One of the more familiar phrases in the book of Revelation is also one of the most misunderstood ones. Many people have heard about the “mark of the beast” and its corresponding 666, but few recognize its prophetic significance or believe it will ever become a reality. Among those who believe it signifies a future and literal prophecy, it has become a source of confusion for some amid all the talk of COVID-19 vaccines.
The main passage regarding the “mark of the beast” is Revelation 13:16-18:
“Also it [the beast} causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”
Before tackling the prophetic significance of the mark for today, let’s look first at what we know about it from Scripture.
Who is the Beast?
The beast referred to in the above text is none other than the antichrist. He is the beast that will rise to power at the start of the tribulation and assume total control of all the nations of the earth by its midpoint if not before. He’s the “man of lawlessness” that Paul wrote about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10. Halfway through the seven-year tribulation, the antichrist will defile the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
This desecration will begin his reign of terror in which he will demand that everyone on earth worship him as God (Rev. 13:5-9). It’s during the last 42 months of the tribulation that the antichrist will “make war on the saints” as well as the Jews. This is the time Jesus warned about in Matthew 24:15-22, which will be a time of great persecution for the Jews as well as for those who refuse to take the mark.
While the technology for the mark may already be in widespread use before the halfway point of the tribulation, at this point it will become mandatory along with the worship of the antichrist (see also Rev. 14:9). The penalty for refusing to worship the beast and take his mark will be certain death, most likely by beheading (Rev. 20:4).
What is the Mark?
The word in the Greek for “mark” suggests that it will be a visible stamp or a permanent tattoo that will display one’s allegiance to the beast as well as allow that person to engage in commerce. It could be some sort of barcode whereby the store scans the person and the groceries or clothes one is buying into the system. More likely, one’s identifying information will be stored on a computer chip underneath the mark that will instantly connect the person with all his or her information on a distant central database that will instantly reveal whether or not the person has the necessary digital money to complete the purchase.
Peter Koenig, a geopolitical analyst and former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), wrote the following about ID2020, which contains all the key elements for the coming mark of the beast described in Revelation 13.
What is the infamous ID2020? It is an alliance of public-private partners, including UN agencies and civil society. It’s an electronic ID program that uses generalized vaccination as a platform for digital identity.
Another hypothesis, at this point only a hypothesis, but a realistic one, is that along with the vaccination – if not with this one, then possibly with a later one, a nano-chip may be injected, unknown to the person being vaccinated. The chip may be remotely charged with all your personal data, including bank accounts – digital money. Yes, digital money, that’s what “they” are aiming at, so you really have no control anymore over your health and other intimate data, but also over your earnings and spending. Your money could be blocked, or taken away – as a ‘sanction’ for misbehavior, for swimming against the stream. You may become a mere slave of the masters.
We are moving towards a totalitarian state of the world. This is part of Agenda ID2020 – and these steps to be implemented now – prepared since long, including by the coronavirus computer simulation at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on 18 October 2019, sponsored by the WEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[i]
We know from Scripture that without the mark of the beast, people will not be able to buy or sell. Peter Koenig, who is not a believer and does not reference the mark in his articles, says that even with ID2020, one’s behavior may determine whether or not one has full access to his or her funds.
When I first learned about the Mark of the Beast, it seemed like something that belonged to a far distant time, although I believed it would happen someday. Now decades later, we not only have the technology to make it a reality, but the globalists at the World Economic Forum (WEF), UN, and elsewhere talk openly about ID2020, which sounds remarkably similar to the mark of the beast described in Revelation 13.
Will Accepting the Mark of the Beast Seal One’s Eternal Fate?
Revelation 14:9-11 tells us that those who worship the beast and receive his mark will face an eternity in hell. These verses do not allow for repentance or for turning to Christ once a person receives the mark, which will seal their eternal fate.
Besides worshiping the antichrist, is there anything else about taking this mark that might make a person’s eternal destiny irreversible? Yes! Many prophecy speakers suggest, and I agree, that the transhuman element inherent in the future plans discussed by the WEF may be the reason for this. If the mark that the antichrist will force people to take during the tribulation changes the DNA of people as the globalists plan to do through future vaccines, these injections may change people to the extent that they are no longer part of the human race for which Jesus died on the cross.
Bill Gates openly discusses his plans to change our DNA with vaccines. The globalists make no secret whatsoever of their intent to change humanity into something unrecognizable at the current time.
It’s what Klaus Schwab, the founder of the WEF, refers to as “Fourth Industrial Revolution”; though it’s far different than the previous ones. He wrote this about the transhuman nature of people once this new industrial revolution takes hold during The Great Reset:
Previous industrial revolutions liberated humankind from animal power, made mass production possible and brought digital capabilities to billions of people. This Fourth Industrial Revolution is, however, fundamentally different. It is characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human.[ii]
Klaus Schwab intends to dramatically change the human race by combining individuals with machines that decades ago was only the stuff of wild science fiction. Now, it’s a part of The Great Reset that has captured the admiration of world leaders other than President Trump, who opposes globalism.
When one considers the words of Klaus Schwab, it stands to reason that those who take the mark will surrender their lives to the control of the beast. The mark may render people incapable of placing their faith in Jesus. Could it also make disobedience to the antichrist impossible as well?
Peter Koenig, who bases his future hopes on people rising up and thwarting the plans of the WEF for The Great Reset, wrote this about the tyranny the globalists’ plan for humanity:
It is not without reference tongue-in-cheek to the 2010 Rockefeller Report which foresaw and planned as the first phase of their deliberate “Human Transformation” – the Lockstep scenario.
The transformation as we now know, is planned to be nothing less than a modification and digitization of the human genome, robotization of our brains – so as to gain total control over the population – those that are left of us, after the UN agenda 2021-2030 is fully implemented.[iii]
It’s staggering to contemplate that the elite of our world have already put so much planning into what appears to be what Revelation 13 and 14 describe as the mark of the beast. And if we see such open- discussion preparation for something that the antichrist will not fully implement and enforce until the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation, how close are we to its start?
The Prophetic Implication of the Mark of the Beast
With the current emphasis on the COVID-19 vaccine and the push to make it mandatory, some wonder if this is the mark of the beast. While it appears that the mark will likely include a vaccine, any such injection before the start of the tribulation cannot be it. The church will be in heaven with Jesus well before the antichrist gains control of the world and forces everyone to take his mark under penalty of death.
Some wonder if it’s possible for someone to unknowingly accept the mark today. Again, the answer is no; the antichrist will require those who receive it to worship him. People with any understanding of Scripture during the tribulation will know what the mark signifies as well as the consequences for taking it.
What is the key prophetic implication of the mark of the beast? The open planning for it among the world’s richest and most powerful people tells us that the Lord’s appearing to take us home must be exceedingly close since we know this happens before the start of the tribulation.
As it is, I never thought I would see so many signs of the tribulation before the rapture as I see today.
Our departure from this world may not happen this week, this month, or even in the foreseeable future; however, we are well past the time when we can assume it will not happen today, this week, or in the very near future.
We may see Christmas 2021 before the rapture happens, but it’s also quite possible the Lord will come for us before January 1, 2021.
What we do know for sure is that the rapture is closer than most believers think it is. Its nearness is good news for us because it’s the moment we receive glorified bodies and a glorious and joyous eternal adventure begins for us. It does not get any better than that.
Maranatha!
Jonathan Brentner
Website: Our Journey Home
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E-mail: Jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com
[i] Peter Koenig, The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is “Agenda ID2020”, on the Global Research Website at: https://www.globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-causes-effects-real-danger-agenda-id2020/5706153
[ii] Klaus Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, on the WEF website.
[iii] Peter Koenig, Radical De-Globalization: Finding Back Our Freedom and Sovereignty on the Global Research Website at: https://www.globalresearch.ca/radical-de-globalization-finding-back-our-freedom-sovereignty-tyrants-dont-create-tyranny-obedience-does/5732186