What is the Mark of the Beast?

(originally posted at Wings Of The Eagle Blog in 2017, reposted 2022)

​I am constantly amused by the latest popular opinion of “the Mark”. When I was younger it was “obviously” a tattoo. Then it was “obviously” credit cards, then microchips now everyone says RFID! It’s passed around as if it’s a fact only to change a year or two later. Christians must understand the Bible is not a Sci-Fi novel, and God will never punish someone for something forced on their body against their will. The verse this comes from is found in Revelation 13:

And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

First, the “him” is the False Prophet. The Image of the Beast is in place and is “alive and speaking”. Then – and only then – can the Mark of the Beast be issued.  Don’t let anyone tell you this passage has happened in the past; utter lunacy.The context is clear: conscious WORSHIP of the Beast, and conscious accepting of the Mark to be able to buy and sell things (IE food and things for day to day life).  There are 2 places where people can accept this Mark: on their forehead or on their right hand. And within the Mark itself seems to be 2 ingredients or versions: the Name and/or the Number of the Beast.

I have heard it taught – and at one time I accepted the teaching – that these are symbolic locations only. Forehead meaning mind/belief and hand meaning work/service. There is validity on one level to that, because willful worship and action by the “marked” are the results. However, the buying and selling part convinced me this is not to be “spiritualized” away. How will you be approved for (or stopped from) buying dinner for your children with an invisible Mark? It will be a visible, identifying, outward symbol of your allegiance to the Beast and acceptance of his Law. So that means no RFID implants either, sorry.

What it also cannot be is something fleeting, silly, hackable or fakeable. A tattoo would fit the bill, but why something so time-consuming and painful? Children would be very opposed to this method, believe me.  A good way for us to get clarity on this is to recognize what the “Beast” is. I have taught for years that that Beast (that’s the 7 headed, 10 horned beast from the sea) is an Empire. Or call it a Kingdom or Government if you prefer. Earlier in chapter 13 we see that allegiance to this Empire is direct worship of Satan, so we can understand why God will not be forgiving those who betray Him in this time. So if the Mark is enforcing allegiance to a government and its god, and those who take it do so 100% willingly and are not zombies or prisoners, what might it look like? I think we can see a precursor at least today:

POSSIBLE MARK OF ALLEGIANCE ON FOREHEAD

POSSIBLE MARK OF ALLEGIANCE ON RIGHT HAND

POSSIBLE MONEY NEEDED TO BUY OR SELL

I don’t think we can know with certainty what the Mark will end up looking like, but it has to at least resemble the above in my opinion; all the similarities are too great to ignore. I am purposefully ignoring the question of how “global” this situation will be when it arrives. I wanted to focus just on the Mark itself. Hopefully this has helped you move beyond the ever-changing technological “marks” and into sober prayer and study of what it will be like if you are here to witness it. I also hope it has blessed you in some way. Your thoughts are welcomed below!

~ Christopher

Stars War

No – the title isn’t a misprint. Keep reading and you will see.

The phenomena known as Star Wars is a little lost on me. But while I am not the biggest Star Wars fan, I can proudly say that I have seen all seven episodes. My favorite still has to be episode three since it was the one that tied the original 3 episodes (4-6) back to the newer three (1-3).

Many are caught up in the battle of good versus evil that fictitiously took place “long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away”. But there has been a real battle of good versus evil happening here in our galaxy and even in our very own solar system.

That battle started when Lucifer decided that he should be equal to God. We read about it in Isaiah 14:12-15,

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

That was the day that sin entered creation and it was a very sad day. God had created a perfect creature, named Lucifer, who was not content to be close to God, abiding in His presence continually. No, he wanted to be God, worshipped as God and thus the struggle was born.

Notice that he was identified as the morning “star.” We’ll come back to that.

Jesus actually spoke of Lucifer, a.k.a. Satan or the Devil in Luke 10:18 when He said,

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Satan has fallen and yet still has access to God as we observe in the story of Job. However, there is coming a day when that access will be cut off. That day is referenced in Daniel 12:1 but more detail is provided in Revelation 12.

Daniel 12:1 states that Michael “shall arise”. This term means that he “takes a stand” or “defends”. Satan is apparently trying to rise up against God because a fresh war breaks out in heaven.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.  Revelation 12:7-9 ​ A little earlier in the chapter, Revelation 12:4, we read where the dragon, later identified as Satan in verse 9, sweeps down a third of the “stars” and cast them to earth. Who are these stars? We are told in 12:9 that they are Satan’s angels.

So angels are identified as stars making what we have here a battle of the “stars” or as I desire to call it today – Stars War. Michael and his angels against Satan and his angels – an epic battle. This battle must be for the heavens occupied by God (the throne itself) and the heavenly host and not for the earth because Michael and his angels cast Satan and his angels out of heaven and to the earth. Do you see that?

This Stars War is the defining moment in the history of mankind, because when Satan is cast down, he becomes the source of great tribulation as Jesus mentions in Matthew 24:21-22,

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.  And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 

In Revelation 12:10, a voice announces that the accusations from Satan against the believers has come to an end, because Satan has been thrown out of heaven. The voice tells the heavens to rejoice! But also warns the earth and sea about the coming wrath of Satan.

Satan knows he only has a little time left, so he goes on a rampage against the Jews first, then the Christians, Revelation 12:13-17. The Stars War is over. It is now a battle between Satan and the Church.

The Church will lose millions, perhaps even 100’s of millions through this persecution, but the end result will be a victory for the Church as Revelation 12: 10-11,

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Satan loses the Stars War and his battle with the Church. He is ultimately cast into the lake of fire, which was prepared for him millennia ago. There he will suffer in eternal torment, Revelation 20:10.

An epic story told right here in the Bible, written thousands of years ago. Nice try, George! But God’s plot line is far superior!

~RevKev