[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]
The Mysterious Mark of Revelation…Solved?
The biblical book of Revelation tells us that there is a time coming when everyone will be compelled to receive a mark on his forehead or on his hand. Without that mark, you will not be able to buy or sell. But God’s wrath will be poured out on those who accept it. What is that mark? Do you know?
Many people look in all the wrong places to understand this mysterious Mark of the Beast. Speculations abound. The U.S. Social Security Number was once thought to be that mark. As was the Canadian Social Insurance Number with its acronym S.I.N. The bar code and the quick response code have also been contenders. Others expect tattoos of the number 666, or a computer chip to be placed on the hand or the forehead. And how can we forget the COVID-19 vaccine? But, none of these are the Beast’s mark.
On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, I’ll discuss from the pages of the Bible what that mysterious mark is.
I’ll be right back in five seconds to show you what the Bible reveals about the mysterious Mark of the Beast.
Daniel’s Prophecies Reveal the Beast
A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where today I’m sharing with you what the Bible says about the mysterious mark of the Beast. The subject of a mark that controls whether one can buy or sell arises from the biblical book of Revelation, so we must look to that source to discover what that mark is. Here is the passage in question:
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 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 13:16–17).
Now before we go running off into the sunset looking for this mark, let’s stop and consider the obvious and most fundamental point in understanding this mark.
The Mark is of the Beast.
Yes, it’s the Beast’s mark! Any mark from any other source, cannot be his mark. While it is popular to focus on bar codes, Social Insurance Numbers, tattoos and computer chips, we must first focus on identifying this Beast if we are to understand his mark.
So, who or what is this Beast? We begin our study in the biblical book of Daniel. There we read how King Nebuchadnezzar had an unusual dream, and how God revealed its meaning to the prophet Daniel. We’ll begin in Daniel 2:31:
You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2:31–33).
You might be thinking right now, how can a king’s dream 2,500 years ago have anything to do with me? Isn’t this just a child’s bedtime story? This thought could not be more wrong.
Daniel explained to the king that this figure of a man represented four kingdoms. The head of gold was his Chaldean Empire. History shows that the three that followed were the Medo/Persian, the Greco/Macedonian, and the Roman Empires. Notice that this prophecy covers the time from Nebuchadnezzar all the way down to the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the setting up of His Kingdom.
And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this (Daniel 2:44–45).
Understanding the Beast of Revelation and Its Fate
Let’s now go to Daniel 7, where it elaborates further on these four worldly empires. This time, rather than an image of a man made of different materials, we find these same empires described as four wild beasts. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings, the second like a bear, the third was a four headed leopard, and the fourth was… as we see in Daniel 7:7:
… dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns (Daniel 7:7).
Verses 17 and 23 clearly show that the words king and kingdom are used interchangeably, and as in chapter 2, this fourth kingdom ends at the return of Christ when He sets up His kingdom. Notice it in vv. 26–27:
But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him (vv. 26–27).
We need not speculate about the meaning as the Bible interprets its own symbols. Nebuchadnezzar’s image is explained as four kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s and ending with God setting up a kingdom on earth. We are told that the four beasts of Daniel 7 represent four kings or kingdoms, and the fourth ends with God’s Kingdom. So, these beasts clearly represent the same four kingdoms as those mentioned in Daniel 2.
The Stone cut out of the mountain without hands is clearly a reference to the future, when the returning Jesus Christ sets up an everlasting kingdom. At that time, He destroys mankind’s empires by smiting the king’s great image on the feet and toes. Therefore, the feet and toes of iron and clay must be in existence at Christ’s return. Notice Daniel’s God-inspired explanation of the feet and toes, in Daniel 2, beginning in verse 41:
Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay (Daniel 2:41–43).
That’s the state of the Roman kingdom at the end of the age. As we shall see, there will be ten nations that do not adhere to one another, but they do so for a very short time out of necessity, and they have the strength of iron. But how can this be when Rome, the fourth kingdom, fell more than 1,500 years ago?
For the answer, we must turn to the book of Revelation, in the thirteenth chapter. Here we find another creature, but this time a single beast with the characteristics of those found in Daniel 7. Those characteristics are all combined into a single creature. Why? This is because John recorded this vision in the late 90s A.D.—at the time of the Roman Empire, which had absorbed the other three kingdoms. Notice this description:
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority (Revelation 13:1–2).
But again, Rome fell more than 1,500 years ago. How can it then be in existence when Christ returns? Note that this Beast has seven heads. Compare this with Daniel 7, where the four creatures also had a combined seven heads. Revelation 13:3 and 5 explain that one of the heads had a deadly wound that was healed. Since the only empire in existence at this time was Rome, the head with a deadly wound that is healed is that of Rome. A deadly wound and healing of the Roman empire is exactly what we find in history.
Rome fell in 476 A.D., but the empire was restored (or healed) by Justinian in 554 A.D. We now turn to Revelation 17, where the “healed” Roman Empire continues. There we find another seven-headed beast, but this Beast is different. It only refers to Rome after the healing, and it has one very significant difference. It is Rome ridden by an immoral woman. Beginning in verse 1:
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 17:1–3).
The Mark of the Beast—A False Holy Day for a Counterfeit Christianity
In the Bible, a woman is sometimes used as a symbol of a church. Concerning the marriage of a man and woman, we read in Ephesians 5:32,
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
In Revelation 19:6–9, it describes the saved as the “bride of Christ.” But in the case of Revelation 17, we see a fallen woman, an apostate church, a “mother church” with her harlot daughters.
Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. … And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Revelation 17:1, 5).
This Roman Empire, whose deadly wound was healed in 554 A.D., has seven heads and is ridden by an apostate religious system. Furthermore, we learn that, after the healing, it would continue 1,260 years:
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. … and he [that is, this Roman Beast] was given authority to continue for forty-two months (Revelation 13:3, 5).
A prophetic month is made up of 30 days. Thirty days times 42 months comes to 1,260. Now, the Bible sometimes uses what is called a day for a year principle. In this case, the beast would continue after its healing for a period of either 1,260 days or 1,260 years. The context and history shows us it is the latter—1260 years.
History reveals that the Roman Empire, now ridden by an apostate church, was restored by Justinian in 554 A.D. The empire diminished and was revived four more times. The second restoration came in 800 A.D. when:
On Christmas Day, as Charlemagne… knelt before St. Peter’s altar in prayer, [Pope] Leo suddenly produced a jeweled crown, and set it upon the King’s head (Will Durant, The Story of Civilization: Charlemagne the King, pp. 468–469).
After Charlemagne, the Empire again deteriorated, but was revived a third time under Otto I.
Like Charlemagne, Otto received his throne through the Papal claim that the Roman Church had been the only Imperial elector since the early fourth century…. The Holy Roman Empire was thus to a large extent German in its ethnic and political base, [apostate] Christian in its moral justification, and Roman in its claim to legitimacy and universality (The Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, ed. Herzstein, 1966, p. viii).
Charles V and Napoleon constituted the fourth and fifth restorations. From the healing under Justinian in 554 to the fall of Napoleon in 1814, we have [get this] exactly 1,260 years as foretold in Revelation 13 and verses 3 and 5. Revelation 17 tells us that there would be two more revivals after the five during the 1,260 years.
Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits [Rome is built on seven hills]. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen [that was between 554 and 1814], one is [that’s Hitler and Mussolini], and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time (Revelations 17:9–10).
The one to come will be made up of ten kings or nations with the strength of iron and the fragility of clay. This will take place in the near future and when it does, remember where you heard this!
God is not happy with those who take the Beast’s mark. It’s a sign of disobedience. It cannot simply be a computer chip or barcode. It’s the Beast’s mark and the beast fights against Christ at His return.
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. … These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:12, 14).
It may surprise you to know that the Bible speaks of another mark. Few people realize that God gave a sign that identifies His people. Read it for yourself in Exodus 31:13.
Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you [sets you apart]” (Exodus 31:13).
Some wrongly reason that Jesus changed the Sabbath to the first day of the week, but the Bible and early church history show that Jesus, His apostles, and the first century church of God continued to observe the day God sanctified at creation, long before Moses. As we read in Genesis 2:3,
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 2:3).
And Jesus declared to those who were misapplying the Sabbath that:
The Sabbath was [not done away with, but it was] made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27–28).
Now think about this: You are not Lord of something that does not exist!
The Devil is a great counterfeiter. Speaking of false ministers, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11,
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness… (2 Corinthians 11:13–15).
The True Sabbath Day Identifies God’s People
We’ve seen that God has a sign that identifies His people—the seventh day Sabbath. But Satan also has a sign, a mark, that identifies those who are his. Daniel 7 speaks of a stout horn, which can be connected to the woman who rides the beast of Revelation 17. Here’s what Daniel 7:25 reveals about this horn:
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High … and shall intend to change times and law (Daniel 7:25).
Notice that it says, “intend to change times and law.” It was not Jesus, or the Apostle Paul, who changed the day of rest set aside by God at creation. It was Roman Emperor Constantine who changed the Sabbath to Sunday. From Eerdman’s handbook to the history of Christianity,
The Christian Sunday was not made a “day of rest” until Constantine decreed it in AD 321 (Introduction to the History of Christianity, ed. Dowley, p. 123).
Constantine was a sun worshiper:
When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it “the venerable day of the Sun” (Sunday) (p. 140).
But what about the mark being placed on the hand and in the forehead?
Doesn’t this suggest some kind of visible mark or computer chip? We must not read into the Bible our own ideas. We must let the Bible explain its own symbols. A sign in the hand and forehead does not suddenly appear in Revelation. Far from it. This symbolism is used as an identifying sign of obedience to God. Referring to an annual festival given by God and later kept by Jesus and the early church, we read in Exodus 13:9…
… [To] be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth…” (Exodus 13:9).
And after repeating the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, we read in chapter 6:
You shall bind them [that is, God’s Commandments, note this] as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes (Deuteronomy 6:8).
Just as God places His sign on our hand and forehead, so the great counterfeiter’s Beast has his mark.
I hope you enjoyed this video.
If you found it helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get your free copy of our study guide The Beast of Revelation. Just click the link in the description or go to TWTV.ORG/Beast.
We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand your world through the pages of the Bible. So be sure to like and subscribe to our channel so you can watch more videos on important biblical topics.
Thanks for watching! See you next time.
