Name a more controversial and speculative biblical concept than the infamous “Mark of the Beast”… I’ll wait; go ahead, do it!

There’s no shortage of speculation, some interesting and some just flat out wacky! From government-enforced barcodes, QR codes, to implantable computer chips and AI brain implants, there’s no limit to the possibilities.

Yet despite all this, if we just simply interpret Revelation 13 using Scripture — you know, the way you’re supposed to interpret Scripture — we’ll soon discover it’s not all that mysterious or difficult to figure this out.

The Context of Revelation:

There’s 3 rules to biblical interpretation: context, context, context.

The book of Revelation’s opening verse says,

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John”

Revelation 1:1

This is a revelation of Jesus Christ, a revealing, an uncovering of that which was covered. First and foremost, Revelation is about revealing Jesus to God’s people to prepare them for that period of time between His resurrection and His return.

The book of Revelation is prophetic literature. It utilizes literary devices like metaphor, symbolism, allusions, and different structural patterns to convey its message. One macro pattern in Revelation is found in sets of 7’s. The book can be broken down into 5 major chunks of 7:

The letters to the 7 churches (Revelation 2-3).

The 7 seals (Revelation 4-8).

The 7 trumpets (Revelation 8-11).

The 7 signs (Revelation 11-15).

The 7 Bowls of God’s Wrath (Revelation 15-20).

There are also interludes scattered throughout the sets of 7, giving us important details to interpret what each cycle of 7 is trying to convey.

This will be important when we get into the mark of the beast, as it falls into the “7 signs” set.

The Cycles of 7 in Revelation:

Aside from the 7 churches, the other sets of 7 all describe the same events broadly from different perspectives with different emphases and using different biblical symbols and metaphors.

For example, let’s briefly look at the 7 seals and compare them to the 7 signs.

The first seal is a white horse that goes out to conquer. Many erroneously believe this is referring to Christ. But it is actually symbolic of demonic powers sent out to oppress and devour God’s people, or “seed.”

The first sign, in comparison, describes a conflict between the devil and God’s people (or seed) wherein the dragon, or Satan, attempts to devour the promised Savior but is unsuccessful.

The second seal is a red horse who is permitted to take peace from the earth.

The second sign is the beast persecuting people and taking peace from the earth.

The third seal is a black horse whose rider has a scale in his hand. Scales represent monetary policy. The black horse represents an evil monetary system and the destruction that ensues from it.

And guess what the third sign is? That’s right, the third sign deals with the mark of the beast without which no one can buy or sell!

I could go on demonstrating the parallels between the sets of 7’s, but this is sufficient to prove that the 7’s are descriptions of the same events with differing symbols, details, and emphasis.

Now it should be noted that the parallels aren’t exact. But we shouldn’t expect them to be exact if they each serve to reveal something more or different about the events they describe. They don’t repeat exactly, but they rhyme and build on one another to give us a full picture of what we should expect and how we can overcome.

The book of Revelation, if we understand it properly, is God revealing the victory of Christ and giving us the devils playbook so we aren’t caught off guard or tricked by his scams and schemes.

Revelation 13: The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13 describes the Dragon, AKA, the Devil, giving his authority to 2 “beasts.” This is the first time in Revelation where the term “beast” is used. This is not a random descriptor John is using; it has Old Testament precedent. We see it used in Daniel several times, and it refers to kingdoms, nations, and rulers.

Revelation 13:2 describes the first beast this way,

“And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it, the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”

Revelation 13:2

This is language taken straight out of Daniel 7:4-7, where Daniel sees a vision of 4 beasts: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and one other beast that is unlike any animal on earth. These all represented various kingdoms and empires that were to come.

What the imagery of Revelation 13:2 is doing is taking the beasts of Daniel 7 and mashing them together into one. This is done to communicate that the same devil which worked in the ungodly empires of the past is still at work now. The beast represents nations, rulers, and governments that are anti-Christ. But for our sake, we will focus on the second beast in Revelation 13 because this is the one which describes the mark of the beast.

This second beast had 2 horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11) The lamb horns are a demonic counterfeit of the true Lamb of God, Jesus. Notice this beast speaks like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11) It appears like a lamb, but its words are of the devil. This beast deceives the world through false religion and causes the people to worship the first beast, anti-Christ government. This beast makes “fire” come from heaven. (Revelation 13:13) This is also a demonic counterfeit of the two witnesses from Revelation 11 who breathe fire and devour their enemies. As a matter of fact, the beast simply counterfeits the works of Christ. G.K. Beale noted,

“The key to a correct understanding of the beast’s identity is in the fact there are so many parallels between the description of the beast in chapter 13 and that of Christ elsewhere in Revelation.”

G.K. Beale

The parallels are undeniable, and in order to get a proper understanding of the mark of the beast we need to interpret the mark in its context as one among many counterfeits signs.

To prove this point here is a brief list of how the beast counterfeits Christ,

1. Jesus is crowned with many diadems (Revelation 19:12), The Dragon (devil) is crowned 7 diadems (Rev 12:3)
2. Jesus is resurrected (Revelation 5:6), The Beast is resurrected (Revelation 13:14)
3. Jesus’ followers are sealed with God’s name on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1), The Beast’s followers are marked with his name on their foreheads (Revelation 13:16)
4. Jesus receives worship from every “tribe, tongue people and nation” (Revelation 7:9), The Beast receives worship from every “tribe, tongue people and nation” (Revelation 13:7-8)
5. God works through His witnesses by judging their foes with fire (Revelation 11:5), The Beast makes fire come down from heaven (Revelation 13:13)

G.K. Beale continues,

The beast’s career is thus a kind of parody of Christ’s death and resurrection, employed to show how the evil spirit behind the beast continues to operate (though within divinely imposed limits) in the period from Christ’s resurrection until His return. The parallels show that the transtemporal beast is set up as the supreme enemy of Christ and His people. The figure behind this is the devil himself, as he repeatedly works through his chosen agents throughout history.

G.K. Beale

So let’s recap: the first beast is representative of human government(s) that reject God and seek to usurp God on the earth. This beast is created by Satan, and through it, Satan seeks to get the worship of the people. A second beast rises up that counterfeits Christ and the works of His prophets and people. This second false religious beast points people to the first beast, government, to get the people to worship it and thereby worship the Dragon who is Satan.

Ok, now that we have a good solid base of context, we can get to the mark of the beast passage. Revelation 13:16-18 says,

“Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”

Revelation 13:16-18

“Also, IT causes all…” Who is the “it” being referred to here? The second beast. This is the false demonic religious beast that aids and enables the first political beast. This beast causes all to be marked on the right hand or the forehead. This is not random but has Old Testament parallels.

God told the Israelites after He saved them from Egypt that His salvation shall be “as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand, the LORD has brought you out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13:9) Also, the High Priest was instructed to engrave the words “Holy to YHWH” on a golden plate and wrap it around his turban which is obviously on his forehead. (Exodus 28:36-37) Holy to YHWH means set apart for YHWH. This imagery is picked up in Revelation where God’s people are said to be sealed “on their foreheads” (Revelation 7:4). In Revelation 14:1, it says, “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)

The seal of God is to have the name of God written on your forehead. This is obviously a spiritual sealing. Christians don’t physically have YHWH written on their foreheads. The 144,000 sealed ones are symbolic of all God’s people. Where does the number 144,000 come from? 12 tribes of Israel times 12 apostles equals 144. Multiply by 1000 representing the fullness of God’s people, you get 144,000. Therefore, the mark of the beast is a false, counterfeit seal of God on all those who give allegiance to the first beast, and thus by extension, worship Satan himself.

OK, but if it’s a false demonic mark, what about the fact that no one can buy or sell without it? Good question. Revelation 13 is highly symbolic, and the symbols have meanings that we can discern from previous Scripture. Much of this is encrypted language, and only the previous Scriptures can decrypt it. If the rest of the chapter is symbolic, what reason do we have to suddenly get literal when we get to buying and selling? That would be inconsistent.

Earlier in Revelation, when Jesus is speaking with the Church in Smyrna, He said,

“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan.”

Revelation 2:9

Christians in Smyrna were experiencing economic hardship for their unwillingness to participate in Imperial worship. The trade guilds in the city were deeply intertwined with the imperial cult, so much so that if you did not worship the Emperor with scheduled sacrifices, you could not work.

Now, do you see the connection? The Christians who first received this letter of John’s vision did not scratch their head when they read Revelation 13. No one was theorizing about what this mysterious mark of the beast could be. They all understood. Why? Because they were living it. They had the choice: worship this beast, which is demonic in origin and interconnected with the empire and religion, or be barred from “buying and selling.” Evidently, there were professing Jews in the city who slandered the church and participated in the imperial religion to some degree. But Jesus here confirms, they are a synagogue of Satan. Why? Because they had the mark of the beast and therefore WORSHIPED SATAN HIMSELF. For them the mark of the beast was worshipping the Emperor to keep their jobs.

As for the number of the beast and its name, it is calculated to be 666. Doesn’t this mean that 666 should somehow be decrypted to reveal the name of the anti-Christ? Many translate Revelation 13:18 to say “it is the number of a man.” Other translations such as the Lexham English Bible translate it, “for it is man’s number.” Remember, the mark of the beast is a spiritual demonic counterfeit of the mark of the lamb. All the works of the beast in Revelation have a direct counterfeit parallel to the works of God. All the devil does is counterfeit God. As such, the number of the beast is the number of man, 666. What does 6 mean? On day 6 man was made. If 7 is the number of perfect completion, rest, balance, and peace, 6 represents the perfection of imperfection, sin. 6 repeated 3 times. Furthermore, the 6th seal, 6th trumpet, and 6th bowl all depict God’s judgment on the unbelievers, those marked with 666 on their foreheads. G.K. Beales writes in his commentary on Revelation, “the triple sixes are intended as a contrast with the divine sevens throughout the book and signify incompleteness and imperfection.” (Beale) 666, therefore, represents the completeness of sinful incompleteness. It is the seal and mark of the Satanic trinity of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Remember Satan wants to be God, so he just counterfeits Him in a failed attempt to be like the Almighty.

The Mystery Unveiled

Thus, when all the evidence is examined, it is clear that the mark of the beast is a spiritual sign upon all those who give their allegiance to Satan, by rejecting Christ and opting to serve the demonic state, especially if it includes monetary gain. The emphasis here is on spiritual wisdom, as John said, “this calls for wisdom…” This passage is not about trying to do some calculations and speculating on a one-world currency system; there isn’t even mention of a one-world currency in the passage. I’m afraid we’ve been looking for a mark of the beast in the future and missed the mark of the beast in the present.

The mark of the beast is glaring and blazing in our face daily. It’s choosing to serve the state and not Christ. It’s choosing to have men in suits rule over us and not the Lord. It’s getting a vaccine to appease the state and keep your job. It’s giving your allegiance to a God-hating government over and above Christ. The mark of the beast is that subtle trick of Satan wherein he tricks you into worshiping him in exchange for financial security. THAT is the mark of the beast. And why does the scripture use money here in connection with the mark of the beast? Because the Christians were experiencing this hard choice: worship Christ and experience financial hurt, or worship the beast state and have financial security. That is where the rubber meets the road of spiritual allegiance.

So what about Bitcoin? Not much needs to be said about bitcoin now. Obviously, bitcoin is not the mark of the beast because the mark of the beast is not about money; it’s about where your allegiance lies.

Choose this day whom you will serve….

Citations:

Beale, G. K., and David H. Campbell. Revelation: A Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015. Print.