Mark of the Beast
I have come across a person who insists the mark of the beast is an actual physical mark because of his literal interpretation of the following verse.
“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: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev 13:16-17
I have written close to a book on this subject already so I will not repeat that which I have written in the past. In summary, the one who places the mark is not always the beast itself. Instead we are told that a second beast rose up out of the “earth” having “two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” This second beast made an image to the first beast which seemed to be wounded to death and it was this image of the beast that placed the mark.
Whereas the first beast rose up out of the sea (the peoples of the earth), the second one came from the earth (a place of much land and few people). One interpretation is that the second beast was the United States.
This second beast has “two horns like a lamb, and spake as a dragon.”
What were the two horns like a lamb?
The lamb is a symbol of Christ and a horn is a symbol of a kingdom so what we need to look for is the establishment of two kingdoms on the “earth.”
The first horn was the United States itself with its free representative government which was inspired and supported by Christ.
The second horn was represented by the many spiritual movements that originated in the United States such as: Theosophy, the LDS Church, Christian Science, Unity, Church of Religious Science, Bailey’s work and other spiritual movements all designed for the spiritual progress of mankind.
This second beast then is to be a dichotomy for it has the two horns of the Christ, but speaks the words of the dragon. The end result is that we must use great judgment in examining all the works and words that come out of our country for from it comes the best and the worst.
What then is the current “image of the beast” which the United States was the prime mover in creating?
The United States made an image to the beast by supporting and often helping to create governments on the earth pattered after the blind authority of Rome and the other ancient kingdoms. The most popular of them was Communism. The Bolshevik Revolution that established the Communist regime in Russia was financed right out of the United States by wealthy men who saw a great opportunity in Marx’s philosophy. If you ever read Animal Farm you can understand. The idea was to create a slave system where the workers would labor for almost nothing and be under the complete control of the state. If this could be pulled off by big money then they could not only gain even greater riches through such a system, but also greater power. Once a person gets all the money he can spend about the only thing that interests him after this is power. And the lust for power was the impetus behind the creation of the image of the beast.
The only thing that has saved us from complete communist control of the world is that it turned out to be a financial disaster and it fell similar to the description of the fall of Babylon as prophesied: “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, thus with violence, shall the great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” Rev 18:21. We are told that in “one hour is she made desolate.” There is more to this scripture, but it is a good description of the quick fall of the Communist Block. The USSR was just a part of the Image of the Beast. Hitler also received much start up capital from the United States and Europe (which adopted free governments). Then we also created and financed other dictators like Noriega, Saddam Hussein, communist China North Korea (we feed them) and many other authoritarian governments. We create an image to the beast and then when it turns on us like a lion, bear or leopard, we have to fight it and destroy it. After this scenario we then start the process anew and create other parts to the image of the beast making sure the Beast is always alive and well.
What we are presently (2003) doing in Iraq is different, however. If we are successful in the establishment of a free government there we will be extending the horn of the lamb rather than the mark of the beast. Dark forces will, of course, work to frustrate this and extend the mark of the beast there.
The totalitarian regimes which we have supported place the mark of the beast on their people by strictly controlling their thoughts and what they are allowed to think (the mark on their foreheads) and what they are allowed to do for a living and their other actions (the mark on their right hand).
No one in a nation like North Korea or Cuba can buy or sell unless they cooperate with their beastly authorities.
But doesn’t the scripture say that this image of the beast shall cause “ALL, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.”
A case can be made that none are untouched by this mark, but it is certainly true that some oppressed countries are much more strongly effected by it.
It may be enlightening to examine the Greek on this scripture for this will take us much closer to the original writers intent.
The word “all” in this verse comes from the Greek PAS and does not mean “all” as it is generally used in English. It often more literally means “some of all types.”
For example
“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all (PAS) Judaea, and all (PAS) the region round about Jordan.” Matt 3:5
Obviously not every single person in Judea came to see Christ, neither did every single person “round about Jordan.”
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all (PAS) things.” Matt 17:11
Obviously Elijah will not restore every single thing from the past, but a certain selection of necessary things.
Concerning this word a comment from the Blue Letter Bible says it’s basic meaning is “some of all types,” then adds the comment:
“it is very rarely the ‘all’ means all persons, taken individually.”
But doesn’t it say that “that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name?”
Doesn’t this mean “that no man” is excluded from the mark?
Again let us examine the Greek.
“No” comes from HINAH MAY which means “In order that, because, or lest with a sense of negation.
The word “man” in the verse does not come from the word for human but from the Greek TIS which literally means “Some or any person or object Any Man or thing.” This word is most often translated (104 times) as “certain” as in “certain people.” Next it is translated as “some” 73 times and simply as “man” only 34 times.
Taking this into consideration let us translate this scripture a little more in harmony with the Greek.
“And he causeth all within the sphere of his power, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that certain ones might not buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev 13:16-17
Obviously, not all received the mark for the next verse reads: “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.” Rev 14:1
These are they who have a mark from God in their foreheads rather than the mark of the beast. I think we can rest assured that God is not going to place a physical brand to place the mark of His name, neither will he use a computer chip.
It is of course possible that the power of the beast will implant a computer chip in the hands of many (though the forehead is unlikely). Even then, the true power of the beast is not in a physical chip, but the control over the minds of the people through illusion.
In school, every period ends with a bell. Every sentence ends with a period. Every crime ends with a sentence. Steven Wright
Sept 30, 2003
Copyright by J J Dewey
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