Is Chang in a Special Category?

The Mark, by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, depicts a situation where a Christian gave honor to Antichrist that belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ. (p 346) 

What kind of honor? Walter Moon said, "He is risen."-in reference to Antichrist.  This is to be expected. Walter Moon is a follower of Antichrist.

Mr. Wong and David (the Christian) responded, "He is risen indeed." David is a Christian, and he denied Christ in his actions by taking the phrase Christians used in reference to the real Lord Jesus Christ and ascribing it to Antichrist. This is blasphemy, and the authors depicted a Christian doing this!

David also said to Chang (after Chang had fought to get away but did not verbally proclaim allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ and thus was forcibly marked), "I'm glad you didn't just scream out that you're a believer." -What's wrong with this picture? David, a believer, is affirming Chang for not confessing Christ before men and taking the consequences!

David told Chang that, "As for what you are, with both marks you surely have to be in a special category."

Implanting this idea in the minds of readers is spiritually dangerous! Not many people run to their Bibles and check to see if the Bible is unclear on this issue, or to see if there is such a thing as a special category of Christian who can receive the mark of the beast and not "drink of the wine of the wrath of God, and not be tormented with fire and brimstone forever and ever?

Is being defiant, but still receiving the mark of the beast the patience of the saints-of those that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus? Is being defiant but still receiving the mark of the beast getting the "victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name"? -Rev. 15:2

No, defiance is not enough, and does not allow one to retain the seal of God once one has received the mark of the beast.

In Ezekiel 9:4 there is a very interesting verse where God told Ezekiel to do something pertaining to a mark: "And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."

These men, who were set apart and who decried the abominations against the Lord, were given a mark that exempted them from God's fury upon Jerusalem. God spared the righteous of his people out from among his people that were practicing iniquity.

Does this mark the men received for sighing and crying "for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof" apply to Chang? After all, Chang was defiant towards being marked with the mark of the Antichrist, wasn't he? It sounds plausible doesn't it?

Don't be deceived! Scripture is plain. The men who received the mark from Ezekiel were not living during the time of the great tribulation, and they did not have the mark of the beast to deal with. God chose to protect them from the judgment he was meting out upon his own people.

Most importantly, the scripture is cut-and-dry, hard-and-fast concerning the fate of anyone who receives the mark of the beast: "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."

Receiving the mark of the beast and worshipping him are the same thing in the sight of God. Never mind what the authors had Chang say right after he was marked!

Remember when I wrote up at the top of this article the words Mr. Wong and David exchanged with Mr. Moon? Well, Chang spoke up too. "David was startled to hear Chang mutter, 'Christ is risen indeed.'" Well, that's the proper thing for a Christian to say, but it is too late to make any difference after taking the mark of the beast!

Please don't allow yourself to entertain thoughts that there is some plausible explanation in the next book that will somehow manipulate the Bible to back up the "Chang having the true mark of the beast forced on him" scenario. Scripture does not allow this, and those insisting upon trusting the authors (over the authority of scripture!) to play this out in book 9 are doing none other than fellowshipping with devils. Why? Because they are giving in to the "Yea, hath God said?" question Satan posed to Eve that resulted in her doubting God's integrity because her faith in his word was tainted.

What if, after months of The Mark readers having the notion that a Christian can take the mark of the beast and still be saved, the storyline in the next book has this to say?  What if Hannah Palemoon, a Christian with experience with inserting micro-chips, was the one who administered the mark to Chang?  And what if this was a phony mark, in Chang's case?  Would that solve the problem?  Morally, it will not.  Christians have been musing about this "Christian being forced to take the mark of the beast" scenario for close to one year now, even having conversations about it on internet forums, including the one on the offiicial Left Behind website.  It is quite disturbing the administrators did not step in and warn the Christians posting on their forums that in no way, shape, or form may a Christian be marked with the beast, and they need to put this unscriptural idea out of their minds.  I find this curious indeed.

It is so interesting that when Jerry Jenkins was questioned about Chang being a true Christian or not, and how could he have the mark of the beast and retain the seal of God, he merely insisted that Chang was a true Christian (not an imposter) and that would the reader just trust them until the next book comes out?  Here's the quotation:  . "Employing the best advice from Verbal Judo, I should have said, "Is there anything I can say (without giving the story away) that will get you to trust us until this is played out in book 9?"  (Didn't the serpent want Eve to trust him above the clear word of God?  Beware, and do not trust man...prove all things!)

He also made the statement, "Do you really think we who have been as careful with Scripture as we know how would suddenly veer off course in book 8 and imply something wholly unbiblical?"  They did not suddenly "veer off course" with book 8, they started off course with the very first book.  Please read Was Chang's Act of Defiance a Mark (of God) in Itself? to see how the reader is set up to believe that a Christian can be marked with the mark of the beast and still be saved if a certain attitude is in place when the marking takes place!  

Please read Update on Chang and His Mark of the Beast and you will see that in the book, DESECRATION, the authors did indeed have Tsion Ben-Judah calm Chang's fears that he might not still be saved since he had the mark of the beast.  Tsion Ben-Judah assured Chang (and thus the reader who identifies and empathizes with Chang's dilemma) that since he did not accept the mark of the beast, or choose to take it then then that is what decided the matter.  Tsion asked Chang, "Did you not resist?  God is no liar."  There is more but you need to read the article.  The authors are manipulatively making God's honor be at stake by connecting God not lying to Chang's resistance of the mark and not losing the seal of God.  

God does not promise that Christians who are oppose and defy taking the mark of the beast (but still end up taking the mark) will not lose their salvation!

The teaching that you can receive the mark of the beast and not receive the consequences outlined in scripture -eternal torment forever separated from God - is of devils because all devilish teaching is opposed to the final authority of the word of God, and to entertain this "Yea, hath God said" attitude is to willingly place yourself in fellowship with devils and also to allow yourself to be willingly deceived. 

Note: Our ability to fellowship with devils by vacillating between taking God at his word or allowing man to fashion it more to our liking is not confined to the teachings under investigation here in the Left Behind series. This applies to all teachings we are hearing from whatever source. We are commanded to prove all things; hold fast that which is good.-1 Thessalonians 5:21

If you will take a look at my article, Update on Chang and His Mark of the Beast you will see how the authors have gone to great lengths to promote the lie that resisting the mark of the beast leaves the Christian who is thus marked in a state of salvation.

Right now you need to immediately renounce this devilish lie that a Christian who resists taking the mark, but still ends up with Satan's mark, is exempted from burning in the Lake of Fire forever!  

You must renounce the sin of making the word of God of none effect through the traditions (fables) of men.  Repent of entertaining the thought that a Christian may have the mark of the beast under certain conditions and still be saved.  Your very soul's salvation is at stake here.  Even if you are presently convinced that you will never be in a position to have to say "no" to the mark of the beast, you must understand that you are actually fellowshipping with evil spirits by entertaining these lies in your minds about a Christian being able to be yoked with Satan via the mark of the beast and remain saved.

God is Spirit and he must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.  Satan wants to be worshipped too, and he wants to be worshipped in spirit too, but this spirit is the spirit of error.  He wants to be worshipped in lies that are believed to be truth.  His evil spirits are there to affect the minds of all who will open themselves up to his lies posing as truth.

Here is a suggested way for you to pray to repent of this sin of entertaining the imagination of a Christian being able to get away with having the mark of the beast and still be saved:

Dear Father in Heaven,

I realize now that I have been deceived into thinking upon things that are not true, not honest, not just, and not pure.  I have been doubting your Holy word and actually thinking that under particular circumstances, a Christian could bear the mark of the beast and still inherit eternal life.  I am sorry and I am asking you to forgive me.  Thank you for forgiving me for Jesus' sake.

I renounce the lie that a Christian can receive the mark of the beast and still be saved.  The word of God says, "If ANY man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God."  I renounce this fable and will depart from this fable rather than depart from the faith once delivered unto the saints.

In Jesus' name,

Amen