Short answer:
666? The Bible tells about a “mark” that people will be made to receive in their foreheads or right hands at the end-times. Many believe that it is “666”. But the dreaded 666 is not the “mark of the beast,” it is the number of his name. However, before we try to find out what the “mark” is, let us first get to know who or what the “beast” is. The book of Revelation says there is not just one, but two “beasts.” They symbolize two end-time empires which will wield great power in the last days.
Two “beasts”. The first “beast” or empire came
from the “sea” (prophetically, a place with many nations and languages, such as
Western Europe). The second “beast” came out of the “earth” (prophetically, a
place with very few people, like the pre-colonial Americas).
Seal of God. A mark can be synonymous to a
seal. Both can refer to a symbol or design that is used to authenticate something, such as a legal or official document. A typical seal has a pattern containing at least three parts: name,
title, and domain or territory.
In the entire Bible, this pattern can be found only in Exodus
20:8-11. The passage has three parts that form a seal: (1) Name: “the LORD” (substituted for “YHWH”); (2)
Title: “God”; and (3) Domain: “heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in
them is,”
Mark of the beast. The “mark of the beast” is the opposite
of the seal of God. Satan, in his desire to “be like the most High,” ascribes to himself attributes of the
Creator; but typically the opposite of what God is, has, or does.
“Right hand or
forehead”. The
book of Proverbs says we use our hands to work and earn a living. And, since
most people are right-handed, having the mark “in the right hand” means using it regularly. The alternative spot
is “the forehead,” location of the
pre-frontal cortex, the brain’s decision-making center. Thus, having the mark
in the forehead means willing acceptance of the “mark of the beast.”
Detailed explanation:
Revelation
13:16-18 tells about a “mark” that people will be made to receive on their
person in the end-times. “And he causeth
all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in
their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell,
save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:
for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
Most Bible readers think the mark is the number “six hundred sixty-six” (666), which they call the “mark of the
beast.” However, if we read the passage again, we will see that 666 is not the
mark of the beast, it is actually the “number
of his name.” To have a clear idea of what the “mark of the beast” is, let
us first find out who or what the “beast”
represents.
Who or what is the “beast”?
Two “beasts”. The book of Revelation tells of not
just one, but two “beasts”
symbolizing two end-time empires which will wield great power in the world in
the last days.
First “beast” of Revelation – from
the “sea”.
“And I stood upon
the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise
up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name
of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet
were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the
dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:1-2).
Four “beasts” of
Daniel. The first
“beast” is a composite, hybrid
monster whose body parts are a weird mix of four strange creatures we read
about earlier in the book of Daniel. “And
four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another…” (Daniel
7:3).
1.Lion with eagle’s
wings.“The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I
beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the
earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it…”
(Daniel 7:4).
2.Bear with three
ribs in its mouth. “And behold another beast, a
second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three
ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it,
Arise, devour much flesh…” (Daniel
7:5).
3.Leopard with four
wings and four heads.“After this I beheld, and lo
another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl;
the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it…” (Daniel 7:6).
4.Beast with great
iron teeth and ten horns.“After this I saw in the night
visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong
exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and
stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts
that were before it; and it had ten horns” (Daniel 7:7).
Four “beasts” merged into one.
In
John’s Revelation, the four “beasts” of
Daniel have merged into one single monstrous entity. Let us analyze the passage
to determine what each symbol represents.
“Ten
horns”. In Biblical prophecy, “horns” signify kingdoms or their rulers.
For example, “And the ten horns out of
this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise…” (Daniel 7:24a).
“Beast”.
If “horns” are kingdoms, then “beasts”, of which horns are a part, must
be empires ruling over subordinate kingdoms within their domains.
“Sea”. John first saw the monster rise
from the “sea.” Later, the monster is
spotted in Revelation 17:1-3, this time in “many
waters”. It looks like “sea” and
“many waters” mean the same thing. An
angel revealed the meaning of “waters”
or “sea” to John. “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou
sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples,
and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Revelation 17:15). The “sea” therefore means a place with many
different nations speaking various languages – such was the domain of the
ancient Roman Empire, centered around Western Europe, also known as the Old
World.
“Seven
heads”. The eerie creature has seven
heads. The mystery is unveiled in Revelation 17:9a: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains…” The Greek word translated “mountains” is oree (sing., oros),
which, according to The New Unger's Bible
Dictionary, “is sometimes rendered ‘hill’ and sometimes ‘mountain’ (cf. Matthew 5:1,14; Luke 4:29, 9:37).”
Have you heard of a world-famous city known as the “City of Seven Hills”? You
are correct if you said, “Rome.” The “seven
heads”, Barnes Notes explains,
are “the seven hills on which the city of Rome was built, namely,
the Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal
hills.”
Ten ancient kingdoms. History identifies the ten “horns” or kingdoms of the “beast”. After the fall of the Western
Roman Empire in 476 A.D., ten kingdoms were left. Author Jan Marcussen says in National Sunday Law (2007, p. 7), “The
historian Machiavelli, without the slightest reference to this prophecy, gives
the following list of the nations which occupied the territory of the Western Empire
at the time of the fall of Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of Rome: the
Lombards, the Franks, the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths, the Visigoths, the
Vandals, the Heruli, the Suevi, the Huns, and the Saxons: ten in all.” (Some
writers name the Alamanni or Germans instead of the Huns.)
Body parts of the “beast from the sea”.
The
composite, chimeric monster that John saw combined the features of the four
ferocious flesh-eating “beasts” of Daniel
chapter 7. What do they represent?
1.“Like a leopard”. The
Wycliffe Bible Commentary
opines: “The sinewy four-winged leopard speaks, without doubt, of Alexander's
Grecian (Macedonian) kingdom”, which was divided into four parts (“heads”) after his death. The “four wings” symbolize the speed of his
conquests. In what other way could the leopard possibly be like ancient Greece?
Democracy? Ancient Greece is well known in world
history as the birthplace of democracy, which began to develop in the Greek
city-state of Athens as early as the 500s B.C. The term democracy (demokratia) is formed by the two Greek
words demos (“people”) and kratos (“rule” or “authority”) – in
other words, democracy is the “rule of the people”. The end-time empire being
like a leopard strongly suggests that its government would most probably be
democratic in nature.
Leopard spots. The leopard is distinguished
from other big cats, such as lions and tigers, by its fur marked with many
black spots. These appear to be symbolic, too. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may
ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil” (Jeremiah 13:23); “…the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19); “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).
Judging
from these verses, “spots” signify
“sins”. Hence, the leopard-like end-time empire would likely be sinful in
character! How? By determining right and wrong. In a democratic country, people
elect representatives to a council, parliament, or congress, which makes laws on
their behalf. Hence, although indirectly, it is the people themselves who
determine what are allowed and what are prohibited, what is right and what is
wrong. Is that good in the eyes of God?
Democracy vis-à-vis theocracy? In many instances, the laws of
men come into conflict with the law of God – on such issues as sex and violence
in mass media, pornography, abortion, divorce, fornication, sex change, same
sex marriage, prayers in schools, public display of the Ten Commandments, etc. From
a Biblical standpoint, there is no need for men to pass laws for their
governance. Through Moses, God has given us His law (the Torah), comprising 613
commandments which practically cover all important aspects of human life. It thus
boils down to a choice between democracy (demokratia:
“rule of the people”) and theocracy (theokratia:
theos [God] + kratia = “rule of
God”).
2.“Feet of a bear”. “…his
feet were as the feet of a bear” (Revelation
13:2b). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
states: “The bear is an apt symbol of the Medo-Persian kingdom… The ponderous
bulk fits the massive Persian armies.” The “three
ribs in the mouth” stand for the three kingdoms Persia subjugated (Lydia,
Babylon, Egypt). In what other way could the end-time empire be possibly like
Persia?
Sun worship? Encyclopaedia Britannica reports: “The Persians worshipped Mithra,
or Mithras, the same god as Mitra, the sun god in the ancient literature of
Hinduism called the Vedas… Mithra was said to be the god of light.” The Persians spread the worship of
Mithra throughout Asia Minor. The Mithraic cult was brought to Rome about 68
B.C. By the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D., the pagan worship
of Mithra was the chief rival of the newly developing religion of Christianity.
Sun-day rest day. In A.D. 321, to unify the two
largest groups of people in the Roman Empire – pagan sun-worshippers and Christians
– Emperor Constantine decreed as the Roman day of rest Sun-day (the first day
of the week), Mithra’s holy day, which the Christians also venerated as the
resurrection day of Christ. Later, Pope Sylvester, bishop of Rome (314-335),
declared Sunday as “the Lord’s Day.” In 364, the Council of Laodicea conferred
upon Sunday the holiness of the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday). So, although it
may not actually worship the sun, the end-time empire with “feet” like those of a “bear” would walk like the “bear” (Persia) by having its day of rest
on Sun-day, Mithra’s holy day.
3.“Mouth of a lion”. The “beast from the sea” is also like a lion – “and his mouth as the mouth of a lion” (Revelation 13:2c). What
could this mean? The Wycliffe Bible
Commentary explains: “The lion symbolizes Babylon here…” Granted the lion
represents ancient Babylon, what is its similarity to the end-time empire?
Largest business
center? The World Book Encyclopedia says Babylon was
the wealthiest hub of commerce and industry in the ancient world. “Various
agricultural and manufacturing activities flourished in the city. Babylon was
the largest business center in the Middle East at that time.” Hence, as Babylon
was the wealthiest kingdom in its time, the end-time empire with the “mouth of a lion” will also be the largest
and richest in the end-times.
Free enterprise or
capitalism.
Babylon thrived on an economic system that was so like those of the most
prosperous nations in the world today – free enterprise. Modern-day “free
enterprise” economies are called so, because they allow the people to carry out
their economic activities free from, or with very little, government control.
The basic guiding principle of free enterprise is laissez faire, a French term which means “let (people) do (as they please).” As a result, in a free enterprise economic system, the producers supply and the
merchants sell whatever goods and services the customers look for and are
willing to pay for. Free enterprise, the World
Book notes, is also often called “capitalism,” which calls for the
ownership and control of businesses by private individuals.
4 “Power and seat of the dragon”. The
end-time empire will acquire its “power
and seat” from the “dragon”
(Satan, Revelation 12:9); “and the dragon
gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:2b). As
the “dragon” or Satan empowered the ancient Roman Empire, so will he also vest power
in the end-time empire, which will likewise have its domain in the same place
as ancient Rome.
Characteristics of the end-time “beast”.
Thus,
combining the characteristics of the four “beasts”
of Daniel ch. 7 – “leopard” (Greece),
“bear” (Persia), “lion” (Babylon), and “dragon” (Rome), the end-time “beast” (empire) can be described as
follows: politically, it will be democratic, like ancient Greece; religiously,
it will keep Sunday holy just like Persia; economically, it will be the
wealthiest center of free enterprise and capitalism just like Babylon; and,
geographically, it will be located in the domain of bygone imperial Rome.
European Union?
Do
you now have a clear idea of who or what the “beast from the sea” could be? Did you say, the European Union (EU)?
To be doubly sure, let us do a point-by-point review:
Democratic
member-states.
All of the countries making up the EU membership have democratic governments.
Sunday rest day. The vast majority of people in
the EU are Christians – practically all of whom observe Sunday as their rest day.
Richest business
center. The
EU is the world’s largest free-trade zone, with NAFTA (North American Free
Trade Agreement) comprising Canada, the USA, and Mexico, only second.
Western Europe. The EU government center is in
Brussels, Belgium, part of ancient Gaul that was a province of the Roman Empire
centered in Western Europe.
“Deadly wound”.
“And I saw one of
his heads as it were wounded to death…” (Revelation 13:3a). In Daniel 7, the “four heads” of the “leopard” foretold the four divisions or parts of the Greek empire
after Alexander’s death. We can thus assume that the wounded “head” is similarly a part of the
end-time empire. Which part?
Divided
Germany? In 1945,
after World War II, the Allies held western Germany, while the USSR occupied
the eastern half. The Allies’ zone became West Germany, while the Soviet territory
was called East Germany. It was, as it were, the death of the second most
populous country in Europe (next only to Russia). By the 1950s, thousands of
East Germans were escaping to West Germany. In 1961-1989, hundreds died trying
to escape from East Germany over the Berlin Wall.
“Deadly
wound healed”. “…and his deadly wound was healed”
(Revelation
13:3b). In 1989, people in East Germany and other Eastern European countries
began demanding more freedom from their Communist governments. In March 1990,
East Germans voted for candidates who favored unification with West Germany. On
October 3, 1990, East Germany and West Germany were officially reunited. Jubilant
Germans tore down the Berlin Wall, and more than 200,000 East Germans streamed
into West Germany. The free world rejoiced at the return of democracy and
capitalism to Germany (“and all the world
wondered after the beast” – Revelation 13:3c).
(Note: Some prophecies have multiple
fulfillments. So, although Germany appears to be the wounded “head” here, the foretold events may also
apply to an actual person.)
Formidable military
power. “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto
the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation
13:4). In 1949, the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was organized –
to discourage the Soviet Union from invading non-communist nations in Western
Europe. Each NATO member country agreed to treat an attack on any fellow member
as an attack on itself. During the Cold War, NATO relied on US nuclear
capability to deter a Soviet attack.
Second “beast” of Revelation – out
of the “earth”.
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of
the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). Like the
first, the second “beast” stands for
an empire ruling over lesser kingdoms.
“Out of
the earth”. The
“earth” is the opposite of “sea” (Genesis 1:9-10; waters vis-à-vis
dry land). So, if “sea” means a place
with many nations and languages (Old World), then “earth”, its opposite, is a place with very few or no people (New
World). In that case, the verse implies that the second “beast” or empire will emerge in the New World (the Americas).
“Like a
lamb”. “…and he had two horns like a
lamb” (Revelation
13:11b), very unlike the terrifying first “beast.” The newcomer’s similarity to
a young sheep connotes youth; so the second end-time empire must be young. A
lamb is gentle and docile, which suggests that the empire’s rise to prominence
will mostly be peaceful. Also, since the biblical Lamb of God is Christ, the
second end-time empire must be predominantly Christian.
The United States?. (1) The United States of America
(USA) is a virtual empire, composed of many states. (2) It is in the New World,
which used to be mostly wilderness. (3) It is young, having been founded only
in 1776. (4) The USA expanded its territory mainly through pioneering ventures and
land purchases. (5) The USA is predominantly Christian – in fact, the largest
Christian nation in the world.
“Two
horns like a lamb”.
The second end-time empire has “two horns
like a lamb”. During the colonization of America, some Europeans fleeing
political and religious repression sailed to the New World where they could
freely practice their beliefs. A new tradition of religious freedom, without
any government control, grew in America. In time, that tradition gave birth to
the principle of the “separation of church and state,” as later guaranteed by the
US Constitution. Are the church and the state the “two horns like (those of) a lamb”?
Speaks “like a dragon”. Paradoxically, the gentle “lamb” has a sinister side to it – “…and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation
13:11c). As the world’s stronghold of democracy, the USA is the role-model
setting the example in civil liberties that other democratic nations follow. The
USA leads the world in passing laws that defy the commandments of God, just
like the dragon or Satan, who had the temerity to speak and rebel against God.
“All the power of the first beast”. “And
he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him…” (Revelation 13:12a). The New International Version (NIV) has a
slightly different translation, “He
exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf…” (Revelation 13:12a,
NIV). This highlights the fact that the “second
beast” (USA) has often acted in the interest, and even in defense, of the “first beast” (EU and the nations of Western
Europe in general).
“Worship the first beast”. The
“second beast” “causeth the earth and
them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed” (Revelation 13:12b). Worship? The word translated “worship” was in the original Greek text proskuneo (“to kiss, like a dog licking
his master's hand; to pay homage; revere, adore”). The term “worship” can thus be synonymous to
“idolize”, which can simply mean to “admire” or “look up to” someone. In short,
the “second beast” (USA) will encourage and induce other nations to idolize or
admire the “first beast” (EU). We see
this in the usual ways the US media depict Western European nations as
admirable models of democratic society.
“Fire from heaven”. “And
he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men” (Revelation
13:13). The word “heaven” was
translated from the Greek ouranos, which
means “sky”. Uranus was the name of the god of the sky in Greek mythology from
which the modern-day English word “uranium” has been derived. Uranium is a
radioactive metallic chemical element, certain isotopes of which can sustain
efficient chain reaction. Thus, it is used as a source of nuclear energy, as
well as in the making of atomic bombs. The US developed the world’s first
atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World
War II. Indeed, the “second beast”
has made “fire come down from heaven”
in the form of the atomic bomb.
“Deceives the earth”. “And
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he
had power to do in the sight of the beast…” (Revelation 13:14a). Conspiracy theorists claim
that the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, and the next five manned lunar
landings (1969–72) were
all faked. The footages
shown on worldwide television, they say, had been shot in a top-secret
earthbound studio. Several books and documentary videos have been
produced in the US, Russia, Germany, and Japan detailing the alleged hoax.
Books: We
Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle, Bill
Kaysing, 1976; Moongate:
Suppressed Findings of the U.S. Space Program, William L. Brian, 1982; Antiapollon Moonlight
Scam US, Yury Ignatyevich Mukhin;
Dark Moon: Apollo and the Whistle-Blowers, David
S. Percy and Mary Bennett; The Americans on the Moon: The Great Breakthrough
or Cosmic Scam?, Alexander Ivanovich Popov; One Small Step?: The Great
Moon Hoax, Gerhard Wisnewski; 1962-1972:
Apollo 11 Has Never Been to the Moon, Takahiko Soejima, 2004.
Videos: Was
It Only a Paper Moon?, James M. Collier, 1997; What Happened on the
Moon?, David S. Percy and Mary Bennett; Did We Go?, Aron Ranen; A Funny
Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon,
Bart Sibrel,
2001; Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?, Fox TV, 2001. After
the February 2001 airing of the Fox TV network's special seen by around 15
million viewers, opinion polls showed that 6-20% of Americans and 28%
of Russians believed that the lunar landings were faked.
Rebuttals.
Evidence for the landings and detailed rebuttals to the hoax claims have
been published. In June 1977, NASA issued a fact sheet debunking claims the
Apollo lunar landings were faked. Scientists Vince Calder and Andrew Johnson
from the Argonne National Laboratory gave detailed answers to the conspiracy
claims on their website. They showed that the landing was basically accurate, allowing
for some mistakes, such as mislabeled photos and imperfect recollections.
“Image of the beast”.
The
“second beast” will exhort other
countries to duplicate the “first beast”:
“…saying
to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast,
which had the wound by a sword, and did live” (Revelation 13:14b). “Image” in the original Greek text is eikon, meaning “likeness, resemblance,
representation.” Dictionaries define “image” as “a likeness or copy, a
reproduction or imitation.” Hence, to “make
an image to the beast” can mean to “copy” or “imitate” the “first beast”. The US has been inducing
other countries to copy or imitate the practice of democracy, capitalism, and
Sunday-resting Christianity, which originated in Western Europe.
Democratic models. Many countries copied the
American and European models. By the second half of the 20th
century, almost every independent country in the world had a government
embodying some, if not all, of the principles of democracy. The democratic
system, which began in Greece (the “leopard”)
as “rule of the people,” today serves as the political paradigm for the rest of
the world.
Capitalist economies. The success of capitalism and
free enterprise in the European Union and the United States is said to be proof
of their superiority over other economic systems. The founding member-states of
the EU are capitalist countries. In imitation, many nations have adopted one
form or another of capitalism and free enterprise. These had their roots in
Babylon (the “lion”), once the
wealthiest capitalist business center of the ancient world.
Sunday-resting Christianity. The world’s largest Christian
nation, the US is also the leading missionary-sending country. In the 1800s,
the China and slave trades brought American missionaries to East Asia and
Africa, where they preached and put up churches, schools, and hospitals. Today,
one-third of the people in the world are Christians, the largest religious
group. Just like people in ancient Persia (the “bear”), the overwhelming majority of Christians in the EU, US, and
the rest of the world keep Sunday (the sun-god Mithra’s holy day) as their day
of rest.
“Worship
the image of the beast…” or die.
The
”second beast” has “power to give
life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast
should be killed” (Revelation 13:15). As we saw earlier, “worship” may simply mean “to idolize”,
“admire”, or “look up to” someone (as a role model). The word “kill” was translated from the Greek term
apokteino, meaning “kill outright” or
“destroy”.
Democracy
vs. communism. Hence, Revelation 13:15 may
be interpreted as: “And he had power (ability)
to give life unto (empower) the image (copy or imitation) of the beast (democratic, capitalist,
Sunday-resting EU), that the image (copy)
of the beast should both speak (make pronouncements), and cause that as many as would not worship (idolize, copy, or
imitate) the image of the beast should be killed (destroyed).” The USA (“second beast”), through its policies, agencies, and forces, is
committed to destroy all regimes opposed to democracy and capitalism, both of
which originated in the Old World (the “seat”
of the first “beast”). On the other
hand, the Communists called for a worldwide revolution and the destruction of
capitalism. The Soviets charged the US and its allies of trying to destroy the communist
system.
The “mark of the beast”.
We
have wholly identified the two end-time “beasts”.
Let us now proceed to find out what the “mark
of the beast” actually is.
A “mark”
is like a seal. It seems that a mark can be synonymous to a seal. In Ezekiel 9:4
we read – “And the LORD said unto him, Go
through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark
upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations
that be done in the midst thereof.” God told an angel to put a mark on the
foreheads of godly men mourning for the things done in Jerusalem.
In Revelation 7:2-3 – “And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither
the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their
foreheads.”
In
Ezekiel, God told an angel to put a mark on the foreheads of righteous men;
while in the Revelation, angels will put the seal of God also in the foreheads
of His servants. God’s servants are righteous men, so the mark must be in the
same sort as a seal.
The “seal of God”.
It looks like the angels will have already accomplished their task
by the time we get to Revelation 14:1 – “And
I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred
forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.” The
name of God, the Almighty Father
in heaven, consists of four consonants (“Y-H-W-H”), called the Tetragrammaton (Greek, “Four-Lettered” Name). Does
the seal of God solely consist of His name and nothing more? The term “seal”
implies the presence of other elements aside from just a name.
Parts of a seal. As a rule of thumb,
seals have a pattern containing at least three parts: (1) name, (2) title, and
(3) domain or territory (A. Jan Marcussen,
National Sunday Law, 2007, pp. 43-49). For example: Charles III (name), King
(title) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (domain).
Another: Joe Biden (name),
President (title) of the United
States of America (domain).
Sabbath commandment.
In
the entire Bible, this pattern can be found only in one of God’s Ten Commandments
(the Sabbath, or resting on the seventh and last day of the week). “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the
sabbath of the LORD (NAME / ”YHWH”)
thy God (TITLE): in it thou shalt not
do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is (DOMAIN), and rested the seventh day: wherefore the
LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11). Three
parts of the passage form a seal:
Name: “the LORD”
(substituted for “YHWH”)
Title: “God”
Domain: “heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is”
It becomes clear that the commandment enjoining God’s people to
stop working and rest on the seventh and last day of the week is the seal of
God!
Memorial to the Creation.
Resting
from work on the seventh-day Sabbath is the memorial or marker to YHWH’s work
of creation. “And hallow my sabbaths; and
they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD
your God” (Ezekiel 20:20). In keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy, we
honor YHWH by keeping in mind that He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Those
who willfully ignore or neglect the Sabbath do not want to acknowledge YHWH as
the Creator. That is a most grievous insult to the Creator that deserves the
supreme punishment. “Six days may work be
done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever
doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death” (Exodus
31:15b; Numbers 15:32, 36).
Only for Israel? Some may argue that God’s commandments are only for Israel. Not at
all. The Scriptures explain: “One
ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger
that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are,
so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be for
you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you” (Numbers 15:15-16). To
paraphrase, if a foreigner lives with or joins the Israelites in the worship of
the one true God (“YHWH”), that person is duty-bound to observe the same
commandments God has given to His chosen people – the Hebrew nation or Israel.
Blissful
rewards. “If thou turn away thy
foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the
sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not
doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own
words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to
ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of
Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 58:13-14).
Those who rest on the Sabbath and keep the day holy will reap blissful rewards
in return.
According to Matthew Henry's
Commentary on the Whole Bible, the line “I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth”
denotes not only “great security” (Isaiah 33:16, “He shall dwell on high; his place of defence...), but also “great
dignity and advancement” (as in Deuteronomy 32:13 – “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat
the increase of the fields…”).
The “mark of the beast” – opposite the seal of God.
Satan, in his desire to “be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14), ascribes to himself
imitations of the attributes belonging to the Creator. These counterfeit traits
are typically the opposite of those which God is, has, or does. Let us consider
examples.
“The LORD is good” (Psalms 34:8, 100:5;
Mark 10:18; etc.), whereas the devil is evil (Matthew 6:13, NIV).
“God is light” (1 John 1:5), while Satan
is called the “prince of darkness” (q.v.,
Ephesians 5:11).
The
Lord GOD is “the God of truth” (Isaiah
65:16) vis-à-vis the devil, who is the “father
of lies” (John 8:44).
The
upright Latin cross is the symbol of Christ venerated by most Christians; Satanists
worship in front of an upside-down Latin cross.
The
“black mass” is a satanic ritual characterized by the inversion of the Latin
mass celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church.
“Backmasked”
rock music and pop songs, recorded deliberately or unwittingly, when played backwards,
express supposedly demonic messages.
The
Holy of Holies ot the Temple was situated in the west (Exodus 27:9-16), but
some apostate Israelites faced the east to worship the sun (Ezekiel 8:16).
The
Hebrew names of 72 angels derived from Exodus 14:19-21, when spelled or
pronounced in reverse, reveal the names of 72 demons.
The
seal of God is resting from work on the last day of the week (Saturday), but the
“mark of the beast” is the
exact opposite – resting from work on the first day of the week (Sunday)!
“Right
hand or forehead”.
The
mark will be placed“in their right hand,
or in their foreheads” (Revelation 13:16b). Why specifically on those two
parts of the human body?
Right hand. Proverb 10:4 says, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack
hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” Accordingly, we use our
hands to work and earn a living. And, since most people are right-handed,
having the mark “in the right hand”
(the usually more active hand) means
regular or customary application or observance of the “mark” of the “beast.”
Forehead. The alternative spot for the
mark is “in the forehead”. (Note that
the word used is “in,” not “on,” the forehead – suggesting that the mark is
placed in the mind, not on the skin of the brow.) The brain’s decision-making
center, the pre-frontal cortex, is just behind the forehead. Hence, having the
mark “in the forehead” means that the
person understands and willingly accepts the mark.
Most horrible
punishment. Those who willfully ignore or neglect keeping the Sabbath have
no desire whatsoever to acknowledge YHWH as the Creator. That is a most
grievous insult to the Creator that deserves the supreme punishment. “Six days may work be done; but in the
seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in
the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 31:15b; Numbers
15:32, 36).
People who accept the “mark of the beast” are provoking the wrath
of the Almighty. The most horrible punishment awaits them in the afterlife. “And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image and receive his
mark (resting on Sunday) in his
forehead (mind), or in his hand (practices
it), The same shall drink of the wine of
the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:9-10).
The “number of his name”.
“And that no man might buy or sell, save he
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:17-18).
Demokratia?
A gematria (numerical values of the Hebrew
letters) of “demokratia” (written
left-to-right, instead of the standard right-to-left, for the convenience of
non-Hebrew readers) gives us a surprising result. This rudimentary and
unconventional spelling of the Greek word in Hebrew letters adds up to the “number of his name” – 666!
Dalet-Mem-Kaph-Resh-Aleph-Taw-Aleph
D
(e) M (o) K R A T (i) A
4 +
40 + 20 + 200 + 1 + 400 +
1 = 666
The “number of a man”.
Revelation
13:18, categorically states that “the
number of the beast… is the number of a man”. In the Bible’s numerical
symbolism, “six” (6) is the number of man, exemplified in several instances:
man was created on the sixth day of creation (Genesis 1:26-31); the first six
days of the week are the days God allows man to work (Exodus 20:8-11); a Hebrew
slave is released after six years (Exodus 21:2; Deuteronomy 15:12).
The
man called “Pope” had a miter or split-top hat (shaped like the head of a fish
with its mouth open: Philistine sun-fish god Dag-on) inscribed with the Latin
words “VICARIUS FILII DEI”, translated in English as “Vicar (Substitute) of the
Son of God”. The obsolescent Latin language, like Hebrew and Greek, did not
have characters for numbers and also used letters to indicate numbers. Let us
add the values of the appropriate numeric letters on the Pope’s miter (no letter
“U” in Latin, “V” is used for both “U” and “V”): Strangely, the numerals on the
miter worn by the popes (who personify the 11th “horn” in Daniel 7:24-25 also add up to
the “the number of the beast… the number
of a man.”
V
I C A R I V
S F I
L I
I D E I
5 +1+10 + 1 + 5 1 + 50 + 1 + 1 + 500
+ 1 = 666
666: a capitalist “mark.”
The bar code first appeared in the US in 1973. Introduced and widely used in capitalist countries, bar codes identify items at supermarkets, factories, warehouses, hospitals, libraries, etc. A bar code consists of vertical lines and bars representing the numbers 0 to 9. It usually has two parts: the set of lines on the left identifies the manufacturer, the group of lines on the right describes the product. The two parts are marked off by three pairs of thin lines which serve as separators. The two thin lines on the left inform the computer that the code has started; two identical lines mark the middle; and two similar lines frame the right edge to tell the computer the code has ended. The simplest and most easily recognized, the two thin lines represent the number “six” (6). Together, the three separators show the numbers 6-6-6!
Practical
translation. We
can now translate Revelation 13:17 in practical terms: “And that no man might buy or
sell, save he that had the mark (Sunday rest), or the name of the beast (democracy), or the number of his name (666).” To paraphrase: “Nobody
can buy or sell anything in a Sunday-resting democracy except things with bar
codes.”
What
about you – have you accepted the “name”
(democracy), the “image”
(capitalism), and the “mark” (Sunday
rest-day) of the “beast”?
&
Excerpted from the booklets The
Beasts of Revelation and Unholy
Holidays by M.M. Tauson. Printed copies available at Amazon.com – For free
pdf copies of our e-booklets, click the Booklets and Google Drive tabs on the
menu bar.
Bible quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless
otherwise indicated.
