“And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
“And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either 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 the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” Revelation 13:15-18
No one knows what ‘the mark’ will actually look like. There is speculation that it could be an image (icon) or a microchip or a tattooed type of barcode used in place of money or credit cards for tracking, commerce and trade. But, from scriptures we do know…
WHEN WILL THIS BEAST GIVE HIS MARK?
The most popular idea is that the Antichrist will “cause all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, verse 17, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.” from, Revelation 13:16-17, allegedly, sometime before the rapture of the Church.
HOWEVER, the Bible tells us that the Antichrist will be revealed before the rapture of the church.
This will occur during the 5th Tribulation Seal period, or just at the beginning of the 6th Tribulation Seal.
And according to the Bible, the Antichrist gives his ‘Mark’ after the Seal Judgments, after the Rapture, and just after the 6th Tribulation Trumpet Judgment or during the 7th Trumpet Judgment, which is the Mid-Point of the Great Tribulation, which is after three- and one-half years of the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation period.
Revelation 13:16-17 tells us when the Antichrist “causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, Verse 17, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”
As I have proposed on numerous occasions, the Tribulation Seal Judgments 1 through 4 (wars and rumors of war, famines, plagues, earthquakes, spread of new diseases) began in or around AD 30. (click this link for “When Does Daniel’s 70th Week, also known as, the 7 Years of Great Tribulation, begin).
We have seen the 5th Tribulation Seal being opened in our lifetime, the great apostasy or falling away from the faith, false messiahs, great deceptions, a.k.a. the ‘deluding influence’ and alienation from one another, and it is become more pronounced as time passes.
What this likely means to you and to me is that some of us will have the opportunity to suffer awhile before God takes us away in the Rapture. How do we know this? The Bible says so:
1 Peter1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- verse 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
- verse 5. who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- verse 6. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Revelation 6:9 tells us that, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal,
- I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; verse 10, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
- Verse 11. And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
The ‘times of distress‘ encompass Tribulation Seals 1 through 5.
The Great Tribulation also known as The Wrath of God, that is the Wrath of the Lamb, begins with the breaking or opening of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation.
NOTE: The final 7 years of Daniel’s 70 Weeks, also known as the 7 Years of the Great Tribulation, will begin with the Breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal. It will reach the mid-point (3 1/2 years) at the Blowing of the 7th Trumpet Judgment and will conclude with the pouring out of the 7th Bowl Judgment.
Be comforted by this, that God has not appointed us to His Wrath, but to obtain His salvation!
Whitestone Fellowship 