The Mark

Just like last month, this is not actually the article I originally had in mind to write. It is intended more as a timely response to an issue that was brought to my attention recently and that I felt led to address in a scriptural manner and flesh out in a modest degree of depth.

As I'm sure you know, a COVID-19 vaccine has recently been rolled out amid no small amount of fanfare, and is in the process of being made available in the United States as well as other countries. But just like everything else in the United States these days, there has been no small amount of politics surrounding it. Although the vaccine in the U.S. is largely the result of President Trump's Operation Warp Speed, Joe Biden is waiting in the wings, eager to soak up the glory for it.

Assuming the vaccine works as advertised, that is. If it doesn't, of course, its shortcomings will be pinned squarely on Trump's herculean efforts to get it out as fast as humanly possible to save American lives...which, judging from the reactions of Democrats, is apparently a bad thing if President Trump stands to receive an ounce of credit for it.

As I'm sure you also know, however, a significant number of people have expressed reluctance to receive the vaccine for a variety of reasons. Some cite the breakneck speed with which it was developed. It's not unusual for it to take several years to develop any vaccine, and this one was frantically cranked out in a matter of months. How can we be confident that it's safe, they opine. Others continue to doubt the very existence of the coronavirus, insisting that it's all just a Deep State hoax to take control of the world. Others are so distrustful of the government that they believe the vaccine contains a secret microchip that will allow the Deep State to monitor everything you do...or even (gulp) every thought you think.

Still others believe that the vaccine has the ability to alter your DNA, presumably to make you believe that lockdowns are both necessary and patriotic, that Joe Biden won the election fair and square, and that the mainstream media can be trusted to report the truth.

This would require the vaccine to lower your IQ to about the 60–80 range, but I digress.

And last but not least, there are those with a more biblically oriented view (both believers and unbelievers) who fear that the vaccine is nothing less than the infamous mark of the beast spoken of in the book of Revelation. You know, 666 and all that. Some people, even though they may stop short of claiming the vaccine is literally the aforementioned mark, are at the very least convinced that this vaccine will, by altering their DNA in some fashion, render them spiritually "deadened" or disconnected from God, or, in the words of some, unable to "feel God."

The first thing I want to do in this article is look at what God's Word says about the mark of the beast. That should always be our first step—flesh out what the Word says about any particular topic. That way we have a solid base to work from, and so when we are inclined to speculate a bit at least we can do so in ways that line up with what God tells us in His Word.

I also want to deal with this notion of a vaccine (or anything else, for that matter) somehow being able to make a born-again believer unable to "feel God," or to cause a believer to feel distant or disconnected from Him in some way. This is an extremely damaging idea that comes straight from the father of lies, and I intend to take the Sword of the Spirit and run it through and shout "Glory to His holy name!" as I watch it crumple to the ground.

Finally, I want to discuss a nugget that occurred to me as I worked on this article, and it concerns what I believe the real mark of the beast may have the potential to do to people when it does arrive on the scene.

The beastly duo

In regard to the mark of the beast, the first thing we need to do is take a brief look at the beast himself. Actually there are two beasts who operate in conjunction with each other during the Tribulation, and at the outset of Revelation 13 we are introduced to the first beast:

As the Tribulation gets underway, the Antichrist will initially be seen as a rising world leader who has apparently brought peace to the Middle East through the confirmation of the treaty of Daniel 9:27. But as the seal judgments of Revelation 6 rapidly begin to unfold, we see him setting out to conquer as war, famine, and disease take their toll. We also see large numbers of Tribulation saints beginning to be martyred, and as the midpoint of the Tribulation nears we see cosmic disturbances that cause tremendous global devastation.

Sometime near the midpoint of the Tribulation, we see the Antichrist receive a deadly head wound and appear to be miraculously brought back to life in what amounts to Satan's counterfeit "resurrection" of his son (v. 3). Which reminds me...always keep one thing in mind:

Everything Satan does (which fails miserably) is an inferior counterfeit of something God has already done (which succeeded spectacularly).

At some point after the emergence of the Antichrist, the other half of our beastly duo arises:

While the Antichrist is busy positioning himself to take control of a global government and a global economic system, the False Prophet will be busy positioning himself to take control of a global religion.

Things come to a head at the midpoint of the Tribulation when the Antichrist is mortally wounded and "resurrected," and then desecrates the new temple in Jerusalem in the abomination of desolation. This is the event that formally reveals the Antichrist for who and what he is (see also 2 Thess. 2:3–4), and then the False Prophet steps up to the plate.

In light of the Antichrist's miraculous "resurrection," the False Prophet is prepared to compel the world to worship him as God in the flesh, as well as submit themselves to being part of the Antichrist's kingdom. And receiving the mark of the beast is part of the deal:

*Note: As I was working on this article, I was surprised to discover that some people incorrectly identify the "he" at the beginning of verse 16 as the first beast or the Antichrist, but that is almost certainly a mistake. Throughout this entire 18-verse chapter, both beasts are referred to in the third person singular, and English translations are fairly split between using the pronouns "he" or "it." But whether you refer to either beast as "he" or "it," it is quite clear that the subject pronoun that begins verse 16 has the same referent as the pronouns of the preceding five verses (vv. 11–15), which are all about the second beast, or the False Prophet. There is no obvious change in who or what is being referred to once you get to verse 16—we're clearly still talking about the second beast.

The False Prophet compels people to worship the Antichrist as God (under penalty of death), and causes them to take the mark of the beast in order to be part of the Antichrist's global system.

got the mark? This is speculation on my part, but I believe that when the time comes, the people of the world will fall all over themselves to take the mark. As I noted above, the Greek word translated "causes" in v. 16 is a form of poieo, and it doesn't necessarily imply any degree of force or compulsion. I can envision television commercials reminiscent of the old "got milk?" ads, encouraging already willing people to get with the program. I believe it will be seen as the ticket to a better world—something only a deluded fool would refuse. The people of the world will be mesmerized by the Antichrist and his miraculous resurrection, not to mention the lying signs and wonders that both he and the False Prophet will perform.

And the only "deluded fools" who will refuse will be those who have heard the gospel boldly proclaimed in the post-Rapture upheaval and trusted Christ for their salvation—a decision that will cost many of them their lives.

At this point, we can easily make two relevant observations about the mark that should lay to rest any notion that the COVID-19 vaccine is that mark, or that it's anything else out there in the world today.

A one-two punch

I've written about this before, but it is clear to me from 2 Thessalonians 2 that the Antichrist is revealed as such at the abomination of desolation at the midpoint of the Tribulation, and this is when the False Prophet causes people to take the mark (vv. 16–18 above). That establishes the first point:

1. The mark isn't rolled out until after the midpoint of the Tribulation.

Revelation 13:16–18 makes it clear that the mark of the beast and everything associated with it, namely participation in the global economic system and worship of the Antichrist as God, are not introduced until after the revelation of the Antichrist at the midpoint of the Tribulation. In other words, the mark and all the trimmings are only instituted after the counterfeit "resurrection" of Satan's man and his subsequent defilement of the temple that elevates him to divine status in the eyes of the False Prophet and of the world.

And that leads us to only one conclusion:

The current COVID-19 vaccine
cannot be the mark of the beast.

Now, let me be clear: There will certainly be forerunners and prototypes of the mark that will come out in the years prior, but they will not be the literal mark of the beast—and the COVID-19 vaccine could very well be one example. There will be products and technical innovations that come out before the actual mark of the beast that may share some of its features, but they won't be the exact same thing or have the exact same effects on people.

For example, there may very well be vaccines coming out that do alter people's DNA. There may be microchip implants that monitor people's actions and behavior in Big-Brotherish ways. All I'm saying is that the mark of the beast isn't going to suddenly pop out of thin air. Like most other things, it will be the culmination of years of research and development.

One small clue: I don't want to fly into a cloudbank of speculation as to the precise nature of the mark, but it's worth noting that Revelation 13:16 says the mark will be on people's right hands or foreheads. That's one small clue that would seem to point us in the direction of a microchip implant or possibly some type of electronic patch that resembles a tattoo that is already being developed, rather than a traditional vaccine that would presumably either be administered orally or with a hypodermic needle.

As a matter of fact, the actual mark of the beast could even include a combination of things: a vaccine along with a microchip, an electronic patch, something that alters your DNA, the whole nine yards.

But whatever it is, it ain't here yet.

2. We can't have the mark of the beast without the beast.

I'm not trying to be coy...go back and read verse 17 again carefully:

Another reason we really don't need to get too worked up over inadvertently receiving something that might secretly be the mark of the beast at this point in time, before the Tribulation has even begun and the identity of the Antichrist is still under wraps, is because of what verse 17 clearly tells us:

Whatever form the mark ultimately takes,
it is clear that it is intimately and inextricably
linked directly to the person of the Antichrist.

The mark is connected to his "name" or his "number" in some fashion. And at this point we do not know the details of how that will work, so there's little point flying to the moon and back with wild speculation about the 666 thing (YouTube is the place to go if you're into that sort of stuff). But the point is clear: It's not just some vaccine or microchip or whatever that is already out there being given to people when the False Prophet comes along and causes everybody to take it and worship the new savior of the world.

It's the mark of the beast, not the mark of anyone or anything else.

It's not the mark of Pfizer. It's not the mark of Moderna. It's not the mark of the WHO. And it's certainly not the mark of President Trump—Operation Warp Speed notwithstanding. It's the mark of the beast, and Scripture clearly tells us that it is intimately connected with Satan's man in such a way that it cannot logically be something that is available before the beast comes along. It's his mark. It's not like what Joe Biden wants to do to the COVID-19 vaccine that has come out under Trump—God's Word makes it pretty clear that the Antichrist isn't going to just come along and slap his name on something that is already being administered.

And this leads us straight to the same conclusion:

The current COVID-19 vaccine
cannot be the mark of the beast.

*So chill out. Oh, would I take the COVID-19 vaccine, you ask?

In a heartbeat.

Things to come

As I said, although most believers may balk at the idea that the COVID-19 vaccine is the literal mark of the beast (as they should), some may believe that the vaccine still has the potential to change their DNA in a manner that somehow renders them unable to feel God, or to sense His love or His presence. They fear that if they take the vaccine, they will somehow be cut off or cut adrift spiritually and no longer able to have a sense of communion with Him, or something of that nature.

Now, before I continue, let me crystal clear:

What I am about to discuss applies exclusively to born-again believers.

This only applies to spiritually regenerated believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ—those who have responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and have believed in faith that Christ was crucified and raised from the dead to atone for their sin, and have placed their faith in His finished work of atonement for their salvation. So this next part is just for believers—later I'll have something to say concerning other people.

The only thing we need to do in order to put the lie to this notion is to review one fundamental truth that applies to every believer according to God's Word—a truth that will apply to us every single day of our lives here on earth, until we either "shuffle off this mortal coil" and go to be with the Lord, or are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

And at this point, it's a safe bet that last part is far more likely for the vast majority of us.

There are actually a number of verses we could look at that speak to this issue of something being done to us that would render us unable to feel God or make us unable to feel His presence or somehow block or hinder our communion with Him. For example:

That Christ would dwell in your hearts by faith...oh yeah, and some man-made vaccine is going to give Him the boot? Right.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are quite literally His dwelling place on earth. Same deal—like some man-made vaccine is going to give the Him the boot.

The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit seals us unto the day of redemption, which is absolutely a reference to the Rapture. So, some man-made vaccine is going to "unseal" us in some way. Really?

No man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand...and I trust you're beginning to get the picture. We are eternally secure in the Father's hands, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells in our hearts, and so on. And Scripture makes it clear that nothing can ever change that.

And there are any number of others. Such verses reassure us that it is impossible for anything to ever fundamentally change things between us and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now, I can still hear a few sincere, well-intentioned believers out there, wringing their hands in genuine distress over this issue:

"Well, yeah, we may still be saved...but couldn't something that altered our DNA affect our capacity to feel His presence in some way?"

Although the verses I have quoted and many others may give us great comfort and assurance, in the view of some they may not necessarily leave the issue cut, dried, packaged, and ready to ship, if you know what I mean.

B-u-t then there's this:

If someone believes that a vaccine can do something to cause them to no longer be able to feel God, or cause them to feel disconnected from or unable to commune with God in some way, then that something, whatever it may be, has effectively created space or distance between them and God, His love, His Spirit, and His presence.

In the above passage of Scripture, the apostle Paul twice uses a form of the Greek word chorizo (vv. 35 and 39), here translated as "separate." This word is variously translated in other places in the New Testament as "separate," "depart," "leave," etc. Chorizo means "to separate or divide; to withdraw; to put asunder; to divorce; to depart or vacate; to create distance or space between two parties, often of an undesirable nature."

So, all things considered, it sure sounds to me like the preceding would pretty well cover whatever it is some people fear the COVID-19 vaccine will do to their relationship with God. Paul then proceeds to give us quite a laundry list of things that absolutely cannot do this to any believer:

• tribulation
• distress
• persecution
• famine
• nakedness
• peril
• sword
• slaughter
• death
• life
• angels
• principalities
• powers
• things present
• things to come
• height
• depth
• any creature

Not one of these things can create any space or distance between us and God, His love (of which Christ is the embodiment), or His Spirit; and as I scan over these items, I get the distinct feeling we can safely add "any man-made vaccine" to the list.

Or else just mentally file it under "things to come" and be done with it.

God and genetics

One obvious question that leaps to mind in all of this—and I will be the first to admit that it's a perfectly legitimate one, is the following:

Is it possible to alter a person's DNA in a way that affects their capacity to have spiritual experiences?

The connection between our DNA and our ability to have spiritual experiences is an intriguing question that has received its fair share of attention over the last couple of decades, and one study that initially generated considerable publicity provided the basis of the 2004 book by geneticist Dean Hamer entitled The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into Our Genes.

In the book, Hamer argues that there is a gene in humans that is involved in "spiritual" experiences, or experiences of "self-transcendence," as he calls it, and attempts to explain in physical, materialistic terms why we are genetically prone to such experiences.

Many found flaws in both Hamer's research and reasoning that greatly weakened his conclusions, however, and it wasn't long before the book was being panned by both the scientific and religious communities.

If at first you don't succeed: As it turns out, this wasn't Dean Hamer's first foray into the hinterlands of genetic research. In 1993, he published a study that purportedly identified a genetic link to male homosexuality somewhere on the X chromosome. Of course, the study was a huge sensation with members of the LGBT community, many of whom still point to it as the smoking gun that supports the LGBT's go-to tactic: plying the notion that homosexuality is genetic and therefore warrants being glowingly accepted as normative—certainly not condemned by religious bigots as being "sinful." However, other researchers were unable to replicate Hamer's results and the study ended up where it belonged—in the scientific dustbin.

The following is an excerpt from an article entitled "'The God Gene': Bad Science Meets Bad Theology" written by Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In the article, Mohler comes against the idea that our relationship with God can be reduced to mere genetics and placed in a materialistic, evolutionary box, which was clearly the true objective of Hamer's research.

So, according to Mohler, our innate capacity to believe in and come to know God is not something that can be reduced to materialistic, physical terms or cast in an evolutionary genetic framework—it stems from the fact that we are made in the image of God.

Although I certainly respect Dr. Mohler and agree with him that Hamer's powder puff of a study is of essentially zero value, I am not so quick to completely dismiss the idea that our innate capacity to have spiritual experiences has no connection whatsoever to our genes.

I want to stress upfront that although the following thoughts are consistent with Scripture to best of my ability to discern as much, they constitute my opinion. I have struggled prayerfully to find the words to express my thoughts on this point clearly, but you'll have to be the final judge of that.

The Bible says we are made in the image of God. But what exactly does that mean? In my opinion, it means we are triune beings just like God. God is one, but exists in the form of three distinct, divine Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is God individually, and together, they form the one true God—and the mechanics of how that actually works in reality are far beyond the ability of our fleshly little pea-brains to comprehend. That's one reason we have to take so many things about God and His nature on faith.

Spirit, body, soul. In simple terms, you might say that God is a Spirit, His Son took on bodily form, and the Holy Spirit is essentially God's soul—the medium through which God expresses Himself.

I believe the same fundamental structure applies to us. We are a spirit, we live in a body, and we have a soul that consists of our brain-based emotions, intellect, and will, and which serves as the medium through which our spirit expresses itself.

It's not necessarily a perfect analogy, and I'm not trying to get all maharishi on you—but I think it makes a great deal of sense. When the Elohim (plural) said in Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image," I think that's exactly what He/They meant. It doesn't mean God has two arms, two legs, and a receding hairline—it means we are like God in the sense that we have a spirit, a body, and a soul, which together form a complete human being much in the same manner that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together form one complete God.

Think about it: Our spirit, our body, and our soul (our emotions, intellect, and will) can each be thought of as being "us" on some level, and together they form the one complete "us."

To me, this means that everything we consciously experience—everything we think and feel—may originate in our spirits, but it gets filtered through our physical bodies, in particular our brains. And our physical bodies, including the wetwear that lies between our ears, are certainly the result of our genes—our DNA.

When we are born again, a permanent change takes place in our spirits. The Holy Spirit doesn't dwell in our bodies or in our minds—He dwells in our spirits, and seals us unto the day of redemption. That's why Scripture makes perfect sense when it says that nothing can separate us from God, His love, His Son, and His Spirit. These are things of the Spirit; and the flesh may respond to them, but is not in control of them.

I believe that when a person experiences the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that experience, although it originates in our spirit, still has to be filtered through our brains for us to feel or sense it consciously.

And more importantly, respond to it consciously.

In other words, it seems logical to me that there must be some type of genetic "gateway" buried somewhere deep in our DNA that allows the conviction of the Holy Spirit we receive in our spirit to be communicated to our emotions, intellect, and will so that we can sense it consciously. And it is this same genetic gateway that would allow our intellect, emotions, and will to communicate our response to that conviction back to our spirits where the Holy Spirit is at work, and voilà: We are born again.

Note, however, that no one who has ever been born again in the last two thousand years has ever had anything done to them to change or modify that genetic gateway. The Holy Spirit has been convicting men of sin and drawing them to Christ for the last two thousand years, and many have felt that conviction and responded to the message of the gospel in faith. And I believe they have all felt that conviction and responded to it in faith through that same genetic gateway.

But many who have felt that conviction have squelched it. Although their genetic gateway is intact, allowing them to both feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit and potentially respond to it, they have allowed their intellect, emotions, and will to dissuade them from doing so.

OK, now let's get back to our original question:

Is it possible to alter a person's DNA in a way that affects their capacity to have spiritual experiences—or more specifically, their capacity to feel and respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be born again?

I believe it is. But as always, is there anything in Scripture that lends support to this idea in any way?

I believe there is.

Gateway closed

We discussed how the Bible makes it clear that nothing can separate born-again believers from God and His love, or His Spirit. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and nothing can ever change that.

But what about unbelievers during the Great Tribulation?

Let's fast forward to the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week. At the outset of the Great Tribulation, "those who dwell upon the earth" (i.e. unbelievers) will be swooning over the fake resurrection of the Antichrist, and will be worshiping him and lining up to take his mark—a mark that will be seen as their ticket to a utopian world of peace and prosperity under their new divine leader.

They will be convinced that it's the dawning of the Age of Aquarius that people have been singing about ever since the 1960s.

I have written about the strong delusion before, a delusion that God Himself sends at the beginning of the Great Tribulation upon those who have refused to love the truth and be saved (2 Thess. 2:10–12). I actually didn't make the connection while I was writing that article, but the nugget that occurred to me is the fact that the mark of the beast, whatever the technology behind it may be, may in fact be the vehicle through which God imparts that strong delusion to those who have spurned His grace and mercy.

No? Consider: Scripture makes it 100 percent clear that those who take the mark will never repent no matter how much suffering they endure during the Great Tribulation, and each and every single one of untold millions of them will "drink the wine of the wrath of God" and be damned for eternity (Rev. 14:9–11; 16:2; 19:20).

No exceptions. Not one. Now, maybe it's just me, but I find that rather striking. No, make that weird. In the midst of the horrifying devastation that is being poured out on the world (that they know for a fact is the wrath of a holy God according to Rev. 6:16–17), not one of these people repents. Not one changes their mind over their refusal to trust Christ to save them. Not one responds to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I mean, I've seen hard cases before, but wow—that takes hardcore to a whole new level. I don't know about you, but I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that not a single one of them repents. Zip. Zero point nobody. Nada.

Now, in my scriptural opinion, it would be typical of God's brand of poetic justice to cause those who staunchly refuse to repent in spite of all He has done and revealed to mankind up to that point to literally be unable to repent. That's the entire point of the strong delusion—these are people who have seen far more than enough to bring them to repentance. Yet they have absolutely refused to receive "the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

As I discuss in the article I linked to above, the very purpose of the strong delusion God sends upon those who have rejected His grace and mercy is to cause them to believe a lie and be damned (2 Thess. 2:10–11). And that lie is the lie that Satan's son, the Antichrist, is God in the flesh—as was God's Son, Jesus Christ. So, considering what we discussed about the genetic gateway...

Is it really such a stretch to believe that the mark of the beast, which the recipients willingly take, literally renders them unable to repent?

In other words, is it possible that the mark of the beast contains something that alters people's DNA, and somehow closes or turns off that genetic gateway, thus rendering them incapable of feeling or responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit?

I believe it is. As I said, no man-made vaccine or microchip or whatever can create any distance or separation between born-again believers and God. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit—God's mark of ownership. When we get saved, we literally become God's property, bought and paid for with the blood of His sinless Son. And God tends to mark what belongs to Him...

And that helps explain why Satan marks what belongs to him.

In other words, I believe the mark of the beast functions as Satan's mark of ownership, rendering the recipient genetically unable to respond to the Holy Spirit. We see a parallel in Revelation 7:4, where the 144,000 Jewish evangelists are sealed with God's seal of ownership, and that seal protects them not only from the wrath He is pouring out on the earth (Rev. 9:4), but also from anything the Antichrist can throw at them while they are carrying out their God-ordained mission of evangelizing the post-Rapture world.

So, what we see happening during the Tribulation is this:

God puts His mark of ownership on
His servants, and that mark creates
a barrier between them and Satan.

Then, not to be outdone...

Satan puts his mark of ownership on
his servants, and that mark creates
a barrier between them and God.

When the Antichrist causes the unbelievers of the world to take his mark, it is in fact God who has reached the point where He allows the mark of the beast to be used as a vehicle to send His strong delusion upon them. The mark alters their DNA and closes that genetic gateway, rendering them unable to repent as well as leaving them highly vulnerable to the lies of the Antichrist.

And their fates are sealed for eternity.

Gateway open

I am convinced that we have reached the point in the prophetic scenario where the vast majority of the people who will be here for the formal revelation of the Antichrist and the roll out of his mark at the outset of the Great Tribulation are alive today. In fact, they almost certainly include a few people you know: friends, acquaintances, co-workers, even family members.

The one thing they all have in common is the fact that they have rejected and will continue to reject the grace and mercy of a holy God until the time comes when they are confronted with the lying signs and wonders of the man who will come in place of Christ, and who will appear to be the divine savior of the world. And when that time comes, God will send a strong delusion upon them that I believe will be facilitated by the mark of the beast.

That mark will alter their DNA and close the genetic gateway through which they had every opportunity in the world to feel and respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and they will literally be rendered unable to repent throughout the remainder of the Great Tribulation. At its climax, they will face eternal damnation, as will the False Prophet and the Antichrist, the son of Satan: the lying fraud who presumed to take the place of the real Christ, the Son of God.

Of course, if people fail to respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit before the Rapture, they will have yet another chance to do so during the ministry of the 144,000 in the first half of the Tribulation (assuming, of course, they survive the judgments God is unleashing on the world). And millions will do just that, and many of them will be martyred for their testimony.

All of this serves to emphasize a critically important point that Scripture hammers home in many ways:

Today is the day of salvation.

People have to realize that every time they squelch the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that convicts them of sin, and allow their intellect, emotions, and will to shrug off a decision to respond to God's offer of forgiveness, they have taken another step toward an eternity of separation from Him.

It is tragic to think of the plight of those who will take the mark of the beast. They are those who will have rejected God's grace and mercy so strenuously and steadfastly that God finally takes it upon Himself to lock them into the path they have chosen through the strong delusion by causing them to rebel and believe a lie. This will involve the mark, which will render them unable to repent and believe the truth.

The most tragic thing of all, however, is to see people today, living their lives as if there were no God—or what's worse, as if God were the Great Cosmic Santa Claus, a jolly old soul who winks at our naughtiness and gives all His beautiful children presents, including a cushy afterlife. And all the while, their genetic gateway is wide open and they are fully capable of feeling and responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but they have allowed their intellect, emotions, and will to stonewall Him out of their lives.

But the day will come when it will be God who does the stonewalling.

The day will come when He sends upon those who have decisively spurned His grace and mercy a strong delusion that, through the mark they willingly take, renders them unable to feel and respond to His Spirit, which in turn makes them respond to and believe the lie that the Antichrist is their savior, rather than the prophesied Savior He sent two thousand years ago.

The important thing is that the gateway is open today, and will remain so until God closes it. Those who fail to use that gateway to respond to God's grace and mercy before they take the mark—the mark that will slam it shut—will spend eternity regretting their foolish failure to do so.

Mark my words.

Greg Lauer — DEC '20

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