause us to be so foolish.
We must be careful not to compromise with the world at any level.
We must not become an Esau in the last days.
There is real danger awaiting us as we enter the last days. The deception and propaganda and coercion are going to be so great as to overcome many.
This is terrifying.
Rather, we need to overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:21)
Taking the mark of the Beast is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, from which there is no repentance.
Learn the importance of becoming an Overcomer in the end times.
Click Here to find out
how to be an "Overcomer"
