The Upcoming Mark of the Beast

The nature of the mark of the Beast has been the subject of speculation for many centuries. And so it remains today. Such a thing, like any truth, may only be known as a result of personal revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that the Lord will open the eyes of all who read here and seek with their whole heart.

Those of us who are obediently watching for signs today (Mark 13:37: What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!') should be well aware that the time of the coming of our Lord is accompanied by the arrival of two beings that are characterized as beasts. We watch for the coming of the beasts with eager anticipation, with an ultimate focus beyond the beasts to the Lord Himself and His coming! Amen? This is the perspective we must have to give glory to God in love for His faithfulness and grace to reveal His plans to His people and equip them for victory in due season!

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. (Proverbs 27:12)

Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. (Psalm 25:20)

One kind of sign related to the coming of, or, full manifestation of, the beasts pertains to a feature called a mark. The mark is related to one of the beast's name and to the number of his name. These are some of the clues from the written word that provide insight into the nature of the mark. Knowing the nature of the mark and something of its purpose enables us to recognize its approach and interpret our present situation correctly. The gracious grant of wisdom and understanding adjoining the knowledge equips us and forms the basis for proper action.

With eyes that see it becomes clear that the mark of the Beast that plays such a vital role in the end-time scenario has an associated technology whose global implementation has already begun. The technologies for the mark are in an advanced state of readiness! Their integration into the fabric of society is advancing at an incredible rate! How much further off is the beast's manifestation when the shadow of the coming mark is cast across our present reality?

Here is the fundamental passage of scripture instructing us about the mark.

Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. (Revelation 13:11-18)

If you read the whole chapter, you will notice that there are two related beasts that appear in succession and the mark is actually that of the second beast. If we are now seeing the implementation of the technology for the mark that will be forced upon the global population by the second beast, really, how very near we are to the appearance of the first!

What is this mark? The word for "mark" in verse 16 and 17 is the Greek word that is Strong's #5480: charagma, khar'-ag-mah; from the same as G5482; a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue):--graven, mark.

Another prominent feature in the context is the number 666, which is more accurately presented as it is in the scripture in three parts; six hundred, threescore and six. It is derived from the three Greek letters chi xi stigma. According to Strong's dictionary: khee xee stig'-ma; the 22d, 14th and an obsol. letter (G4742 as a cross) of the Greek alphabet (intermediate between the 5th and 6th), used as numbers; denoting respectively 600, 60 and 6; 666 as a numeral:--six hundred threescore and six. The three letters in succession have the mathematical values 600, 60 and 6, which sum to what we represent as the Arabic numeral 666. The word with the value of 6 is very key to understanding the nature of man's number, who was created on the sixth day. Strong's #G4742: stigma, stig'-mah; from a prim. stizo (to "stick", i.e. prick); a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), i.e. (fig.) scar of service:--mark. Names have meanings, numbers have meanings.

For a few years now there have been various technologies being implemented for marking animals, equipment, goods and people for recognition. Of primary interest and concern are the implantable bio-chips with various levels of capability. These are the size of a grain of rice and are injected or inserted under the skin. These chips are programmed (embedded or "engraved" - charagma) with software instructions that perform various functions. These handy little devices quite capably solve many a problem! Beyond matters of mere convenience and efficiency, various kinds of threats to our personal security are addressed by such implants in ways few can argue against. What a welcome e-gadget this is! Soon, you'll hardly be able to live without it! Really! But, be forewarned According to the word of the Lord there are consequences attached to the acceptance of this technology that are worse than death!

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. (Revelation 14:9-12)

Consider the following news article from nearly six years ago as I write, from November 11, 2000.

Digital Angel unveiled - Human-tracking subdermal implant technology makes debut

A NASDAQ-traded company has finally unveiled its long-touted and highly controversial "Digital Angel" -- a sub-dermal microchip implant designed not merely for keeping tabs on pets, but for widespread, worldwide use in tracking human beings.

The demonstration, which was conducted by Dr. Peter Zhou and Dr. Keith Bolton, showed how Digital Angel "can be used to monitor a person's key body functions -- such as temperature and pulse -- and transmit that data wirelessly, on a real time basis, along with the accurate location of the person, to a web-enabled ground station or monitoring facility," according to a press statement.

The technology consists of a miniature sensor device, designed to be implanted just under the skin, that captures and wirelessly transmits the "wearer's" vital body-function data, such as body temperature or pulse, to an Internet-integrated ground station. In addition, the antenna receives information regarding the location of the individual from the GPS satellite. Both sets of data -- medical information and location -- are then wirelessly transmitted to the ground station and made available on Web-enabled desktop, laptop or wireless devices.

A more sophisticated version of microchip technologies currently used as electronic ID tags for pets, Digital Angel is powered electromechanically through muscle movement, or it can be activated by an outside monitoring facility.

As WorldNetDaily has reported, in addition to locating missing persons and monitoring physiological data, Digital Angel will be marketed as a means of verifying online consumer identity for the burgeoning e-commerce world.

In August, Sullivan told WND, "We are currently talking to a watch maker who is interested in placing the device on the back of their watches." He added that "technology is being developed that would allow Digital Angel to function from the back of a cellular phone, transmitting bio-sensor information when carried by the user."

And in an interview last March, the chief scientist, Zhou, told WorldNetDaily he believes the implant will be as popular as cell phones and vaccines.

Digital Angel "will be a connection from yourself to the electronic world. It will be your guardian, protector. It will bring good things to you," said Zhou.

"We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul," he added.

Did you catch what the chief scientist said? "We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul" Doesn't that send chills up and down your spine? Will this system not be perceived as being like God Himself, as it was said, "It will be your guardian, protector. It will bring good things to you." The chief scientist also stated that this Digital Angel "will be a connection from yourself to the electronic world." It is a fact that most of the world is electronically connected through systems of optical fiber networks. Banking and trade commerce systems are so connected. Does the passage "so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark" come to mind? What we know as the Internet operates as the most visible of these electronic networks. An alternate reference to this system is the world wide web, or www. Did you know that the Hebrew letter vav is the transliterated letter W? The numerical value of vav is six. Three vavs, three sixes. Is the Internet then the Beast system itself? It is not the whole of it, and certainly in the present it is the Lord's provision for the saints to fellowship, learn and minister according to His mighty plan in the earth, but it is even now being brought into a more tightly content-controlled or censored system. It will serve the beast as ordained by the Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth. "Your connection to the electronic world" will be a primary connection of the subjects of the beast with the beast. Monitoring of the subjects activity has already begun with purchase monitoring through credit/debit card usage, use of various kinds of electronic security access keys, email sent and received, search engine usage and sites and pages visited, and cell phone activity. (ECHELON) Even such as the surveillance camera network, satellite, helicopter, drone plane and other variations of remote audio and video surveillance have already been accepted and even welcomed by most, who believe they are being protected from a greater threat through these concessions to the agencies of a perceived lesser threat.

Some of you who will read this page or those you love will be presented with the decision whether or not to accept an implanted RFID device. Unless you take matters such as this to heart and become willing to serve the Lord Jesus even unto death, this may become your end and undoing. This is not a scare tactic, just the truth - written with love.