The subject of the Mark of the Beast has inevitably been revived as a result of the ongoing restrictions imposed across the world during the Covid pandemic.

Governments have resorted to what many consider extreme measures in order to control our movements; and then there are the vaccines hailed by some as a herald of the tribulation depicted in the Book of Revelation.

The ability to implant microchips into the human body for the purpose of keeping track on us has been around for a while, and vaccination clearly has the potential to inject unwanted foreign bodies into us.

So, are we witnessing a foretaste of the apocalyptic scenario of Revelation 13:16 where those refusing to submit to the ‘Mark of the Beast’ on their hands or foreheads are unable to buy or sell while those who accept it are condemned to judgment and hell?

Possibly. But although I concede that the taking, or refusing, of this mark may well be fulfilled literally, I believe it should also be seen in more symbolic terms. Our overall spiritual, emotional and physical health is at stake.

We see signs of what’s to come, how a microchip could be inserted under your skin, and we could be deceived into thinking this is the mark which the Bible warns against taking. But this can only be an outward manifestation of what is in our hearts and minds.

A symbolic mark

We should be asking ourselves what the mark represents, and whether we are aligning ourselves either for or against it.

There is a somewhat parallel passage in Ezekiel (chapters 8-10) where the prophet has a vision of the awesome glory of the Lord as well as his terrifying wrath and judgment against wickedness. In the well-known passage from the Book of Joel partially quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost, we have a great outpouring of the Spirit when everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but all in the midst of a great shaking of the earth – namely, “blood and fire and billows of smoke” (Acts 2:17-21; Joel 2:28-32).

In the midst of Ezekiel’s visions, he sees a “man with a writing kit” who is told to “put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it [the city of Jerusalem].” (Ezek 9:4)

Here we have the mark representing the righteous who grieved over the idolatry of the people around them, whereas those without it were condemned to judgment, beginning at the house of God (Ezek 9:6). 

Do you lament injustices?

I perceive there is perhaps too much emphasis on avoiding the Mark of the Beast of Revelation (though it is admittedly mentioned several times in the book) and too little focus on being marked out for the Lord and his purposes.

Are you a marked man (or woman)? Is it clear to all around you that you follow Jesus without compromise and detest the vile practices now accepted as the new normal in our society?

Are you a marked man (or woman)? Is it clear to all around you that you follow Jesus without compromise.

We are understandably horrified by the figure of 150,000 who have succumbed to the Covid virus in the UK, but how much are we affected by the fact that twice that number have been unnecessarily terminated in the wombs of British mothers over the same period?
Do we reel in horror at the figure of approaching ten million butchered babies sacrificed on the altar of expedience over the last 50+ years?

With last week’s Holocaust Memorial Day in mind, do we grieve over the six million Jewish people incinerated in Nazi ovens when many of them could have escaped had we (British) not closed the door to a safe refuge in Israel over which we had charge at the time? But no, we shamefully betrayed them in order to placate protesting Arabs and ensure our oil supply. And those Jews had no choice about taking a mark, the yellow star turning into a tattooed number in too many cases.

Do we lament that millions go to bed hungry each night while others feast?

It’s how we think and act

Back to the mark itself, I wonder if the forehead relates to how and what we are thinking, and the hand to how we carry it out, whether through writing or speaking, or acts of love and mercy. Yes, I really believe it’s down to how we think and act; it’s an active decision we make for or against God. I can’t see how we can be unwittingly forced by new technology into a situation where we become demonised.

Jesus focuses on our acknowledging him before men (Matt 10:32f). If you dismiss God in this life, he will dismiss you in the next.

You can see the way in which even how we pray could become something that marks us out, with a ban on 'conversion therapy' potentially forbidding meaningful prayer for transformation.

We need to emulate the courage of South Africa’s former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who has been pilloried for his Christian convictions which led him to criticise his government for their blatant anti-Semitism.

Sure, the Beast will try to force you to worship his image and take the mark because, yes, he wants to control you and your destiny. But you are free to refuse and face the consequences. The mind of the righteous is set on Christ (Col 3:2, Rom 12:2). Our minds should be renewed and transformed, ready and willing to obey God’s commandments.

The danger is that we may become obsessed by the phenomenon and find ourselves being led down a rabbit warren of blind alleys focusing on everything but the urgency of the gospel.

While the disobedient are cut down and destroyed, the righteous remain standing. They are ‘marked out’ by the blood of Christ, not by their own efforts. God has a race ‘marked out’ for you (Heb 12:1).

Yes, watch for deception and take care that you are not led astray. Wheat looks very much like tares. Similarly, the Antichrist has features that may initially seem divine, but it’s a trap.

Hold on to Jesus; he’s the real deal. We see signs of what’s to come, how a microchip could be inserted under your skin, and we could be deceived into thinking this is the mark which the Bible warns against taking. But this can only be an outward manifestation of what is in our hearts and minds.

The danger is that we may become obsessed by the phenomenon and find ourselves being led down a rabbit warren of blind alleys focusing on everything but the urgency of the gospel.

But we definitely do need to be marked – by the blood of Jesus and by the word of our testimony (Rev 12:11).

Notes

1Quoted from Prophetic Witness January 2022 under Signs of the Times.

To study this topic further, see Nick Thompson's article, A Biblical Understanding of the Mark of the Beast.