The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:18 states:

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666. 

This is NOT one of my favorite Bible verses. Go ahead and Google "Mark of the Beast" if you want some enjoyable reading filled with rampant speculation, and two things should come to mind:

1. Since John wrote this almost 2,000 years ago, any number of things have been speculated to be the mark. The hot favorite of the day (some type of implantable biochip) wasn't even a viable option until the past 10 years or so and isn't really ready for mass production yet. Countless people have speculated on numerous things (coinage, Social Security numbers, ANYTHING that is an ID number), and they've been wrong so far. With that kind of track record, I wouldn't put much stock into modern-day predictions.

2. I know I've commented on this before, but the most important thing we all need to remember is that as Christians, we won't be "tricked" into taking the mark. We won't do so and then realize, much to our (eternal) chagrin that we made the wrong choice. God won't be testing Christians to see if they "pass the test." When that time comes, everyone who claims to bear the name of Christ will know EXACTLY what is happening, and won't be able to use "Uh, I didn't know" as an excuse. Having said that, the fact we won't be fooled won't make it any easier to pretty much guarantee a life in the underground economy, since no commerce can occur without that mark. 

Enough on that. As many of you might know, Martin Luther wasn't a huge fan of Revelation (read the Wikipedia entry for more insight), but as we read through it, we notice passages that are key parts of our liturgy. We'll encounter parts of Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10 and 5:12-13 when we sing the Feast of Victory Hymn of Praise, and throughout Revelation, there are plenty of paeans of praise interspersed with the horrifying events.

The fact that we don't like thinking about what we're reading doesn't mean that they aren't going to occur. As always, be prepared, and make sure to keep those around you prepared as well--if you love them here on Earth, you might as well prepare them to spend eternity with you in heaven.

Scott