The Mark of the Beast
Revelation 13:15-18
I. SATAN’S END-TIME STRATEGY AND THE MARK OF THE BEAST
A. Satan will raise up a worldwide worship and prayer movement in which he and the Antichrist will be worshipped and
obeyed by multitudes (Revelation 13:4, 8, 12, 15). Hundreds of millions will accept the Antichrist’s claims and thus,
participate in Satanic worship.
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him (Antichrist), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)
B. The False Prophet’s plan to strength the Antichrist’s global worship movement consists of the image of the Beast
and the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:13-18; 14:9-12; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).
1. The image will be used to mobilize the Antichrist’s worshippers and penalize resisters.
2. The mark will provide economic resources for the Antichrist’s worship movement and economic oppression against
those who refuse to cooperate.
II. WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE MARK OF THE BEAST
A. All who take the mark will suffer God’s eternal judgment. Whoever takes the mark will become demonized, reprobate
and sure to receive the eternal wrath of God (Revelation 14:9-11).
9 If anyone worships the Beast…and receives his mark…10 he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God…He shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone… 11 The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day
or night... (Revelation 14:9-11)
B. Multitudes will be deceived into taking the mark by demonic miracles.
13 He (False Prophet) performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight
of men. 14 He deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs…16 He causes all…to receive a mark on their right
hand or foreheads… (Revelation 13:16)
C. Multitudes will be pressured by financial sanctions and the threat of persecution to receive the mark. This will be
a time of testing for all mankind. The majority will not pass the test.
D. This subject is one of the most important truths that the Church must understand and proclaim. It represents one
of the most critical decisions that anyone can make in the generation in which the Lord returns. The Bible gives significant
details so that anyone who desires can be prepared. We must not over dramatize nor minimize these prophecies that
are of unparalleled importance to all.
E. Scripture exhorts us to search out this matter by calculating the number of Antichrist which is the mark of the Beast.
God will expose deception related to the mark to all who seek wisdom.
18 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)
III. OVERVIEW OF THE MARK OF THE BEAST
15 He (False Prophet) 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. 16 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, 17 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. 18 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 13:15-18)
A. The main purpose of the mark of the Beast is to support the Antichrist’s worldwide worship movement. The False
Prophet will establish economic laws that will provide massive financial resources for the Antichrist’s worship movement.
He will also establish economic sanctions that will forbid any to buy or sell in the open market without worshipping the
Antichrist.
B. There will be economic sanctions on a scale never known. All who refuse the mark will not be able to buy the
necessities of life (food, gas, electricity, etc.) nor sell their services or products to others (operate in business). This will
result in many businesses failing overnight. Some businesses will suffer the loss of millions of dollars.
C. The False Prophet will cause all the small and great (military status; Revelation 6:15; 19:18), rich and poor
(economic status) and free and slave (social status) to receive the Antichrist’s mark.
D. The mark will be on their right hand or forehead so as to force everyone to publicly declare their true position
with the Antichrist on a daily basis. Thus, it will draw into the open everyone’s secret beliefs. An example of this was
when the Nazis forced the Jews to wear a yellow star.
E. It will be illegal to refuse the mark that identifies those who promise to worship the Antichrist. Those who refuse
the mark will be viewed as criminals of the state who are guilty of the death penalty. All who refuse it will be sought out.
Economic sanctions will make it easier to catch those who refuse it. The pressure will be so great that parents and
children will betray each other.
F. The apostate Church will betray former Christian friends out of “angry guilt” that comes from their backsliding.
Some of the most severe persecutions will come from the hands of guilty apostates that therefore, feel hopeless because
of taking the mark of the Beast and feeling rejected by the apostolic Church.
G. This mark will be the outward proof of one’s covenant to worship Satan and the Antichrist. No one will accidentally
take this mark, nor will it be given to them against their will.
H. The significance of the mark is found in making a heart commitment to worship Satan. Just as no one can
accidentally commit their life to Jesus and receive salvation, so the mark will only be taken by those who willingly
understand what they are doing.
IV. GOD WILL SUPERNATURALLY DELIVER HIS PEOPLE DURING THIS TIME
A. God will place His seal upon His people.
3 Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
(Revelation 7:3)
B. Believers will have God’s seal so as to avoid God’s judgment yet they will be subject to Satan's wrath. Those
who receive the Antichrist’s seal will avoid his wrath yet be subject to God’s.
4 They (demonic locusts) were commanded not to harm the grass…or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men
who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Revelation 9:4)
C. God will deliver people who pray for deliverance.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth…31 The sun shall be turned into darkness…before the coming
of the…day of the LORD. 32 It shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. In Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
(Joel 2:30-32)
V. DECEPTION WILL BE EXPOSED TO THOSE WHO SEEK WISDOM (REVELATION 13:18)
A. God will expose the False Prophet’s deception related to the mark to those who seek wisdom. We do this first by
studying what the Scripture says about the Antichrist and his mark.
18 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)
B. It is biblical to seek insight into the End-Time events. God has already informed His people of the deceptive nature
of the image and the mark with its 666 economic system and the Antichrist’s mortal head wound, etc. God will send Elijah,
the Two Witnesses, the Rev. 10 messengers along with the outpouring of the Spirit with the prophetic anointing
(Acts 2:17-21).
C. We will need the aid of the Holy Spirit to reveal this to us as we compare Scripture with Scripture and the relationship
of significant international events to these Scriptures.
D. The exhortation to understand the mark of the Beast will be more relevant after Daniel’s 70th week begins. It will be
obvious who the Antichrist is after he takes his seat in the Temple claiming to be God. We may not be able to precisely
"calculate" it before that time.
E. To calculate the number is not necessarily the ancient practice of gematria which is used to hide mysterious
names and messages in numbers. Gematria gives a numerical value to letters of the alphabet, for example, “a” stands
for 1; “b” for 2; “j” for 10; “k” for 11, etc. The Jews also had a numerical system in which each Hebrew letter had a
numerical value. Western nations use 1, 2, 3 (Arabic numeral system). The Antichrist’s name may have a numerical
value of 666(?). Seven is the number of perfection. Six is the number of man that falls short of seven. Three is the
number of God and three sixes speaks of the satanic trinity (Satan, Antichrist and False Prophet).
VI. WHAT IS THE MARK OF THE BEAST: BIBLICAL CLUES
A. God did not specifically tell us what the mark will be. He gave us enough clues in Scripture to gain understanding.
Those who honor End-Time prophecy will exert the effort to understand.
B. There are two groups of people who are sealed in the End-Times. Those who are sealed with the Father's Name
in their foreheads (Revelation 7:2-4, Revelation 14:1) and those sealed with the Antichrist’s name in their foreheads or
right hand. (Revelation 13:16). The nature of God’s name and seal in Scripture gives us insight into the Antichrist’s name
and mark. Both are names that are sealed in the foreheads of worshipers. The mark of the Beast is a counterfeit to God’s
seal. The nature of God’s name and seal in Scripture gives us insight into the Antichrist’s name and mark.
C. Paul wrote of the Holy Spirit as the seal that God gives us.
13 You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise… (Ephesians 1:13)
D. What does Revelation say about these kinds of identifying marks? The first two mentions of the seal make it clear
that it is meant to protect the ones sealed.
3 Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
(Revelation 7:3)
4 They (demonic locusts) were commanded not to harm the grass…or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men
who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Revelation 9:4)
E. John expected us to interpret the counterfeit mark of the Antichrist in Revelation 13 through the info given
about the true mark of God in Revelation 7:3; 9:4. It was given to God’s servants in context to His authority over the
earth and sea (Revelation 7:2; 13:16). John intentionally established a parallel.
F. John wrote more about the mark of God and the Antichrist to enhance our understanding.
1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand,
having His Father's name written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)
2 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)
G. The OT gives us more insight into God’s seal and this relationship to loving and obeying God. Ezekiel saw an
angel mark the forehead of the intercessors in Jerusalem who cried out in the generation that God’s judgment fell on
Israel through the Babylonian army.
4 The LORD said to him (angel), "Go through the midst…Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who
sigh and cry (intercession) over all the abominations that are done within it." 5 To the others He said in my hearing, "Go
after him (the angel) through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare…6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and
little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark… (Ezekiel 9:4-6)
VII. ON THE HAND AND FOREHEAD
A. There are four Scriptures that commanded Israel to bind God’s Word on their hand and forehead Exodus 13:9,
16; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18). "These words" in Deuteronomy 6:6 refers to Deuteronomy 6:4-5 which command us to love
God. Also see: Song 8:6; Proverbs 1:8-9; 3:1, 3; 6:20-22; 7:2-3; Jeremiah 31:32.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your strength. 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart….8 You shall
bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (Deuteronomy 6:4-8)
B. The sign on their hand and forehead was to remind Israel of God’s great deliverance from Pharaoh who is a type
of the Antichrist and Egypt which is a type of the Antichrist's empire.
9 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…16 It shall be as a sign on your hand and as
frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:9-16)
C. Jews take the command to "bind" God's words upon hand and forehead literally, and therefore, they wear little
boxes filled with scripture called tefillin. They are worn on the left arm. Phylacteries are the two black leather boxes that
are strapped on Jewish men in prayer.
VIII. MARK OF THE BEAST: POSSIBLE WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY
A. The foundational technology for the mark of the Beast currently exists in the form of implanted microchips.
B. Microchip technology itself is not evil, but it gives us insight into how the mark could operate. The mark will
undoubtedly be much more advanced than our present technology. This technology will be enforced on all at the
midpoint of the final 7 years before Jesus returns.
C. Today, many nations are aggressively pursuing a plan that involves the technology infrastructure that will allow
them together to form a global human database (with ID numbers). Their goals are to provide vital information for security
that will minimize terrorism and illegal immigration.
D. The chips are as small as a grain of rice. Inserting the chip is a simple outpatient procedure that takes 10 seconds
(injected into the arm).
E. The chip costs $200 plus a $10 monthly fee to maintain personal info. The cost includes implantation of the
device. The scanner that reads information costs $2,000.
F. Executives anticipate an exploding market estimating $70 billion in revenue.
IX. THE BENEFITS TO MANKIND ARE ENORMOUS
A. Medical Applications – The chip is able to emit a radio signal to hand-held electronic scanners. This will allow
hospitals access to medical records of an unconscious patient and communicates their vital signs (even one’s heart beat
and body temperature) and their exact location (including latitude and longitude).
1. Doctors can access their patient's vital signs remotely and then analyze them to detect potential problems before
the patient even notices the symptoms. The doctor would also know where to locate the patient in an emergency.
2. This technology is able to measure the amount of glucose, alcohol, or oxygen in one’s bloodstream, instantly
notifying police if the levels cross certain thresholds. It could be used by police to identify criminals or persons with drug
or alcohol in their bloodstream.
B. Food Safety – Embedded chips are now embedded in cattle and other livestock to track health and location
information from birth to processing to improve quality control and safety.
C. Security – Embedded chips are useful in locating people (kidnapped, children, elderly, etc.).
D. Warfare – Embedded chips can allow military leaders to know where their soldiers are located and whether they
are alive or wounded. It is an invaluable aid, both tactically and strategically.
E. Law Enforcement – Embedded chips are a very efficient means to identify and track wanted criminals, parolees,
people under house arrest, and individuals in witness protection programs and to monitor workers with top-security
clearances, or provide security in airports. They will be the basis of a cashless society which would help in preventing
the sale of illegal drugs, etc.
F. Animal Protection – Embedded chips can track household pets and endangered species.
G. Tracking – Embedded chips can protect and trace valuable items (art, computer equipment, etc).