Revelation 13:16: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Revelation 13:17: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 13:18: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Such strange and cryptic pronouncement seems farfetched, especially hundreds years ago. Christians in the past must have great faith to believe such revelation beyond their wildest imagination.
Fast forward to our day and age, such technology is already here and has been used on animals for quite sometime now for tracking and data analysis. It is progressively being used on humans and inevitably, it is becoming desirable to receive the mark in the body by certain people for reasons best known to them.
Recently, some diehard soccer fans in Argentina are clamoring to have microchips implanted in them so they can literally carry their beloved club inside of them. This microchip, also known as the Passion Ticket, will allow them to enter the gates of the stadium by scanning the chip in their hand. For the moment, this chip doesn’t have a GPS tracker to track the members but just serves as a record of their membership data and subscription. Check out the news here and think about the not too distant future.
Argentine Club Launches Microchips For Fans
One thing is sure. Receiving a mark is going to be popular and even desirable. There are many good reasons to justify having a mark literally where your identity cannot be stolen. It is also very convenient to have all your information with you in the chip and you don’t have to carry cash with you and a whole bunch of credit cards and membership cards as well. Better still, have all your medical records in the chip which would be very useful during an emergency.
However, this is inevitably moving in the direction where global control of the human population during the end times becomes possible. Absolute control by the antichrist and his system will ensure these recipients forfeit their chance of salvation and eternal life.
Revelation 14:9: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Revelation 14:10: The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Revelation 14:11: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation 16:1: And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Revelation 16:2: And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Receiving the mark is not so harmless after all. It is not just a trade off for convenience and security but a deception to worship the antichrist. World trend on the popularity and desirability to receive the mark of the Beast will seal the doom for many.
2 Thessalonians 2:9: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2 Thessalonians 2:10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2 Thessalonians 2:12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
It is definitely getting exciting but nonetheless, terrifying for those left behind when the Lord calls His bride, the Church, home. This is when the nation of Israel will take centre stage again to be purified during the times of Jacob’s trouble just prior to the Millennial Kingdom of peace and rest under the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
“Jacob’s trouble” is used by those who believe in “pre-Trib”.
I am a diehard KJBO advocate, and (not “but”) see Matthew 24 very clearly saying we will see the gathering together “immediately after” the “tribulation of those days”, as Daniel described it and Jesus referred to it.
But God has not appointed us unto wrath, therefore we are gathered together when “the last trump shall sound”, the seventh trumpet of Revelation, and it is after that the vials of the wine of the wrath of God are poured out upon the godless left on earth for those few days (30 or 40 as memory serves), while we celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Then we deliver the seventh vial at Armageddon on white horses.
God’s word (it’s the KJB) is true.
Jacob’s trouble is not the Church’s trouble.
Jacob and the Church are not the same, unless you force Israel and the Church to be one entity.
Israel as a nation is subject to punishment for apostasy. The Church is promised to prevail against the gates of hell.
Individual members of the church may be chastised as a child of God but the Church as a whole will never experience the painful exile of the nation of Israel and the earthly devastation of their cities for rebellion against God.
The absence of the Church from Revelation 4 to 18 is deafening.