Question
I keep on hearing about the Mark of the Beast, and I’m told that it will be either a barcode tattooed on my forehead or hand, or a microchip implanted in me. I’m a Christian, so I don’t want this mark, so help me to understand it and how to avoid it. Is the Mark a barcode or a chip?
Answer
The short answer is NEITHER chip or NOR barcode is the mark of the beast! The mark is not a physical thing like a barcode, tattoo or implant, but an acceptance of something that goes against what the Bible teaches.
The mark of the beast is contrasted in the book of Revelation with the seal of God, both symbols of ownership, identity and protection. The seal identifies those who make a firm decision to follow God in the end times, while the mark identifies those who have rejected God’s offer of salvation and have chosen the devil’s path. It is important to realise that this only happens at the end of time, just before Jesus returns to earth, and that it is the result of a choice that each person must make. The mark has therefore not yet been started.
Here are the passages that talk about “the mark of the beast”; they occur only in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 13:17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 14 9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation 15:2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
Revelation 16:2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
There has been much speculation over the years about what the mark of the beast is. Bar codes being tattooed on people’s foreheads and/or hands, microchips being implanted in the head and/or hands, and many other weird suggestions, have been talked about. The big thing to remember about the book of Revelation is that it is mostly symbolic language, so we have to be careful what we decide when we apply a meaning to a word. It would be wiser to start with the opposite of the mark of the beast, which is “the seal of God”.
Revelation 7 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Revelation 9:4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
So the first thing we have to notice is that the seal of God is placed on the forehead only, while the mark of the beast is placed on the hand or on the forehead. The only people who are sealed are those who have their minds made up, who are totally surrendered to God, no matter the consequences. As we can see below, they receive the Holy Spirit in their hearts as a guarantee.
2 Corinthians 1 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Ephesians 1 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession …
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
If we look ahead to heaven, in both instances below we see that God’s Name is written on the foreheads of the saved in heaven. Is this literally a tattoo-like inscription on the forehead? Definitely not! In the Bible, name always stands for character, and in this case the saved, now not on earth anymore but in heaven with God, have God’s character embedded in their minds. Forehead therefore denotes what is under the skin, which is the brain, where the mind operates, and where the character is stored.
Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
So, it is obvious from the information above, that the seal of God is God’s character implanted in our minds. We know from 1 John 4:8,16, that God is love, so God’s character is love to all, which should then also be the characters of the sealed and saved.
Let’s now apply the same principle to the mark of the beast, where we have the mark either on the forehead or the hand. We have people who in their minds believe (receiving the mark on the forehead) and follow the direction that the beast is leading, but also those who do not believe, yet follow in their actions (receiving the mark on their hands) to avoid any unpleasantness happening to them. But whether believing or not, the mark is applied, and this mark states that the person is not following God but the devil, in the form of the beast. We can already see that if the seal indicates God’s people having His character, then the mark indicates the wicked having the devil’s character, whether they believe his words, or only follow orders so that they will not be persecuted.
In the book of Revelation, the saved (saints) are described with two characteristics, one being keeping the commandments of God, as we see in the following two texts:
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Most churches have claimed that the Ten Commandments, which God Himself wrote with His finger on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai, is no longer valid, that it was nailed to the cross, and is therefore no longer applicable to us. But it seems as if, in the end times, there will be a direct attack on the commandments, and specifically the first four, which concern the relationship with, and the worship of God. Let us look at the following passage, which describes events in the end times. Please note that a beast is a power, government or kingdom, as is stated in the book of Daniel.
Revelation 13 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
We see that the beast demands worship (the beast is a religious power, requiring worship, which is the Antichrist), and receives it from the whole world. It is supported by the dragon (the devil). This is a direct attack on the first commandment, which says that only God is to be worshipped. We also note that the beast blasphemes God and His Name, a direct attack on the third commandment, about the name of God. If we look at the rest of the chapter, we find that an image to the beast is set up for worship, which is an attack on the second commandment, which says that you shall not create an image and worship it. Therefore, we already have 3 of the first four commandments under attack. Let’s continue with Revelation 13.
Revelation 13 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
But of those who do still adhere to the commandments of God, most have turned away from the fourth commandment, the one that tells us to keep the Sabbath, the seventh day, Saturday, holy, which God especially put in place as a commemoration of creation (Exodus 20:11) and salvation (Deuteronomy 5:15). At present, the fact that there are a minority of Christians who do keep the true Sabbath, is just an uncomfortable reminder, but when we get to the end times, it will be more than that. Before the Second Coming of Christ, there will be a concerted effort to force everyone on earth to break all Ten Commandments, but especially the first four commandments which regulate our relationship with God, and our worship of God. Only those who hold on “to the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), who hold their close personal relationship with Him firmly to the end, will be able to stand firm and worship God in spite of persecution.
This then is the mark of the beast, the breaking of the Ten Commandments of God, but especially the first four commandments, including the fourth. Sabbath-keepers will be very noticeable, because “the whole world” will worship the beast on the false Sabbath, Sunday, which will show the mark of the beast visibly.
