Mark of The Beast
By George C. Stewart

In reference to the "beast" of Revelation 13:11 we read the following in verses 16-18: "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six."

In 2005 Congress approved the "Real ID Act" (Public Law 109-13), which requires implementation by May 2008. Dispensationalists see this as the "mark of the beast." In reference to Revelation 13:16, one writer says, "The prophecy is 2,000 years old, but it has been impossible for it to come to pass until now. With the invention of the computer and the Internet, this prophecy of buying and selling, using a number, can now be implemented at any time." While the "end time" fortunetellers have a new tool to deceive the biblically naive, anyone with a little interest in the truth can know that such predictions are not new.

Over the centuries there have been many attempts to identify the "mark of the beast" (666). Irenaeus (c. AD 180) offered several guesses. The one that became most popular was the idea that the "beast" represented the Roman government. Other guesses over the centuries have included Nero, Napoleon, Hitler, and even Prince Charles of Wales. Most often the beast is identified as the "antichrist." For example, a flyer I received several years ago from Today in Bible Prophecy said, "The ‘mark of the beast’ is to be the number of the antichrist’s king of the tribulation period."

This same flyer presents the idea that modern technology is the precursor to the "end." The writer said:

Maybe this fellow had too many charge cards.

This undated flyer seems to have had it all worked out. The writer sees the "end" like this: "If debit cards replace credit cards by 1982 as planned; and if both are replaced by body markings by 1984, ‘the mark of the beast’ decree could be enforced by computerization by late 1984 or early 1985." There goes another wonderful prediction. Could we expect the same to happen to the prediction about the Read ID Card?

Bar codes (in use since 1973) have been a real bonanza to the "666 seers." They see these bar codes as more evidence of the "antichrist" getting things ready to "mark" us. A publication supporting such views (received January 1991) also revealed that "Satellite beams back proof of paradise in space" and that "space telescope takes pictures of angels." I suppose if you want to accept bar codes as the work of "antichrist" you might as well believe the stories of the satellites and telescopes.

The Gospel Truth, a publication of the Southwest Radio Church, did a six-page article on "The Trail of 666" (May 1981). The writer sees a number of "wannabe" antichrists throughout history, including Goliath, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, Hitler, Russia, the Papacy and Henry Kissinger. Then the author concludes that, "The increasing appearances of the number 666 makes it quite evident that the coming of the Lord is very near." Remember—that was 1981! It is now twenty-five years later and speculations have not decreased.

What is the truth about 666? Let’s look at the biblical text.

The second beast of Revelation 13 seems to represent the anti-Christian religions (vv.11-18). This beast looks like a lamb but speaks like the devil (v.11). This is how subtle and deceptive false religions are. This beast comes up out of the earth, implying a man-centered religion or philosophy. This is relevant to the "number of the beast," for that number is the number of man (13:18). This beast could be represented by all the heresies of the centuries, the present-day cults and occult, and man-centered philosophies. This beast performs "great signs" (v. 13), and "deceives those who dwell on the earth" (v.14). Since the Garden of Eden Satan has found that his most effective weapon is deception.

All who worship this beast will receive his mark (v.16). Men have speculated for centuries concerning this number "six hundred and sixty-six" (v.18). From Irenaeus (c. AD 180) many understood it to be the Greek word Lateinos, meaning "Latin Kingdom," thus the pagan Roman government. During the sixteenth-century Reformation Lateinos was considered to represent Roman Catholicism. Some dispensationalists think the beast whose mark is six hundred and sixty-six is the "antichrist."

However, it is most likely that neither the number nor the beast refer to a single individual. The article "a" is missing in the original, and thus "the number is that of a man" (NASB) should read, "the number is that of man." The NIV translates the phrase like this: "it is man’s number." It is a number that falls short of God and perfection (number 7), and whose origin is the earth (13:11). Therefore, to worship the beast is to worship man, which has been the nature of false religions since the creation of man.

The man who worships man is the one who thinks he does not need God. The increasing number of those involved in some degree with the New Age movement fit this group, but the list could continue for many pages.

It seems clear to me that this "mark of the beast" is spiritual rather than physical. This imagery is used for both those who follow God as well as those who follow Satan. Revelation 9:4 refers to "men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." And Revelation 7:3 makes reference to God’s bond-servants being "sealed" on their "foreheads." Since none of us have ever seen a Christian with this mark, it would appear obvious that God is speaking of a spiritual reality. But dispensationalists are strangely silent about the mark of the Christian.

From Revelation 14:9 we see that the one who has the mark of the beast "on his forehead or upon his hand" is the one who "worships the beast." This ought to give us a clue. Also Revelation 16:2 and 20:4 link together those who have the mark of the beast as those who worship the beast. The Apostle Paul said he bore on his "body the brand-marks of Jesus" (Galatians 6:17). God instructed Old Testament Israel that they must remember that the "Lord is one," and that they must love Him with all their heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Their relationship to God was such that they should obey His words, and "you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead" (Deuteronomy 6:8). All these references have to do with commitment, allegiance and ownership. We are either owned by God, and have His seal, or we belong to Satan and are marked by him. There is no middle ground. Our allegiance is to one or the other.

The Christian, without the mark of the beast, may be considered an outcast (Revelation 13:17). Such happened in the first century as Jews excluded fellow Jews who converted to Christianity. It also happened in the first century to Gentile converts, as they were excluded from the guilds because they would not partake of the idolatrous activities of their communities. And it has continued to be the experience of Christians to this day. But there is no need to despair. Those outside of Christ may enjoy the temporal benefits of being marked as bearing "the name of the beast" (v. 17), but those who have been immersed into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been sealed for eternity.