The Mark of The Beast Revelation 13:16-18 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Much has been written about the mark of the beast and there has been even more speculation about it.  The temptation is to be the first one to uncover all that it entails and then to be the one who has correctly prophesied the identity of the beast.  There is no need for that.  We should be looking for Jesus [Titus 2:13].  Today, we will make some random comments about the mark, the name and the number of the antichrist and then we will try to put more of this together when we study mystery Babylon [Revelation 17&18].

The first thing we want to examine is the mark.  Notice Genesis 4:15 and Leviticus 19:28 and see the mark on Cain and the prohibition against marks in Leviticus – marking the body in this fashion has a very negative connotation

The mark corresponds to something associated with the beast.  Well, the beast is a leopard and leopards have spots [Jeremiah 13:23] – the spot is a roseate which to some degree looks like a kiss [2 Samuel 15:5, Matthew 26:48 Absalom and Judas, both strong types of the Anti-christ, are associated with a kiss in a negative context] – some people sign a letter XXXOOO where the x’s stand for kisses – notice that the mark is in the right hand where you blow a kiss and it is in the forehead where you place a kiss – you’ve heard of the saying, “X marks the spot” [leopards spots] – so when the antichrist replaces Jesus Christ you get Xmas – and X stands in place of a name when signing a document and you are told to sign at the X – The phrase, “X marks the spot” was put into common usage by the British army, who performed executions by marking a piece of paper with a black x and positioning it on the heart of someone sentenced to death.   The acting officer would say “X marks the spot” and the firing squad would shoot the x.  Kids say cross my heart and hope to die – in the Roman Catholic Church, when a person gets the ashes on ash Wednesday they are placed as an X on the forehead – in the Roman Catholic Church, you must cross [X] yourself with your right hand – X is common symbol of kingdoms of ruling conquest [crossed swords are used to represent Islam and crossed keys are used to represent the Roman Catholic Church’s authority on earth] – interestingly exactly 13 words in KJV end in X – box, felix, flax, flux, fox, matrix, onyx, ox, pollux, sardonyx, six, wax, vex

v. 16 – everyone gets the mark

v. 17 – the mark is necessary to buy and sell – thus you take the mark or you starve – and if you are found without the mark then you get your head cut off

The name of the beast – there has been plenty of speculation about the name of the beast – it seems that someone in some language has found a way to make the letters of every type of antichrist in every generation add up to 666 – popularly, you convert names to Roman names because of the connection to Rome as the last kingdom before Christ rules on earth [our currency still commonly uses Latin – i. e. e pluribus unum] and then you count the Roman numerals in the name or title [v.17 The number of his name] – in v.18, the numerals add up to 666 – notice that this admonition is found in verse 18 = 6 + 6 + 6]

Two very interesting names or titles are the Latin name for Nebuchadnezzar = Nebuchodnosor Rex Babylonis [as found in the Latin bible] = 666 – he was the head of the Babylonian kingdom which strongly typifies the antichrist’s kingdom [Revelation 17&18] – and the Pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei = 666 [the Roman Catholic Church is commonly connected with mystery Babylon – we’ll study more on all of this when we get to Revelation 17 & 18] – and many others have been added up to 666 – suffice it to say that when the beast takes control, his followers, in subjection to him, will have his name – i.e. we are followers of Christ therefore we are called Christians – the followers of Menno Simons are called Mennonites

v.18 – Six is the number of a man – man was made on the 6^th day in Genesis 1:26-31 – the 6^th commandment is “Thou shalt not kill” in Exodus 20:13 – man is to work 6 days and then rest on the 7^th Exodus 20:9 – in Daniel 3 Nebuchadnezzar’s image was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad [which, if it is an obelisk, is also 6 cubits deep] – notice all the 6’s