Will Everyone Who Takes the Mark be Eternally Condemned? When we ask this question, Rev. 14:11 immediately comes to mind. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (NASB, Rev. 14:11). Eternal smoke immediately brings up visions of the lake of fire. However, the lake of fire is never described in this way in any other passage of Scripture. Interestingly, eternal smoke is mentioned in two other passages of Scripture. And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever” (NASB, Rev. 19:3). This verse refers back to the destruction of the city of Babylon in Revelation chapter 18. This destruction occurs as part of the 7th bowl of God’s wrath (Rev. 16:19). It is referring to the physical destruction of a city. It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall go up forever; From generation to generation it shall be desolate; None shall pass through it forever and ever (NASB, Is. 34:10). Again we see a reference to eternal smoke, and again the reference is to physical destruction, this time the destruction of Edom (Is. 34:6). The context is again during the wrath of God (Is. 34:1-6 especially verse four). Thus the other two passages about eternal smoke are physical in nature and occur during the wrath of God. Let’s return to Revelation chapter fourteen and look at the context. And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, {10} he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. {11} “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (NASB, Rev. 14:9-11). Notice “the wine of the wrath of God” and “the cup of His anger” in verse ten. These are clear references to the wrath of God not the lake of fire. Now notice the last phrase of verse ten, “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” Contrast this with II Thes. 1:9. “And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (NASB, II Thes. 1:9). Those in the lake of fire are never described as being in the presence of God, Jesus or the angels. With a closer look, Revelation 14:11 is clearly a reference to the wrath of God not the lake of fire. Now that we see that taking the mark will condemn people to the wrath of God, but not necessarily to hell, we must look for indications that some of the survivors of the wrath of God will be saved. Seek the Lord, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger (NASB, Zeph. 2:3). Then after the Day of the Lord we read: "For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder (NASB, Zeph. 3:9). “The peoples” is a reference to gentiles. Thus we see even gentiles surviving the wrath of God and calling on the name of the Lord. Not only does Rev. 14:11 not condemn all those with the mark to hell, but Zeph. 3:9 clearly indicates that gentile survivors will be saved. Lets return to Revelation chapter fourteen. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” {12} Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus (NASB, Rev. 14:11-12). Verse twelve states the practical application of verse eleven. Namely, it will be worth while to persevere. In the context, what does this imply? It implies that we could take the mark and thus experience the wrath of God on earth. We err greatly if we assume that God will prevent us from taking the mark. To further confirm this look at Luke 12:42-46 and especially note verse 46. (A parallel passage is found in Matt. 24:45-51.) And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? {43} "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. {44} "Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. {45} "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; {46} the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers (NASB, Lk. 12:42-46). Notice that the person in this passage is being called a slave not an unbeliever. The master in this story is Jesus, so the slaves would most naturally represent believers. In verse forty-six, this disobedient believer is assigned a place with the unbelievers. This fits perfectly with the idea that the time of Wrath is intended for unbelievers but that believers will suffer with them during this time if they are living in sin at the time of the rapture. At this point I should also comment on the parallel passage in Matthew 24:45-51. In verse fifty-one we read that the disobedient servant will be assigned "a place with the hypocrites." Again the disobedient slave was not called a hypocrite but will suffer the same as a hypocrite. Is there really any difference between a hypocrite and an unbeliever in these two passages? I think not. The hypocrites in this passage are more than just disobedient believers. They are unbelievers who only claim to be believers. So we see a consistent story. Disobedient believers will suffer with the false believers and unbelievers if they are living in sin at the time of Christ's return. Those who say the reference is to the lake of fire rather than the time of wrath have difficulty with these passages. They must either say that believers do not have eternal security or they must say the disobedient slave is actually a false believer. The doctrine of eternal security is well established and already written about extensively so I will only address the issue of the slaves identity. As you re-read the passage notice the strong emphasis on obedience and timing. "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds SO DOING when he comes. {44} "Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. {45} "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and BEGINS TO BEAT THE SLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, AND TO EAT AND DRINK AND GET DRUNK; {46} the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.(NASB, Lk. 12:43-46 Emphasis mine). The point of this passage is the importance of habitual and continual obedience. The message is one of faithfulness not of repentance for salvation. As such the slave clearly represents a true Christian. Jesus continues this theme of faithfulness in Matthew chapter twenty-one. 34 “Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (NASB, Matt. 21:34-36) In verse 34 we see dissipation, drunkenness and worries of life as things that could cause people to enter the day of the Lord. Now these things could cause people to postpone accepting Christ and thus not be a Christian at the time of the rapture. However Jesus makes it clear who he is talking to by what he tells them to do. He doesn't tell them to accept him, but to keep on the alert and to pray for strength. These are not one time things like accepting Christ as Savior. Keep on the alert means it must be a habitual alertness. Praying for strength means that strength will be required. It seems clear that faithfulness at the time of the rapture will be a precondition of our rapture. This means we had better take our faithfulness seriously. At this point you may be thinking about I Thessalonians 5:9. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (NASB, I Thes. 5:9). Just because we are not destined or appointed for wrath does not mean we cannot participate in God’s wrath because of our choices. Read the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis 19:12-26. In verses 12-15 we see that Lot had sons-in-law and sons who were given the opportunity to flee the city but refused. They were not destined for wrath, but they suffered it by their own choice. As we read on we see that Lot's wife did flee at the angel's continual insistence. She too was not destined for wrath but was specifically chosen for rescue. Still, because she looked back longingly, she too suffered the wrath of God on earth. Now read Luke 17:30-33. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it. (NASB, Lk. 17:30-33) This passage is important because it shows that what happened to Lot's wife was not a unique event. It was a picture of what will happen at the day of the Son of Man. The picture Jesus paints is of people who love their earthly life and are not ready to give it up. Jesus is saying, if we are too attached to our earthly life, we are in danger of suffering the same fate as Lot's wife, namely being included in the earthly judgment of the wicked. Lest I be misunderstood, I do not believe that God will be judging the carnal Christians. Our sins have been paid for in full by the blood of Christ. However, this does not preclude God from disciplining His children by letting them experience part of the judgment He is sending on the wicked. What makes us think we can live rebellious lives and not suffer the consequences? It is up to us. Only God can give the strength, but He has left it to us to take advantage of that strength. Through out the Scriptures we are exhorted to act. Exhortations make no sense unless we have the power to choose. The choice of obedience or rebellion is up to us. The power to actually obey is up to God. Yes, God will give us the strength to resist the mark, but no, it is not automatic. We must pray for and seek his strength. The possibility of experiencing God’s earthly wrath should motivate us to seek Him with our whole heart. There is a reason God commands us to “hold fast” (Rev. 2:25; 3:11). Although we are not in danger of losing our eternal salvation, we are in danger of losing eternal rewards and suffering with those who are experiencing God’s earthly wrath! To read my thoughts on Calvinism and Arminianism click here. Close this window to return to the previous page. Return to top All Scripture quotations are from: New American Standard Bible ., electronic edition. (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996).

Website hosting and domain registration powered by DomainNameSanity.com