The Mark of the Beast Revealed

In part 1 we read every Bible verse that mentions the Mark of the Beast and we found 10 clues about the mark.

One of those clues was that the mark of the beast will be on people’s hand or forehead.

In part 2 of this lesson we will uncover five more clues by looking at the marks, signs, and seals that are on the hands and foreheads of those who follow God. Then we will put all 15 clues together to reveal the Mark of the Beast.

In Revelation 7 we learn about a seal that will be placed on the foreheads of the servants of God:

Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Rev. 7:2-3, NKJV throughout unless otherwise noted)

If you keep reading, you will see that these people are those who repent during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:9, 14), and they will be protected during the seven trumpet plagues that follow (Revelation 9:4).

But what about people who are Christians before the Great Tribulation begins?

Here is a scripture that many point to as evidence that God will spare believers from the Great Tribulation:

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesian 4:30, KJV)

Some teach that those who are sealed by the holy spirit will be raptured to heaven. Others think they will be protected on earth. And some believe that many of them will be martyred. We’ll explore all these questions in another lesson.

But there is a huge thing that many people fail to consider.

Not everyone who thinks they have the holy spirit actually does. Notice that Acts 5:32 says that God has given the holy spirit to those who obey Him:

“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:32)

This is an important piece of the puzzle that will help us understand what the mark of the beast is.

So let’s add this to the 10 clues we found in part 1.

Clue 11 is:

11. Only Christians who obey God have been sealed by the holy spirit (Acts 5:32; Ephesians 4:30)

Jesus said,

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus said there are many people who think they are Christians, but aren’t. These people call Jesus “Lord.” They might preach in His name and perform miracles, but Jesus will reject them because they practice lawlessness. They don’t obey God.

So there are a lot of people who think they will be either raptured or protected in some other way during the Great Tribulation, who won’t be protected because they don’t obey God.

We aren’t talking about just a few Christians. The Bible actually says that Satan deceives the whole world:

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Think about that. About 30% of people on earth claim to be Christians. But the Bible says that Satan deceives the whole world. How can you reconcile those two facts?

Also, 1 John 5:19 says,

“the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

If these statements are true, then there are a lot of people who think they are Christians who are deceived.

So our next clue about the Mark of the Beast is:

12. Satan deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 5:19)

Now let’s look at another sign that is on the hands and foreheads of those who follow God. We find this sign in Exodus 13. The first part of this chapter has instructions about celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then Moses said that when the Israelites would follow these instructions,

“It shall 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; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13:9, see also verse 16)

This describes the Israelites’ obedience to God as placing a sign on their hand on their forehead. It also says God’s law would be in their mouth. Of course, that doesn’t mean they should put a Bible in their mouth or tie a sign onto their hands or foreheads. These symbols mean that they should speak about God’s law, and think about it, and do it.

We find a similar statement in Deuteronomy 6, which says:

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 6:6)

Again, this is symbolic. You don’t actually inject words into your heart with a needle, but rather you put them into your heart by studying them and embracing them.

Then the Bible says:

“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:8)

God tells us to put the words that were commanded on that day in our heart (representing what we love), and on our hand (representing our actions), and on our forehead (representing our thoughts).

So what were the words that were commanded on that day?

Well, just before this, in Deuteronomy 5, Moses explained the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the words that were commanded on that day.

So our next clue is:

13. The Ten Commandments are a sign on the hand and forehead of those who follow God (Deuteronomy 5; 6:6-8)

If we follow the Ten Commandments, we will have God’s sign on our hand and forehead, and that might help us avoid taking the mark of the Beast on our hand and forehead.

So let’s dig deeper to see if the Bible says any of the Ten Commandments are specifically a mark, or seal, or sign of God.

Here is a list of the Ten Commandments, as they appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

I am the Lord your God: You shall not have strange Gods before me.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Most Protestants number the commandments differently, splitting the first commandment listed here into two, and combining the last two into one. But regardless of how you number them, there are a lot of details that are hidden in a short summary of the Ten Commandments like this.

So let’s compare the shortened version of the first commandment with the first commandment that is written in the Bible.

The short version in the Catechism says:

I am the Lord your God: You shall not have strange Gods before me.

Here is what is written in the Bible:

And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:1-3)

So far, the two versions are pretty similar. But the next part, which Protestants call the second commandment, is entirely omitted. This is the part that is missing:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)

In part 1 we read scriptures in the book of Revelation that describe the false prophet telling people to make an image to the beast and to bow down to it. That is exactly what is forbidden in the Ten Commandments. But a lot of people don’t know this because they only memorize a short version of the Ten Commandments.

Now keep that in mind, and look at this prophecy in Ezekiel chapter 9:

and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:4)

This prophecy describes people who are marked on their foreheads because they sigh and cry over the abominations that were happening. These people are marked for protection, and then everyone else is killed.

If you read Ezekiel chapter 8, you will see that people who are killed were bowing down to idols, worshipping other gods, and worshipping the sun. The people who were protected were those who were not participating in these things.

So our next clue is:

14. God marks people for protection who are upset with the worship of idols, other gods, and the sun (Ezekiel 8-9)

Now going back to the Ten Commandments, we find another part that many people never read. This is in what Catholics call the 3rd commandment, and what Protestants call the 4th commandment.

The short version of the commandment in the Catechism is:

Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

And this is what the Bible says:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11)

As you can see, a lot of details were left out, and the command itself was actually changed. The original command was to keep the seventh day holy by resting on it, just as God rested on the seventh day of creation. The seventh day in the Bible refers to the time between sunset on Friday and sunset on Saturday.

But in the Catechism, the command has been changed to say we must keep the Lord’s Day holy. This is referring to Sunday, which is the first day of the week.

Seventh Day Adventists claim that this change from Sabbath to Sunday worship is the Mark of the Beast. But almost every other church teaches that Sunday is the proper day of worship for Christians.

I’m not a Seventh Day Adventist, but several clues about the Mark of the Beast have led us to the Ten Commandments. So I think we should examine both why Seventh Day Adventists believe that Sunday worship is the Mark of the Beast, and why most Christians disagree.

Seventh Day Adventists say that the change from Saturday to Sunday is described in a prophecy in Daniel 7:25. This is what that prophecy says:

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)

Since this prophecy describes someone who will “intend to change times and laws,” some people think this could refer to changing the Sabbath command, because that involved a change of both times and law.

If we compare this prophecy in Daniel 7 about a little horn with the prophecy in Revelation 13 about the Beast, we see that:

They both speak proud words against God:
- “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High” (Daniel 7:25)
- “he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” (Revelation 13:5)
They both persecute the saints:
- “[He] shall persecute the saints” (Daniel 7:25)
- “It was granted to him to make war with the saints” (Revelation 13:7)
And they both exercise authority for three and a half years:
- “the saints shall be given into his hands for a time and times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25)
- “he was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5)

When we see a lot of connections like this between two prophecies, it usually means they are describing the same events. So it is reasonable to conclude that the Beast will intend to change times and law.

Seventh Day Adventists point to some historical events to explain how this might happen.

For example, in 321 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine, made this decree:

Let all judges and urban people rest and the work of all crafts cease on the venerable day of the sun. (Latin: Omnes iudices urbanaeque plebes et artium officia cunctarum venerabili die solis quiescant.)

Quoted in Justinian’s Code 3.12.2

With this decree, Constantine established Sunday as a day of rest in the Roman Empire.

It might be helpful to understand that Constantine’s mother was a Christian, and his father worshipped the sun. By establishing Sunday as a day of rest, he was able to please both Christians and sun-worshippers.

About 40 years later (364 AD), the Council of Laodicea forbid Christians from keeping the Sabbath:

Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. (Cannon 29)

So Seventh Day Advents believe that a Pope will use his influence to establish Sunday as a universal day of rest, and that those who comply with this law will have the mark of the Beast.

But consider this: if Jesus Christ replaced the Sabbath with Sunday, then Sunday cannot be the mark of the Beast.

So what does the Bible say?

Within Christianity, there are at least four different theories about the Sabbath commandment.

Theory 1: Christians must keep the Sabbath according to the Ten Commandments

This, of course, is a minority theory that is only taught by a few churches.

But Sabbath-keepers point out that when Jesus was teaching about the Great Tribulation, He said:

“Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.” (Matthew 24:20, HCSB)

So the question here is, Why should Christians living right before the Great Tribulation be concerned about escaping on a Sabbath, unless they are keeping the Sabbath?

Another scripture they point to is a prophecy in Isaiah about a future time when:

“from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 66:23)

The argument here is that if God will require all people to keep the Sabbath in the future, then Christians must still be required to keep it now.

Another argument is based on this scripture:

“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.’” (Exodus 31:13)

Here, those who keep the Sabbath say that the Sabbath is a sign that identifies God’s people, just as the Mark of the Beast identifies those who follow the Beast.

However, others point out that this verse says the Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel, not between God and Christians.

But those who keep the Sabbath reply that in Galatians 6:16, Christians are called “the Israel of God.”

So if Christians are “the Israel of God,” then it might be possible that the Sabbath is still a sign between God and Christians.

Theory 2: Christians can choose any day they want to worship God

Here is the scripture people use to support this theory:

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. (Romans 14:5)

Since this verse doesn’t specifically mention the Sabbath, we need to read the context to find out what the author is talking about.

When we do that, we see that the verses right before and after this are all about eating and not eating [highlight all instances of “eat” and “does not eat” in Rom 14:2-6]. So this is actually talking about eating and not eating on certain days, not about days of worship. So we can’t really use this scripture to prove that we can choose any day we want to worship God.

Theory 3: When Jesus died, He abolished the Sabbath, and Christians have no obligation to keep any day holy

Here is the primary scripture used to prove that Christian’s don’t need to keep the Sabbath:

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17, NIV)

This scripture seems to say that the Sabbath has been replaced by the reality of Christ, so we should not let anyone tell us to keep the Sabbath.

But if you dig a little deeper, you will find that Greek scholars say that this scripture is mistranslated in almost every Bible.

Here is the original Greek:

Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει ἢ ἐν πόσει, ἢ ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς ἢ νουμηνίας ἢ σαββάτων· ἅ ἐστιν σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων, τὸ δὲ σῶμα χριστοῦ. (Colossians 2:16-17, GNT-F35)

And here is a literal translation:

“Let no one therefore judge you in food or in drink, or in [the] matter of a festival or of a new moon or of Sabbaths—which are a shadow of [the] coming [things]—but the body of Christ.”

When you have an accurate translation, you can see that the phrase at the end, about “the body of Christ,” actually refers back to the word judge. So when Paul wrote this, he was telling the Christians in Colossae not to let anyone judge them except for the Body of Christ.

Earlier in the letter, Paul explained that the body of Christ is the Church (Colossians 1:18).

So who were the people outside the Church who were judging the believers in Colossae?

If you read the whole chapter, you will find that Paul was warning them about being deceived by “persuasive words” (Colossians 2:4) that sound wise (Colossians 2:3), but are really just “philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men” (Colossians 2:8).

Certain philosophers taught that people should follow “regulations” (Colossians 2:20) such as “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” (Colossians 2:21).

These “commandments and doctrines of men” (Colossians 2:22) had “an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body,” but Paul says they “are of no value” (Colossians 2:23).

Paul was warning the believers about ascetic philosophers who taught man-made rules about avoiding food and drink that conflicted with the Christian tradition of enjoying food and drink on days of worship.

So when Paul wrote, “Let no one judge you … in the matter … of Sabbaths” (Colossians 2:16), he was actually defending the Sabbath against the teachings of these ascetic philosophers.

This scripture actually shows that in the early Church, the non-Jewish Christians were keeping the Sabbath.

But this, by itself, does not prove that Christians must keep the Sabbath. It only shows that the early Christians kept it.

Theory 4: Christians should keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath

There is no command in the Bible that establishes Sunday as a day of worship or rest. But many Christians believe that Christians have an obligation to honor the first day of the week.

Most Christians regard Sunday as a special day because they believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week.

But consider this. Almost everyone, including Seventh Day Adventists, believe that Jesus was buried near sunset on Friday evening and rose at sunrise on Sunday morning. That was a period of one day and two nights.

But Jesus said He would be buried for “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40).

If you carefully examine all the scriptures you will find that Jesus actually was buried on Wednesday evening, right before a special annual Sabbath, and He rose three days and three nights later on Saturday evening, just as He predicted. Of course, when the women went to the tomb early Sunday morning, Jesus wasn’t there because He had already risen.

Here is a link to all of the scriptures so you can verify this yourself.

And if Jesus didn’t rise on Sunday, then the only reason for Sunday worship disappears.

So our final clue about the Mark of the Beast is:

15. The Sabbath is a sign between God and His people (Exodus 31:13; 20:8-11; Matthew 24:20; Isaiah 66:23)

I’ll let you compare all these clues and decide for yourself what picture appears.

But when I put all of these clues together, I see a picture of a world government (clue 8) working together with a globally-recognized religious leader (clue 9) to create and enforce laws that require people to violate the Ten Commandments (clues 4, 13). One of those laws may require people to rest on Sunday or work on the Sabbath (clue 15).

Modern technology may be used to identify those who comply with these human laws, and to prevent those who do not comply from buying and selling (clue 10).

But the technology itself will not be the mark (clue 3).

Just as accepting and obeying God’s law is a sign on the hand and forehead of God’s people (clues 13 and 15), accepting and obeying human laws that conflict with God’s law (clues 2 and 3) will be a figurative mark on the hand and forehead (clue 5) of those who follow the Beast.

Those who identify as Christians, but do not keep God’s Commandments (clues 11 and 12), will be deceived by the false prophet, who will appear to be a representative of Jesus Christ (clue 9). Those of other religions will be deceived by the miracles that the false prophet will perform (clue 7).

Anyone who will not comply with the man-made laws that conflict with God’s commandments will be persecuted. Some will be protected by God because they refuse the mark (clue 14) and some will be “beheaded for their witness to Jesus and the word of God” (clue 6).

But in the end, God will punish those who break His commandments (clue 3), and when Jesus returns, a terrible sore will appear (clue 1) on everyone who complied with the man-made laws that require people to violate God’s commandments.

I encourage you to search the scriptures yourself to see what they say, and also take a look at the notes below where I answer many common questions and objections.

May God grant us the humility and wisdom we need to recognize and avoid the Mark of the Beast.

15 Clues about the Mark of the Beast

At a specific time, a terrible sore will appear on people with the Mark (Revelation 16:2)
The Mark is connected in some way to worship of the Beast and his image (Revelation 14:9-11)
God will punish people for receiving the Mark, because it involves disobedience (Ephesians 5:6)
Those who don’t have the mark “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12)
The mark is on the hand or the forehead (Revelation 13:16)
Those who don’t have the mark will be “beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God” (Revelation 20:4)
The false prophet will use miracles to deceive people who receive the mark (Revelation 19:20)
The Beast represents a world-ruling government that is a continuation of Rome, and the man who leads that government (Revelation 13:1-8; Daniel 7)
The mark is enforced by a false “Christian” prophet and the organization he represents (Revelation 13:11-17; 19:20; John 1:29)
No one may buy or sell without the mark, the name, or the number of his name (Revelation 13:17)
Christians who obey God have been sealed by the holy spirit (Acts 5:32; Ephesians 4:30)
Satan deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 5:19)
The 10 Commandments are a sign on the hand and forehead of those who follow God (Deuteronomy 5; 6:6-8)
God marks people for protection who are upset with the worship of idols, pagan gods, and the sun (Ezekiel 8-9)
The Sabbath is a sign between God and His people (Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13; Matthew 24:20; Isaiah 66:23)

Notes

Part 1: 10 Clues about the Mark of the Beast

Common Questions and Objections

Didn’t Jesus Fulfill the Law for Us?

Which Day Is the Biblical Day of Rest for Christians?

Why Do Most Christians Worship on Sunday?

Was Jesus Really Dead for 3 Days and 3 Nights?

Credits

GNT-F35: The Greek New Testament According to Family 35, Wilber N. Pickering