7 Key Facts About the Mark of the Beast
By Hal Lindsey
The Bible uses only a few words to describe the mark of the beast money system. But that description gives us an amazing amount of information. Here are just seven of the things it teaches us.
Number One — The system will be global. Revelation 13:7-8 says, “authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him [the Antichrist]. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him.” The mark of the beast will be tied to his authority and will be part of the worship people give him.
Number Two — The mark will be required by law, and no one will be exempt. Revelation 13:16-17 says that the False Prophet “causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead.” Wealth will not buy an exemption, and neither will poverty.
Number Three — Some will reject the mark despite the law. At the time of the rapture, the dead in Christ will be resurrected into new heavenly bodies and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Those in Christ who are still living will change. Their mortal bodies will change into immortal, heavenly ones. After the rapture, others will turn to Christ. These post-rapture followers of Jesus will be distinguished in part by the fact that they will refuse the mark of the beast. Revelation 20:4 says, “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand.”
Number Four — The mark of the beast will be the culmination of a great deception. Revelation 13:14 says the False Prophet “deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast.” This deception leads directly to the mark.
Number Five — Satan will empower the mark system. Daniel 8:24 makes this intriguing statement about the Antichrist. “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power.” We find that verse explained in Revelation 13:2. “The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 explain that the dragon is Satan.
Number Five — The mark of the beast will be the ultimate rejection of God. Revelation 14:11 says, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Number Six — The Antichrist and False Prophet will use the mark as a weapon against believers. Revelation 13:7 is speaking of Antichrist when it says, “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” Imagine a worldwide law that does not allow anyone without the mark to buy or sell. In our jobs, we sell our work, services, or creative output. In our day-to-day living, we buy food, clothes, transportation, and housing. All that will stop for tribulation believers because they will refuse the mark of the beast. That’s one of the ways Antichrist will make war with them and overcome them.
Number Seven — The mark system will not last long. At the halfway mark of the seven-year tribulation period, Antichrist will shatter his covenant with Israel. In the last three and one-half years of tribulation, pain and chaos will reign on the earth. At the end of the seven years, Jesus will return. Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire. The seven years will seem long to those experiencing it, but in the context of eternity, it will be like nothing.
Our time here is short. We need to get the word out to everyone we can by every means available.
