Q: What is or will be the ‘mark of the beast’ that is referenced 6 times in The Bible?
A: My, oh my! This is a very complex issue on which there are a myriad of interpretations. Please research and review some of the most popular interpretations to put mine in the broader context. Bottom line, no one knows the answer to this question, but a review of the context is warranted.
Who/what is the beast?
In Daniel 2, God gave King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon an incredible dream that mapped the sequence of all subsequent hegemon nations (Persia, Greece, Rome, and 10 primary remnants of the Roman Empire). ‘In the days of these (10) kings’, the Kingdom of Christ will be established forever. (Daniel 2:44) All of these nations in the dream were portrayed as wild beasts, perhaps referring to their barbaric/beastly natures. 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 3 ‘edit’ this prediction, noting the final beastly hegemon government will be led by a man who will be fully possessed by satan – satan’s man in-charge of world governance during the tribulation age (the predicted 4th age of human history), typically referred to as the final anti-Christ. He will be greatly aided by his 'prophet', which I intuit will act as a 'prime minister/prophet', heralding and facilitating the anti-Christ's global regime.
What is the mark of the beast and its purpose?
Revelation 13:17 mentions the mark, the name and the number of the name of this leader, referred to as the beast. Colloquially, people summarize these as just the mark of the beast. These will essentially function as a physical code this world leader will insist all people have in their bodies (forehead or hand, per Revelation 13:16 and 14:9) in order to engage in any/all commercial transactions during his reign, including buying groceries! This mark will also signal allegiance to, or worship of this leader and his close colleagues. Verse 18 admonishes the wise who have understanding to, ‘…calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: his number is 666’. What a mystery!
God made humans in His tripartite (3-part) image, namely as eternal spirit and soul, and a physical body. The Bible iteratively indicates the number 7 refers to completion or perfection. In this context, 7-7-7 may refer to God, Who is perfect, and 6-6-6 may refer to humans, who are im-perfect.
While all governments typically impose their own currency and related restrictions, the final anti-Christ will insist on a type of physical branding, possibly in lieu of, or in addition to his own currency. Moreover, his edict will have a deeply sinister objective, namely to reveal and then slaughter any/all post-rapture Christians (e.g., people who come to faith in Jesus as a result of the testimonies of strategically placed Jewish witnesses). Thus, there will be a great slaughter of believers who will have been warned by an angel to reject accepting the seal, less they be marked for eternity in hell. (See: Revelation 14:6-11)
Why a physical mark or branding?
Since commercial transactions are physical, not spiritual, this seal or mark will likewise be physical, but it will have great spiritual significance!
The Bible reveals satan is a big copycat who mimics what he knows of God’s plans for humanity, the most significant part of which is the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. When a person sincerely repents of his/her sins and accepts Jesus as Christ (Savior) and Lord, God spiritually seals that person as a citizen of His Kingdom (an invisible seal on our foreheads, per Revelation 22:4). An excellent pre-Christ example of this is found in Ezekiel 8 and 9. From his base as a captured slave in Babylon, Ezekiel was given a vivid vision of the pre-incarnate Jesus and His angelic entourage, visiting Jerusalem sometime after one of the 3 historical invasions by Babylon. [The Lord had instigated these attacks as His long-postponed judgment against Judeans who were extremely sinful and un-repentant.] In the spirit, The Lord shows Ezekiel samples of wicked abominations being practiced by both Jewish elders and common folks. In chapter 9, He instructs an angel to place a [spiritual] mark/seal the foreheads of all righteous people in the city, people who would be spared death during the ensuing third/final assault by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He then instructs another angel to go throughout the city and [spiritually] slay everybody who is not marked. (See: Un-marked (Poem)) Presumably, these were the people who were later physically killed during the final destruction of Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar captured many residents to serve as servants and slaves in Babylon, including Daniel, who was eventually promoted to the position of premiere/prime minister both in Babylon and also in Persia after it conquered Babylon.
All Christ believers during the tribulation period who refuse to receive the mark of the beast, and who are slaughtered for their staunch faith receive considerable honorable mention in Revelation 15:2, as their eternal spirits and souls are presented, singing before The Throne of God. This includes a strategically delegated group of 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will be instrumental in converting many Jews and Gentiles to Christ in the tribulation. In Revelation 7:4, these witnesses are spiritually sealed on their foreheads (sounds familiar?) for their ministry; and verse 14 depicts the incredible fruits of their ministry – presumably tribulation believers who will have been slaughtered by the world leader. Endeared to Jesus forever, these witnesses are depicted again in Revelation 14 (7 chapters after their introduction, get it?). Verse 1 reveals their foreheads had been sealed with God’s Name.
In sum…
The mark of the beast will be satan’s sinister, copycat attempt to strike back strategically at God for upending his worldwide anti-Christ government during the great tribulation (the last half of the tribulation period). Because he can’t harm God, he strikes at God’s people – the Jews and The Church. History iteratively demonstrates this fact, with each strike resulting in God eventually blessing His people, righteous Jews and righteous Christian’s, alike. The Bible specifically predicts three future invasion attacks on/in Israel.
See. Ezekiel 38 & 39, Zechariah 10 & 14, Matthew 24, Revelation 19 & 20.
See also: Revelation - Future attacks in Israel, and Millennial Parallelisms (#5). These attacks will literally ‘sandwich’ the Millennial Reign of Jesus on Earth!
Final point: satan is also a student of Bible, better than we can ever be! Thus, the anti-Christ’s mark of the beast may simply mimic what is predicted …in Revelation 22:4.
