“I remember when I first started working for the West Region when I worked for International Paper, they had a warehouse in Texarkana, Arkansas. This was back in Two Thousand-Three or so, and the cool things was seeing how their warehouse was one of the first that I knew about, using R.F.I.D. (Radio Frequency Identification) For me back then, being a Pre-Tribulation believer, I was super exited about seeing scripture coming to life. At this point, I had read the Left Behind books that were out and could see them unfolding in my life. In talking with the people and software companies, I heard them say how companies would be able to put these R.F.I.D’s in products and track inventory and help reduce theft and lost product. Almost twenty years later, my view of Eschatology has changed, and I don’t believe there will be a physical microchip, tattoo, or barcode that will be placed on humans to either accept or deny the mark of the beast. The number “666” and all the numerology and deciphering of codes to predict when the end will come.
Revelation Thirteen is known as the “Mark of the Beast” chapter and the beasts that are mentioned have been portrayed as coming nations, from The United Nations, The European Union, and current monarchies or governments. The Twentieth century has brought every scenario involving nations, world leaders, and people into a whose who of who will be the Antichrist. If you have been reading what I have been writing, then you will know that my view, based on all of scripture and not a denominational or eschatological view, refers to evil and the great dragon and serpent, The Devil that is against God.
The most popular view being taught is that out of Daniel and comparing how those beasts referred to the kings and kingdoms that ensued and ultimately being the Roman Empire, which historically that was correct. What I don’t believe John refers to because he quotes Daniel, is that these beasts in Revelation are a rebirth of those nations and a”New” Romans Empire. For this part, I want to focus on the Mark of the Beast, and in later parts, I will circle back and explain the beasts and who and what they are.
John speaking of the second beast, remember this, when thinking about nations and kingdoms that supposedly will come, says in Revelation Thirteen, starting in verse Thirteen,
“It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the IMAGE OF THE BEAST, so that the image of the beast might even speak and MIGHT CAUSE THOSE WHO WOULD NOT WORSHIP the image of the beast TO BE SLAIN. 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, 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. (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Remember in the Gospels Jesus is a superior Moses and John is referenced as Elijah by Jesus. What I think John is pointing out, is how these beasts are a cheap counterfeit of Moses and Elijah. The enemy has always tried to replicate God and we know he is a liar, trying to deceive the people of God. He is described as a sheep in wolves clothing, a roaring lion, as an angel of light, and of course as The Antichrist. To believe that John is speaking of nations and humans is to not understand scripture and the battle that has been raging.
The signs and wonders of verse Thirteen can be similar to when Moses in Exodus was given power to perform signs and wonders and Pharaoh’s magicians were able to perform some of the same tricks. Exodus Seven-Ten says,
“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.” (ESV)
We also see Elijah calling down fire, which is one of my favorite accounts of God’s sense of humor and power over evil, when Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal, in First Kings Eighteen Thirty-Eight,
“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.”” (ESV)
Elijah also calls fire down from Heaven in Second Kings One-Ten.
The other thing we see is “666,” this mark of the beast or bearing the name of the beast. That number is just a proxy and like followers of Christ bear His Name, so do those who don’t follow Christ, because they bear the name of the beast. If you know your Old Testament, you will know that Name theology is thought-out the Bible, and I even wrote about it previously. Many scribes and translators would not write Yahweh out of fear and reverence, and would use the Name. It’s also something that Numbers Six tells us of God’s people being marked with Yahweh’s Name. Now most people only read and or share part of this scripture, because it’s a good verse and or makes for a good song, but let’s read it all. Number Six, which covers mostly the Nazarite vow, says beginning in verse twenty-two,
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “SO SHALL THEY PUT MY NAME UPON THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, and I will bless them.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
The other part of the counterfeit is taken from God telling His people that they should mark their hands and foreheads with a sign of remembrance, as we see in Exodus Thirteen-Eight and Nine,
“You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you 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.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Deuteronomy Six says, another one of my favorite verses,
““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall BIND THEM AS A SIGN ON YOUR HAND, AND THEY SHALL BE AS FRONTLETS BETWEEN YOUR EYES. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Of course people argue the point that I haven’t addressed the buying and selling and of course with what has happened in the last few years with Covid, “vaccine” cards, Bitcoins, and credit cards, people will say, “See, it’s coming!” Let’s think about this. In many countries throughout history, many people have not been allowed to buy or sell and have been marked. I can think of Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, China, and Cuba. You have the Guilds in the first century, the dark ages, the different monarchies throughout history, and yet all we can do is associate R.F.I.D’s, microchips, tattoos and guillotines and insert them into scripture. If John only wrote Revelation for Twentieth Century believers, then how was this book and the whole Bible a blessing to those who have been martyred and are being martyred outside of Western Christianity?
Ultimately it comes down to what side of the mark do you stand on? Is your loyalty Christ and you are marked, and sealed by His blood, and your name is written into His book of life? Or is your loyalty to the things of this world, and to the mark of the beast, lost in the drunkenness of Babylon and losing your life for the cares of this world.
Jesus speaking of being a true follower and marking yourself apart, says in Luke Nine, beginning in verse Twenty-three,
“Then HE said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he MUST DENY HIMSELF, take up his cross DAILY, and FOLLOW ME. For whoever wants TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, but whoever LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL SAVE IT. For what does it BENEFIT A PERSON IF HE GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD BUT LOSES OR FORFEITS HIMSELF? For whoever is ASHAMED OF ME ANS MY WORDS, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (NET)
We either repent and stand with Christ, or reject His salvation and blasphemy the Holy Spirit and He gives us to our desires, because of our own stubbornness and pride? The world is full of lures and pleasures that seem like good “marks” and worth “buying” but only leave us empty, broke, and left doing anything to get more, but ultimately leaving us joyless and alone.
Peter understanding, after denying Christ and being restored, that there is no better Name, being marked for Christ, says in Acts Four, beginning in verse seven,
“And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL OF YOU AND TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL THAT BY THE NAME of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the Stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the Cornerstone. And there is SALVATION IN NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must BE SAVED.”” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Paul says in Philippians Two beginning in verse nine,
“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him THE NAME THAT US ABOVE EVERY NAME, so that at THE NAME OF JESUS every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Technology is good for many things, but like everything else, we cannot eisegesis and fit the worlds systems into scripture. We are to exegesis and see that we as readers and hearers of the Word, need to listen and understand that Revelation is about evil and the enemy trying so hard to be an imitation of The Lord and that at the core of everything, Jesus wins! I’m comforted by Romans Eight One and Two,
“There is therefore NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you FREE IN CHRIST JESUS FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH.” (ESV)
And Romans Eight beginning in verse Thirty-Five, also another one of my favorite verses says,
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (ESV)
The mark we have is for all to see, because like Moses, our face should light up with the glory of Jesus, living in us, guiding us, and keeping us, because we are the sheep of His pasture. If we truly are in Christ, then nothing can snatch us from His hand. As Paul says in First Corinthians Fifteen, quoting Isaiah and Hosea,
“Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”” (NET)
Is the mark of this world really worth losing eternity for?” Jose Barajas
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