Revelation 13: 666

Revelation 13 is the stuff of nightmares.  I remember being a very young Christian and enthralled with its gruesome depiction of beasts and horns and heads and marks and numbers.  As you might imagine, there is a lot of speculation about just what all these things mean, or will mean.

One of the more popular theories is that the dragon, the beast from the sea (verse 1), and the lamb-like beast (verse 11) form some kind of "unholy trinity," a perversion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The beast is therefore analogous to Jesus, and is most often referred to as the Antichrist.  The beast is often thought to be a coming political leader, a world figure, filled with satanic power.  (Lots of people have their favorite guesses as to what contemporary figures this might be!)  The lamb-like beast is comparable to the Holy Spirit and, if personified, is predicted to be a leader of a worldwide false religion - perhaps a mishmash of faiths or something human-centered.

The main mission of this unholy trio is to oppose God and make war against Him and His people.  There is definitely a contest or competition set up between those who worship the beast and those who belong to God.  For instance, there is a mark for both.  The seal of God was discussed in chapter 7, being placed upon the foreheads of the 144,000 (and we will see these saints again in chapter 14).  The mark of the beast is also placed upon the forehead or the right hand of those who follow the beast as described in verses 16-17.

What is that mark?  You have probably heard the same speculations that I have...that's it's some way of computerizing our identification, treating humanity as a herd to be numbered rather than as individuals made in the image of God to be loved and appreciated.  Over the course of my life, I've heard it suggested that the mark of the beast will be a UPC bar code, and more lately, an RFID chip implanted under the skin.  To be honest, even the ubiquitous SSN (Social Security Number) causes me some concern (I have one of those!)  Others suggest that, rather than being futuristic, this numbering system actually had to do with something ancient, perhaps referring to one of the early Roman emperors, such as Nero.

So just what is the mark of the beast?  Unfortunately, verse 18 says that figuring it out "calls for wisdom" - so I guess that leaves me out!