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POSTED 01 SEPTEMBER, 2000
What is the Mark of the Beast?
by
J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net
“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 will 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” (Revelation
13:16-18).
Students of Bible
prophecy have always been intrigued by
Revelation 13:16-18 and the questions that these
verses pose. The mark of the beast, knowing it,
and understanding what it is, have caused much
speculation and controversy. This controversy
will only continue as the Lord tarries and the
Messiah has yet to return.
What is the mark of the beast and
what is its purpose? How close is global society
to its implementation? These are only a few of
the key questions surrounding this phenomenon
that we will discuss, including several views
which you may consider “unique.”
What Some People Believe the Mark
of the Beast is, or will be
There are a wide variety of views
as to what the mark of the beast is. Here is a
listing of what some people believe it will be:
1.
A microchip implant
2.
A tattoo or barcode
3.
A biological component
4.
Spiritual devotion to Satan
5.
Non-observance of the
seventh-day Sabbath
The first three
views listed are consistent with the standard
evangelical Christian views of pre-millennial
eschatology present today. The fourth view is
one that we should all agree exists, as the mark
is of “the beast,” the antimessiah/antichrist
who will be under the complete control of Satan
during the Tribulation period, and is a symbol
of one’s devotion to him. The fifth view,
non-observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, is
somewhat foreign to those in mainstream
Christianity, and many in Sabbath-observing
Messianic circles dismiss this view as well. In
a search for Biblical accuracy, we will analyze
all of these views, comparing these phenomena to
both modern societal trends and religious
opinions.
Many of the prophetic writings of
the Bible are symbolic or allegorical. These
include Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the statue
(Daniel 2:1-39), Daniel’s vision of the four
beasts (Daniel 7:1-24), and the beast that comes
out of the sea (Revelation 13:1-8). There are
more literal passages of the Bible dealing with
prophecy such as Yeshua’s Olivet Discourse
(Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). In addition to
this, there are parables given by the Lord such
as the parable of the evil slave (Matthew
24:45-51) or the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13),
stories which are to admonish the Believer to be
on alert to His return. So, when dealing with
the mark of the beast, one must wonder, are
these literal, symbolic, or parabolic passages
we are dealing with?
J.K. McKee
(B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury
Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN
Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic
apologist.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical
Languages Award for Greek.
He
is author of
numerous books, dealing with a wide range of
topics that are important for today’s
Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on
theological issues,
and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries
of various books of the Bible.
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