The mark of the beast appears in several chapters of Revelation. Humanity is sternly warned against accepting this mark. To better understand this “mark of the beast,” it is helpful to compare a few verses about the “mark of the Lord.” The mark of the beast is the upside-down version.
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God gave man a clear sign
The LORD already unequivocally declared to the people of Israel that He had prepared a sign of His authority and recognition as our God and Creator. This sign is also found in God’s Ten Commandments. However, it was not a new introduction; rather, God established the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, to complete His creation (Genesis 2:2-3). This is the Fourth Commandment, “Remember my Sabbath,” that is, the 7th day of the week (Saturday). The following verses about the sign of the LORD and the mark of the beast demonstrate that accepting the sign also means recognizing the authority of the “Issuer of the Sign.”
Verses on the Mark of God
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.“
Ezekiel 20:12
“Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.“
Ezekiel 20:19-20
“I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.“
Galatians 6:17
“From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
Verses on Mark of the Beast (excerpt)
Revelation 13:16-17
“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.“
Revelation 14:11
“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.“
Revelation 15:2
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.“
The Old Testament is invalid?
One of the numerous erroneous theses is the alleged “invalidity of the Old Testament.” Not a single syllable in the Bible indicates that the Old Testament is invalid for Christians. Quite the opposite. Jesus Christ Himself unequivocally declares that He did not come to abolish “the Law and the Prophets.” (see Matthew 5:17).
Only two verses, one from the OT and one from the NT, show how “current” the Old Testament was after the ministry of Jesus on earth and still is today:
Exodus 19:5-6:
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.“
1 Peter 2:9:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:“
These two verses not only demonstrate that the “rules and principles” of the Old Testament do not only correspond to those of the New Testament, but also that the difference lies solely between literal Israel (Old Testament) and spiritual Israel (New Testament). Jesus Christ expressed this, among other things, by declaring to the Pharisees that He would tear down the temple and rebuild it in just three days. Jesus Christ meant a spiritual temple for spiritual Israel, for which He will also be, and indeed is, the spiritual cornerstone.
The OT is also related to the “old covenant”. This covenant has also been declared obsolete by many denominations, such as the OT. At this point, the events after the 7th trumpet in Revelation 11:19 are simply referred to:
“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.“
It is the Ark of the Covenant and thus clearly a sign of the “Old Covenant” of the Old Testament. In this ark of the covenant are the 2 tablets of the law of God, i.e. the 10 commandments. An unmistakable indication of the validity of the 10 Commandments, as the statements in the New Testament have already repeatedly confirmed.
Conclusion:
When comparing the verses about the Mark of the Beast and the Mark of the Lord, it becomes clear that this is nothing other than the difference between the observance of the 7th day (Saturday) and the 1st day (Sunday). Those who observe the 7th day, as described in the Fourth Commandment, see the LORD as the legislative authority. Those who keep the 1st day, on the other hand, accept the adversary, or rather the law of the Roman Catholic Church, as their Lord. The moment will come when every person must and will make a decision.
Bible verses from King James Version
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