The Mark of the Beast, What is it?

What is the mark of the beast? Is it a tattoo, credit card, microchip, or genetic material inserted by a vaccine? The speculations on this topic are endless, but they mainly stem from one passage in the Bible: 

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev. 13:16, 17.

Make no mistake about it; this mysterious “mark” is definitely on the horizon. God’s Word predicts it. But let’s set speculations aside and explore its meaning in light of the Bible.¹ Brace yourself. It would be good to pray, too, for the information you’re about to discover is highly controversial. Yet it is biblical and supported by solid facts.

Identifying the Beast is the Key

First of all, it is absolutely essential that we grasp one very simple, yet oft-overlooked, point: the mark of the beast comes from the beast described in Revelation 13:1–10. Using the prophetic keys we learned about in the first article, “The End-Time Beast of Revelation,” we saw how the Bible clearly identified the beast as the Roman Catholic Church. The mark is her mark.

As we uncover what the mark is and who will get it, it is helpful to understand who does not get the mark; it’s mentioned in Revelation 14:9–12, at the end of God’s final warning against the mark of the beast. Don’t miss this: those who “keep the commandments of God” and “the faith of Jesus” don’t get the mark. These people, identified as “saints,” have faith in Jesus (like Jesus had faith in His Father), and through His grace and power, they also “keep the commandments of God.”²

Could this be the core issue in avoiding the mark? 

God’s Law Under Attack 

We are now ready to face the heart of the matter. Are you ready? Church history tells us that as the Roman Catholic Church grew in power, it developed a peculiar hostility to the Ten Commandments. This was also foreshadowed in Daniel 7:25, which speaks of the Catholic Church as a power that would “think to change times and laws.” If you closely examine the Ten Commandments, there is only one commandment that specifically deals with “times.” It is number four, which states:

“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…. 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.” Ex. 20:8–11.

“The mark” will be presented as the solution to a global crisis far greater than we’ve yet experienced.

You have just read what was “written with the finger of God” on solid stone. Ex. 31:18. By contrast and as a direct challenge to God’s supreme authority as Creator, notice this quote from the Roman Catholic Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine: 

“Q. Which is the Sabbath day?

“A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.

“Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? 

“A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (ad 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday….

“Q. By what authority did the Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?

“A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.”³

Here is another stunning statement from a Catholic priest, Father Thomas Enright:

“I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ The Catholic Church says, ‘No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.’”⁴

Shocking, isn’t it? Here, Father Enright says the “command” to “keep Sunday holy” isn’t in the Bible, but it is actually “a law of the holy Catholic Church alone.” 

Not only does the Church openly claim to have changed the Bible Sabbath to Sunday, but she has even asserted: 

“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change [from Sabbath to Sunday] is her act, and the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things.”⁵

Now that you have read what the Roman Catholic Church says, let’s take a closer look at what the Holy Bible says. 

At the close of Creation week, “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Gen. 2:3. Because God rested on the seventh day, this fact can’t be changed. It’s like a person’s birthday or anniversary. It is unmovable and unalterable. 

The seventh day is the Sabbath of our magnificent Creator. It is a sign of His power, love, and care for all He has made. A careful study of the New Testament also reveals that Jesus Christ is the One who created all things.⁶ Thus the seventh-day Sabbath is His day—the Lord’s Day.⁷ Jesus affirmed, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” Matt. 12:8. 

Back to prophecy and the mark of the beast. 

For the record, no one has the mark of the beast today—not until it is universally enforced by law. See Rev. 13:16. I also realize that millions of true followers of Jesus exist today in Sunday-keeping churches, including the Catholic Church. Most Christians have never taken a close look at the sandy foundation Sunday rests on. But it is now time for these facts to be uncovered for all to see. 

Here is what is looming on the horizon. 

The Solution to a Global Emergency? 

Deadly disasters and diseases, civil unrest, chaos, and moral mayhem will steadily increase. Someday soon—none know how soon—a tipping point will be reached. As the world descends into a global emergency, Bible prophecy indicates that one primary human will emerge as the world’s foremost moral authority, counselor to kings and politicians, advisor to the United Nations. 

That man will be the pope, falsely called “His Holiness” and “The Holy Father”—which are titles that belong to God alone. He is also the spokesman for “the Holy See” (the Vatican government), which is far from holy. 

God’s Word predicts: “And all the world marveled and followed the beast…. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:3, 7, 8.

It’s no secret that Pope Francis has strongly recommended to world leaders that the planet observe Sunday as a universal day of rest as part of the solution to our global mess. In his monumental papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, the Pope said: 

“Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world.”⁸

But the pope’s arguments are unbiblical and deceptive. He’s a flawed advisor. 

First, keeping Sunday is not the answer to the world’s woes. Jesus Christ is. He is our true Creator. 

Second, the seventh-day Sabbath is no more the sole possession of the Jews than is marriage—both of which come to us from the beginning of time.⁹

Living by the Word of God

Jesus taught that we should live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” rather than by man’s opinions, which include papal opinions and traditions. Matt. 4:4. When the Jewish leaders had a sneaky way of getting around the fifth commandment, Jesus told them, “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.” Matt. 15:6. 

According to Jesus, we must never choose tradition over the commandments of God. This principle plainly applies to the Sabbath-versus-Sunday controversy. God’s commandment points to the seventh day, while keeping Sunday is a tradition of men. 

No one has the mark of the beast today— not until it is universally enforced by law.

Regardless of whether the pope is sincere or not, and his advice that world governments enforce Sunday-keeping will prepare the way for the mark of the beast. When this mark of Rome’s false authority is finally enforced by law during a time of global emergency, then God’s last warning will sound. Read it again:

“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.” Rev. 14:9, 10. 

The “forehead” represents the mind. The “hand,” the actions. See Deut. 6:6–8. In contrast, God says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…. In it you shall do no work.” Ex. 20:8–10. Thus the Sabbath commandment also deals with the forehead (we “remember” in our minds) and with our actions. Don’t forget—the little horn will “think to change times and laws.” During the final crisis, if people settle into Sunday-keeping and “think” like the beast, they thereby receive his mark in their heads. 

Notice once again that God’s special warning in Revelation 14:9–12, urging us to avoid the beast, his image, and his mark, closes with a definite appeal to each of us to take a stand with His “saints…who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” In the midst of global confusion, this is the Word of the Lord. 

And in the time of their greatest need, God won’t let His people down. To counter Satan’s false fire, the Lord will pour out His true Holy Spirit upon them not only to encourage them, but to give them great power to proclaim with “a loud voice” His last message of mercy to a dying world. See Rev. 14:6–12. Those who heed God’s last warning will embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, taking their stand for the Ten Commandments (including His Sabbath). 

I want to be on the side of Jesus Christ and Bible truth when these momentous issues finally shake the world.

Don’t you?