Tom,
The process of the mark of the beats is the final decision time for the whole world. Those who are not willing to suffer for their testimony of Jesus will out of fear take the mark. It is like the time the Lord thinned out the army in the OT until there were only a few left. But they were the faithful ones. Then God gave their few numbers the victory. Our victory will be to resist the beast. I have posted the same thing you just did.
In Matt. 24;29-31
29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE IT'S LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the power of the heavens will be shaken,
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
31 And He will send forth His angels WITH A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect FROM THE FOUR WINDS, FROM ONE END OF THE SKY FROM THE OTHER.
The caps here represent OT prophecies that Jesus is putting together to describe His return.
In Rev. 14:14 the description of the son of man is the same as Jesus just described in Matthew.
14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. (according to my bible a more accurate translation of "a son of man" is "the Son of Man")
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe."
16 And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.
The similarities between these two descriptions can't be ignored. The timing is also perfect. After the tribulation but before God's wrath.
Those who remain on the earth are the ones who took the mark of the beast. They are thrown into the wine press of the wrath of God. The process of the mark of the beast is actual the promised separating of the wheat from the tares. The wheat and tares grew together until the harvest when they are separated by God, using the mark of the beast. It's God's perfect plan. |
