Question and Answer
Mark of the Beast, Rapture
Question:
Between mark of the beast and rapture, what will occur first?
Answer:
Thank you for your question. There are certainly many, many ideas about the return of Christ. Unfortunately these many opinions have also led to a lot of disagreements among Christians, losing sight of the truth all Bible-believing Christians agree upon: Christ will return, and that is wonderful news!
What we know for sure is that Jesus Christ will finally and fully defeat all evil:
And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev. 20:10)
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:14)
This means the complete defeat of all evil and all the enemies of God’s people, while God blesses, comforts, and glorifies those who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord (Rev. 21–22), and the great assurance, “so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). These are the truths we must encourage one another with (1 Thess. 4:18) and not let arguments or questions about the order of events rob us of joy and anticipation.
About Q&A
"Questions and Answers" is a weekly feature of the OPC website. The answers come from individual ministers in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church expressing their own convictions and do not necessarily represent an "official" position of the Church, especially in areas where the Standards of the Church (the Scriptures and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms) are silent.
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