There are many unscriptural ideas that people have regarding the mark of the beast. These ideas often circulate on social media sites and are steeped in conspiracies. Its unfortunate that many times well-meaning evangelicals are responsible for the spread of such false doctrines about the mark of the beast. In this article I want to briefly address some of the more prevalent ideas circulating in our current climate.

Since the current mark of the beast frenzy surrounds the covid 19 vaccines, the examples I am sharing in this article are comments from social media regarding the vaccines being the mark.

THE BEAST SYSTEM

Many have bought into the idea that there is a “beast system” that we must avoid at all costs. One person said the following about the covid vaccines:

“…it’s setting things up perfectly so when the time comes to accept the mark they will already be prepared and mentally just go with it.” 

Another person said this:

“No it’s not the mark, yet. What we’re seeing is how easy it will be to convince the masses when the true mark comes.”

The idea of brainwashing people so that they will succumb to the mark of the beast is not scriptural at all. In scripture there is no system set up which leads people like sheep to the slaughter to receive the mark of the beast. In scripture an authoritarian ruler arises declaring himself to be God and demanding worship before there is ever a mark. Only after a second beast arises which is loyal to the first beast is a mark implemented by the second beast. In scripture, only those who hate God and refuse to repent of their wickedness show allegiance to the beast and take his mark because they worship him.


GLOBAL LEADERS CONSPIRING

Another example of a false dichotomy about the mark of the beast is idea that globel leaders are working together to control the population.

Notice how this comes through in the three comments below:

Its the beginning…they’re observing global behavior …that’s why the plandemic..and now pushing vax mandates… All ties into the NWO…and their evil plan. The Mark of the Beast.

I take it as a trial for the mark and it’s proving to be successful. Talk about setting the stage

This is exactly the conclusion I have come to. They are conditioning people and setting the stage for the antichrist.

Contrary to these comments, the mark of the beast is not the result of global leaders working together to control people. The beast of the book of Revelation is a singular individual and the mark of the beast corresponds with the name and number of the name of the individual whom the apostle John sees in a vision  as “a beast”.

The scripture says, Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six ~ Revelation 13:18.

The beast of the book of the Revelation is an individual (an authoritarian ruler), and the mark corresponds with his image and the number of his name. The Bible warns us to be wise regarding this, yet so many are foolishly believing that the mark of the beast is a result of the formation of many gobel leaders working together to control people.


SUSPICION

For many, suspicion drives their understanding more than truth and facts. This comment below demonstrates how many think regarding the mark of the beast:

I guess I can’t say unequivocally that it isn’t, so I’m steering clear.

This is a classic example of the fear that is rampant with so many people who want to “steer clear” just in case it’s the mark. Such notions fester the beliefs that a person can unknowingly take the mark of the beast and be condemned to eternal damnation even though they may love God and want to serve him. In scripture there are clear warnings about what the mark is and not to take it, and absolutely no one takes it unknowingly.

The notion that someone could accidentally take the mark of the beast and be damned to eternal punishment when they had no intention of doing wrong is completely foreign to the teachings of scripture, and the prophecy given to the apostle John in the book of the Revelation. Those who believe that people who have been vaccinated for health reasons have received the mark are dishonoring the the character of God and the faith in Christ. If you think that a servant of God can unknowingly take a mark and be condemned to eternal damnation, you have become like those that the apostle Peter describes when he speaks of those who turn the scriptures to their own destruction.

It is shameful that any christian would believe such nonsense.


THE TRAP

Then there are those who think the mark of the beast is an evil trap to deceive the ignorant. this idea runs close to the last one mentioned above. Notice how it comes through in the following comments:

I agree, I think it’s a test run of sorts.

It’s conditioning.

True, it is the precursor to the mark.

Work’s like a trap, from the beginning

YEP! And if we comply…it will lead to the mark!

Could be a trial run

Again, there is no text anywhere in the book of the Revelation that reveals that the mark of the beast is taken by ignorant people who were conditioned to blindly follow whatever global leaders tell them to do.


OVER SPIRITUALIZING

The beast that the apostle John saw in a vision was symbolic of a real person and should be rightly interpreted to be understood correctly. Here is one example of over spiritualizing:

The body is the temple. This is the abomination that maketh desolate.

Notice that this commenter joins two separate things from scripture to come up with a “spiritual” conclusion. First, he says “the body is the temple”. The Bible teaches that our bodies as believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit and members of Christ. The Bible does not teach that the human body is a generic temple. Our bodies as members of Christ are God’s temple because His Spirit dwells in us. Secondly, this commentator mentions the abomination of desolation in a fashion that isn’t aligned with scripture.

In scripture, the abomination of desolation specifically refers to the desecration of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D., and Jesus told his followers this:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day… ~ Matthew 24:15 -20

Notice that all the details and terminology is specifically related to the Jewish people of that generation. The abomination of desolation, spoken by the prophet Daniel stands in the holy place. What holy place? The one in the temple. This entire dialogue began when Jesus’s disciples commented about the splendor of temple, to which Jesus responded by prophesying its destruction, saying, not one stone would be lifted upon another that shall not be thrown down. ~ Matthew 24:2

The holy place is a reference to that first century Jewish temple. Jesus also mentions Judaea, the nearby mountains, the Jewish style homes, and the Sabbath. These words are in a Jewish context regarding God’s judgment on the temple and not in a Gentile or United States of America context.

Finally, Another commenter expressed their suspicion of the mark overtaking people like sheep lead to the slaughter in this way:

No, but when they flip that 5 G switch, it will dumb them down and cut that connection to God, enough that they will accept the mark willingly.

In the book of the Revelation, the mark of the beast is not a form of mind control given to the brained washed. It is a mark given to those who hate the living God and worship the beast which is a man who is an authoritarian ruler claiming to be God. Those who take the mark do it because they willingly reject God and refuse to repent of their sins. – “and they repented not to give him glory.” ~ Revelation 16:9

Repentance, or refusing to repent is a willful decision. Those who took the mark in the book of the Revelation were the unrepentant who aligned themselves with the blasphemous beast – a man who is an authoritarian ruler, claiming to be deity.

In closing, I want to say the following. There was a person who informed me that they felt sorry for me after I communicated to them that I am vaccinated and I love God and worship and bless his holy name. Their belief that the vaccine is the mark of the beast carried more weight in their response to me than the fact that I love God and worship God. When you embrace an ideology that unsuspecting Christians who love God can unknowingly take the mark of the beast and be doomed to eternal damnation even though they love God, something has gone terribly wrong in your thinking and understanding of God, Christ, and the gospel.

If this is you, it is you that have been deceived, and not those taking the vaccine.