What is the Mark of the Beast?
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There are many theories about what the Mark of the Beast might be.
But to really understand the Mark of the Beast, you need to start by reading all of the Bible verses that describe the mark.
As we look at all of these scriptures, you’ll see that the Bible actually reveals what the mark is.
The first scripture we will read describes an angel who will pour a plague on the earth:
So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. (Revelation 16:2, NKJV throughout, unless otherwise noted)
Some people think that the sore described in this verse might be caused by a reaction to a vaccine. Others believe this sore could be caused by chemicals that leak out of a microchip that is implanted in the skin.
One reason why there are so many different ideas about the Mark of the Beast is because most people just look at one scripture like this, focus on one or two details, and then they use their imagination to fill in the rest of the picture.
But each scripture is just one piece of a puzzle.
What we really need to do is gather all of the pieces of the puzzle and put them together to see what picture appears. So in this article, we will read every Bible verse about the Mark of the Beast and gather 10 clues that we can use to identify the mark.
The first clue I see in this passage is:
1. At a specific time, a terrible sore will appear on people with the Mark of the Beast
Now one of the big questions people have is whether this mark is something physical or if it is symbolic. The scripture we just read might seem to answer that question. But before we jump to conclusions, let’s consider all of the possibilities. One possibility is that this sore is caused by a natural reaction to a physical mark.
The other possibility is that this sore is a supernatural punishment. In that case the mark could be either physical or symbolic.
If this sore will be caused by a reaction to a physical mark, you would probably expect the sore to appear on different people at different times, right?
But this scripture seems to indicate that this sore will appear on everyone at the same time. The sore will appear when an angel pours out the first of seven bowls of punishment, right after Jesus Christ returns.
So to me, this appears to be a supernatural punishment.
But as we read these scriptures, I don’t want you to just accept my conclusions. I encourage you to think about each scripture, take your own notes, and make your own conclusions.
Also, as we gather these clues about the mark of the Beast, I’m going to keep all of the possibilities on the table to make sure I don’t force my opinions onto the evidence. So let’s keep in mind that this sore could have a natural or supernatural cause, even if a supernatural cause seems to be more likely.
The second clue I see here is that the mark is mentioned together with worshiping the image of the Beast. We see this connection again in the next scripture, which says:
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the Beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, really, he will drink of the wine of the fury of God, mixed at full strength in the cup of His wrath. In fact, he will be tormented with fire and sulfur before the holy angels and before the Lamb.” So the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, those who worship the Beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9-11, WPNT)
I’m going to note:
2. The mark is connected in some way to worship of the Beast and his image
The next thing I notice is that God will be angry with and punish people who receive the mark.
So what causes God’s wrath? Ephesians 5:6 says: “…the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
God’s wrath comes on those who disobey. If you’re obeying God, God is not going to be angry with you. If that isn’t clear, you can read Romans 1:18-2:16, because this clearly explains that disobedience is what God punishes people for.
So if the mark didn’t involve disobedience, God wouldn’t be angry, and He wouldn’t punish people for it.
So the third clue is:
3. God will punish people for receiving the Mark, because it involves disobedience
To reinforce this point, notice the next verse in Revelation. We already read verses 9 through 11 which describe people with the mark. The next verse describes those who don’t have the Mark:
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)
So clue number four is:
4. Those who don’t have the mark “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”
They are obeying God.
One other clue I see here is:
5. The mark is on the hand or the forehead
We’ll dig deeper into that clue a little later, but first let’s read another Bible verse:
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
This scripture mostly reinforces the clues we have already gathered.
We see the mark is on the hand or on the forehead. We see it is connected in some way to worship of the Beast and his image. And also I’ll add a note:
6. Those who don’t have the mark will be “beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God”
I think this means they aren’t afraid to talk about or be a witness for Jesus, and they are following the word of God, which is the Bible. Some other possible interpretations are that they are killed for owning a Bible or talking about the Bible. Regardless, these people care about the Bible more than staying alive, and God will reward them.
Our next scripture is Revelation 15:2:
And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. (Revelation 15:2)
I have included this scripture just for completeness. The phrase I have highlighted about the mark isn’t in most Greek manuscripts, so it may or may not be in your Bible depending on which translation you have.
If you see something important in this verse that we haven’t already noted, you can make a note.
Next, turn to Revelation 19:20, which says:
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)
Here we are introduced to a person called the false prophet who uses miracles to deceive the people who have the mark. But the people who don’t take the mark aren’t deceived by the miracles.
So I’ll add another clue:
7. The false prophet will use miracles to deceive people who receive the mark
We still need to find out who this false prophet is and who or what the Beast is. The answers are in Revelation chapter 13.
That chapter describes one beast that comes out of the sea, and another beast that comes up out of the earth.
The first beast is the one called “the Beast” in the scriptures we have already read. The Mark of the Beast is the mark of this first beast.
The second beast performs miracles, so we can understand that the second beast is connected to the miracle-working false prophet.
So let’s read Revelation 13:
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)
All of the symbols here are explained in other parts of the Bible, so we don’t need to guess what they mean.
In Daniel chapter 7 there is a prophecy about 4 beasts that come out of the sea.
The first is a lion, then a bear, then a leopard with 4 heads, and then a beast with 10 horns.
Daniel 7:17 says:
‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.’ (Daniel 7:17)
So each beast represents a king, but each beast also represents a kingdom, as we see in Daniel 7:23:
“Thus he said, ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth…’” (Daniel 7:23)
So just like in the book of Daniel, the Beast in the book of Revelation represents both a king and his kingdom. That’s why sometimes the prophecies about the Beast in Revelation sound like they are describing a government, and sometimes they sound like they are describing a person. The Beast represents both a king and his kingdom.
The word for king in the Bible can mean any kind of government leader, and the word kingdom often refers to an empire.
If we compare what we read in Daniel 7 with history and with another prophecy in Daniel chapter 2, we can understand that the four beasts in the book of Daniel represent four empires.
The first empire was the Babylonian Empire, which was conquered by the Medes and Persians. The Persian Empire was conquered by Alexander the Great, and after his death, his empire split into four kingdoms, represented by the 4 heads of the leopard. Then the Romans conquered the Greeks and ruled until 476 AD in the west, and until 1453 in the east. And even after the fall of the Roman Empire, there have been other governments and organizations in Europe that have carried on the systems and traditions of the Roman empire up until today.
Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 7 predict that the 4th empire–the Roman Empire–would continue until the return of Jesus Christ. That means the empire that will dominate the world at the end of the age will be some kind of continuation of the Roman system.
But in the book of Revelation, we see that all of the features of these four beasts are combined into one beast with seven heads. This 7-headed beast is described as a super-government that rules the whole world, and persecutes the followers of Christ:
“It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” (Revelation 13:7)
So the clue I extract from this is:
8. The Beast represents a world-ruling government that is a continuation of Rome, and the man who leads that government
If you understand this differently, make your own note. But it is important to understand who or what this Beast is because the “Mark of the Beast” is the mark of this beast.
Now let’s look at the second beast:
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11)
In the Bible, the Lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ (John 1:29) and the dragon is a symbol of Satan (Revelation 12:9).
Just like the first beast, this second beast probably represents not only a man, but also an organization. The person is called the false prophet, and the false prophet and the organization he represents will look like a lamb. They will look good and resemble Jesus Christ in some way. But the message of this man and the organization he represents is a deceptive message from the Devil.
Now let’s read how the false prophet will cooperate with the Beast:
And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Revelation 13:12)
The Beast will share power with this false prophet, and this false prophet will direct people to bow down to the Beast.
So we see a government–that is a continuation of Rome–and its leader will support a religious leader, and that religious leader in return will support the government.
This false prophet also
performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (Revelation 13:13-15)
Next we see that the false prophet will impose the Mark of the Beast:
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)
So the false prophet is the one who will cause people to receive the Mark of the Beast. It isn’t the government. The government may be the one who enforces the rule that no one may buy or sell without the mark. But the mark itself is imposed by a religious leader.
Since that religious leader looks like a lamb, and will cooperate with a government that is a continuation of Rome, it appears to me that the false prophet will be a prophet of Christianity–but you can make your own conclusions.
For the next clue I will note:
9. The mark will be enforced by a false “Christian” prophet and the organization he represents
Now the last verse we read says that “no one may buy or sell except one who has” one of three things:
- the mark
- or the name of the Beast
- or the number of his name
But the word “or” highlighted below is not in most Greek manuscripts.
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 13:17)
That means that the word “or” might not be the original wording of the book of Revelation. If that word is not supposed to be there, then this could also be translated in another way.
Here is how it is translated in the New International Version:
It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Revelation 13:16-17, NIV)
Now I do not recommend using any translation like the NIV for studying Bible prophecy, because as you can see, the translators have added the words marked in bold. Those words aren’t in any Greek manuscripts.
The translators have added those words to make the meaning clear, but in places like this, where a scripture has two possible meanings or two ways it could be translated, this translation only gives you one of the two possible meanings, and hides the other meaning. So when studying prophecy, you should use a translation that is focused on accuracy, rather than a translation that tries to make everything as easy to read as possible.
In my notes, I’m not going to add any words, because I want both of the possible meanings to be visible.
So clue number 10 is:
10. No one may buy or sell without the mark, the name, or the number of his name
So maybe people can’t buy without one of these three things, or perhaps the mark is the name of the Beast or the number of the Beast’s name.
The next verse tells us what that number is:
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:18)
I will explain more about this number and two manuscripts that give a different number in another article.
But so far, we have looked at all of the Bible verses that mention the mark of the beast, and we found 10 clues that will help us identify the mark.
In part 2 we are going to look at another set of scriptures that mention other marks, signs, and seals that are also located on people’s hands and foreheads.
Then we will have all of the clues we need, and we will put them together and let the Bible reveal the Mark of the Beast.