Questions from Yahoo Answers #41

[James Blankenship]

Question about the Mark of the Beast?
Alright, so let me try and break this down.

- Satan will one day come down to Earth and try to fool people that he is Jesus (to the Christians).
- A lot of people will truly - and alas mistakenly - beleive that he is in fact Jesus.
- Satan, in the form of Jesus, will offer everyone the chance to bare his mark.
- The Mark of the Beast is physically attractive. Baring it provides many earthly benefits, as well as falsely promised heavenly benefits (eternal life et cetera). Adversely, there will be many disadvantages to not receiving said mark.
- Therefore a lot (and maybe even the majority) of people will receive the Mark of the Beast.
- Finally, he who receives the mark of the beast will be punished eternally with Satan, for worshipping a god other than the one - and only - true God.

Now, here is what I am struggling to understand. Some of the people that accept the mark will do so not because of the earthly benefits, but because they think they are pleasing Jesus. They do not think that they are doing wrong at all, and in their own heart of hearts and minds they honestly beleive this [that they are not doing any wrong, as they perceive the Beast to be Jesus and NOT the Beast]. Yet are these very same people to be punished along with the rest? I find it very hard to beleive that God would eternally punish said people when they perceive that they have done nothing wrong - and arguably innocent.

Does this make sense?

I really find myself wondering what Bible this person is reading.

I'll start by answering this persons questions, then address what comes after this person's questions.

(I want to apologize in advance for the length of this post. However, this section IS for answering these questions from Yahoo Answers, & that is what I will continue to do in this section-so, if you truly want to see what Scripture says, I ask you to bear with me.)

Satan will one day come down to Earth and try to fool people that he is Jesus (to the Christians).

Scripture does not support this belief.

If we interpret Scripture accurately, the PRE-tribulation belief of the Rapture, (where those who have accepted the forgiveness offered to every man, through the death & resurrection of Christ Jesus), will be taken from the world BEFORE the Tribulation period, is the most accepted belief.

This article may help:

www.gotquestions.org/rapture-tribulation.html

Those who personally KNOW Christ will no longer be on earth. Only those who DON'T personally KNOW Christ will remain on earth.

A lot of people will truly - and alas mistakenly - beleive that he is in fact Jesus.

There is NO Scriptural basis that the people living during the Tribulation period will accept this person, (which Scripture refers to as the Beast), as Christ.

Revelation 13:5
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.

Revelation 13:8
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.


This person is NOT Satan, but a man who is indwelt BY Satan, to deceive the people living during the Tribulation. He is that person the Bible refers to as the Antichrist, as talked about here:

classic.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=antichrist&x=8&y=7

A more detailed description of him can be found here:

classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Thess%202&version=NIV

Basically, he will appear as the savior of the world. It is probable that many of those living during the Tribulation period will indeed think of him as either being Christ, or as having the power of Christ. But he is anything but Christ.

- Satan, in the form of Jesus

This is not supported by Scripture. The Antichrist is a separate individual from Satan.

In Scripture, there is what is known as, (while not Scriptural, but supported BY Scripture), the Unholy trinity-that is the Devil, (Satan), the antichrist, (the beast) & the false prophet, (the second beast).

Al three of them are symbolically described here:

classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013&version=NIV

The dragon is symbolic of Satan

Revelation 13:1 (New International Version)

1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

The beast is the antichrist-sent by Satan:

Revelation 13:2-3 (New International Version)

2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

The False prophet is the servant & spokesman OF the antichrist:

Revelation 13:11-18 (New International Version)

11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Now:

- Satan, in the form of Jesus, will offer everyone the chance to bare his mark.

WRONG.

Look at verses 16-17:

. 16 It, (the false prophet), also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

People are not going to be "offered" anything-they will be FORCED to accept the mark, or they will not be able buy or sell ANYTHING. This is NOT a choice! In short, people will not be able to live UNLESS they have the mark.

Therefore a lot (and maybe even the majority) of people will receive the Mark of the Beast.

This is true-the people WILL have the CHOICE whether or not to receive the mark, but those who CHOOSE not to, will have a very hard time living otherwise.

While this is strictly conjecture, based on what we see in Revelation, it would seem likely that, under the leadership of the antichrist, that there would also be enforcement & physical checking by the government of the antichrist, as to whether of not people do indeed have the mark. Those that don't, According to Scripture would likely be arrested & probably killed.

This is supported by Scripture here:

Revelation 7:9-14 (New International Version)

The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Note verse 14:

, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

We see here, that there will be those who DO come to know Christ DURING the Tribulation period, & they, (NOT all), WILL be killed for their belief in Christ.

And finally, we have this statement from this person who asked this question:

Finally, he who receives the mark of the beast will be punished eternally with Satan, for worshipping a god other than the one - and only - true God.

Not entirely true.

First we see this:

Revelation 19:19-21 (New International Version)

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

We see the beast, (the antichrist), & the false prophet being thrown into the Lake of Fire.

So, what happens to all those who followed the antichrist?

It would appear, that their souls are sent to hell, to await the final judgement talked about here:

Revelation 20:11-15 (New International Version)

The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Note here, that:

1. Hell ITSELF is thrown into the Lake of Fire:

Revelation 20:14 (New International Version)

14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

2. All the dead, who have rejected God, (from the Old Testament), & those who have rejected Christ, (from the New Testament), will be physically raised from the dead:

Revelation 20:13 (New International Version)

13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

And what about Satan?

Well, he meets his fate here:

Revelation 20:7-10 (New International Version)

The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

And what will be the fate of those who have CHOSEN to turn away from and/or rejected God?

The saddest part of the entire Bible:

Revelation 20:15 (New International Version)

15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Now, to address the second half of this persons question.

Now, here is what I am struggling to understand. Some of the people that accept the mark will do so not because of the earthly benefits, but because they think they are pleasing Jesus. They do not think that they are doing wrong at all, and in their own heart of hearts and minds they honestly beleive this [that they are not doing any wrong, as they perceive the Beast to be Jesus and NOT the Beast]. Yet are these very same people to be punished along with the rest?

First of all, as I have pointed out, what this person says is NOT all inclusive, as far as everyone thinking that the antichrist is Jesus. There is no Scriptural basis for this, although I am sure that there WILL be people who will think that the antichrist IS Jesus.

And I am sure that many of these people will be more than willing to accept the mark, out of loyalty TO the antichrist.

And as to this:

I find it very hard to beleive that God would eternally punish said people when they perceive that they have done nothing wrong - and arguably innocent.

Done nothing wrong?

When Adam & Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, that stain of sin, had been passed down to every person who had been born since that time. This is what is known as "original sin", & it is VERY BIBLICAL!

Look at what David says here:

Psalm 51:5 (New International Version)

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Now this is NOT saying that David's mother had somehow committed a sin, (adultery), in having David, but rather that he knew that there were times that he DID choose to things against God-the sinful nature being a part of him. He knew that He was not perfect-BECAUSE of his sinful nature, & certainly this was true, in the incident with Bathsheeba.


Look at what Christ says here:

Matthew 9:13 (New International Version)

13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I have no doubt, by OUR standards, that there were those who were following Christ who were, "innocent".

But God's Word, the Bible, paints a very different picture:

classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%203:9-20&version=NIV

God says that none of us is righteous. None of us are innocent.

This is God's nature.

He is 100% righteous-we are not.
He is 100% holy-we are not.

Nothing we can do will EVER make us "good enough" to enter God's presence, as seen here:

classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:1-8&version=NIV


WE may think that we are "innocent".
WE may think that we are "good".

In God's eyes, we are not.

That is the whole reason Christ Jesus came to earth to become the ultimate & final sacrifice that God would ever require for man's sinful nature.

But it is OUR choice to ether ACCEPT of REJECT that gift of forgiveness.

That is called free will, as I talk about here:

solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=choice&action=display&thread=11&page=1

God does not send ANYONE to the Lake of Fire
God does not condemn ANYONE to the Lake of Fire.

WE DO-by our acceptance or rejection of the forgiveness of the forgiveness that we have available, through Christ Jesus.

The choice to accept that forgiveness, or reject that forgiveness, is ours alone, & we must accept the consequences OF our choice.

There is no one to blame for where we spend eternity but ourselves.

James