At some point in everyone’s life there has been a pledge made to someone or something. For example, here in America most of us as we were growing up recited the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America every week day in school.

For those of you reading this commentary in other countries our pledge goes like this, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Most of the very young probably haven’t a clue as to what they are actually saying or what that allegiance refers to. But as adults we know that if we recite that we are aligning ourselves with the laws and rules that govern this country. Basically we are placing ourselves, quite willingly, under that professed allegiance.

Interestingly, there is coming a time when Americans along with the rest of the world will become united in a new pledge of allegiance. And this pledge, one that many believe is coerced, will be to a certain person who will come onto the scene in the not too distant future. This person will demand that every human bow down and worship his image as god.

If any refuse, there will be severe consequences attached to that refusal. Those consequences will very likely include a detachment of one’s head from the rest of their body.

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:15)

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.” (Revelation 13:16).

Many people are confused when it comes to Revelation 13:16. The word in the Greek for causeth is “poieō” and it is the same Greek word used in verse 15, but in this context it has a different meaning. Here it simply means “to continue in.” There’s no coercion involved with taking the mark of the beast. It’s only a continuation of verse 15.

The damage has already been done. Those who’ve bowed down and worshiped the image of the beast do so willingly and then they take the mark of the beast, also quite willingly.

In other words, their pledge to worship the beast will not come as a surprise or through some false pretence; those who do so will know exactly what the ramifications of pledging themselves to the beast will be. They’ll believe he’s god and they will worship him as such.

During the Tribulation period multitudes of people will be fully engulfed in the lie.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12)

They will willingly worship the beast as their god. Still, a few will not fall under this delusion but if they are discovered without his mark they will be killed for not submitting. Obviously the great delusion sent by God will not affect everyone because the Bible talks about the Tribulation saints.

But even many of those who know the truth may be so full of fear that they worship the beast to keep their heads from being detached from their bodies, and thereby receive his mark and the same condemnation as those who do so willingly.

When believers give themselves to Jesus Christ, He becomes a part of them and they we’ve actually done is pledge themselves to Him. That means we belong to Him and no one else. This allegiance to Christ is so binding that nothing outside of Christ can touch us from then on. Yes, the bodies of believers can be killed, but no one can touch our spirit.

Similarly, once those who bow down to this coming world leader’s image and pledge themselves to him, they will belong to him for the remainder of their earthly lives. And their eternal destination will be shared with this false god. He demands allegiance to him and him alone and all who submit become bound to him, nothing can change that ownership.

Those of you reading this commentary who don’t belong to Christ will be left here on earth after the Church is removed. Something else you might want to consider is this: If you’re not a born again believer in Christ right now, you are already dwelling in the enemy’s camp. Whether you bow down to him or not, if you die during that time without Jesus as your Savior you’re still condemned to hell.

Of course, everyone should know by now that I am writing of the Antichrist, the man of perdition. The pledge made that this man demands by those left behind will be a final act of rebellion to God. I can’t overstate the point I’m making here. To become a servant to the Antichrist, one must willingly submit to him by pledging themselves to him.

It won’t be by accident that the pledge is made. It won’t be done out of an acceptance of some government enforced embedded chip program placed under the skin of the populace. Pledging allegiance to the Antichrist will be done willingly and with complete knowledge of what that allegiance means.

I’m not saying that this chip program won’t be in some way the vehicle that the Antichrist uses as his mark when he’s ready, but that those who accept it will do so willingly. This will not be a concern to those who are in Christ because this will not happen until after the Rapture of the church.

I don’t think anyone can actually pin down what form this mark will take, only that it will be a sign of allegiance. What’s really important is that the condemning factor will be making the pledge of allegiance to the image of the beast; then the mark will be placed on them as a proof of that pledge.

After the great and terrible totalitarian rulers of the 20th Century (Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao), it isn’t hard to imagine a dominating world leader demanding a declaration of allegiance, tantamount to worshipping him (Obama?). Here we are in the 21st Century and we’re seeing signs that the whole world is searching for a true leader, a world leader, basically a messiah figure to usher in a euphoric sense of nirvana.

In the past year how many times have we heard Obama referred to as the “messiah” or the “one?” And as a “professed Christian” how many times have we heard him rebuke those who place those names on him? Not once.

The fact is, this world leader, whomever he is, is very close to being revealed and some of you reading this commentary have no protection from his influence and the “lie” that’s on the horizon. That fact alone should be terrifying. It won’t be much longer before some of you will find yourselves living under the rule of a one world government and its dictatorial god.

There is a sense of fear even among evangelical Christians that they may soon be coerced into receiving the mark of the beast. Many of my fellow brethren are actually promoting this fear. Why? Because they lack a full understanding of what it means to be a part of Christ’s Church.

True believers can’t pledge allegiance to the Antichrist because when this evil usurper signs the covenant with Israel, the Church will already be gone. About halfway through the Tribulation he will demand all those remaining to worship him and then take his mark. And as I said before those who do worship the beast will do so quite willingly.

For believers there’s nothing to fear from this wicked man. But for those who are left behind? There’s plenty for them to be fearful of. As God sends the great delusion onto the populace of the world many who remain will not be interested in the truth of the gospel. The reason for the delusion is that they have rejected God’s free gift of salvation through His only begotten Son.

Some people will become believers during the Tribulation period. Israel will finally have their blindness cured and they will recognize their Messiah, Jesus.

For all those who bow their knee and worship the beast and then take his mark their destiny will be set in stone. Equate bowing to this beast in a posture of worship and taking of his mark to jumping out of a plane at 30,000 ft. without a parachute. No matter how much you might regret that jump you’ll never recover from it, and the regret will last for eternity.

My advice is, never bow the knee to the beast, and never accept his mark. Better yet, place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ right now before it’s too late.

When the Tribulation period begins the Church will no longer be present and the Holy Spirit will be acting in a different capacity then He is now. Because we’re told that there are saints on earth during the Great Tribulation we know that the Holy Spirit must still be here, but His primary job classification will change. The tribulation saints are going to go through perilous times, thus these saints might be persuaded to take the mark of the beast just so they can buy and sell. But a truly saved person will not take the mark.

“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, 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:” (Revelation 14:9, 10)

We must at least try to convince the lost in these last days that life during the Tribulation period is going to be so horrific they most certainly won’t want to be a part of it. But if they wait much longer, they may wake up some morning in the middle of hell on earth.

Spreading the gospel of Christ is essential for every believer, especially now that we can see the end approaching. Jesus tells us that there’s an end coming and that we should all be working.

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4.

By adding the phrase when no man can work, Jesus is saying all of us must be about our Father’s business while it is day. That night is almost upon us. Therefore continue to spread His gospel while it is day.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44. According to Jesus’ own words the Father must do the drawing (except the Father …draw him) otherwise none of us could be justified (saved). God works in mysterious ways, ways we mere humans can’t really wrap our minds around. God works through His Holy Spirit on the heart of every man – yet no man comes to Jesus unless God the Father is thoroughly involved. Not everyone accepts the truth and believes God when He attempts to convince them of His truth. If folks come to the foot of the cross it must be because God the Father drew them there and they believed. No man will seek justification (salvation) by his own volition.

Is it God’s desire that all of mankind be saved? “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9. The Greek word “pas” used here for “all” actually means all. But does that mean that eventually all men/women will come to Jesus Christ for their salvation? Not hardly. God alone does the drawing – He draws all but only those who are open to being drawn will come.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. “Whosoever” refers to the fact that God extends His free gift of salvation to “all” but it doesn’t mean “all” will eventually obtain everlasting life. Since God can see the beginning from the end He knows those who will be drawn – likewise He knows full well those who won’t accept His free gift of salvation. It was never His plan nor is it His desire that some of His creation would remain unjustified (condemned). God loves all of His creation with a love that is beyond our understanding, yet God knows what the conclusion of each person’s life will be and has known every aspect of the timeline of each of our lives since before He laid the foundation of the earth.

Apart from His incredible love and mercy there is a persistent fact that cannot be overlooked. God gave each one of us something that really boggles our mind, free will. God will not violate His creation’s free will – He has no desire to fill eternity with a bunch of undesirable, loveless robots. We are born sinners – we are born lost. Some will seek God as He draws them, but most won’t and that’s the tragedy. Think about it, God loves everyone equally, yet He knows each individual’s ultimate destination for eternity. It must be an incredibly painful period for God to endure whilst He watches the life of one of His creation begin and then end without ever coming to the cross of Christ.

So where does all this foreknowledge of God’s leave the faithful who believe and follow Christ’s great commission? Why would the Creator of the universe leave His disciples with such a commandment? If God already knows whom He will draw to Christ ahead of time (who will accept His free gift of salvation) why is it that we must spread His Gospel to all creatures? What does He need us for? Let’s see if God will provide us with an answer.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. We, His children, are His messengers. God will use us as we demonstrate His Glory throughout our Christian walk. He invokes our help as witnesses to His truth – then others (nonbelievers) see Him in us. It isn’t that everyone is born either saved or unsaved, but that throughout their life they either recognize God as truth then believe – hence He draws – or they refuse to see His truth, thus they remain lost.

We, as God’s messengers, may be the catalyst that brings about a change in a person’s attitude towards God. Yes, God draws us to His Son but how does He do that? By using the faith of His children as a picture, as a sign, as a visible fulfillment of His promises. He knew before He created us just what it would take to convince us of the power, presence, and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He knew His children would play a positive role in attracting others to the truth as they delivered His message to a lost world. This is one way God the Father draws us to Christ so that we would believe and follow His only begotten Son into an awesome eternity with Him. He also knew before the foundation of the earth which one of His children would be instrumental in another person’s life to help them see the truth. Sadly, He knows all too well those who are foolishly standing apart with an attitude of “I’m saved, that’s good enough for me.” This blatant refusal by God’s children to follow His commands must displease Him greatly. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” Matthew 5:14. Since we follow Jesus Christ we are to be that light to the world. Well then, the question must be broached – why do so many of His children remain hid? Like Jesus says when salt loses its saltiness it is good for nothing. What good is a bunch of good for nothing Christians?

All this craziness concerning predestination would be avoided if only we would at least attempt to understand God’s position regarding His domain. His word speaks of predestination in that He alone knows the beginning from the end. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8. If you give it some real serious thought you can see that, of course, He can speak of predestination since He’s known from the beginning who would be receptive to His drawing and who would remain in their stubborn rebellion to Him resulting in their ultimate, horrible end.

Here’s a little scenario on how this predestination thing works. God places a message on your heart to approach a certain person to witness to them. Now here’s the interesting part, God knew you would follow His will in witnessing to this person because He saw the fulfillment of His will before He even created you, even before He laid the foundation of earth. Therefore it is He (God) that draws. We are His instrument, not the cause.

God is and always has been, that’s just the plain truth. God is not restrained by time or space as is His creation. Scientists say there are four knowable dimensions and 6 inferred or indirect dimensions which, if true, means there are ten dimensions in all. To God there are no barriers to any of those dimensions because He transcends them all. Everything that happened on earth prior to you and I being here, and everything that will ever come to pass after we are gone, has been history to God since before He laid even one of this planet’s foundation stones.

To us humans’ seeing into the future is a very desirable concept but a dimension which will remain unattainable while we inhabit these earthen vessels. We can look back into the past but the future is beyond the bounds set forth by God Himself. Therefore man has no idea who will believe “the Gospel message ” and who won’t. That domain lies squarely on God’s shoulders.

We who have become born again are now a part of God’s family and as such we’ve become His messengers spreading the Gospel of Christ. We were given that command for a purpose. We’re to follow God’s will and speak to our fellow man about His truth – about who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us. But we can’t and don’t save anyone, we are only the messengers of an incredible, life saving message.

The Father draws – the Son raises us up on the last day– are you ready?

God bless you all,
Ron Graham