Six-fold References to Angelic Warnings Given to Evil Men:
- … “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!.” (Rev. 8:13). (Emphasis added).
- … “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Rev. 12:12). (Emphasis added).
- … “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,” (Rev. 14:9). (Emphasis added).
- … “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 brimestone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of trhe Lamb.” (Rev. 14:10). (Emphasis added).
- … “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:” (Rev. 14.11). (Emphasis added).
- … “And they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosover receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 18:4). (Emphasis added).
Commentary: These six (6) angelic warnings to evil men could not be any more explicit, direct or to the point. They are made with great emphasis and intensity. They are prophetic in nature because these angels know exactly what is coming through the tunnel in the very near term, during the Tribulation and Great Tribulation. One angel knows the wrath that is coming when the fifth, six and seven angel trumpets are blown. Another angel knows the chaos, mayhem and deception that will result from Satan being kicked out of heaven and thrown to the curb of the earth. He has great wrath/fury and will take it out upon mankind. These are just the first two warnings given by angels! The last four warnings are the sternest and most emphatic warnings God gives mankind via his heavenly messengers. This angel declares, in no uncertain terms, what will befall man if they “worship the beast and receive his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand.” Evil men who do this will receive an overflowing allotment of full wrath of God. It won’t be watered down or diluted. It will be administered full strength. They will be tormented for ever and ever, in the lake of fire and brimestone (2nd death). They will have no rest day or night, for ever.
Elsewhere in this analysis, I comment on the specific sins of men during the Tribulation period that lead to their eternal damnation. The angel who gives this warning indicates the severity of these sins and their consequences from being comitted. Even when this angel proclaims these warnings, they are ignored by mankind and sloughed off or not taken seriously. This ultimately leads to their eternal damnation once they take the mark, name or number of the beast and worship him and his image. With all the bad and evil things that men do today, and during the Tribulation, what makes the last four (4) warnings so emphatic and important? Surely, there are worse things a man could do than worship someone else or a worship an image? Don’t men already do these things? Receiving a mark or number seems harmless enough today. People get all kinds of crazy looking tattoos, what does it matter if someone gets yet another mark or tattoo on their hand or forehead? Or so, people will think during the Tribulation. What they don’t’ know is the object of their worship and adoration.
For the first three and half years of the Tribulation, they will be worshipping the satanically powered beast or antichrist. They will be worshipping a false and blasphemous deity. It gets worse. At the midpoint of the Tribulation, Satan indwells or possesses the beast/antichrist and demands to be worshipped as God. This takes place in Jerusalem in the rebuilt Jewish Temple. Satan/beast defiles the holiest section of the temple. It gets worse. By taking the beast’s mark, name or number, men in essence have signed their name on the dotted line in blood, in regards to giving their utmost allegiance to Satan, through the beast/antichrist/man of sin. They have completely, unequivocably given themselves over to evil via their mind, heart, body and soul. They have even allowed their flesh to be modified to reflect their satanic status. There is nothing worse that a man can do than WILLINGLY give himself over to Satan. God gives men freewill and a choice. At this point, Jesus Christ can’t provide salvation to lost men. They have made their choice. They chose Satan over Christ. They chose to ignore Christ’s offer of salvation. Christ does NOT force himself on anyone who does not want him, or his offer of free forgiveness of sins through Him, and the shedding of his blood and resurredtion. God created man in his image. Men are described as imagers of God. Once man worships the beast, his image and takes his name, number or mark; the body, soul, mind and heart are completely defiled and no longer reflect God’s reflected glory in man. Instead, the evilness of Satan is reflected in the evil men who ignore the angel’s dire warning.
Elsewhere in this commentary, I provide a thorough analysis between receiving a mark (branding) by the beast/antichrist versus receiving a seal of ownership by God in the forehead. For whatever reason (location of the spirit or soul in a man?) God reserves the forehead for a seal of ownership. A true seal of God’s ownership is spiritual and placed in the forehead of those redeemed by Christ. Conversely, once the beast/antichrist has put a mark/branding on the outside/surface of the forehead, that person is given over to Satan and becomes his property (for future slaughter). This duality between satanic markings and holy sealings in foreheads is very real and denotes a person’s status to angels, to Satan and to God/Christ. Once evil men do the exact things that they are told not to do, they have forfeited Christ’s offer of salvation, for eternity. The mark of the beast and the seal of God denote a man’s status for eternity from the Tribulation. Conversely, the Tribulation Saints are those strong people who heed the angel’s warnings and don’t take the mark of the beast, or worship him or his image. Many passages throughout the book of Revelation indicate the glorious future, in eternity, of these redeemed men who did NOT cave into the beast’s system. They accepted the gospel, they accepted Christ for who he is, they acceptance the forgiveness of their sins through Christ’s shedding of blood and resurrection. However, their redemption came with a great personal price of martyrdom in the form of beheading when they refused to withdraw their belief in Christ at the hands of the beast’s persecution.
God isn’t joking or kidding around when He issues a warning. Men are warned not to cross a line, for their own good. Do they listen? Do they obey? Do they take the warning seriously? No, no, no. These warnings are so serious because they have eternal consequences. Six (6) denotes evil and man. Hence, six (6) warnings are given in the verses referenced above.
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