Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

'Buy or sell' means to disobey God. To live lawlessly: To sin.

Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Jump ahead in Revelation and see what happens:

Rev 18:15-16 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

Now back to Matthew, in the parable of the ten virgins:

Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Those having the seal of God (Rev 14:3) will not be able to buy or sell. They will not be able to sin. Because they are sealed, they are obedient to God's law.

Therefore, anyone worried about the consequence of refusing the mark of the beast need not be. It is those that do sin, that do receive the mark, that should worry.

Luke 12:29-31 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Nice to see you back Metaloop. I will ponder these things...This is definitely thinking outside the box.

Another item of interest is the definition of 'commerce'. According to Webster's, 'sexual intercourse.'

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commerce

This originally came to my attention when viewing a law dictionary.

Very interesting. My wheels are turning. Must think on this.

What are your thoughts on the Bretton Woods agreement that forced the world to use the dollar as the reserve currency. You could say it forced the world to have intercourse with us so to speak.

Remember, the valley of Meggido was a major trade route. Whoever controlled it controlled trade.

Something a lot more important came out of Bretton Woods--the IMF. I wonder what ties the Vatican to the IMF?

Excellent point about Megiddo! I'll keep that in mind.