The Mark and the Image

[Last Daze]

I offer the following concerning the mark and the image, as it pertains to believers, for those who are interested:

• The man of sin mandates that everyone worship the image, which includes receiving his mark, or being put to death.  The believers who are alert will reject this ultimatum.  These are the ones who persevere in their faith in Jesus per Rev 13:10 and Rev 14:12.  Many will be martyred as a consequence.  Believers who did not remain alert, but fell asleep, are deceived by the signs and wonders of the man of sin and take his mark and worship the image.  This is the time of great tribulation which divides all believers into one of two categories, the alert and the asleep.
• The sixth seal brings an end to the great tribulation.  God's judgment is then brought to bear in increasing severity, or a "minimum discipline necessary" approach on those who took the mark and worship the image so as to convince people to repent and forsake the man of sin.  The asleep believers will wake up and realize they made a mistake, repent, and seek refuge somewhere, likely with the 144000.  The asleep believers are represented by the 10 virgins in Matthew 25.
• Eventually, the two prophets are killed and the plagues subside.  The man of sin appears to be victorious over the "evil plague-bringers."  He offers amnesty to those who forsook him if they will rejoin his kingdom.  This time of enticement will test the asleep believers who repented to see which of them, prior to being deceived, had accumulated enough "oil" to remain faithful.  The alert believers who escaped martyrdom and persevered will be kept from this time of temptation per Rev 3:10.  After a period of time, 45 days after the two witnesses are killed by my estimation, the global test is finished and all decisions are final as the seventh trumpet sounds.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Last Daze

[other one]

I don't believe believers even have to be alert.  The Holy Spirit should/would/will not let a saved person accidentally or be tricked into taking the mark.

[MorningGlory]

18 hours ago, Last Daze said:

Something to keep in mind is that receiving the mark is never mentioned by itself.  It is always mentioned together with worshiping the image.  There's a reason for that.

Y0u are putting your own interpretation on some pretty clear Scripture.

[other one]

3 hours ago, MorningGlory said:

Y0u are putting your own interpretation on some pretty clear Scripture.

I have that same thought about the mark and worshiping MG.    Can you show me where that isn't the case.  Am I missing something???

[Last Daze]

3 hours ago, other one said:

I don't believe believers even have to be alert.  The Holy Spirit should/would/will not let a saved person accidentally or be tricked into taking the mark.

• What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’  Mark 13:37

If a believer gets entangled in the ways of the world and the cares of life, their spiritual discernment dulls and they are susceptible to being deceived, at least initially.  The plagues will wake them up.

[Revelation Man]

On 2/2/2016 at 4:50 PM, Last Daze said:

The mark and the image are always mentioned together.

• Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,"  Revelation 14:9
• and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand;  Revelation 20:4b

They are also together when they are introduced at the end of Revelation 13, and there are other passages that mention them both together as well.  It's safe to say that they are closely related if not inseparably so.  We also know enough about them that those who accept them are the objects of God's wrath, so it would be worth taking a look at what they are:

• the mark - something uniquely identified as belonging to the false prophet, either his name or the number of his name.  It will required to conduct financial transactions and is located either on the right hand or forehead.
• the image - something that people will be required to worship or they will be put to death.  Worship is lifestyle behavior and people will be required to live in accordance with what the image requires.

When looked at together, receiving the mark is a one-time event that aligns a person with the false prophet and worshipping the image is the ongoing lifestyle behavior that the image requires.  It is essentially an aggressive way for the false prophet to ferret out dissenters and keep people in line.  It is how he makes war on the saints, the great tribulation.

Believers are called on to persevere through this time and reject the mark and the image regardless of the consequences.  Many do and are martyred as a consequence.  After the great tribulation, when everyone has had an opportunity to respond to the "worship or die" ultimatum, the seven plagues are brought to bear on those who sided with the false prophet by taking his mark and worshipping the image.

The question is, can those who sided with the false prophet realize because of the plagues that they made a mistake and repent?  Can they cease to worship the image and be forgiven?  I think it's possible.  I've always been told that taking the mark seals one's fate but I don't find any support for that.  Those who do may not be counted among those who persevered by rejected the mark and the image but I still think they can yield to God's judgment of the first four trumpets and repent.  I realize that at some point in the plagues that people's hearts harden to the point of no repentance but that isn't until after the first four trumpets.

If you disagree and you think people can not repent after receiving the mark and worshipping the image then please explain why based on scripture.

• "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?"  Ezekiel 18:23

The 144,000 are mentioned just before, and are protected from, the seven plagues for a reason.

I can't say what God will do and wont do as per forgiving people who have taken the Mark, but my guess is they will take the Mark knowing that it is permanent separation from God. I will say this, something many people overlook, in many places in Revelation after a plague or calamity, the Holy Word says AND THEY REPENTED NOT OF THEIR SINS !! So if they Repented not, does that mean God is still giving them the chance to repent or not ? I doubt it, I imagine it is just a stated fact.

 

What is the IMAGE of The Beast ? (I will show in Detail below) Why do people not associate it with the Temple of God? I hear many people say that the Anti-Christ will sit in the Temple of God, I think a proper reading of of the Daniel 9:27 and Revelation 13 shows us that it is not the Anti-Christ that sits in the Temple of God, but an IMAGE of the Anti-Christ/Beast which will be PLACED in the Temple with the capability of coming to life. I further think that these Images will be placed all over Europe in Churches and all over the Islam Nations in their Mosques as he subjugates these nations and wipes out Islam as he will wipe out all Religions in the world, because he will demand to be the ONLY GOD that is worshiped throughout the world. 

Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

1.) Confirm = gabar 1396 (Greek Word) meaning to be strong, to prevail or to act insolently.

2.) Oblation = minchah 4503 (Greek) A tribute or an offering

3.) Overspreading = kanaph 3671 (Greek) An edge, a Wing or Quarter (of a building) a pinnacle.

4.) Abominations = shiqquwts 8251 (Greek) Meaning, Disgusting, Filthy, Idolatrous or AN IDOL !!

5.) Desolate = shamem 8074 (Greek) Meaning to Stun, Grown Numb, to Stupefy, or to Devastate !!

So looking at these original Hebrew word Translations, what is this verse (Daniel 9:27) really telling us ? Does it match up with other end time events ? Lets delve into it !! Basically this is what I get from verse 27.

Daniel 9:27 The Anti-Christ will FORCE and Agreement (Covenant means agreement) on Israel and others, probably the Muslims. He does so Insolently, his agenda Prevails, he forces this deal. Then after 3 1/2 years he stops allowing the Oblation or Tribute, (I think this Tribute is to Jesus, who Israel accepts as their Messiah before the Day of the Lord as it says in Malachi 4:5-6) by Israel unto their God, the False Prophet places an IDOL in a Wing or a Pinnacle of the TEMPLE and demands all people to worship this IDOL or else they must die. THIS STUNS/SHOCKS OR DEVASTATES Israel, then they heed Jesus' words, they Flee unto the Wilderness where they are protected by God for 1260 Days, because Elijah turned them back to the Messiah (Zechariah 12:10) before the Day of the Lord.

Daniel 9:27 shorter version........The Anti-Christ will force a Peace Deal on Israel, in the Middle of this deal he will renege on this deal, and order the False Prophet to place an Image of the Beast (IDOL) in the Temple, and demand all mankind to worship this Image. This Stuns Israel, devastates them.

Do further scriptures agree with this account ?

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

IT MATCHES !!! To a tee !!!

At the Mid-way point, the Anti-Christ/Beast (he only becomes a Beast when he Conquers Israel just like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome became Beasts when they conquered Israel ) starts mandating everyone worship him and him only, that goes for Christians, Muslims and all Religions throughout the world. He will come after Israel, who flees to the Wilderness and is protected by God (See Rev. 12), he will come after Christians who missed the Rapture but became Christians after the Rapture and will behead them. He will destroy the Religion of Islam, and all other False Religions at this time. This event is the Harlot being Destroyed/Judged in Revelation 17:16. 

So the Image of the Beast has a lot of mentions in the Bible, we just have to understand it is some sort of Idol that will "Come Alive" 

[other one]

1 hour ago, Last Daze said:

• What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’  Mark 13:37

If a believer gets entangled in the ways of the world and the cares of life, their spiritual discernment dulls and they are susceptible to being deceived, at least initially.  The plagues will wake them up.

Quote

John 10:27-30
7 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
NASB

not even take the mark accidentally....  no, we will know.   I would hope the Lord would strike me dead before i succumbed to the mark.

[Last Daze]

18 minutes ago, Revelation Man said:

I can't say what God will do and wont do as per forgiving people who have taken the Mark, but my guess is they will take the Mark knowing that it is permanent separation from God. I will say this, something many people overlook, in many places in Revelation after a plague or calamity, the Holy Word says AND THEY REPENTED NOT OF THEIR SINS !! So if they Repented not, does that mean God is still giving them the chance to repent or not ? I doubt it, I imagine it is just a stated fact.

I agree that at some point in the progression of the plagues that it is stated that people do not repent.  The first occurrence of that statement is at the end of the fourth plague (fourth bowl).  It is also stated during the fifth and sixth plagues.

There is no mention during the first three plagues that people did not repent.  The plagues increase in severity and the adversity they cause serves to either cause a change in heart leading to repentance or a further hardening of the heart.  By the end of the fourth plague, all those who were going to repent have.  What follows the fourth plague are the three woes for the unrepentant, the 5th, 6th, and 7th plagues.

[RustyAngeL]

6 hours ago, MorningGlory said:

Y0u are putting your own interpretation on some pretty clear Scripture.

I agree with you MG.  The mark of the beast is always together with worshiping him or his image.  You cannot turn back once you have taken his mark.  Even if you wanted to you can't.  

[RustyAngeL]

8 hours ago, Last Daze said:

That's not exactly the conclusion I've come to.

I would be interested to know what "your"conclusion is.