The Mark of the Beast
What is it?
By Dr. Ken
Matto
16 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: 17 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. (Revelation 13:16-17)
Here we go again.
Now vaccines are the mark of the beast because of Covid 19.
If vaccines are now the mark of the beast, then I received it when I was
5 years old when I received the Polio Vaccine.
Then I received it again when I received the flu shot before I came to
knowledge of how physically destructive vaccines can be and guess what, I became
saved at the age of 27 and I am still saved regardless of those vaccines I took.
Do you see how foolish the latest “prophecy craze” is and we haven’t even
gotten into the meat of this study yet.
In 1984 Mikhail Gorbachev had a port wine stain on his
forehead or fire mark and that was called the mark of the beast.
Before that it was the bar code which everyone was going to walk around
with on their forehead. If there is
one thing the dispensational prophecy pundits have proven is that they are the
most ignorant and unenlightened group within Christianity.
The mark of the beast has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with
anything physical on the body.
However in order to sell books and continue to hoodwink Christians, they must
enforce these ideas so they sound plausible.
Don’t you have anything better to spend the Lord’s money on than
someone’s lies and fantasy?
The mark of the beast has to do with the spiritual
condition of the person which means they are either saved or unsaved.
Before we get into the biblical study on the mark of the beast, let’s see
what some of the old timers had to say about it and see if they thought it was a
physical mark. I will focus on
Revelation 13:16 and remember, what I am posting here is extremely verifiable:
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:
(Revelation 13:16)
Matthew Poole
- 1685
No particular character is
here to be understood, but only the general imposition of the Romish faith upon
all sorts of persons. His mark was nothing else but either the profession
of his faith and religion, or a vowed subjection to his commands, which we know
is the practice of the papacy where it obtaineth in any country.
John Gill – 1690-1771
those who were obliged to
receive the mark in the right hand seem to be the clergy, such who entered into
holy orders; who lifted up their right hand, and swore and vowed allegiance to
the pope, and testified they were ready to defend and support his religion and
interest; and who in their ordination are said to have an indelible character
impressed on them: and those who received the mark in their foreheads are the
common people in general, who one and all have the same impress upon them; which
may intend either the sign of the cross in baptism, or rather their open
confession of the Popish religion, which they as publicly avow and declare as if
it had been written on their foreheads.
John Gill also believed there
could have been a physical mark comparing what the Roman Masters did with their
servants as a sign of ownership plus Gentiles would mark themselves up as they
identified with worship of their false god.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their
manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. (1 Kings
18:28)
Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it
through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also
unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. (Deuteronomy 15:17)
The false prophets who cut themselves to call upon Baal
and to show their allegiance to him had spilled their own blood in the process.
Then in Deuteronomy 15:17 a servant was allowed to choose to stay with
their favorite master but they were required to be marked by thrusting an awl
through their ear to the doorpost.
Here too the spilling of blood was required as the awl would pierce the ear.
When looking at the mark of the beast in Revelation, there is not one
reference to bloodletting associated with it in any of the verses.
John Wesley –
1754 (Revelation 13:17)
Verse 17. That no man might
buy or sell - Such edicts have been published long since against the poor
Vaudois. But he that had the mark, namely, the name of the first beast, or the
number of his name - The name of the beast is that which he bears through his
whole duration; namely, that of Papa or Pope: the number of his name is the
whole time during which he bears this name. Whosoever, therefore, receives the
mark of the beast does as much as if he said expressly, "I acknowledge the
present Papacy, as proceeding from God;" or, "I acknowledge that what St.
Gregory VII. has done, according to his legend, (authorized by Benedict XIII.,)
and what has been maintained in virtue thereof, by his successors to this day,
is from God." By the former, a man hath the name of the beast as a mark; by the
latter, the number of his name. In a word, to have the name of the beast is, to
acknowledge His papal Holiness; to have the number of his name is, to
acknowledge the papal succession. The second beast will enforce the receiving
this mark under the severest penalties.
John Trapp – 1654
To receive a mark
The Popish clergy say, that in their ordination they receive an indelible
character. They may choose whether they will have it in their foreheads (where
it cannot be hid) or in their right hands, where they may either hide it or show
it as they think good. The mark common to all the Popish rabble is, St Peter's
keys branching out itself in every antichristian doctrine and idolatrous
practice.
Adam Clarke –
1826
In their right hand, or in
their foreheads - Right hand in Scripture language, when used figuratively,
represents the physical power of the person of whom it is spoken; and when
applied to God designates a signal manifestation of Divine power against his
enemies, and in behalf of his people. See Ps 17:7; 20:6; 21:8; 45:3-4, etc. The
reception of the mark in the right hand must therefore mean, that all so
receiving it devote the whole powers of their mind and body to the propagation
of the Latin worship, and to the eradication of all they denominate heresies out
of their Church. But some receive the mark in their foreheads. By anything being
impressed upon the forehead, is meant the public profession of whatever is
inscribed or marked upon it. See Rev. 9:4; 14:1; 22:4, etc. The mark of the
beast being received on the forehead, therefore, means that all those so marked
make a public profession of the Latin worship; whereby it is evident to all that
they form a part of the Latin Church.
Matthew Henry
– 1706-1721
It is made a qualification
for buying and selling the rights of nature, as well as for places of profit and
trust, that they have the mark of the beast in their forehead and in
their right hand, and that they have the name of the beast and the
number of his name. It is probable that the mark, the name, and
the number of the beast, may all signify the same thing--that they make an
open profession of their subjection and obedience to the papacy, which is
receiving the mark in their forehead, and that they oblige themselves to use all
their interest, power, and endeavour, to promote the papal authority, which is
receiving the mark in their right hands. We are told that pope Martin V. in his
bull, added to the council of Constance, prohibits Roman Catholics from
suffering any heretics to dwell in their countries, or to make any bargains, use
any trades, or bear any civil offices, which is a very clear interpretation of
this prophecy.
I have quoted six commentaries from the
pre-dispensational era which began in 1830 with the trance channeling by
Margaret MacDonald when she trance-channeled the two stage appearance of Christ
at the Glasgow Prophecy Conferences in 1830.
This material was the basis for the modern dispensational movement which
has infected the great majority of churches and Christians simply because they
refuse to study their Bibles. In
all of these six commentaries, they have a common theme which is the belief that
the mark of the beast was spiritual, those who had it were unbelievers in the
Roman Catholic Church. That
is the exact theme of what the Bible teaches but it goes way beyond Roman
Catholicism and includes every unbeliever in the world.
What is the great mark or sign of an unbeliever?
Their unbelief is the greatest sign.
Try to convince an unbeliever who accepts evolution that creation is the
proper way to explain how the universe and the world came into existence.
Their greatest presupposition is that God does not exist and therefore
creation could not be possible.
Let’s reverse this scenario and ask the true believer in
God if evolution is a possibility.
Their answer would be the total opposite of the unbeliever and they would claim
no, evolution is not possible. Why?
Because the true believer has the seal of God within them and in their
foreheads. Notice it is “in” their
foreheads and not “on” their foreheads.
The Holy Spirit indwells the true believer and not just rests upon him or
her. The Holy Spirit is the great
sealer and he seals the true believer with eternal salvation.
Revelation
3:12
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple
of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of
my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my
new name.
In 3:12 we
are told that those who overcome will be made eternal pillars in the temple of
God. But if I tarry long, that thou
mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is
the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy
3:15 KJV) God refers to the eternal church as the pillar and ground of the
truth. Notice he did not say “of
truth” but he said “of the truth” which means, by means of the direct article
“the” that there is only one truth and that is the truth of the Gospel as
circumscribed by the Bible which the true church disseminates throughout the
whole world.
The word in
the Greek for “temple” designates the inner part of the temple. In the Old
Testament temple, the inner part was where the Ark of the Covenant was situated
which was in the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the
Holy of Holies once a year. Here we are told that we shall be part of the inner
sanctuary of God and no more will we have to go out, which means that God will
supply all our needs for eternity and that will result in our being satisfied
forever. There are three names which the Lord Jesus is going to symbolically
write upon the believer.
The first name is going to be the name of God.
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. (Revelation 14:1)
The second name is the city of God which is New Jerusalem.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)
The third name is the new name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself. (Revelation 19:12)
When one speaks of a new name it is always associated with the characteristics
of the reason that a new name was given. Here we are seeing that the true
believers will have the name of God which means that they are in the family of
God. And I heard a great voice out of
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God. (Revelation 21:3)
Then
the name of the new city which means that the true believers will be eternal
citizens of that city which is the eternal city of God.
But now they desire a better country,
that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for
he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)
Then
we are told that we will receive the new name that Christ will write upon us. At
this time, based on Revelation 19:12, we do not know what that new name is.
Now a question I would like to pose is this, have you ever seen a
Christian with any of these three things physically written upon their physical
body? The answer is no, they are
symbolic for the inward transformation the believer receives.
Revelation
7:3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the
trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
The four
horsemen have been withheld from going forth with their destructions for the
purpose of waiting until all of the true believers have been sealed with
salvation. Once the final sealing has taken place, then the four horsemen will
begin their judgments upon the earth. Now God’s children have been sealed since
the first one became saved but here we are seeing the culmination of God’s
salvation plan as we read that all His children must be sealed before the final
events on earth take place. We do not know when the sealing of the last one will
take place since a person can be sealed and saved at an early age and then live
for another 70 or 80 years. The sealing is definitely tied to salvation since
the Holy Spirit, as we read in Ephesians 4:30, is the seal given to the true
believer. The seal in the forehead is not literal but is figurative because the
forehead represents the mind and the true believer is given the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ always accompanies salvation.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord,
that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Basically, what we have in this verse is the final sealing of those Christians
before the return of the Lord. These last days Christians combine with all the
others makes for the large multitude before the throne.
After this I beheld, and,
lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7:9)
Revelation
9:4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the
grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those
men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (Revelation
9:4)
And there came
out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power. (Revelation 9:3)
Locusts
will normally attack all the green vegetation in its path. If one sees the
before and after photos of a locust swarm, they will see full trees before and
only bare trees after. Here these locusts are told to withhold themselves from
hurting anyone who has the seal of God on them. The believers are also known by
the following descriptions:
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that
they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3)
Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills,
Cover us. {31} For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be
done in the dry? (Luke 23:30-31)
True believers are described as trees of righteousness and also they are
described as green trees.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he
doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
Psalm 1:3 teaches us that a man who walks in righteousness will be like a tree
planted by the waters and will bring forth fruit in season. Only a green tree
will bring forth fruit because the green is an indicator that the tree is alive.
A dry tree shows that it has died and will never bring forth any fruit. So this
is why in Rev. 9:4, we are told that these devils have no authority over the
true believer because Satan no longer has any authority over the true believer.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you:
for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30)
The
Lord stated that Satan has nothing in Him and that applies also to the true
believers who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Those who do not have the
seal of God are all the unsaved in the world and they will be affected by these
judgments. The problem attached to this is that the body of believers are on
earth which means they will be persecuted by those who are in authority who are
being judged by the devils. Satan’s primary target on this earth has always been
the church and Christians. Even though the unbelievers are directly affected by
these judgments, they will in turn blame Christians and this will result in
still more martyrs for Christ.
Revelation
14:1
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. (Revelation
14:1)
Throughout
the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, God will pronounce a judgment upon
the nation of Israel or Judah, then we will find in close proximity the great
blessings which God promises to the Elect line in those countries. We have the
same situation here. Right on the heels of John seeing the numbering of the
followers of the beast, God intervenes and shows John another great aspect of
his vision. He sees the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion.
Mount Zion has always been associated with salvation.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD
shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as
the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. (Joel 2:32)
Here
we have this mount in Heaven. The mount in Scripture represents a kingdom and in
this case John is seeing the Kingdom of God with all the believers.
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh
my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and
earth. Psalm 121:1-2
Psalm 121:1 tells us that the writer looks unto the hills for that is where his
help will come from and then goes on in verse 2 and plainly tells us who the
source of his help is, it is the Lord.
In 14:1, we know that heaven is in view because once again the 144,000 are
mentioned. This is important because in Revelation 7, where it is first
mentioned to this point the church had faced much persecution and the fact that
the same number is in view tells us that God had not lost one of His children.
He is the protector of His children and has promised that not one will ever be
lost, no matter how intense the persecution.
Then we are told that these 144,000 have their Father’s name written in their
forehead which is symbolic of having the seal of salvation on them. The fact
that they have the name of God in their foreheads is in contrast to chapter 13
where the number of the unsaved on their foreheads and in their right hand, that
number being 666 which is the number of the entire unsaved human population. The
name is not physically written on the foreheads but is symbolic of all the
redeemed of God.
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be
in their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)
And he said,
Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (Exodus
33:20)
Moses
wanted to see the face of God but God prevented him from seeing it because Moses
would have been instantly consumed because of the glory. Here in this verse we
are seeing that all the true believers will see the face of God and because we
will be in our glorified spiritual bodies, we will not be consumed when we see
it. God has qualified all His children to see His face. We are then told that
the believers will have His name in their foreheads. This means that all the
true believers are sons and daughters of the living God. This is not a physical
mark but denotes that the believer belongs to God and that we will be in the
image of God as originally intended.
Let us now
attend to the passages which speak concerning the mark of the beast and the
unbeliever:
Revelation
13:16-17
16 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: 17 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. (Revelation 13:16-17)
Now the beast causes all his people to have a mark and
if you will notice the locations of this mark on the body are significant. First
of all we see this mark on the right hand.
Show thy marvellous lovingkindness, O
thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those
that rise up against them. (Psa 17:7) In Psalm 17:7, we see that the right
hand is associated with salvation by the power of the Lord. As we saw before
that the beast will imitate the things which the Lord does. The mark on the
right hand is associated with those who work deceitfully bringing a false
salvation. The right hand will also be associated with those who do works for
the beast, in other words, their life’s work will be in concert with the deceit
of the beast. They will do the works that deceive others. Then the mark in their
foreheads shows that their mind is given over to the work of the beast. So in
this particular passage, we see that those who invent systems and then implement
them in the world are those with the mark on the hands (works) and the mind
(evil thoughts). Perverse disputings of
men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is
godliness: from such withdraw thyself. (1 Timothy 6:5) The mind is Satan’s
playground and he is very active with his people. It does not matter what a
person’s social status is, Satan will deceive all his people. Now some people
want to make this out to be some type of physical mark like a bar code but this
is not what is in view. Sensationalizing verses only clouds the real meaning but
of course, sells books.
To be accepted by the world system, a person must be one of those who has the
mark. Only Satan’s people will have the mark of the beast and because Christians
do not have this mark, instead they have the mark of God in their foreheads
(Revelation 14:1). This means that Christians will be outcasts in the world
because they hold the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their writings, their
sayings, their teachings will all be rejected by the world system because they
are in the world but not of the world. If Christians wrote on the same level as
those of the unsaved, then they could buy and sell within the kingdom of Satan
but, because they are the redeemed of God, they have nothing to buy or sell in
the kingdom of Satan. Paul summed it greatly in the following verse.
But God forbid that I should glory, save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world. (Gal 6:14) The world holds no desire for the Christian
and the Christian holds no desire for the world and that is why they cannot buy
and sell in Satan’s Kingdom. It is interesting to note that modern bible
versions are welcomed in the kingdom of Satan and are sold in that kingdom of
the unsaved.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
(Proverbs 23:23)
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money;
come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price. (Isaiah 55:1)
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see. (Revelation 3:18)
These three verses speak of buying the truth, even if you have no money. Having
no money means a person is very poor which is representative of being
spiritually poor. What is in view here is that God is speaking of salvation
which is only available from Him and it costs nothing for us, which means no
works, but all of grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan’s kingdom does not
allow the Christian to do business but these three verses are teaching us that
those Elect still in the kingdom of Satan may come to the Lord at their
appointed times and buy that gold which is salvation.
Revelation
14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive
his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture
into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9-11)
Now a third
angel follows in this judgment section warning that if anyone has worshipped the
beast and had his mark. In other words, those people who put their faith in the
world system or in false religion are now being warned.
Those who were of the world and drank the wine of Babylon believing that
there would be no consequence will now drink the wine of the wrath of God. This
means that those who were of the world, the unbelievers, will now be judged for
their sins of fornication with the kingdom of Satan. Here the wrath of God is
given a new description. Sometimes in ancient times wine was mixed with
different ingredients to give it a special flavor or for a special occasion.
Here we are told that the wrath of God is unmixed into his cup of indignation.
This means that God’s judgment will be on every sin and will take into account
every evil action. There will be no mercy or forgiveness mixed in with the
judgment. There are not going to be any special ingredients added to this wine
of wrath because it will come against all sin and its focus is on those who
opposed God and persecuted His children. These people will be tormented in the
fires of eternal hell in the presence of the holy angels and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Here is the
end result of all those who remained unsaved and who fornicated happily with the
kingdom of Satan. Those who followed Satan on earth will follow him into eternal
judgment. There is not going to be any rest in hell nor any respite from
torment. Those who will be sentenced to eternal damnation will be tormented
forever. This verse should put to death the idea that there is no judgment after
death and the notion that there is annihilation after death. When a person is
sentenced to hell, it will be for eternity and the suffering will be for
eternity.
Revelation
15:2
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire:
and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and
over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of
glass, having the harps of God. (Revelation 15:2)
Here John
sees a wonderful sight. John is seeing a sea of glass which is mingled with
fire. The word “mingled” carries with it the meaning of “mixed or blended.” One
thing we know is that fire represents judgment. In Revelation 4:6, we have a sea
of glass which was like crystal. Here we have the glass mixed with fire.
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with
silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. (Isaiah 48:10)
We also see the believers standing on
the glass which is mingled with fire. In Isaiah 48:10, we are told that God has
purified His people but not with Silver. He has chosen us in the furnace of
affliction. That fire which has purified the believer was the fire of judgment
which the Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself for all the Elect on Calvary. It
is through Christ that the true believer is victorious and that is why we see
the believers standing on the glass mixed with fire. All the true believers went
through the fires of affliction with the Lord Jesus Christ and were declared
pure as we read in Revelation 14:5.
And in their mouth was found no guile:
for they are without fault before the throne of God. (Revelation 14:5)
The
true believers can stand in the fire and it will not hurt them because they will
never again face any judgment for their sins since they have been removed. This
is why the fire of judgment does not affect them because they have already faced
judgment for their sins and have been found not guilty because of Christ.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also faced the furnace which was heated seven
times hotter but because they were with Christ in that furnace, they were not
affected by the fire, in fact, they didn’t even have the smell of fire on them.
(Daniel 3) The believers in 15:2 are rejoicing in their salvation that they have
harps of God in their hands. The believers were totally victorious over the
entire world system and the beast and his mark through Christ.
These things I have spoken
unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Revelation
16:2
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the
earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the
mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
(Revelation 16:2)
The time has
now come for the answer to the prayer of Jeremiah.
Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families
that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and
consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate. (Jeremiah 10:25)
God now begins to pour out His fury upon all the nations of the world and upon
them which have eaten up Jacob. In other words, those nations which have
persecuted the body of believers which resulted in many martyrs. Jacob is used
in Scripture as a synonym for the body of believers.
These nations are now being judged. In the first of the vial judgments,
the result is noisome and grievous sores are coming upon those who belonged to
Satan. The word “noisome” may also be translated “evil.” In Job 2:7, Job was
smitten with boils from Satan.
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils
from the sole of his foot unto his crown. (Job 2:7)
The Hebrew word for boils may also allude to cancerous sores. It is interesting
to note that cancer cases are increasing all over the world.
9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and
shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast,
throughout all the land of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the
furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and
it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.
11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the
boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. (Exodus
9:9-11)
The first vial judgment has a relation to the plague of boils which hit the
Egyptians. If you notice in that everyone had the boils and no one was spared
this torment. The word “blain” carries with it the meaning of “belch forth or
bubble.” This means that these festering sores were unsightly and painful,
especially if they would bubble bringing up puss. Now this first vial judgment
does not necessarily mean that everyone in the world, except believers are going
to walk around with bubbling boils.
However, the first vial judgment will exude a torment. This torment will also be
some type of psychological or spiritual torment. One of the great torments that
anyone on earth can have is to be spiritually confounded.
Ever learning, and never able to come to
the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:7) There are millions today who
believe they have found the truth, yet are totally confounded. Spiritual
uncertainty can plague a mind. Once again the mark of the beast shows up in
concert with the kingdom of Satan.
Revelation
19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark
of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The first two
members of the unholy triumvirate, the beast and false prophet were now cast
alive into the lake of fire which means they are there forever and will never
again make war against the believers, also the fact they are cast alive into the
lake of fire shows that annihilation is not in view. This taking of the beast
and false prophet tells us that this battle was short one. At this time, Satan
is not cast into the lake of fire. The beast was the greatest deceiver because
he deceived all those who were members of the kingdom of Satan plus he had built
the image of deception in the different phases of life. He exchanged evolution
for creation. He exchanged the existence of God for atheism. He exchanged the
laws of God for the laws of man. He exchanged biblical theology for humanistic
philosophy. Once again the mark of
the beast is in concert with the kingdom of Satan.
The mark shows a devotion to the world system which is in total
opposition to the Kingdom of God in this world, aka the body of believers.
Revelation
20:4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment
was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years.
Now the
vision of John switches from the devil to the Christians in Heaven. We know this
because they did not worship the beast, neither his image, nor did they have his
mark upon them. Only the true Christians would have nothing to do with the beast
system since it was in opposition to the Kingdom of God.
The first part of this verse deals with the fact that Christians will be
partaking in some type of judgment, especially at the last day.
2 Do ye not know that the
saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall
judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians
6:2-3)
The verse states that the believer "sat" upon thrones. "Sat" is also in the
aorist active indicative. Throughout the ages as people became saved, they began
to reign with Christ at the very moment. Is that biblical? According to
Ephesians 2:6 it is:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)
They
immediately began to reign in their soul essence, as verse 4 states, John saw
the souls of these believers, not their bodies, and these souls were upon
thrones. John saw the believers in their glorified state. In Revelation 6, we
had seen the martyrs who were given white robes and told to rest until the rest
of those who were to be killed, were killed.
The first part of verse 4 seems to pointing to the believers who were not
martyred since John mentions the martyrs in a separate instance. The first part
of this verse may also include those believers who are still on earth but hold
the position of royalty in Heaven at the same time. We are children of God,
Kings and Priests, so that would mean we would have thrones from which to rule.
As for the extent of that rule, that remains a mystery at present.
The Bible will not allow a future literal millennium because all of its language
points to a time past. Now if the believer is raised at the time of salvation,
then this would mean that the thousand year reign for each believer begins at
the time of their salvation and not a future golden reign. We may also safely
conclude that the spiritual reign of the totality of believers will end on the
last day, in reference to the thousand year reign not eternity, because the
believer will continue to reign with Christ throughout eternity. If a Christian
is saved the day before Christ returns, that believer is reigning with Christ in
the thousand years just the same as the believer who became saved in 113 A.D.
Ezekiel 9:4-6
4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the
midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the
foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be
done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine
hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare,
neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both
maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is
the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which
were before the house. (Ezekiel 9:4-6)
Here is a very interesting passage In Ezekiel 9 which
speaks about a mark given to those who have cried and wept over the sins of
Jerusalem. Who cries and weeps over sins, the unregenerate or the regenerate? Of
course, the only ones concerned with sin are those who are saved, the world
continues on in sinful perpetuity until the last day. Isn't it interesting that
God used the very same language approximately 600 BC when giving the command to
Ezekiel to set a mark on the heads of the saved? Did Ezekiel walk around with a
quill and put a mark on all the repentant? Here is a picture of the last day.
Those who have the mark of God in their foreheads will not be touched by the
final judgment but those who have the mark of the beast a.k.a. the unsaved,
shall be judged and cast into eternal hell, which here is symbolized by the
physical slaughter of the disobedient in Jerusalem in Ezekiel 9.
Summary
Every time some particular situation in the world shows up, instantly it is the mark of the beast. We have seen that the mark of the beast are given to those who are unsaved and will remain unsaved. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Revelation 22:11) This is why the unbeliever will have the mark of the beast on them and the true believer will have the seal or mark of God upon them. Those who are not the Elect of God will be given the mark of the beast to conform to the world system which is evil. Those who are predestined to be saved from the time their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world will have the mark of God upon them. The mark of the beast has nothing to do with computers, vaccines, bar codes, or anything like that. Those things are suggested because the majority of Christians hold a false eschatological view and if they build on a false view, then they will create false teachings. Like begets like, and that means truth begets truth and false begets false. You can easily see the mark of the beast in the lives of other people and the mark is not written on their body but in their beliefs and works. If you align yourself with the evil workings of the world system, then you have the mark of the beast. If you align yourself with the teachings of God, then you have the mark and seal of God.