I have heard many things about what the mark of the beast is, but what does the bible say?
Rev 13:16 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:
notice that this mark is in the right hand and or in the forehead. There is a number of the beast but we are interested in the mark itself. there is no buying and selling etc but again we are interested in the mark itself.
Revelation 14 gives more insight.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
notice that the mark is connected with those who worship the beast and his image. what image? we need to know because this mark is connected with worshiping the beast. It is in direct opposition to the call of the first angel.
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
This angel calls us to worship Him who created the earth etc. before this there is a group that have a name in their foreheads.
Rev 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.
so Gods people have their Father's name written in their foreheads.
so we have a group that don't receive this mark
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
They did not worship the beast or his image or his mark.
Rev 13:15 And he had 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.
do you remember a place where Gods people were being forced to worship an image?
Dan 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
interesting that the messurments of the Statue is 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide.
Dan 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Dan 3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
We know the story, shadrach,Meshach and Abednego did not bow down because the very act would break the commandments of God. and God protected them in this.
So we learn that there was a law passed by the state that went against the commandments of God. notice the difference between those who get the mark of the beast and the saints.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Those who are saints keep the commandments of God.
notice the Old testament mark of Gods people.
Just after the reading of the 10 commandments in chapter 5 it says this.
Deu 6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
Deu 6:2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Deu 6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
So the 10 commandments are to be a sign on the hand and the forehead. hmmm sound familiar.
lets put this together, the mark of the beast involves worship and the mark of God involves obeying Gods commandments which are worship to God.
These are in contrast
1Ki 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
2Ch 7:19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
There is no missing that the mark of the best is in opposition to Gods law. what part of Gods law is most attacked today?
Could this be the image?
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws...
What law has to do with time?
I don't have time to make all the connections, nor am I trying to prove my point. rather for the true seeker study it out and see where it leads. blessings.
Isa 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Isa 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Isa 8:15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
Isa 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
Rev 13:16 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:
notice that this mark is in the right hand and or in the forehead. There is a number of the beast but we are interested in the mark itself. there is no buying and selling etc but again we are interested in the mark itself.
Revelation 14 gives more insight.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
notice that the mark is connected with those who worship the beast and his image. what image? we need to know because this mark is connected with worshiping the beast. It is in direct opposition to the call of the first angel.
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
This angel calls us to worship Him who created the earth etc. before this there is a group that have a name in their foreheads.
Rev 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.
so Gods people have their Father's name written in their foreheads.
so we have a group that don't receive this mark
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
They did not worship the beast or his image or his mark.
Rev 13:15 And he had 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.
do you remember a place where Gods people were being forced to worship an image?
Dan 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
interesting that the messurments of the Statue is 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide.
Dan 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Dan 3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
We know the story, shadrach,Meshach and Abednego did not bow down because the very act would break the commandments of God. and God protected them in this.
So we learn that there was a law passed by the state that went against the commandments of God. notice the difference between those who get the mark of the beast and the saints.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Those who are saints keep the commandments of God.
notice the Old testament mark of Gods people.
Just after the reading of the 10 commandments in chapter 5 it says this.
Deu 6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
Deu 6:2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Deu 6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
So the 10 commandments are to be a sign on the hand and the forehead. hmmm sound familiar.
lets put this together, the mark of the beast involves worship and the mark of God involves obeying Gods commandments which are worship to God.
These are in contrast
1Ki 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
2Ch 7:19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
There is no missing that the mark of the best is in opposition to Gods law. what part of Gods law is most attacked today?
Could this be the image?
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws...
What law has to do with time?
I don't have time to make all the connections, nor am I trying to prove my point. rather for the true seeker study it out and see where it leads. blessings.
Isa 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Isa 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Isa 8:15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
Isa 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.