Builders of Faith

Builders of Faith Explorer II:  Exploring End-Time Prophecy

Lesson 9—The Mark of the Beast

1.    What have we learned thus far about the lamb-like beast in Revelation 13?

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.  And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”  Revelation 13:11-12.

Answer:  In Lesson #5, we noted that this lamb-like beast is a political nation because it is a symbolic beast, that its majority population is Christian, and that it provides the great boost to the Papal Antichrist in the latter’s second, end-time phase.


2.    What is the significance of this power coming “out of the earth”?

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth….”  Revelation 13:11.  “…And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea….”  Revelation 13:1.  “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”  Revelation 12:6.  “But the earth helped the woman and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.”  Revelation 12:16.  “…‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.’”  Revelation 17:15.

Answer:  This second beast in Revelation 13 that comes “up out of the earth” is in sharp contrast to the first beast (Antichrist) coming “up out of the sea”.  This contrast is deliberate when we remember that the dragon (ultimately Satan) goes after the pure woman in Revelation 12, who then flees into the “wilderness” (verse 6) or the “earth” (verse 16) for some protection.  Since a symbolic sea or other waters represent “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Revelation 17:15), then the earth or wilderness represents sparsely populated areas.  Therefore, the second beast that comes “out of the earth” represents a political power/nation that arises in a relatively sparsely populated part of the world.  Moreover, the use of wilderness and earth as parallels in Revelation 12 also suggests that this second beast is at first known as a safe haven for religious freedom.


3.    To which form of Christianity does the majority of this nation subscribe?

“He [lamb-like beast] performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.  And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”  Revelation 13:13-14.  “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image….”  Revelation 19:20.  “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world….”  Revelation 16:13-14.

Answer:  The term “false prophet” is a religious title used in other parts of Revelation to describe the lamb-like beast.  We know that the beast (sea monster) is the Roman Catholic Church (Papacy), and the dragon is a perfect religious title for the non-Christian religions.  Since the false prophet is first known for being a protected haven for persecuted Christians, and the Eastern Orthodox Church has historically been linked to political institutions and religious persecution from the beginning, then the majority population of the lamb-like beast must be Protestant Christians.


4.    How prominent will this lamb-like nation become before it begins its speaking like a dragon (Satan)?

“He [lamb-like beast] performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.  And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”  Revelation 13:13-14.  

Answer:  To successfully rally the whole world to worship the first beast would require, in addition to signs and wonders, a nation of superpower status.


5.    To what nation does this lamb-like beast point?

Answer:  There is only one nation that fits the total specifications of this prophecy.  It is a political nation that arises in a relatively sparsely populated area of the world, which leaves out Europe, Africa, and Asia.  It is at first known as a protective haven for persecuted Christians.  The majority of its people are Protestant Christians.  It eventually rises to superpower status.  This nation can be none other than the United States of America.  At some point relatively soon, it will begin speaking like a dragon by compelling the whole world to give allegiance to some part of the Papacy’s religious teachings.


6.    What is the “image of the beast”?

“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.  He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”  Revelation 13:14-15.

Answer:  The Greek word for “image” means a “mirror”, “reflection”, or “duplicate copy” of something.  Since the first beast (sea monster) is a church-state union, then the image of the beast will be the entire world forming a church-state union dominated by the Papacy.


7.    Is the mark of the beast a literal mark or a symbol of something non-physical?

Answer:  The mark of the beast cannot be a literal mark on a person’s body.  If it were, then people could be forced to wear it against their will.  But since all who have the mark of the beast will be eternally lost, God would never destroy anyone in the lake of fire for something they could not have physically prevented.  Neither could license plate numbers or computer chips implanted under people’s skin, or any other device be the mark of the beast; such things might well be used to enforce the mark of the beast—but they cannot be the actual mark.  Therefore, the mark of the beast must be completely symbolic of voluntarily giving your religious allegiance to the Papal Antichrist in some way.


8.    What does the end-time issue concern, and how does that apply to the Papal Antichrist?

Answer:  First, the key word in the end-time crisis is worship, for it or its various forms appear eight times in the two chapters directly discussing the beast and its mark—Revelation 13-14.  The only other word that comes close is the word for blasphemy, which we have already seen is the religious sin of claiming divine authority.  Claiming the right to be worshiped is certainly a divine prerogative.  Second, the issue of worship is further underscored by references to two different Old Testament stories.  Revelation 13:13 is an allusion to the showdown that Elijah had with the false prophets of Baal during the days of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel recorded in I Kings 18:20-40.  Victory was the Lord’s when fire rained down from heaven and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, altar, and so on.  Then reference to the “image of the beast” alludes to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, who refused to bow down to the image of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  Please note the following chart comparing Daniel 3’s story elements and Revelation 13’s elements:

Daniel 3                                                                    Revelation 13

1.  World Leader enforces a religious decree             1.  World Power enforces a religious decree

2.  Command to Worship                                            2.  Command to Worship

3.  Worship concerns a Literal Image                         3.  Worship concerns a Figurative Image

4.  Penalty is Death                                                     4.  Ultimate Penalty is Death

The only major difference between the parallels is that the forces behind the mark of the beast are false Christian powers, which means that the spiritual mark will be made to appear as if it were Christian.  Finally, one cannot worship a church-state power in the traditional sense of the word worship.  Therefore, the worship issue must be the attempt to compel religious allegiance to some aspect of the Papacy’s teaching.


9.    In addition to worship, what is the larger context in this part of Revelation?

“And the dragon was wroth [angry] with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God….”  Revelation 12:17 (KJV).  “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God….”  Revelation 14:12.  “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.  And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”  Revelation 11:19.

Answer:  First, the time elements of 1,260 days (12:6) and 3 ½ times (12:14) connect Revelation 12 with Revelation 13’s 42 months, which we learned in Lesson #5 all equaled 1,260 literal years.  Second, Revelation 13’s references to worship (13:4, 8, 12, 15) and the mark of the beast (13:16-17) connect Revelation 13 with Revelation 14’s references to worship (14:7, 11) and the mark of the beast (14:9, 11).  Since Revelation 15 begins a new topic, we can see that Revelation 12-14 form a specific section in the book of Revelation.  This section, like most sections in Revelation, is introduced by a specific heavenly sanctuary scene—this one in Revelation 11:19.  That sanctuary scene’s emphasis is on the ark of the covenant, which anyone familiar with the Old Testament would be reminded that the most precious articles inside that ark are the two tablets of stone on which God Himself wrote the Ten Commandments, unaltered by mankind!  Moreover, this section of Revelation contains the only undisputed references to “the commandments of God”, and those references form bookends in the middle of which is contained discussion of the mark of the beast.  As for Revelation 22:14, many Greek manuscripts read, “wash their robes” where the NKJV has “do His commandments”, making the correct reading quite doubtful.  Therefore, the larger context in this section of Revelation is the Ten Commandments, which must have something to do with the mark of the beast.


10.    Which of the Ten Commandments are concerned with worship, directly or indirectly?

Answer:  Read Exodus 20:3-11 for greater detail.  In summary, those verses identify the first four commandments concerning worship or devotion to God, while the other six commandments deal with mankind’s relationship with each other.  The first four commandments are summarized as:  (1) Have no other gods besides God; (2) Don’t make any images for use in worship; (3) Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain; and (4) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.


11.    How is spiritual character also connected to the issue of false and true worship at the end-time?

…“and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”  Revelation 13:17.  “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.”  Revelation 14:1.

Answer:  The mark of the beast is further described above as “the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”  The saved will have God the Father’s name on their foreheads.  In Scripture, the word name is often associated with someone’s character.  For example, when Moses asked God to show him His glory, the Lord declared that He would proclaim “the name of the Lord” to him (Exodus 33:18-23).  Then when He did so in Exodus 34:5-7, what God said to Moses concerned God’s character.  Therefore, those who receive the mark of the beast will have the character of the beast; those who receive the name of the Father will have the character of the Father.


12.    To what does the number 666 point?

“Here is wisdom.  Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man:  His number is 666.”  Revelation 13:18.

Answer:  Most scholars have assumed that the number of a man refers to the numerical number of the letters in a man’s name or title.  But a major problem with this idea is that even though we already know the Papacy is this beast, the Pope has many different titles.  Is it fair just to pick out the title that fits the number?  Because 666 points to the number of the beast’s name, or character, and the beast represents primarily an institution, the text above should be translated as “the number of man [mankind]” rather than as “the number of a man.”  The Greek text allows either translation.  The only other appearance of the number 666 in the Bible is in Ezra 2:13, which simply says that 666 persons in a particular man’s clan returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity.  Since the Bible does not help us with the number 666, we have the right to break it down to three sixes.  The number 6 is mankind’s number because God created human beings on the sixth day of Creation Week.


13.    How are the numbers 6 and 7 related in this prophecy?

Answer:  Even though the number 7 does not appear in this prophecy, all scholars recognize that 7 is the number of perfection or completion in the Bible and is thus associated with God.  Since number 6 is man’s number, what would three consecutive sixes represent?  It would suggest that mankind’s evil character reflected in the Papacy is its effort to equal God’s perfect status represented by the number 7.  No matter how hard he tries, 6…6…6 never becomes 7 because the creature can never equal the Creator!  He can become like God in character, but never in performance or in authority—and the Papacy teaches that it has God’s full authority on the earth.


14.    What is there about Creation Week which serves to remind us that we can never be equal with God because He is the Creator and we are part of His creation?

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.  And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”  Genesis 2:1-3.  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God….  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”  Exodus 20:8-11.

Answer:  As related to Creation Week, the number 7 is the day that God rested, blessed, and made holy.  Creation is what gives God His authority and supremacy over mankind, and the Sabbath is what should remind us that we are God’s creatures, and that He is our Creator.  This makes the subject of the mark of the beast the 7th-day Sabbath.


15.    Is there confirming evidence for our conclusion in this section of Revelation?

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth…—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the  hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”  Revelation 14:6-7.

Answer:   The latter part of this passage is a paraphrase of part of the Sabbath Commandment in Exodus 20:11.  Thus the Sabbath will play a prominent part in the end-time crisis—with the Papacy and its followers urging the world to ignore the Bible Sabbath and honor Sunday.  In Explorer I, Lesson #11, we learned that the Church in Rome abandoned the Sabbath and began pushing both the weekly Sunday and the annual Sunday in church history in the early 2nd century A.D., shortly after the last of the apostles had died.  In the end-time crisis, they will attempt to unite the whole world behind Sunday.


16.    What else is the Father’s name in His people’s foreheads called?

“…[God’s people] having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.”  Revelation 14:1.  “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.  And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’”  Revelation 7:2-3.

Answer:  In the ancient world, a king’s seal was usually connected with his law in that it was used to validate a law or decree as belonging to that king.  In doing so, a seal consisted of three main parts:  (1) the name of the ruler; (2) the title or position (authority) of the ruler; and (3) the territory ruled by the king.  We have already seen that the Ten Commandments will play a prominent part in the end-time crisis, and the Sabbath Commandment in particular.  In this context, it is worth pointing out that the Sabbath Commandment is the only commandment that contains God’s seal.  As recorded in Exodus 20:8-11, the seal of God is evident in the following way:  (1) God’s name is “the Lord your God” (verse 10); (2) His title or authority to rule is Creator (that is, “…the Lord made the heavens and the earth…”); and (3) His territory is identified as “heaven and earth” (verse 11).


17.    Why will some receive the mark of the beast in their foreheads and others on their right hand?

“He causes all…to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads….”  Revelation 13:16.

Answer:  Just behind the forehead is the part of the brain that is the will, conscious, and reasoning ability.  The right hand, however, is a symbol in Scripture for people’s work or other activity.  Therefore, those who receive the mark of the beast on their foreheads are those who really believe that Sunday is a special day.  But those who receive it on their right hand represent those who simply go along in order to get along.  Given the persecution against those who refuse to dishonor the Bible’s 7th-day Sabbath, we would expect most people to go along with the majority since it is more convenient—convenient, that is, until Jesus returns in glory!


18.    Why would the whole world follow the Papacy and give special honor to Sunday?

Answer:  It is certainly true that no other world religion than the majority of Christianity gives any preference to Sunday in any religious sense.  However, the globalization of the world economy and the Americanization of world culture have already created the circumstances where in most non-Christian lands Sunday is the day when much business activity stops, especially on the international scale.  This economic convenience fostered by so-called Christian nations makes it much easier to understand how, in a time of great global crisis, international cooperation could result in making Sunday the official day of rest.  It’s also possible, if not likely, that when Satan counterfeits the Second Coming of Jesus (see Lesson #7), he will tell the Christians and Muslims that he is Jesus, the Jews that he is their Messiah, the Hindus that he is the return of Vishnu (or one of his avatars), and the Buddhists that he is Lord Maitreya.  Yes, Muslims believe that Jesus is in heaven and will come back at an end-time crisis.  In this way, it would be much easier for Satan to convince the whole world that they should cooperate in this religious way.


19.    Does anyone have the mark of the beast right now?

Answer:  As of the writing of this lesson, no one—even the most ardent supporter of Sunday observance—has the mark of the beast.  According to the context in Revelation 13, the Sabbath-Sunday issue will be made a global issue before anyone receives the mark of the beast.  Therefore, we definitely do not teach that any Sunday-keeper already has that mark.  At the same time, James 4:17 teaches us that waiting to obey truth is always a dangerous practice because, “…to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  God holds us accountable for something after we understand the issue, no matter what time that is.

 

Quiz for Lesson 9—The Mark of the Beast

 

1.  Which of the following statements about the lamb-like beast of Revelation 13 are true? (3)

  It is a confederacy of Eastern nations getting ready to go to war against Israel.

  It is a political power because it is a symbolic beast.

  It is not a religious power because it enforces worship of the sea monster, not itself.

  It is the Antichrist seen from a different perspective.

  It arises from a relatively sparsely populated part of the world.

 

2.  What kind of religion do most of the citizens of the lamb-like beast claim? (1)

  Eastern Orthodox Christianity

  Islam

  Roman Catholic Christianity

  Protestant Christianity

  Atheism

 

3.  What is the lamb-like nation? (1)

  United States

  Russia

  Iran

  European Union

 

4.  Which of the following statements about the mark of the beast are true? (2)

  It is a literal number 666 stamped permanently on people’s foreheads or hands.

  It is symbolic of some kind of religious allegiance to the Papal Antichrist.

  It will probably be a computer chip implanted under the skin of people.

  It cannot be a literal mark, or otherwise God would be condemning people for not being able to physically prevent the authorities from placing it on them.

 

5.  What key word is the end-time crisis concerned with, and to what larger context does it point? (1)

  Worship—Ten Commandments

  Worship—Image of the beast

  Blasphemy—Papal Antichrist

  Spiritualism—demons

 

6.  Which of the following statements about the number 666 are true? (3)

  The number 666 points to the name, or character, of the beast.

  The number 666 refers to the numerical number of the letters in a man’s name or title.

  Since it points to the beast’s character, it should be translated as “the number of mankind”.

  The number 666 appears elsewhere in the Bible, and always to a very evil person.

  The number 666 is of no help by itself, but it points us to the number 6, which is the number of mankind.

 

7.  How does the number 6 relate to the number 7 here? (3)

  The number 7 is universally recognized as the number of perfection and is associated with God in the Bible.

  The number 6 points us to Creation Week because that was the day on which God created mankind.

  Three consecutive sixes constitute an unholy trinity, representing the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

  Three consecutive sixes represent the Antichrist trying to become God, but no matter how much he claims to be God on earth, he can never be equal with God, who is represented by the number 7.

 

8.  To which commandment connected to Creation Week does this relationship between 3 sixes and the number 7 point? (1)

  It points us to the 1st Commandment about having no other gods before God.

  It points us to the 4th Commandment (Sabbath), which refers back to Creation Week and reminds us that God is the Creator and we are His creatures (which can never equal Him).

  It points us to the 2nd Commandment about making no images to worship.

 

9.  Which of the following statements about the mark of the beast are true? (3)

  People will simply be given a choice between those two locations on the body.

  The forehead is the part of the brain where the free will and reasoning ability is located.

  The hand symbolizes the actions of people.

  Those who receive the mark of the beast on their foreheads will actually believe in their spiritual decision, and those who receive it on their hands will be people who go along in order to get along.

 

10.  So what is the mark of the beast? (2)

  It is the honoring of Sunday, the first day of the week, that throughout history has been most pushed by the Papal Roman Church in opposition to the Bible Sabbath.

  It is the honoring of Friday in a last-minute appeal to bring Muslims on board with the majority of the world.

  It is the dishonoring of the Bible Sabbath (Saturday) in direct opposition to the 4th Commandment.