Is China the first country where the mark of the beast is introduced?

Sure, why not, if that sort of drivel makes you happy. Not much of a cruise question so move it to religion or something similar.

Is the rise of China as a world political force a significant development from the point of view of Bible prophecy? We find two scriptures which indicate a place in prophecy for a power from the east to arise and play a part in the events scheduled for the last conflict before the return of Jesus Christ:

‘Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.’ Revelation 16.12.

The Greek in this phrase speaks of the kings from the ‘rising sun’ indicating that a power will arise in the far east and play a part in the final battle of Armageddon. 

There is also a possible reference to this in Daniel 11 which speaks of the coming Antichrist who arises out of the revived Roman Empire (a western dictator) and magnifies himself ‘above every god’. According to this prophecy at the time of the end he will seek to establish control over Israel and the Middle East:

‘Then he shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. … He shall also enter the Glorious Land (i.e. Israel), and many countries shall be overthrown … … But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain (Jerusalem); yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.’ Daniel 11.41-45.

So will China rise leading the ‘kings of the east’ in the last days? 

China and Christianity.

Very little is said about China in the Bible. Some have pointed to the prophecy of Isaiah 49.12 concerning the land of Sinim, as being a reference to China, along with Genesis 10.17. One theory is the ‘Sinites’ migrated eastwards after the scattering of the Tower of Babel, taking with them some knowledge of the Creation, Fall and Flood accounts in the Bible. Certain Chinese characters imply this. One example of this is the Chinese word for boat which is made up of a vessel, the number eight and a person, which could relate to the eight people on Noah’s ark. For more on this subject go to

http://www.bibleprobe.com/chinese.htm

Apart from this the great land of China and its millions of people has been cut off from the revelation of the Bible until recent times. Along with the millions of peoples of the east it has been subject to a succession of false religions, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and combinations of all of them. This has produced an idea of gods or spirits that contrasts with the God of the Bible and produces the pantheistic idea that ‘god is all and all is god’. This idea goes along with the evolutionary idea of how the universe came into being and denies the concept of an all powerful, personal God who created all things. Associated with these pantheistic systems is the worship of spirits and idols. Joseph Lam, a Chinese Christian, believes the national symbol of China, which is a dragon, is the true symbol of the god of China. In the book of Revelation our Lord called him a ‘liar and deceiver’.

In the 19th century Christianity began to make an impact on China as missions like the China Inland Mission brought many Chinese to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Battling fierce opposition from the religious and political powers in China the Chinese church grew and produced some remarkable saints of God who laid down their lives to spread His word amongst the Chinese people. 

Unfortunately contact with the West also brought political humiliation to China and imperialist exploitation of their land. This was followed by a brutal occupation by the Japanese during the second world war and the Communist revolution in 1948, bringing Mao Ze Dong to power in 1948. A cult of hero worship arose around Mao, who was known as ‘the great helmsman’. His image was set up throughout China, his red book ‘The thoughts of Mao’ treated as a Bible, and songs and poems written about him, which were in effect praising him as if he were a god. Although Communism is based on atheism, one can see some expression of the kind of religious spirits of ancient Chinese religions in the worship of Mao. 

In the years after the Communist Revolution it is estimated around 50 million people died as a result of purges, famines and the excesses of the ‘Great Leap Forward’ and the Cultural Revolution, which Mao instigated. Dissenters were imprisoned and killed and Christians were severely persecuted. However despite the antichrist nature of the Communist regime, the church survived and grew during these years. The Maoist regime had close parallels with the rule of the Beast as described in Revelation 13: 

‘So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continuefor forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.’ 

Revelation 13.4-7.

Mao died in 1976 leaving a poor economy and an oppressed people, but after his death in 1976 his successors Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao rebuilt the economy and began the process which has transformed China into the economic power house which it is today. They combined Communism with Capitalism (contrary to Mao’s doctrine) and also stopped the severe persecution of Christianity, enabling the Chinese church to grow phenomenally.  

How many Christians are there in China today? This is a much disputed figure, with estimates ranging from 18 million (official Communist estimate) to 200 million (estimate of some Chinese Christian agencies). The Chinese Church today is divided between the official church or Three Self Movement, sanctioned by the Communist Party and the unofficial church (or house church movement). The official church has to agree to abide by rules set by the Communist Party, which include not instructing young people in the faith, not engaging in evangelism outside the church meeting, not teaching on subjects which are said to be contrary to Communist ideology (one of which is teaching on the end times and the Second Coming of Christ). 

Many Christians believe (rightly) that abiding by these rules set by the antichristian Communist Party is a compromise with the faith and so they join unofficial churches. It is these churches that are growing rapidly. They are also increasingly facing persecution as the Party cracks down on their activities. China Aid President Bob Fu said Christians in China have been heavily targeted throughout the past couple of years by the ruling Communist Party due to their rapidly increasing numbers. He said, ‘The top leadership is increasingly worried about the rapid growth of Christian faith and their public presence, and their social influence. It is a political fear for the Communist Party, as the number of Christians in the country far outnumber the members of the party.’

The New Mao?

We are now seeing some developments in China which point to its destiny as an end time power with a strong antichrist ideology. Its powerful President, Xi Jingping, is asserting himself in a manner that is reminiscent of Chairman Mao. Mark Almond observed the recent Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and wrote about it in the Daily Mail (25/10/17): 

‘On the final day of its Congress, the Communist Party elevated Xi to the same exalted status as the People’s Republic’s founding father, Chairman Mao, by writing his name and ideas into its constitution as ‘Xi Jinping Thought’. The move bolsters Xi’s position yet further, making it all but impossible for rivals to challenge him and his policies. The party has voted to write ‘Xi Jingping thought’ into its manifesto. The only other leader to have been given the honour was the country’s modern founder, Mao Zedong. And central to his dogma is Xi’s ruthless determination to restore China to greatness, building on the work of his first five-year term by further strengthening the nation’s military and extending China’s influence on global affairs.’

‘Watching events unfold in Beijing yesterday and the widespread fawning over Xi, I was, indeed, reminded of the cult of hero worship surrounding the despotic Great Helmsman himself, Mao Zedong. Xi is a master of political theatre, and yesterday he took centre stage — literally — standing alone under a glistening golden hammer-and-sickle symbol, senior party officials gathered deferentially to one side. No one should mistake the symbolism of this. Xi was indicating to Chinese and foreigners alike who is Number One at home — and, increasingly, abroad.’ 

At the time of Mao’s death in 1976 China was an economic irrelevance on the world scene. Now it rivals America’s gross domestic product, its goods stock western supermarkets and storehouses and it has rocketed back to the heart of the world economy. It is also setting the agendas internationally. It is pushing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in the Pacific region which if successful will see it leading a regional trading block of 10 nations from India to Australia which would include no less than one-half of the world’s population. It is investing massively in Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Does this remind you of something? 

‘And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 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. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.’ (Revelation 13.16-18).

Not if it was semen stain

Not a cruise related question. Reported.

Yes.  It happened on a cruse.

There is no such thing as the mark of the beast, so no.