I’ve studied The Revelation for many years.  I have heard many accounts and interpretations of how things will be, what certain signs and wonders will occur and so forth.  But one sign of the end times that I think is particularly interesting and at the same time baffling is the mark of the beast.  Here is what the Bible says about it:

(Revelations 13:11 NASB)  And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.

 (Revelations 13:16 - 17 NASB)  And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

And a little later,

(Rev 14:9 - 10 NASB)  And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

And finally:

(Rev 20:4 NASB)  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

I recall my dad telling me how coffee and other items were rationed in World War II.  Ration stamps were given out so that an individual or family could only get so much of an item.  This was done so that there would be a fair distribution of that item and so that there would be enough to support the war effort.  My dad recounted how some declared the rationing system to be the mark of the beast.

I remember people thinking that the mark of the beast would be a brand or tattoo of the number 666 emblazoned across the forehead.  As technology improved, data storage became more compact and sophisticated; some believed The mark to be some sort of bar-code tattooed on or in the skin.  Others believed The mark would be a miniature radio transmitter containing ones personal information.  This technique is already in use to identify pets.  A transmitter the size of a pill can be embedded in the skin.  The transmitter emits a radio signal that can be read with specialized equipment to identify the animal if it is lost.

One thing is certain, however, and that is the fact that some form of human inventory will be in place.

But how could the populace be so passive about such a device when the Bible is clear in its warning to avoid this mark?

Well, there are a couple of things to keep in mind here.  First, Satan, although evil to the core, is no fool.  He knows that if he were to spring such a plan on humanity unaware, he would be found out.  So, he works subtly to cause humanity to think it is their own idea.  I’ll explain how this will work later.  Secondly, The mark will not be what we expect it to be.  Only the most astute and sincere Christians will be aware of it.  I’ll talk more about this later.

How can The mark be so subtle that almost all humanity does not recognize it?

I took an economics course in college called Money and Banking.  The professor was a drama wanna-be and was quite theatrical in his presentations (when he wasn’t drunk).  But his overriding theme throughout the course was “the better way.” 

In terms of commerce, the evolution of money has been very interesting.  Once, all trade was done by barter: this good traded for that good.  Then people began to use some universal item of value to trade, like silver, brass or gold.

Then it became difficult for people to keep all their silver or gold safe, so deposit banking was developed.  People could store their gold and silver for a fee (interest) and could retrieve it when needed.

At some point, the idea of using a paper note to represent a payment of gold or silver on demand began to be used.  The paper money could be exchanged by merchants for a standardized value (based on the price of gold or silver) and the bearer could, on demand, receive silver or gold in exchange for the paper.

In the last century, we have seen paper money jump free of the gold standard.  In the early 1900s, paper money in the U.S. bore the words “silver certificate” or “gold certificate”.  As America moved off of the gold standard, these words no longer appeared on our money.

We have seen the rise in use of credit cards in our lifetime.  The use of the debit card has followed in the last 20 years.

Today, I can get on my computer and pay all my bills.  My paycheck comes to my bank account and no paper is ever exchanged.  In fact the only thing that changes is the pattern of magnetic impulses on my bank’s computer database memory.

Each of these changes has emerged because it seemed like “the better way” to do business.

In my book, The Millennium Agenda, I predict that not only will we become a cashless society, but also we will soon emerge into a world economy with a one-world currency.  Actually, I cannot claim to be the first to say this, but how this will happen, I think, will be different than anyone will expect.

Just think – what will the next step in economic commerce be?  No doubt, we will move away from the debit and credit cards because of their potential for theft and fraud.  But how can they be replaced? 

Did you realize that when you swipe your card at the gas station to get gas, that pump connects with your credit card company and validates your account, your credit balance remaining and authorizes the pump to dispense to you?  My point is this; data transfer rates are phenomenally faster today than they were even a year ago.  So, imagine how easy it could be to transfer some more personal data about you.  What about you is so unique that no one can steal it?  It cannot be replicated, stolen, or imitated in any way.

I can think of three things: your fingerprints, your retina pattern, and your DNA.

It occurred to me just a few days ago that when The Revelation was written, the apostle John could not have fathomed the idea of fingerprinting or retinal scanning.  But that isn’t important.  The Revelation is not intended to be a tell-the-future book.  It is an account of events in generalities that overlay each other with meaning and spiritual significance. 

So, when John sees people with a mark in their foreheads and hands, could this not simply be what we know as fingerprinting and retinal scanning?

Granted, The Revelation makes reference to The mark on their hand or forehead, but again, given that John could not have fathomed the idea, it was not necessary to spell it out.  We already possess these “marks,” but allowing ourselves to be registered by the economic system of The Beast will be the point of accepting The mark.

The idea of The mark is clearly a gateway to commerce.  That is why I think that the Antichrist and the one-world government will be marked by a global currency and economic policy rather than military unification.

Why will The mark be something other than what we expect?

Quite simply, because if it were what we expected (like a literal mark on the head and hand), then any monkey would recognize it.  Satan wants his plan to be unnoticed, therefore, The mark, when it is imposed, will seem like a logical, reasonable thing to do.  The general populace will be duped into the global economic scheme and will happily vote “yes” to join the global economic union to end world hunger, to erase the disparity of wealth and poverty, and to eliminate trade barriers.

Is any of this sounding familiar?  I hope so, because, as I stated, only the most astute and sincere Christians will see The mark for what it is.

I am not saying that The mark is being instated in the world in 2004.  However, the economic stage is being set for it.  Each day we come closer to the end of the age.  But do not look on this time with despair, for it means that our Lord is at hand and His victory is near.