How is it that taking the mark of the beast cancels God's salvation?

Answer Request:

What is it about the mark of the beast that connects it to loss of salvation?

Salvation is anything pertaining to what can enable or PREVENT people from receiving God's gift of salvation. So how is it a mark on the hand or the forehead as mentioned in Revelation can undo or show a decision that has been made against the good news of Jesus' work of redemption for us? What are the elements of that mark which must be present and intrinsic in order that it comes true as predicted that none who have the mark will have eternal life?

One must remember that although sin separates man from God, it is their faith in a 'gospel' that saves them. Salvation has ALWAYS been by having faith in God; by trusting God's word above anything else. The word 'Gospel' is translated as "good news". This good news is ANY message that God chose to reveal to man at that point in time when they lived. If that person heard the good news that God communicated, and then believed it, acting upon it in faith, then that person would be saved by their faith in God's word. (Remember, only faith can please God, Heb.11:6).

So, with the above in mind, we must then consider what is the gospel in the time of the great tribulation. Well, we know that God is saving people during the first half by means of the Kingdom gospel. The kingdom gospel was to believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, (exactly the same condition as in the Jewish church in Acts 2 and 3 where Peter preached, "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins...".

When we get to the Great Tribulation (the second half), we find that an angel delivers a gospel message called the 'eternal gospel'. It is not the kingdom gospel and the conditions it presented! This message has now ended since the 144,000 who were preaching it have been removed from the earth, Rev.14:1. The eternal gospel is simply to "fear God and give Him glory" and to "worship Him who made the visible creation". This is a different set of conditions, but if a person in the great tribulation would do this in faith, according to these conditions, they would be saved.

Rev.14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 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, 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: 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.

So, as specified, the gospel is a message from God that provides humans a means of salvation. If they respond in faith to what God says, there is salvation available to them. If they do not respond in faith to it, they will not be saved.

The first angel provides the two conditions of the everlasting gospel message, (the good news) from God; fear God and give Him glory, and worship Him. In addition to this, another angel clearly specifies that one should NOT take the mark of the beast. Note that the gospel message is not necessarily just a positive message of having faith in a Saviour. The gospel can also be a command NOT to do something. God has His reasons and He can determine the conditions applicable to salvation. As long as a person believes in the message and puts trust in it, whether it is good news or a command, it make no difference.

So the angels in the above scripture passage provided the conditions for salvation at this time! Fear God, give Him glory and worship Him, and DO NOT take the mark of the beast. If one rejected this message, one would forgo salvation. That is it! If one rejects that message, that person is eternally doomed!

I believe that one would forgo their salvation when taking the mark of the beast because it is a choice one makes in knowledge to defy God and reject His salvation offer. It also is a mark of allegiance to the beast. Just like the Holy Spirit seals a grace believer today (2 Cor.1:22; Eph.1:13), and that seal identifies you as the Lords possession, so the mark of the beast seals the bearer as sold out to the Devil and his possession. Once a person makes that choice, there is no escape from Gods wrath during this time since the gospel specified it as a condition and is irreversible!