(In the tribulation, who worships the antichrist?)

Revelation 13:3b  and all the world wondered after the beast.

  4b  and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?

  8a And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,

  12b  and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast,

(Won’t all these people already be worshipping the antichrist, and will not need to be forced into worshipping him?

Preventing people from buying or selling without the mark, is not about forcing worship of the antichrist, correct?

Won’t they worship the antichrist as a freewill act of worship, and not out of compulsion?

In Revelation 12, didn’t the devil set out to do the following?)

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(Isn’t the the policy, of not letting people buy or sell without the mark, not about trying to force people to worship the antichrist?

Because, weren’t they already, by a choice of freewill, worshipping the antichrist, even before the image and the mark?

Who are they that are worshipping the antichrist, even before the mark?

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 

Won’t it be all that dwell on the earth, particularly those whose names that are not written in the book of life?

Won’t those, whose names that are not written in the book of life, already have been worshipping the antichrist, before the mark later in the chapter?

So isn’t that policy, of not letting people buy or sell without the mark, more about trying to “smoke-out” those who won’t worship the antichrist?

Won’t the devil want to target those people, and kill them?)

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

(Isn’t this similar to what the devil did to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, except they didn’t die in the fiery furnace?

However, won’t those who will not worship the antichrist, or his image, be “smoked-out”, when they attempt to buy or sell?

They will be beheaded, but after that, won’t they be with Jesus, and it all will be worth it for them?

Over the centuries, haven’t countless Christians, who were facing persecution and death, read this chapter?

And even though they probably knew that they weren’t the ones written of, wouldn’t they have found great courage and comfort in reading this?)