Mark of
the Beast
Forms of Mark of the Beast
There are many theories about the mark of the beast that
have caused much confusion amongst Christians.
I am sure you have heard of people talking about National Identity
cards, Social Security numbers, credit cards, bar codes, computer chips and
many others too numerous to mention.
There are two main forms for the Mark of the Beast. One is the symbolic non-visible mark and the
other is the literal visible mark. In
this article I shall discuss the possible forms of the mark of the Beast.
Symbolic non-visible Mark
In looking through the Bible one finds that the only
other places where anything is ever spoken of as a sign or mark on both the
hand and forehead are Exodus 13:9, Deuteronomy 6:8, and 11:18. These passages,
and their contexts, deserve our close attention.
Deuteronomy 6:8 states, "You
shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
your eyes." We learn from the context of passage, Deut. 6:1-7,
that the objective pronoun "them"
refers to God’s commandments and statutes. It is the keeping of God’s
commandments that becomes a sign on the hands and foreheads of His people.
Notice how the passage does not speak of a literal sign or mark. Rather, the
sign or mark is symbolic of the keeping of God’s laws.
Virtually identical to Deut. 6:8, Deut. 11:18 speaks
of the keeping of God’s commandments as "a
sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." There
is a difference, however. While both Deut. 6:8 and 11:18 speak of the blessings
God promises to those who keep His commandments, Deut. 11:18 also tells us of
the wrath of God that will be visited upon those who, "turn aside, and serve other gods and worship
them." (Deut. 11:16, NKJV).
So far, it appears that when a sign on the hand or
forehead that God places on people has to do with the following of His laws.
Now let’s look at Exodus 13:9: "It shall be as
a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s
law may be in your mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD has brought you
out of Egypt."
The Second Beast “causes
all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on
their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except
one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
(Rev. 13:16-17)
Here we have a passage that gives us the same precept as the keeping of
God’s commandments.
“Then a third angel followed them saying
with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives
his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the
wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His
indignation. And he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence
of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his
name.’ Here is the patience of the
saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus.” (Rev. 14:9-12)
Having the mark of the beast on the right
hand or on the forehead indicates the person worships the beast and his image
and does not keep the commandments of God.
We have shown that such people are Muslims and other non-believers of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
