By Nathan Jones
Will technology be involved in the Mark of the Beast?
Dr. David Reagan and I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Mark Hitchcock on the show Christ in Prophecy. Mark is a leading Bible prophecy expert, prolific author who has penned over 20 books on the end times, senior pastor of Faith Bible Church located in Oklahoma, and adjunct faculty member of the Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also a much in demand speaker at Bible prophecy conferences all over the nation.
Dr. Hitchcock was invited to answer questions based his book Cashless: Bible Prophecy, Economic Chaos, and the Future Financial Order. It concerns the world presently teetering on financial chaos, global interdependency, and modern technology all converging in such a way that a cashless society and one-world economy are not only possible, but inevitable.
Technology and the Mark of the Beast
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." - Revelation 13:16-17Dr. Hitchcock: I believe the Bible makes it clear the Mark of the Beast will be very simple. The Mark the Bible says will be upon the right hand or the forehead. That it is "upon" is especially clear in the Greek.
People generally have failed to understand the two main purposes of the Mark of the Beast.
Revelation 13:18 tells us the Mark will be the numerical value of the name of the Antichrist. When people take that mark they are taking his name on themselves. And so, first and foremost, the Mark of the Beast will be a global pledge of allegiance or an oath of loyalty that one is accepting the Antichrist as God. This is a spiritual issue, as people will either choose Antichrist or they will choose Christ.
The secondary purpose of the Mark of the Beast will be to serve as a commercial passport used in business transactions.
Taking the Mark will be the one time in history when choosing sides will be a clear cut decision. A person will choose whether they are on the Antichrist's side when they take his mark, or by rejecting that mark are telling the world that they are instead aligning themselves with Jesus Christ.
To reject the Mark, though, means one will of course have to pay the consequences. As Revelation 14:9-11 tells us:
"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."These verses say that once a person takes the Mark they are doomed. There is no going back and no hope for salvation.
One thing that is important everyone remembers today and that we need to be clear on is that nothing today is the mark of the beast. People can get so afraid that their social security card or this and that is the Mark of the Beast. The Mark of the Beast will be given out after the Rapture. It will be something that people will know they are taking. Those left behind will be making a conscious choice, and we know this because God is going to hold them eternally accountable for what they decide. People don't need to worry that they are going to somehow take the Mark accidentally.
A lot of the technology today may be leading towards controlling what people buy and sell, but nothing today is the Mark of the Beast. People today do not need to be afraid of the Mark, and we don't need to be afraid of technology. Technology ultimately is a tool. If it is used rightly it is a good thing. Ultimately, all technology will fall into the hands of the Antichrist — the man who declares himself to be God — and He will use it for evil purposes.
Related Links
What is the mark of the beast (666)? - GotQuestions.org Bankers Advocate Smarter Payment Technologies - Khaleej Times Verichip is now called PositiveID! Roll up your sleeve for the implantable human microchip, it's now Positive? - OpEdNews Shadow Government - Grant R. Jeffrey (DVD)
