We see the Beast of Revelation, which is a conglomerate of the pagan entity of nations before it and gets its power from evil. So what is the mark of the beast, some think it is a bar code or a tattooed number, maybe a computer chip under the skin, or is it something subtler? It’s one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted prophecies in all of the Bible, yet it is important to understand it. In studying the mark of the beast, we must show what the Bible tells us and compare with history and what it shows us.
Revelation 13:1-8 King James Version (KJV)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And compare to Daniel 7:
Daniel 7:1-8 King James Version (KJV)
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Revelation 13 clearly unveils the identity the beast and we see it’s an exact parallel to Daniel 7. Martin Luther, and the other Protestant reformers, correctly identified the beast power and the antichrist power as the Roman papacy. And you can go check history and you will see the confirmation of this truth, and how it was taught and maintained in the Protestant Reformation.
If you look at the comparison between Daniel and Revelation, you see in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 the parallels. You see clearly how the beast power would rise out of the Roman Empire. That it would be a worldwide religious power that would persecute the people of God down through history by the uniting of church and state. That this entity would reign, according to verse 5 of Revelation 13 and others, for a prophetic 42 months, or 1260 years.
It would force a change and an acceptance of human teachings or traditions to substituted for the Word of God. We see what will happen to those who follow the beast in Revelation 14:
Revelation 14:9-12 King James Version (KJV)
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.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The Bible clearly tells us of a conflict there is in progress between God and the devil.
Isaiah 14:12 King James Version (KJV)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Luke 10:18 King James Version (KJV)
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Ezekiel 28:14 King James Version (KJV)
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Revelation 12:3-9 King James Version (KJV)
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth...7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him
The war has raged through after Lucifer rebelled against God. With the angels who joined him, he attempted to seize control of the universe. God and the loyal angels had no choice but to eject Lucifer and his angels from heaven. Lucifer, or the dragon was determined to control the universe, and through many lies has won the support of the majority of earth’s people in his rebellion. God gives mankind freewill and leaves all free to choose, so people who are on earth will have aligned with either Satan or God.
The final battle is between worship as we see in Revelation, which points out that God has a sign that will identify His people. Satan also has an sign, which we see as the mark of the beast, that will identify those who support him. Satan will work through this earthly power, symbolized in Revelation by the beast, to impose his mark.
Revelation 13:1-8 King James Version (KJV)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And compare to Daniel 7:
Daniel 7:1-8 King James Version (KJV)
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Revelation 13 clearly unveils the identity the beast and we see it’s an exact parallel to Daniel 7. Martin Luther, and the other Protestant reformers, correctly identified the beast power and the antichrist power as the Roman papacy. And you can go check history and you will see the confirmation of this truth, and how it was taught and maintained in the Protestant Reformation.
If you look at the comparison between Daniel and Revelation, you see in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 the parallels. You see clearly how the beast power would rise out of the Roman Empire. That it would be a worldwide religious power that would persecute the people of God down through history by the uniting of church and state. That this entity would reign, according to verse 5 of Revelation 13 and others, for a prophetic 42 months, or 1260 years.
It would force a change and an acceptance of human teachings or traditions to substituted for the Word of God. We see what will happen to those who follow the beast in Revelation 14:
Revelation 14:9-12 King James Version (KJV)
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.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The Bible clearly tells us of a conflict there is in progress between God and the devil.
Isaiah 14:12 King James Version (KJV)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Luke 10:18 King James Version (KJV)
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Ezekiel 28:14 King James Version (KJV)
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Revelation 12:3-9 King James Version (KJV)
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth...7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him
The war has raged through after Lucifer rebelled against God. With the angels who joined him, he attempted to seize control of the universe. God and the loyal angels had no choice but to eject Lucifer and his angels from heaven. Lucifer, or the dragon was determined to control the universe, and through many lies has won the support of the majority of earth’s people in his rebellion. God gives mankind freewill and leaves all free to choose, so people who are on earth will have aligned with either Satan or God.
The final battle is between worship as we see in Revelation, which points out that God has a sign that will identify His people. Satan also has an sign, which we see as the mark of the beast, that will identify those who support him. Satan will work through this earthly power, symbolized in Revelation by the beast, to impose his mark.
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