The Mark of the Beast
We read about the mark of the Beast in the two verses before the verse quoted on the front of this booklet. 'He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name' (Revelation 13:16,17).
These verses have given rise to a lot of thought and speculation. Many people no doubt have been worried or frightened by what they have heard and been taught. What is the nature of this mark? People have suggested that credit cards will be replaced by electronic marking of the hand or forehead. Your bank balance could be electronically written on your hand, and updated whenever you bought or sold! I once even heard that the central computer that was going to control it all was somehow designed round the number 6! (This last idea is very improbable, as all good computing people know that there are 8 bits to a byte, and computers are generally built around 2s and 8s and 16s rather than 6s!)
This literal view of Revelation chapter 13 clashes with chapter 14 verse 1: 'Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.' We must interpret consecutive verses consistently. If the mark of the beast is made electronically on people's foreheads then the name of Jesus must be written electronically on the foreheads of the 144,000. I have never heard anyone suggest that that is what is going to happen.
Can a physical mark somehow inscribed on our bodies really make us pleasing or displeasing to God? I don't think so. It is what goes on inside the forehead that really matters. Inside you can have one of two different kinds of mind. You can have the mind of the beast, or animal, to use the normal modern English word; or you can have the mind of Christ. Both minds are mentioned in scripture and we will now consider each in turn.
The Mind of the Beast
In Daniel 4:16, we read: Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him. Who was this man? Nebuchadnezzar, the great king and rebuilder of Babylon, was one of the most powerful men in ancient history.
In the pages of the Bible there are two great rival cities. We first hear of Babylon under its Hebrew name Babel in the well known story of Genesis chapter 11. It comes into prominence in the latter part of the Old Testament. Jerusalem is first mentioned in the book of Joshua, but is not important till the time of King David. He captures it from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. From then on it is prominent throughout scripture, and is seldom long out of the news today. The book of Revelation ends with the destruction of Babylon and the manifestation of the new Jerusalem descending from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband.
Egypt and Babylon were the two great empires of ancient times. Both are full of deep spiritual significance. The first great deliverance of scripture was from Egypt. The second was from Babylon. All God's people Israel came out of Egypt. Only a minority of them returned from Babylon.
What do these two countries represent? Every Bible reader knows the story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt, the ten plagues, the first Passover, the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea and the bringing to birth of God's people Israel. Everyone has at least a basic knowledge that Jesus is the new Passover Lamb who has brought us out of a spiritual Egypt and created us as a new spiritual people.
The deliverance from Babylon is less familiar. Babylon was the great home of false religion. The essence of false religion is that it is based on man and man's works. It has no real reference to God. It promotes and exalts man.
Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon when the Jews were there in captivity. Chapter four of Daniel describes Nebuchadnezzar's fall and restoration in his own words. His troubles began when he proudly said: Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? These words echo those of the first builders of Babel centuries before as they built their tower in total independence of and disregard for God. 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, they said, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.' They also have the same spirit as the builders of countless spiritual babels from that day to this.
No sooner were these words out of Nebuchadnezzar's mouth than judgment fell. In the words of scripture, He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. And the words previously quoted, Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, were fulfilled.
An animal (a beast) can have no idea of God. Spiritual and moral values are of no meaning to it. The number six represents man without God. The number six six six means man man man, a system that is totally man-centred and man-dominated. Everything is based on man's thoughts and plans and schemes. There is no room for God in it.
For seven years he lived as an animal and ate grass until his reason returned to him. His last recorded words have quite a different spirit: Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Nebuchadnezzar's earlier career had been marked by the number 6. He built an image 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide. The Philistine giant Goliath was strikingly similar to Nebuchadnezzar. He also boasted of himself and was marked with the number 6. He was 6 cubits tall and had a spear with an iron point weighing six hundred shekels. He also had 6 pieces of armour. His fate was more drastic in that rather than just receiving the mind of a beast for 7 years, his head was cut off altogether!
We might have expected a number related to 13 rather than 6 to be the number of the beast, as 13 is more associated with Satan whereas 6 is the number of man. A well known incident from the gospels helps us understand. Peter had a wonderful moment of revelation when he said to Jesus, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Very soon afterwards in the narrative, Peter gave Jesus some wise human advice about avoiding the way of the cross. Jesus turned and said to him, Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. 666 represents man without God. Peter's advice was 666, but Jesus saw it as directly from Satan. The truth is that man without God is man with Satan.
You cannot be neutral. You cannot opt to live with neither God nor Satan. Any system or any life that gives no place to God is actually controlled by Satan, because he is the prince of this world.