Q&A Biblical Prophecy

Some time ago after giving a talk related to Biblical prophecy, someone sent me a few questions concerning the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, and the coming tribulation period. These questions are very limited in scope, but I figured that it may be beneficial to post them here, along with the answers. If you have a question that you would like to see addressed related to end-time Bible prophecy, be sure to send it in via the comments sections at the end of this page. At a later date, I will post a more thorough Q&A touching on a wide array of themes related to prophecy, and your question(s) certainly may be included.  

Q: Is the Antichrist alive now? If so, where is he, and when will he rise to power?

A: He could be alive now, but at the same time, he may not be. Only God knows the answer to this question. If he is alive, we cannot say exactly where he is. Because the Bible depicts the Antichrist as ruling over a revived Roman Empire (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Revelation 13, Revelation 17), it’s possible that he will make his rise somewhere in Europe - the heart of the ancient Roman Empire. He will take power at some point after the Rapture of the church – when Jesus takes all Christians to be with Him in heaven. We believe this Rapture takes place before the 7-year tribulation, which would mean that Christians will not be here when the Antichrist is in power during the 7-year Tribulation. Genuine Christians will be preserved from the "hour of trial" (Rev. 3:10) - evidently the tribulation period - which appears to indicate that Christians will not be present during Antichrist’s rule in the Tribulation period.     

Q: Mark of the Beast: When will that take place, before the tribulation or after and who will be responsible for that? What will happen to those who take the Mark and those that don’t take it?

A: The Mark of the Beast will be administered, apparently at the Mid-point of the tribulation period - 3.5 years prior to the Second Coming (Revelation 13). It appears that the False Prophet – the religious leader who works with the Antichrist – will be the one responsible for administering the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:11-18). Those who take the Mark of the Beast will lose their soul and be damned (Revelation 14:9-11). Those who don’t take the Mark of the Beast will have a difficult time, since nobody will be able to buy or sell without the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:17), and surely that would include food. It appears that many of those who remain true to Christ, who don’t worship the Antichrist, and who refuse the Mark of the Beast will be killed (Revelation 20:4).   

Q: During the 7 years of Tribulation what will take place? And what about all the children under the age of 12? What is going to happen to them? 

A: Revelation 6:1 – 19:21 gives us a detailed description of what happens during the tribulation. This includes divine judgements poured out on the earth to judge those who have rejected Christ; cosmic events (e.g. the sun becoming black and the moon turning like blood); Antichrist ruling; war, etc.  But one of the outcomes of the tribulation is that Israel will come to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. It is believed by many that children under the age of accountability (that age could differ from child to child), will be included in the Rapture and thus sparred from the horrors of the tribulation. Matthew 19:14 may offer support for this position. One other view I’ve come across is the idea that only the children of believers will be included in the Rapture. As far as I know, Scripture does not directly, explicitly address this. As for children alive during the tribulation under the age of accountability (that is, those who are born in the tribulation, or children that for whatever reason may not have been part of the Rapture – e.g. possibly children of unbelievers) I do not know for certain. We trust that to the justice, mercy, will, and wisdom of God. 

Q:The Bible says it’s appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgement. Does this mean everyone is going to die before the Antichrist takes power and before the Mark of the Beast? 

A: No. The passage that talks about it being appointed unto man to die once (Hebrews 9:27) is a general truth – the “normal way of things”. But Paul is clear that not everyone will die (1 Corinthians 15:51). So generally speaking, the natural course of things is that all die. But those Christians alive at the time of the coming of the Lord will not die, but will be transformed into a glorified body (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Those who are left behind when the Rapture takes place (unbelievers) will go into the Tribulation and will witness the rule of Antichrist during the 7 year tribulation. 

Q: This all seems very scary

A: Believers have no reason to fear! The tribulation period is a time of judgment towards those who reject Christ. If you have accepted Jesus Christ – if you trust Him as your Saviour – you have no reason to fear. In John 14:1-4 Jesus told His disciples to not let their hearts be troubled. His promise was to come back for them. The important thing is to recognize Jesus as our Saviour – the One who’s death on the cross satisfied God’s anger towards our sin. Christ took the punishment that we sinners deserve, so that through faith in Christ, we can be forgiven and receive eternal life. We have been justified by Christ’s shed blood (Romans 5:9) – that is, the death of Christ was the payment for our sin. Thus, the One who believes in Christ is forgiven of all sin (Acts 10:43, Colossians 2:13), and receives eternal life (John 3:16). As such, we need not fear if we believe in Christ. The message of bible prophecy should indeed warn and alert the unbeliever, but for believers in Christ, the message of Bible prophecy is a message of hope! Fear not!