"The Book of Revelation, An Eschatological Study of the Endtimes", by Chad J. McCoy

The bible tells us how we can be saved. We must repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of those sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. After that, we are to continue to walk in righteousness, seeking the kingdom of God.
That is the plan of salvation. There is no bible for saying that after the rapture, all you have to do is refuse the mark. When they kill you, you will wake up in heaven.
No, the plan of salvation must still be followed. There is nothing to say that God cancels this plan at the rapture. His salvation has no expiration date other than at your death. This is a limited time offer, you have to take advantage of it before you die. But we have no bible that says it expires the day of the Rapture.
So, if someone refuses the mark, but has not been saved, it will gain him nothing. He will still be lost. But those who repent, are baptized in Jesus name, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and do not deny the Lord even to the point of death, and then refuse the mark, will be saved.
Remember, though: If you take the mark, it automatically disqualifies you from ever being able to be saved. So if you have any doubts, if you think you might want to be saved someday during this tribulation time: Don't take the mark! For if you do, you can never be saved. If you refuse it, there is still hope for you, but it does not automatically "save" you.
Rev. 14:9-13: A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
"Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
This tells us that anyone receiving the mark of the beast, or anyone worshipping him, will be lost.
Notice, though how it continues by saying that this calls for endurance on the part of the saints who still hold to the commandments of Jesus. Raptured saints are gone, and we're not talking about the 144,000 Jews. Blessed will these people be who die in the Lord from this point on.
Now this goes against what a lot of people have taught in our churches for years. Ok. Let's see if I can find scripture that confirms this idea of "Tribulation Saints".
Remember, most of what we have deduced here in this chapter, has been done through logic and common sense, keeping everything rooted in scripture. There is no answer sheet to tell us if we deciphered correctly.
Picture a fence. Each fence post is like a passage of scripture that moves the thread of fence-wire along to the next post. But in this prophecy, some of the fence posts are missing. It is then up to us to study and figure out where the line wire should be. It should continue on a straight course, until we meet up with the next fence post.



This fence has a missing wire. This represents a theorized prophecy theory that was not rooted in scripture. When you are done with your theory, it must line up with the next fence post of scripture. This line of theory does not match the next post.

Therefore, I can't just find a scripture and hang my hat on it. It needs to be able to fit in with the rest of scripture. I need to find scripture that backs up the idea of Tribulation Saints.
I figure a good place to go is the Day of Judgement. We should be able to see if anyone from the earth (who didn't get raptured) receives eternal life.
Chapter 20 tells us of Satan being bound and cast into Hell for 1,000 years. The tribulation is over. What is this we see?
Rev. 20:4: I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

We haven't yet discussed the mark of the beast, because we haven't gotten to that point yet in Revelation. This is covered in Chapter 13. But so far, there has been no talk of the Mark of the Beast.
If that is because the Mark has not yet been instituted, then we know for a certainty that these people in Rev. 20:4 who reign with Christ for 1,000 years are Tribulation Saints.
Even if the Mark is given tomorrow, it doesn't mean that people can't receive Christ after the rapture, refuse the Mark and become saved. Rev. 20:4 would still be speaking of these people.
There is no scripture to say this theory is wrong. Remember though, that there is no scripture to indicate it is correct, either.
But if this is wrong, then who are the "other children" of Israel who still hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ?
We know from Rev. 14:9-13 that these people who still hold to the teachings of Jesus are not the 144,000, or the Raptured Saints.
And I would submit that the wording here in both cases is the same. They still hold to the commandments of Jesus Christ. These two passages are speaking of the same group of people.
And whether they're some remnant of Israel who are not part of the 144,000, or whether they're Gentile Tribulation Christians, makes no difference. They are somebody, and they're not the 144,000 nor are they the raptured saints. They are someone else, and that means it is possible for people to be saved after the rapture.

Once again, our outline:

WOMAN - ISRAEL
- clothed with the sun - Jacob, later named Israel
- moon under her feet - Rebekah, Israel's wife
- wearing crown of 12 stars - Israel's sons - the 12
tribes of Israel
- pregnant - with Jesus

Gigantic Red Dragon - SATAN
- has 7 heads, with crowns on them - 7 hills / kings
of Babylon
- has 10 horns - 10 future kings
- drew 1/3 of stars w/tail and sent them to earth
- 1st fall from heaven
- stood before woman to devour her child
Israel Jesus




Part Two:
Woman gives birth to boy who will rule nations w/iron rod
Israel Jesus
- Boy caught up to God - at death on cross
- Woman escaped to desert for 3 ½ years
144,000 sealed Jews

WAR
Satan cast to earth
Heaven rejoices - Christ's rule has come
Satan knows his time is short
Satan persecutes woman - 144,000 Jews
Woman given eagle's wings and escapes to wilderness
where she is hidden from Satan for 3½ years
God's deliverance
(same as previous escape)
Satan sends flood out of his mouth to drown woman
The earth opens up, swallowing the flood
Satan is angry, goes to war with her other children
who keep the words of Jesus
- Tribulation Saints

Oh yes. The description of Satan as having 7 heads, 7 crowns, and 10 horns - what was that all about?
The bible explains this later on, saying that the 7 heads represent the 7 hills of Babylon. The 7 crowns represent 7 kings of Babylon. The 10 horns represent 10 kings who have no kingdom yet, but will be given kingdoms and share power with the antichrist for an hour.
We'll explain that further when we get to it.
The event that is Satan drawing 1/3rd of the stars from the heavens and sending them to the earth is our last mystery.
This is actually pretty simple. First, are they literal stars? The only time Revelation records stars (asteroids) hitting the earth is in the Sixth Seal. Are these asteroids the wrath of God or the Wrath of Satan? They are the wrath of God. The Sixth Seal is God's idea, not Satan's.
Then there is no time we can see that more stars will hit the earth. The word "star" here must be being used figuratively, then.
In that sense, "star" means heavenly being, or angel. Think. Does Satan have the power to reach up into heaven and grab holy angels and send them to earth? Does he have the power to corrupt more angels than he already has corrupted? No.
We know that when Satan fell, he took other angels with him. This is the only time he could have taken angels out of heaven and sent them to earth.
So we know that this drawing 1/3 of the stars from the sky is Satan's first fall from heaven, and he has taken 1/3 of all the angels in heaven with him.
That is how sneaky and persuasive he is. One third of the heavenly host bought into his idea that he could be God, and they should all worship him.
So this is just another description of the dragon that lets us know it is Satan, apart from the bible flat out identifying him for us.
One further point that is interesting. It might occur to someone to say that maybe the 144,000 are not all from Israel. There are Jews all over the earth. So if they go into hiding, they may be hiding in every nation of the world. Perhaps the flood Satan sends is aimed only at those in the region of Israel, and that when he fails, the ones he goes to make war with are nothing more than the other scattered 144,000.
Here is my answer to this question. 1. Satan goes off to make war with (not the woman again) the woman's other children. Satan went after the woman (Israel; the 144,000) and failed. Now he goes after the woman's children - not the woman. He already tried that. So the children are different in some way from the woman. They are similar but they are not Israel. These are Tribulation Saints.
My second point is this: There is a treaty made with Israel for 7 years. That means the Jews know they have a period of safety as long as they are in Israel. The treaty is not a "Jewish treaty" it's an Israeli Treaty. Jews in France or England or Germany will not be covered under this treaty. If a Jew wants to be able to take advantage of this, he must get himself and his family to Israel.
Any Jew seeking the protection of this Treaty will be in Israel soon after the Treaty is proclaimed, or will suffer the consequences. Imagine the Holocaust again, but this time the Jews are given a safe place to run to. People will take advantage of this.
By the time 3 ½ years go by, and Satan breaks the treaty, all Jews will be in Israel for their own protection. Thus, when they escape from the abomination that causes desolation they will all be in the same region. The 144,000 may have been scattered all throughout the earth when they were first sealed, but they will all have made their way to Israel by now.
So when Satan sends his flood, it will be aimed at all the 144,000. When he goes to war against their remnant offspring who still believe in Jesus, he is going to war with Tribulation Saints.

We'll continue this in Chapter 13, which is really just an extension of Chapter 12. There shouldn't be a break between these chapters at all.


THE BEAST FROM THE SEA


Chapter 13 -

Rev. 13:1-18: And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
9 He who has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed.
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.




This chapter also has two parts: It describes two beasts; one coming out of the sea, and one coming out of the land. Let us first try to identify the first beast, that comes out of the sea.

SEA BEAST
Characteristics:
- Comes out of sea
- Has 10 horns with 10 crowns
- Has 7 heads w/ a blasphemous name on each
- Resembles a leopard
- Has the feet of a bear
- Has the mouth of a lion
- Has the power, throne, and authority of Satan
- One head had been fatally wounded, but was
healed
- Given a mouth to exercise authority for 3½ years
- Given power to make war on, and conquer saints
- Given authority over the whole world

Now the first thing that catches my attention as I begin the task of identifying this beast, is that it bears a strong resemblance to two other beasts:
First we have:
Rev. 13:1: And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
This is the beast we are looking at now. It resembles the dragon of chapter 12:3: Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.
It also looks like Rev. 17:3: Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There