Most people fear the coming tribulation because of the antichrist's physical manifestation and the persecution that he might initiate against Christians. However, the past persecutions of Christians do not fall short of the horror that is predicted by modern prophecy teachers. Only our ignorance of history hides the unspeakable carnage that prevailed during the Dark Ages. If we would rouse ourselves we would understand that antichrist has long been present and our current state of slumber will open another door of entrance for our enemy and his persecuting hand!

The Scripture calls both the present and past sufferings of the Church great tribulation. When the false church burned people alive for praying to Jesus, Satan was as bad as the Devil could be. When the Word of God was hidden for centuries, very antichrist was the sole perpetrator. Only sightless eyes fail to discern these past happenings as real and great tribulation.

• "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22
• "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

When we speak of the coming wrath of God every one rightly thinks, "Great Tribulation!" However, a prophetic quandary has emerged because of our failure to recognize today's deception and persecution as a prophesied tribulation for the Church. Many difficult Scriptures become easy to understand when we simply adjust our narrow definitions.

We have documented that Lacunza the Jesuit was the modern perpetrator of the mini-antichrist and mini-tribulation. The Bible defines "tribulation" as filling a great span of time and the antichrist as being both spirit and many. Both the terms "Great tribulation" and "tribulation" are used to denote centuries of trouble. Conversely, God's outpouring of great wrath is confined to the very end of the Great Tribulation and is connected to the Second Coming of Christ. The final days of tribulation will be a time of rejoicing for God's saint's. (Rev. 18:20) We might also call it the Great Rejoicing or the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Remember, Satan living in a fleshly body is of no effect unless Hell bound masses follow him and do his bidding. The Gospel is God's key to freeing the masses. Satan can do flips and call fire from heaven but he has no meaningful power unless people are deceived. Alas, billions are now streaming into Hell. Satan can render no greater harm in the future.

When Satan deceives a so-called Christian, nothing could be worse! If Satan physically appeared in Jerusalem and struck fear in cold Christians he would weaken his position. Then Christians would earnestly pray and make spiritual warfare! Praying Christians would prevail. Thus, something far different is slated for the future great tribulation. In the coming tribulation God's fiery wrath will fall upon the wicked nations!

Therefore, we are recognizing "now" as a time of long tribulation, persecution, and deception. "Now" is the day for perfecting the Church. Conversely, the great tribulation of the future will be the day of God's Great Wrath! Please understand -- we are not in that final period of tribulation. On that day the earth will shake beneath the stroke of God as true believers shall be caught away! (Matthew 24:31)

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Here is a principal that most would rather skip. I don't blame them for that, because our flesh cries out for comfort at every turn. The scripture's message is so compelling, we dare not omit this major principal. The Blood of Jesus alone cleanses us from sin. However, tribulation is also defined as a purifier of the Church. Remember how that spotless Jesus learned "obedience through the things he suffered."

A short study of Scripture will quickly reveal tribulation is not a narrow subject. All through the New Testament, tribulation is mentioned as being the lot of true believers. Since Jesus' time Christians have been in tribulation for their testimony. We are not promised immunity from trouble, persecution, or tribulation. The Bible repeatedly gives encouragement to stand when these come.

Often believers conclude no trouble will ever confront them before they are to be raptured away. Such expectations become dangerous, for when strong trouble comes believers may feel let down or betrayed. God is forever faithful; we simply fail to listen to His Word. There is a present tribulation for true believers. This is a tribulation that does not withhold the soon return of Jesus; this tribulation has already happened and will continue until Jesus comes.

Special judgments (also called great tribulation) are God's plan for the wicked. These calamities will take place at the end of our current age and after Jesus catches away his saints. Prophecy teachers now call this future period, The Great Tribulation. This name seems appropriate because that the greatest Divine judgment in history will fall. Past teachers called it the Day of Doom. Woe, to the inhabitants of the Earth! Great plagues shall be poured out on the nations that gather to fight the Lamb. Jesus will destroy the wicked and bind the Unholy Trinity. The raptured saints will accompany Jesus on this judgment day. The kingdoms of the Earth shall become the Kingdoms of our God.

We will first cite some scriptures that mention tribulation. Then we shall follow with some verses having the same Greek word but with a different English translation. CAPITOL LETTERS will note these words. Remember where the CAPITOL LETTERS appear, substituting the English word TRIBULATION is totally proper and in keeping with good translation. Here are some scriptures on the subject:

Matt 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when TRIBULATION or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.)

Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that TRIBULATION worketh patience;

2 Cor 7:4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our TRIBULATION.

Acts 11:19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

2 Cor 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

2 Cor 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Questions: If we suffer in a light tribulation, or a great tribulation, how will they differ? We can only die once! If millions died for Christ in the first Century and many more follow throughout history's bloody stream, was that a little tribulation?

Moreover, when Satan's coming hordes fight against Jesus, why shall their death be great tribulation? If I suffer hunger, am burned, beheaded, dismembered and watch my family tortured for Jesus, why is my death given a lesser standing than God's future wrath and tribulation on the deserving wicked?

Answers: There is a great tribulation to come when Jesus returns and pours out his wrath upon wickedness. That tribulation shall be GREAT: great big, greatly reaching and greatly longed for by heaven and the body of Christ. Nothing else will or ever shall be like it. This of course will be the Great Wrath of God.

However, until the Lord catches us away, we are suffering tribulation and in some cases great tribulation. The tribulation of believers extends across multiplied generations. No other tribulation lasts so long. All believers face the principal and reality of this ordeal. Thus, Christians are now congregating and increasing beneath the altar of God, waiting for the day when God will answer all wrongs. According to scripture, we are now in tribulation and will continue to be until Jesus returns.

Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Tribulation of the good)

Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Tribulation of the good)

Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (Tribulation of the evil)

The Mark of the Beast is part of a larger binding principal found all though the Bible. Don't be too quick and conclude that the mark is only found in Revelation.

Canada now marks house pets, thus tagging each animal to its owner. The Canadians place a little wheat-sized implant under the animal's skin, which renders its micro chip information to a computer reader. Also, all the libraries I visit have their books implanted with a little computer readable strip. As you exit, the computer reads the strip and notes if that book has been properly checked out. One day in grocery stores you will just wheel up your cart and have all the products read in one scan. This technology is already here and is on line.

Your money has a readable strip implanted so that anyone with the proper tool can scan you and tell how much money is on your person. This is here today and without question is the beginning of a wider marking that will track and control our lives. We are truly on the road to neo-slavery and governmental tyranny. I wonder if we value our freedom more than our money?

I remember an old story about some past people that thought freedom held the greater value. They said something about God being the author of liberty. This may be a clue they left us so we could identify the spirit behind today's increasing governmental encroachments. If we render our hearts to God, we can without question turn the tide!

I wish I had the following on tape but do not. What I relate to you, I did hear and my son heard it with me. On WHPE, from Highpoint North Carolina, we were listening as we often did sometime in l992. A daily public service segment was being aired, with an interview of a Social Security official. I thought this was another sort of "ho hum" interview. Then the station announcer asked if Social Security had any plans to mark people. The representative laughed nervously and said the Christian audience may dislike his answer. In a few words, he said there are plans to tag new babies with identification implants, starting around the year 2000. I went through the roof and my teen age son had plenty of room to follow.

Will this take place? A nearsighted individual would find good reasoning for this type of registration. Tax evasion could be stopped with no freely circulating cash. Spending could be tracked and your money would be safe. Robbery of money would stop until people started cutting you up to take your chip and make a quick purchase. This would certainly make a way for a one world government to function. Frankly, I would rather die in the mountains before taking something like that. I would get hungry, but I certainly would not be alone. It was also rumored the tagging of our Babies is part of the world trade agreement! We shall see if this is true or just another sensational rumor.

A literal reading of Revelation would seem to indicate the above marks are an omen of a coming one world power. However, if none of these marks lead to a Satanic government, we still have a greater concern. Revelation is a book of many symbols with real substance. Revelation's mark symbolizes the condition of our soul and denotes our spiritual standing. The mark upon our soul will seal our eternal state!

In the day Revelation was pinned, all the world knew about the practice of substituting numbers for the letters in a name. Boy friends often wrote love graffiti in this manner upon walls. When John wrote about the 666 it was easily understood to add up to the total value of the name Lateinos, denoting the Roman Empire and Caesars. This might also easily be applied to Nero a most wicked Caesar. This was easily understood to be the "number of his name." At the time of Revelation's writing, this number found application to Old Rome but there was also a clear indication of a future event. {As Prophesied in Revelation Seventeen.} By denying past or future application of such Prophecies, the Bible is effectively de-threaded. Past, present, or future fulfillments of prophecy are equally in God's mind on the day of articulation.

When a craftsman is proud of his work, he places a trade mark on his product. God created man in his image. Genesis says, Adam was literally made a little "idol" of God. In the fall, we obtained a different image like the wicked one. God had the first mark on man but sin introduced another signature. Satan continues to mark those who follow him. Cane received a mark from God as a result of his sin and for his protection. The earth received a mark from the blood of Abel. The ground was cursed for Cane's sake.

God started using a good mark with Abraham. Circumcision became God's mark and it separated God's people from the rest. This marking was a prophecy of the more potent act of spiritual circumcision in the heart. In Exodus the Hebrews were told to mark their door with the blood. Later they were to always write the laws of God over their doorposts. In prayer the Hebrews tightly bind the laws of God to the hand and head as they worshipped God. This marking revealed whom they served. A hand shows service and a head shows thinking. (These marks give fresh insight into the location of the mark of the Beast.) God revealed in the prophets how he would make a new Covenant and write these laws on the hearts of the people. That is a real mark and better than any outward tattoo.

In Israel, any servant who did not want to leave his master at the conclusion of his indenture could stay. He was pierced with an awl through his ear to the door post of his master's house. Meaning, we need to die to self and hear only Jesus the Door. That is a real mark of the servant of God and of a master's true Love Slave. Jesus said I am the door and he was deeply marked by that Love. Jesus took our mark of sin. "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Zechariah 13:6)

In redemption we receive the image of God afresh. This is the most wonderful mark any one could ever have. We start to look like Jesus. Marked for God? Marked for the Devil? Whom have you been looking at lately and you will know whose mark is on you.

So, the mark is not just one fulfillment in the future. The mark is here today. Whose mark do you carry? You will be judged for your answer just the same as the people who fulfill the 666 of Revelation. We who are living are all called in this hour. God and the Devil both call us. "Come! Come!" Whom do you hear calling? Whom will you answer today?

Warning, don't be fooled thinking the mark is only on you by what you write on your flesh. Your manner of living marks your hand in the service you give. Your thinking marks your head. Thinking can only be corrected by conversion through the Word of God. We must fill our thoughts with God's word and so have the mark of God upon our heads. This is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy.

Danger! Don't downplay the symbolism we use here. Revelation is very real and yet full of symbolism. All literal and symbolical parts will be lived by you today! You won't be around in the future and trust me the Devil won't let this generation skip the test. Don't let Satan steal your Crown!!!

We are all receiving the mark of our master as we live today. The Mark of the Beast is here now! The Seal of God is available to all who call upon Jesus.

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