Subject: the beast, who is it? |
Bible Note: 'What is the mark of the beast?' ____________________ "...any of these things are possible, but at the same time they are all speculations, so we will just have to see how it turns out." ____________________ 'The main passage in the Bible that mentions the "mark of the beast" is Revelation 13:15-18. Other references can be found in Revelation 14:9,11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4. The number associated with the beast (antichrist) and his mark is said to be that of "a man" (666). This mark acts as a "seal" for the followers of antichrist and the false prophet (spokesperson for the antichrist) is the one who causes people to take this mark, just as the Holy Spirit is the "Spokesperson" within the Godhead (John 15:26), and seals believers in Christ (Ephesians 1:13;4:30). Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet then make up some sort of perverse parody of the Trinity (a "satanic trinity" if you will). (...) 'Many good expositors of Revelation have differed widely as to what exactly the mark of the beast is. Besides the "ID card" view, others have speculated that it is a microchip, a barcode that is tattooed into the skin, or simply a mark that identifies someone as being faithful to the antichrist's kingdom. This last view requires the least speculation, since it does not add any more information than what the Bible gives us, but we must remember that John is foreseeing the future (Revelation 1:9-10); he is not simply having a dream, so he is describing something real. Imagine trying to describe a barcode or some kind of chip that slightly shows through the skin if you only have a 1st-century vocabulary. 'In other words, any of these things are possible, but at the same time they are all speculations, so we will just have to see how it turns out.' ____________________ Source: http://gotquestions.org/mark-beast.html |