End of Times Matthew 24:40-41

40 At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

41 Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

So often in my life I have heard these verses used to say that there is a pre-tribulation rapture. However, this parable is also told to us in Luke 17. In Luke the disciples ask Jesus specifically where these people would be taken.

Then they asked Him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Wherever the dead body is, there will the vultures or eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:37

Jesus tells the disciples that the ones who are taken will be taken to Armageddon.  

And the rest were killed with the sword that issues from the mouth of Him Who is mounted on the horse, and all the birds fed ravenously and glutted themselves with their flesh. Revelation 19:21

Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my granary. Matthew 13:30

Now let’s get into some meat here. Many of us believe that the people destroyed at Armageddon are people who took the Mark of the Beast. We believe this because of Revelation 19:20, where it tells us that those who take the Mark of the Beast will be destroyed at Armageddon. But what exactly is the Mark of the Beast? We are told that if we take this Mark, we will be destroyed. We are told that there is no coming back from it once we accept it, Revelation 14:9-10. But the Word never tells us exactly what it is? Go and look in the scriptures, you will not find a definitive description of the Mark of the Beast? I use to guess at what it was, but the Word never tells us plainly. Isn’t it funny that our Father tells us that if we take the Mark, then we are doomed, but then He never tells us what it is?  Could you imagine me telling my kids that if they committed the act of ABC then they would be cast out from my home and never be allowed back in, but I never tell them what the act of ABC is? I would be a terrible parent for placing such fear in my kids. So why would our Father not tell us plainly what this unforgivable act of taking the Mark is? Our Father is not about fear, He is about Love, 1 John 4:8. 

Think about this, who are we told about in the Bible that cannot be forgiven? The answer is the fallen angels, Hebrews 2:16. Where exactly are these fallen angels now? We are told in Revelation 12:9 that they are here on the earth. So do angels look like people? They sure do. In Hebrews 13:2 we are told that we may be entertaining them and be unaware of it. In Genesis 6 we are told that angels actually had children with the daughters of men. So the fallen angels are down here right now and they look like men. 

Darnel, or another word for darnel is a tare, is a false wheat. It looks like wheat, but it produces no fruit. A tare is not a wheat that has gone bad, it has always been a tare. Wheat is wheat and a tare is a tare. The tares are gathered first at Armageddon because they took the Mark of the Beast. We are never told what the Mark of the Beast is, but we are told that a third of the angels did side with satan and that they cannot be forgiven. We are told that the angels are here on the earth right now. We are told that they have mated with men and we are told that we can actually see them. 

So what I am coming to believe is that the Mark of the Beast cannot be taken by humans, but only by angels. If humans could take the Mark of the Beast, then wouldn’t our Father plainly tell us what it was? This study could go on for days. I just wanted to start the discussion here. But I believe, and this is just what I believe, and I share the scriptures constantly as to why I believe this way, is that the ones taken first are the fallen angels that have been living amongst us. They took the Mark of the Beast when they sided with satan and they are being delivered to their doom at Armageddon. If you believe differently that is alright. I use to believe differently. The Holy Spirit however will bring us to a clear understanding of what the actually Mark is, amen.