Whenever there is a cataclysmic event, like a global pandemic, fires, floods, earthquakes, etc., etc., etc., the cry goes out that it may be the end of days and you need to get your act together so you don't miss the 'Rapture,' or take the mark of the Beast (Revelation 16:2; 19:20), which is currently conjectured to be a computer chip inserted in your hand or forehead.
Back in the '70s and '80s, thanks to such books as the "Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsay and the 'Left Behind" series of books by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B Jenkins, the dominant belief was that a Pre-Tribulation rapture would take place. I remember a book written by a NASA engineer that was published on January 1st, 1988, called "88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Take Place In 1988." When it didn't happen, he published another book called "The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989."
Today, it is rare to even hear about the 'Rapture' in church, most likely because 'prophecy experts' have given specific dates of the return of Jesus that have come and gone, like the ways of the Dinosaur, over the years. There are basically three camps people fall into about the Rapture: Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, or Post-Trib, which was the dominant belief in the church up until the 20th century. Personally, I'm Pan-Trib, and I am waiting to see how it all pans out!
The Bible tells us that there will be a time when some will "depart" from the "faith" "by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1 ESV, also 2 Timothy 3:1-5). The word 'depart' is the Greek word "aphistemi," which is where the word 'apostasy' comes from. It means to actively instigate to revolt, desist, desert, defect, etc. It is far different than a person who is simply ignorant or naïve of the Scriptures and unknowingly espousing heresy.
The Bible also says that it is "impossible" for " 'those who fall away" to "renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame" (Hebrews 6:6 ESV). Those who 'fall away' and "go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth," "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries" because they have "trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:26-30 ESV). This is an irredeemable willful act of defiance and rejection of Jesus as Lord and Savior. These people are a "bad tree" that only produces "bad fruit" and were never Born-Again, and Jesus never knew them because they would have continued with Him (Hebrews 6:4-6,27,10:26; Matthew 7:16, 13:1-9, 18-23; Romans 8:13;1 John 2:19, 3:7-10).
Jesus taught the Disciples, before the day of Pentecost, when the new dispensation of salvation by grace began, the "world" would hate and persecute them as they hated and persecuted Him "without a cause," because they are "not of the world" (John 15:18-25 ESV). Jesus reminds them that when the "Helper" comes on that day, who is the "Spirit of truth, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27 ESV). Jesus then said to them, "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away" (John 16:1 ESV).
The word "falling away" is a translation of the Greek word 'skandalalizo', which means to entice to sin, to trip up, to entrap, to scandalize, and is where we get the word 'scandal.' Jesus promised that if His disciples understood what it meant to be a disciple, they would not be scandalized or persecuted.
Mark of the Beast
The word "mark" in Greek is 'charágmatos,' and comes from the word 'charássœ' which means to carve, engrave, or sculpt something; an impression, inscription, or an etched, carved, branded, mark, or symbol, as on an animal, coin, statue, or false idol (See Acts 17:29).
In antiquity, a "mark" was branded for stigmatization on the right hand or the forehead of people, such as slaves, to show others they were their master's property, as well as upon those who were willingly branded in a temple with the symbol of their deity.
There is an emerging contingent of those who believe that the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible may well be the Mahdi spoken of in Islam because he fulfills all the characteristics and actions of the biblical Antichrist (aka the Assyrian - see Revelation 13:1-10; Micah 5:5; Quran 27:82).
There is also a growing belief that the "false Prophet" will be the 'Isa' of Islam. The final world empire will actually be the "Beast," which is the one who fills the office of the Caliph (Mahdi?) after a Caliphate comprised of 10 Islamic nations is re-established (see Daniel 7:11; Revelation 17:9-11; 19:20; Quran 27:82).
The mark of the Beast (aka Bismillah) in Islam is a line drawn on the forehead and must also be worn on the right arm/hand of every Muslim at Judgment, and is what distinguishes them from non-believers (Tirmuthi 2369). Islam is not just a religion but also a system of government (Sharia law and commerce).
There will come a time when people will make the reprehensible and blasphemous act of willful defiance against God by taking the Mark of the Beast, which is essentially worshipping satan, the god of this world (Revelation 13:15-16). Those who take the mark will have chosen to serve satan rather than obey God by receiving Christ as their personal Savior and becoming Born-Again (See John 3:1-21). When people make that decision during the tribulation, God will grant their request to be eternally separated from Him.
A Born-Again Christian could never take the Mark of the Beast because it would be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (the unpardonable sin – see Mark 3:28-29), which is a direct contradiction of the truth that they always "have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" and He will not cast them out (Matthew 12:31; 1 John 2:1); as well as God's eternal promise to never leave or forsake them as His dwelling place, the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 13:5, 1 Corinthians 6:19).
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
“I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a WHITE horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery RED one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a BLACK horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale (Gk: ‘chlóros’ = green) horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:1-8 NIV – emphasis mine)
The Four Horsemen are summoned by Jesus when He opens the first four of seven seals on the scroll. Each of them rides on a horse of a different color. They are first seen in prophetic imagery in the books of Ezekiel and Zechariah in the Old Testament. In the book of Ezekiel, God uses sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence as "four dreadful punishments" (Ezekiel 14:21 NIV). The symbolism of horses in different colors also appears in the book of Zechariah (Zechariah 6:1-8).
Some interpretations say they symbolize the struggles between good and evil or different eras of church history. The vast majority say they symbolize catastrophic events that will occur during the Great Tribulation before the return of Jesus at the end of the Tribulation period and the concurrent beginning of His Millennial reign.
The first horse is White and represents warring conquest resulting in pestilence and disease. Some say it represents the false prophet/Antichrist, who wears a crown and carries a bow, often associated with pestilence and disease.
The second horse is Red and symbolizes bloodshed and large-scale warfare. The rider carries a great sword and causes people to kill each other, taking peace from the Earth.
The third horse is Black and symbolizes famine. The rider carries a pair of scales used to weigh food, which suggests severe economic inequality during the famine.
The fourth horse is Pale (Gk: ‘chlóros’ = green) and symbolizes widespread death. The rider is actually named Death and is followed by Hades (the grave - aka Hell). The Rider was given power over a fourth of the Earth to kill by sword, famine, plague, and by the wild animals of the Earth.
The Flag of Islam
It is worth noting that the colors listed in Revelation match those of the Flag of Islam, which symbolize various aspects and its history of Jihad as commanded in the Qur’an.
“Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home) (Qur’an 4:95)
“..strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know.” (Qur’an 8:60)
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (Qur’an 9:29)
The color White symbolizes purity and peace through conquest and war. Red is linked to the blood of martyrs. Black symbolizes strength and the call for justice at any cost through Jihad. Green represents Islam itself and its various groups and states.
The Unpardonable Sin
The Blaspheme of the Holy Spirit/unpardonable sin is not some particularly grievous sin committed by a Born-Again Christian before or after accepting Christ, nor is it thinking or saying something terrible about the Holy Spirit. Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit, "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt regarding sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8 ESV). The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the adamant and willful refusal to accept His witness of who Jesus is and what He had come to do, and intentionally choosing not to become Born-Again until death ends all possible opportunities.
Jesus also said, "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (John 6:37 ESV). God is love. He is compassionate and merciful, super-abounding in grace. He desires that no one should be lost but that all should come to salvation through repentance and personal faith in Him as Savior and Lord (2 Peter 3:9; Acts 2:21).
When a person makes that conscious decision to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, He will never cast them away because they were bought and paid for by His blood, and are His possession and dwelling place; His Holy of Holies, and they are no longer their own but belong to Him because they were bought at a great price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Over 80 verses in the New Testament that address the fact God is for the Born-Again Christian and has prepared and given them the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of salvation, and they are now predestined, called, chosen, and sealed for the day of redemption as a child of God and an heir with Christ for glorification in heaven (examples: Ephesians 1:11-13, 4:30; Romans 8:28-31; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5).
Overcomers
Salvation is a gift from God and is not based upon works or abiding by obedience to the Law, but upon what Jesus did on the Cross (Acts 2:38-39). Jesus said that genuine overcomers are those who are Born-Again and have been born from above by God through the new Birth of the New Covenant. They will never be blotted out of the Book of Life because "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, 5:4-5; Revelation 3:5).
The Born-Again Christian has been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of Jesus (Col 1:13). The only way a person can make sure they never receive the Mark of the Beast is to be Born-Again because Jesus instantly sets His "seal" of ownership upon them as a guarantee of salvation (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Hebrews 13:5; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30; 2 Timothy 2:19).
Jesus is able to keep them from stumbling and to present them blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy to the only God, our Savior, who will sustain them to the end to be guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 1:24-25; 1 Corinthians 1:8).
Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out" (John 6:37). The Bible says that those who walk, fall away, or leave the faith were never with Jesus, and He never knew them because they would have continued with Him (1 John 2:19).
Perseverance
Because God is Love, the Born-Again Christian dwells in love, and love dwells in them as they rejoice "with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (1 Corinthians 13:6-7 ESV). They will persevere in trusting-faith under all circumstances, even in the face of extreme opposition, because they were reconciled to God "in order to present" themselves before Jesus "holy and blameless and beyond reproach" (Colossians 1:21-23; also 1 Timothy 4:16; James 1:3-4, 12, 5:11; 2 Peter 1:6; Revelation 2:2-3,19). Their perseverance will be blessed by the promises of God (Hebrews 10:36, 12:1; James 1:12).
Obedience
The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. He is not given to those who pretend to obey God, but to those who naturally obey (Acts 5:32). Those who have not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior will "shrink back to destruction" (Hebrews 10:39 ESV; also, Matthew 13:19-21). Those who do not hold fast and endure for the promise of the resurrection have believed in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
Every Born-Again Christian is to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching...." "..., always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:2-5).
Self-Examination
A person who considers themselves Born-Again needs to examine their fruit to test and see if they are actually born from above (2 Corinthians 13:5; John 3:3). The Bible is very clear on this, "Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10).
Those who are Born-Again will stand firm to the end, even in the face of persecution, because they are overcomers by trusting-faith in Jesus, who is in them, and greater than he who is in the world (1 Matthew 10:22; 24:12-13; Mark 13:13; Luke 10:19; 1 John 4:4, 5:3-5). They overcame the enemy "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death" (Revelation 12:11). Their names are written in the Book of Life and they "will never" be taken out of it" because "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (Ephesians 1:4; 1 John 3:9, 5:4-5; Revelation 3:1-6; 13:8). Sitting on the throne is a reward for the overcomer (Matthew 19:28, 25:31; Hebrews 8:1, 12:2; Revelation 3:21).
It is the sole responsibility of the Holy Spirit to sustain and keep the Born-Again Christian as guiltless and keep from stumbling so that He will finally present them blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, and He will never let them die, be thirsty again, leave, forsake, cast out, or drive them away, nor can anything grab hold of them to separate them from His love, because He gave them Holy Spirit as a guarantee of salvation (John 4:14, 6:37, 8:12, 10:27-29, 11:25-26; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 2:1; Jude 1:24; 1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6).
To say that a Born-Again Christian could be separated from God's love, who bought and paid for them by His shed blood, and are His possession - as well as His dwelling place, or that He could rescind His promise never to leave them, or that they could remove themselves from His firm grasp, is at the very least, illogical and intellectually inconsistent. When God makes a promise, He NEVER reneges on or breaks His word.
Salvation is all about what Jesus already did for us and not what we could ever do for Him. As Born-Again Christians, we should plan our lives like Jesus isn't coming back for 100 years, but live our lives like He is coming back today - because He just might - for you!
