Revelation 14:9-13

Revelation 14:9: “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.”

Taking the Mark of the Beast is an unforgivable sin. Once you take it you cannot repent of it. You are damned and will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, bearing the incredible judgment of God. It is an unforgivable act.

Note the graphic language that this passages uses to describe this torment! The Bible says that those who take the Mark will be forced to face the wrath of God, “which is poured out without mixture”. In other words, there will be no mercy offered at all. Those who take it “shall be tormented with fire and brimstone”, and this torment will last day and night, forever and ever, without rest or hope of rescue. It is devastating, horrifying, and very real.

Now, the Church will never be offered the Mark. By the time the false prophet brings it into existence the Church will be long gone and in Heaven. The Mark does not appear until years after the Rapture has occurred. But those who are left behind and who survive to this point (and a great many will die before this happens – more than half the world’s population, actually) will be faced with the choice. They can refuse to take it and be killed, or they can take it and be tormented by God forever and ever.

That is why the Bible goes on to say this:

Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

At this point in history, those who die for the cause of Christ are the blessed ones, for they are finally at rest. They no longer have to struggle with demonic invasions, or the awesome power of the antichrist, or the tyranny of the Mark. All of that is behind them. They are finally at home in Heaven, and they rest from their work.

To put it another way – the Christians who are truly blessed are the ones that are already dead. The living ones are still caught up in an utter nightmare – one that they must patiently bear. They have to resist the Mark each and every day, despite the unimaginable demonic pressure to take it. If they fail, they will be damned forever with no hope of forgiveness. It will be a truly, truly terrible time to be alive.