Receiving the Mark of the Beast

The understanding that many will be deceived and take the mark takes also logic but most importantly the heart of God into account. First, the only thing that matters is that those that are in Christ would never take the mark. They cannot because they are marked by the Lord just as the followers of the beast are marked for him/it. Let us forget the mark of the beast for a moment and remember the direct opposite, the mark of the Lord. Those that are Christ's are marked for Him showing that they are His and His alone. I don't believe for a moment this mark is a physical one. Otherwise we will have to have microchips, tatoo, or something else that all can see that we are Christ's. In the mind of God, no mark is needed since He knows who are His. It is matter of the heart, which only God knows. We are marked the moment we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior(or more biblically by God before creation since He knew who were His and who were not). There is no physical mark necessary because an outward physical sign is irrellevant, it is a matter of the heart that is important. It is based on Faith, not an outward sign. Since all Christians understand this, why is it that the opposite, which is the mark of the beast, now has to be a physical one when it is one also of the heart?

Even though I believe that both marks are not physical but a faith issue, let me take the futurist point of view. Even if the mark was physical (for the sake of argument) it cannot be an outright deception because the mark is something that is an outright rejection of the Lord. Let me explain. If the mark of the beast was future and in the form of a credit card or microchip, the fact that it would be used simply to purchase or sell is NOT an outright rejection of the Lord. Even if it was given by Satan himself, the fact that someone takes something to buy food and such is NOT rejecting Jesus Christ. The only way to reject the Lord is to outright make an oath or statement that what they are doing is accepting one, and rejecting another. We must remember God's heart. Someone taking simply a Visa card to buy food regardless of who gives it does not damn ones soul. It takes the outright rejection of Christ's glorious work on the Cross that does. What does it say about God's heart if someone before Judgement does not know they took the mark of the beast but simply a way of buying or selling? God would never condemn someone for that. To take the mark of the beast means that the markee knows exactly what they are doing, the rejection of Jesus Christ. It is not a deception that hides a rejection of Christ but an in your face proclamation to the world that I am the beast's and I reject the Lord. That is the only thing that will condemn a persons soul. To be separated from the Lord takes faith in anything or anyone other then Him. If the mark was future a simple deception such as a microchip or credit card or anything else physical an outright oath or statement would have to follow. It is a mark condemning ones soul, only the rejection of Jesus Christ leads to this, not an accepting of a mark to buy or sell. With that being said, no believer would take it because they would never bow before anyone but the Lord their God. We all sin but we know who reigns forever and ever.

In conclusion, all who call upon the name of the Lord are saved. Ones eschatology is not a salvation issue. When all is said and done, it comes down to are you in Christ or not? Not when will the rapture happens, or did it happen, or who was the beast, etc. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart you are marked for Him. If you do not, your are marked for Satan. It is a mark of the heart, nothing more. Salvation is the greatest gift in the world. It is only determined by if you acccept Jesus as Lord. Nothing else matters.