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, The Lord 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 (the final 10) kings’, the Kingdom of Christ will be established forever. (Daniel 2:44) All of these nations in the dream, were later (in Daniel 7)) portrayed as wild beasts, perhaps referring to their barbaric/beastly natures. 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 3 ‘edit’ this prediction, noting the final human beastly hegemon government will be led by a man who will be fully possessed by satan – satan’s, miracle-working man in-charge of world governance during the tribulation age (the predicted, 7-year, 4th age of human history), typically referred to as the final anti-Christ. As Father God appointed and anointed Jesus, The Lord God, as His Son, satan will be allowed to do so with a man - the 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 man: his (man’s) number is 666’. What a mystery!
The Lord 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 The Lord, 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 The Lord’s lake of fire, which apparently will be worse than hell! (See: Revelation 14:6-11, and Revelation 20:15)
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 The Lord’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, accepts Jesus as Christ (Savior) and Lord, and remains committed to learn and live righteously, per The Lord’s standards, The Lord spiritually seals that person as a citizen of His Kingdom (an invisible seal on our foreheads, per Revelation 22:4). NB: Revelation 3:14-22 reveal this sealing might not be permanent, because it can be reversed if/when a person becomes and remains lukewarm, backslidden and apostate!
An excellent pre-Christ example of this sealing 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 on 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 slaughtered during the final destruction of Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar captured many Judeans 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.
Christ believers during the tribulation period who refuse to receive the mark of the beast, and who are slaughtered for their staunch faith, are, first, spiritually pictured in Revelation 7. Later, they receive considerable honorable mention in Revelation 15:2, as their eternal spirits and souls are presented, singing before The Throne of God and The Lamb of God (Jesus, The Lord 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 The Lord’s Name. Finally, these are ‘the elect’ who will be bodily resurrected (united with their spirit and soul), possibly after the Marriage Supper of The Lamb (Revelation 19), and just before the start of The Lord’s physical return to Earth (with all His saints and all His angels) to begin His Millennial Reign. (See: Matthew 24:29-31, Christians in the Apocalypse (poem), and Bible Raptures - Types and Timings (Series))
In sum…
The mark of the beast will be satan’s sinister, copycat attempt to strike back strategically at The Lord for upending his worldwide, anti-Christ government during the great tribulation (the last half of the 7-year tribulation age). Because he can’t harm The Lord, he strikes at The Lord’s people – committed Jewish and Gentile believers. History iteratively demonstrates this fact, with each strike resulting in The Lord eventually blessing His people, righteous Jews and Gentiles, 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 points:
1. satan is also a student of Bible, better than we can ever be! Moreover, I wonder whether he migh also have insights into The Scripture of Truth, an apparently more exhaustive preview of human history! Thus, the anti-Christ’s mark of the beast may simply mimic what is predicted …in Revelation 22:4.
2. Revelation 19:19 - 20 give us a generally-unknown prediction about the anti-Christ man and his prophet: They will apparently be the first humans who will be transformed as immortal beings, and cast forever alive into the brimstone-lit lake of fire - likely somewhere on the new, eternal Earth predicted in Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, and Revelation 21 and 22. They will be cast therein over a thousand years before being joined by satan’s entire kingdom of devils and demons, every unrepentant human, plus death and hell! (Revelation 20) Ponder that….
