What is the Mark of the Beast?

By Kevin Schaal | March 27, 2022

“Pastor, are vaccines the Mark of the Beast.”

This was a sincere question from a church member about a year ago. My answer was definite.

“No, vaccines are not the Mark. Believers will KNOW what it is when it comes.”

I do believe in a pre-tribulational rapture, so I do not expect to have to refuse the mark myself, but there will be people saved after the rapture of the Church who will refuse it.

There are four passages that describe the Mark of the Beast—Revelation 13:16-18, 14:9-10, 16:2, 19:20. Let’s take them one at a time. First, the most thorough passage (Revelation 13:16-18).

The Mark will be associated with the worship of Antichrist.

The context from the previous verses is the worship of the Beast—Antichrist. In this context, this worship could be a form of national obeisance or declared loyalty. The mark is then introduced. It is clearly associated with the worship of a false god. This Mark will be a clear “three Hebrew children” moment where it will require a choice between the worship of God and the worship of a false god.

The Mark is intended to be universal.

All are supposed to receive this Mark. No one will be exempted—not oligarchs, politicians, slaves, free people—not anyone.

The Mark is placed on or in the human body.

The Bible is so specific here. It is not just placed upon or in the hand, it will be the right hand. I assume that because some people do not have right hands because of birth malady or accident, the forehead is used as an alternative. In one way or another, it will be detectible. It will be visible to the human eye or detectible by machines.

The Mark will be required for all financial transactions.

No buying or selling will be allowed without the Mark. This could be accomplished in one of two ways. The Mark could be required as a sort of passport for every financial transaction. This could have been enacted at almost any time in human history. The second way of accomplishing this is that the mark itself functions as a sort of digital access key to financial currency. This is fully possible now.

This Mark will allow social, political, religious, and financial control of all people under the jurisdiction of the Antichrist.

The personal Mark of the Beast will be associated with a number.

The Mark will have a number associated with it. It is all speculation how this might work. The Beast has a number. The number is associated with his name. The number associated with his name is 666. The original language is definitive here. It is not a series of three digits—each 6—as in a padlock combination. It is the number six hundred sixty-six.

This number is associated with the name of the Antichrist and it will not be apparent to everyone. People who have some understanding (assumedly of the Bible and biblical prophecy) will be able to identify it as they calculate it.

Those who receive the Mark will be judged eternally.

Revelation 14:9-10 the fate associated with the Beast will also be the destiny of those that worship the Beast and receive the Mark. This punishment will be torment. It will be relentless day and night. It will be forever.

Those who receive the Mark will be judged on earth as well.

The first bowl judgment of Revelation 16 is that painful sores or ulcers will develop on those who have received the Mark and worship the Beast. This should not be interpreted that those who received the Mark of the Beast but do not worship the Beast will be exempted. Receiving the Mark of the Beast has already been established as an act of worship in itself. There will be no group of people who do one but not the other.

These sores or ulcers are described as painful, and harmful. While it does not say specifically that they are located on the part of the body that received the Mark, it seems that it might be a likely scenario.

The Mark of the Beast is a deception.

Those who receive the Mark are declared to be deceived by the Beast. However, they are judged guilty for having received the Mark. This is not an injustice by God imposed upon innocent people who were deceived. Like a con artist who convinces a person to knowingly commit a crime under the false promise of riches, so the Antichrist convinces people to worship him under the promise of security, safety, and wealth.

I am a literalist with regard to prophecy which makes me a futurist regarding Revelation 6-21. I believe that we take the Bible as literally as possible. This does allow for figurative language, but it also requires the substantive fulfillment of biblical promises.

There is no reasonable example of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Mark of the Beast in all of human history. Even George Ladd, a commentator who believes Revelation was both fulfilled in the past and in the future can see no Mark of the Beast already fulfilled, could not find a historical example.

We know of no ancient practice which provides adequate background to explain the mark of the beast in historical terms.[i]

For much of human history, it was simply impossible to be fulfilled. No human government could have enough central power to regulate commerce like this prophecy would indicate. It is only in the digital age that this prophecy could be fulfilled literally. With governments presently developing their own blockchain-based cryptocurrency a government can dominate an economy to such a level that every transaction or donation, no matter how small, can be examined.  This article entitled The Coming Federal Weaponization of Banking from TheHill.com this past week is a chilling example of how biblical prophecy could be fulfilled easily now.

The largest shake-up in finance since the formation of the Federal Reserve is nearly here. The establishment of a government-backed cryptocurrency is a threat to the freedom of commerce and would give Washington the ability to weaponize banking against political dissent, or even block Americans from accessing their own money altogether. 

A digital version of the dollar has been in the works for over a year now. Earlier this month, President Biden signed an executive order both curtailing existing cryptocurrencies and laying the groundwork for a federal digital currency. Crypto regulations have been a favorite topic of Democrats on Capitol Hill and regulators in the federal bureaucracy. Biden deployed numerous excuses, including the risks of money laundering and the carbon emissions needed to produce crypto, to justify cracking down on these currencies. But the kicker of the statement is the regulatory groundwork for the coming “digital dollar.” The United States will be the second major power to foster such a move, after China, where efforts to create a digital currency as part of its social credit system are a sign of what might be coming here soon.

Physical currency likely will be phased out entirely over time, in favor of a digital format controlled by the Federal Reserve. The ubiquity of cell phones and scannable codes will make integration of a digital currency, under some form of the blockchain, relatively easy to implement. This soft-nationalization of the banking sector would leave the United States in uncharted waters. Nearly every transaction, from political donations to purchases as seemingly insignificant as a pack of gum, would be visible to the government and subject to scrutiny. Government regulations could block or track certain transactions with no trial or public recourse. Even worse, if you were placed on a list by a federal bureaucrat — not a judge — your access to banking and credit cards potentially could be shut off without a warrant or trial.

This is not speculation, this is simply the world in which we presently live.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

 

 

[i] Revelation of John, Eerdmans, 1972, p. 185.

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