The Mark, The Token, The Name
by
Jared D. Edson
“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 13:16-17
There has been much speculation surrounding this passage of scripture, and especially the verse following it which says this mark of the beast is the number six hundred sixty-six. Many have speculated that this scripture refers to some form of implant, tattoo, or other kind of embedded symbol that will be forced upon the masses, perhaps without permission, by various agencies or organizations that will control monetary and financial systems. While that is a possible and potentially valid understanding, the scriptures often explain things further so that we may obtain a greater understanding of the meaning of one passage.
It is interesting to note that the passage in Revelation 13, describing the mark of the beast, is immediately followed by another passage in Revelation 14 that offers a very different scenario:
“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”
- Revelation 14:1
In just the space of a few short verses, we observe that there are two names that may be recorded in the forehead: The mark, number, or name of the beast (666), or the name of the Lamb's Father. This direct opposition is understandable in the context of the scriptures, “for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” (2 Nephi 1:81).
We should be aware that the concept of having a name recorded in the hand or in the forehead is not new to the New Testament, or indeed to the Book of Revelation itself. That in itself gives us hope for gaining an understanding of what John recorded in his book, and indeed makes it possible for us to depend on previously defined terms so that we do not have to depend solely upon speculation, as some seem to prefer. Similar statements about a “mark” of some kind have been made in the scriptures on previous occasions, as we see from the following passage:
“This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, and land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
“Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast unto the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall be no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
“And it shall be fore a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth; for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.”
- Exodus 13:4-10
Generally speaking, one passage is thought provoking, but two or more passages serve as strong evidence. To underscore that point, the “memorial” described in the above passage is repeated for clarity in a later verse:
“And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? That thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage; And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of men, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the first-born of my children I redeem.
“And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.”
- Exodus 13:14-16
The presence of these very purposeful statements in Exodus should make it clear that this was important. The Lord was giving them a means to look forward to something yet to come. This was not an casual or careless reference to a token, or sign upon the hand or between the eyes. The ordinance they were to keep was to provide them with a reminder of their deliverance by the hand of the Lord, and to prepare them for a deliverance yet to come. At the time this scripture was given, they were out of the grasp of Pharaoh, but they were not yet in the land of their inheritance. Thus, this was an ordinance that would serve as a remembrance of things already done, and also an expectation for things yet to be done.
At the time of their exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel had already witnessed the ten plagues that were visited upon Egypt. These plagues were grievous events that destroyed property and lives. Those that did not obey the Lord's commandments were destroyed, while those that did obey them, were spared.
As though to imprint the need for deliverance from bondage, and to show the great extremes the Lord would go to in order to make that possible, the plagues were given as a means to manifest the will of the Lord to both believer and unbeliever. The plagues were, in order,
1.Water turned to blood in the streams, rivers, ponds, pools of water, and vessels of wood, and vessels of stone. (The fish also died.)
2.Frogs came up out of the river and covered the land of Egypt.
3.Dust turned into Lice.
4.Swarms of flies.
5.Horses, asses, camels, oxen, and sheep get a “murrain.” All these die among the Egyptians only.
6.Boils with blains upon the Egyptians, including Pharaoh and his magicians.
7.Hail with fire.
8.Locusts filled the land, but only among the Egyptians.
9.Three days of darkness among the Egyptians, but not among the Israelites.
10.The death of the first-born at midnight among the Egyptians, as well as the first-born of any Israelites that did not keep the passover.
In each instance, one can well imagine the notoriety this would bring upon the power of the Lord and of his will to deliver his people, Israel, out of bondage. In a similar vein, it is interesting that several of these plagues are referenced again in Revelation 8-9 in terms of a future event:
1.Hail and Fire (8:7)
2.Sea turned to Blood (8:8)
3.Darkness (8:12)
4.Locusts (9:3)
Time tends to make the appearance of these plagues vanish into an academic discussion, but these were serious problems imposed on the Egyptians. Israel witnessed these things taking place, and they had the advantage of knowing that the Lord was going to do them, because he told them. However, knowing something and keeping a remembrance of it are two different concepts. By the use of ceremonial activities, the memory of events is brought to the fore of our thoughts, much as we might use a mnemonic literary device to help remember phrases. The ordinance of the passover brought Israel to the realization that these things were true and really did take place.
After these the plagues were done, Israel followed the Lord, who was in a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and this ultimately continued for forty years. During this time, they received manna from heaven, as well as quail (occasionally) and water, and their flocks and herds continued to be provided for. Forty years is a long period of time to have every necessity provided for, but even this can fade from memory given sufficient time.
The Lord knows people. He knows what people, given their freedoms, will forget when they have received what had been promised to them. This ordinance of the unleavened bread and of the passover meal was prepared as a simple, yet effective means for remembering the Lord's deliverance and of his power to bring about salvation.
Inasmuch as the Israelites of old were given this ordinance to remember the Lord, they were given the promise that the Lord would prosper them and bless them. On the other hand, if they forgot to remember the Lord, or did not perform his ordinances, they would lose the hope provided by the promise and forget the greater salvation that was yet to come. Eventually their blessings would begin to cease.
It is not too difficult to surmise how the commandments and ordinances of the Lord pertain to the future events described in Revelation, given this history. But to emphasize this even further, we read the following:
“Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord; 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.”
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
And again,
“Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
“Therefore, shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
“And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
“And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates; That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
“For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.”
- Deuteronomy 11:16-23
The lesson from these scriptures is that we should be diligent in how we remember and practice the commandments of the Lord, thereby perfoming his will. This kind of language appears to be repeated in the later scripture from Revelation 14:1 (“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”) Instead of showing the commandment, it shows what happens to those that keep the commandments.
How did these have 144,000 have “his Father's name written in their foreheads”? Moses explained it quite well by saying that they would keep the commandments as “frontlets between thine eyes”, and by virtue of the type of people described in Revelation, it is undeniably clear that they did the same, “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Revelation 14:4-5).
The remaining question that seems to occupy so much time in discussions is, what is the mark, name, or number of the beast? What does it “actually” represent? Consider the description given by Moses as having the word of God “in thine hand” and as “frontlets between thine eyes” as a “sign” or as a “token.” Would it not stand to reason that the opposite of a Godly “sign” or “token” would be a similar “sign” or “token” that means the opposite of what God's laws represent?
While many have speculated (and fixated) about some numerical description of six hundred sixty six as a combination of numerals from various number systems, or as a a bio-chip implant, or some other contributing factor of names, it may be well for us to think of it in terms of an opposition to remembering the Word of God, and indeed the Lord Himself.
The use of the ordinance was a crucial component of the passover feast in olden times, as it helped Israel to remember the word of the Lord, who brought them deliverance from the evil of bondage in Egypt, and subsequently promised a deliverance to the promised land. Today this is remembered through the bread and the wine that represent the Lord's body and blood. The passover represented two forms of deliverance – deliverance from death (i.e., bondage), and deliverance to life (i.e., redemption), and the act of remembrance gives honor and obeisance to the Lord. For us, we remember how he made this possible by the offering of his own body and blood by taking into our bodies the representation of the broken body and spilt blood, via the bread and wine, of the Lord Jesus Christ (the bread and wine, representing the Lord's crucifixation and death, is taken in and provides life).
That being qualified, the opposition to having the “good mark” in the forehead or in the hand, would be to forget the Lord, ignore the ordinance, take sole credit for the successes in one's life, and live only for the moment.
The symbolic use of the number six hundred sixty-six has been discussed at length in other articles, primarily dwelling upon its use of a triple digit number, each of which individually represents the number of man. Man taking control of his own salvation rather than the Lord, Man using his own words for remembrance, and Man creating his own laws and ordinances to follow rather than the Lord's. In themselves there is something to learn from such discussions, but they often fail to address the very certain type of mark described in the time of Moses. The early references in Exodus to such a mark, or name for the people of the Lord will itself clarify the meaning that should to be drawn from these events that are described in Revelation.
The key of knowledge – the fullness of the scriptures – has the power to take away the fear that many may have about “accidentally” having these things placed upon them, thereby being unwillingly put under condemnation. The Lord knows our hearts, and keenly seeks out those that are willing to hear his words and to follow in his pathway. We can only be delivered from from the evil to come by strict adherence to the commandments God has given us, for in him there can be no fear that men or devils may in some manner take away our salvation without our consent.
Jesus further commanded his disciples:
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. And now, for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments.
“Break not my commandments for to save your lives; for whosoever will safe his life in this world, shall lose it in the world to come. Therefore, forsake the world, and save your souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
- Matthew 16:25-30
Performing the Lord's commandments in every daily duty is an important part of the ministry that Jesus gave the disciples. To dispel the fear that by this means people may “accidentally” get marked for death if they lack knowledge, we are reminded that those who are most subject to severe judgment, are those that knowingly commit sin.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For every one who doeth evil hateth the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he who loveth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest.
“And he who obeyeth the truth, the works which he doeth they are of God.”
- John 3:19-22
The key in this passage is that Christ's atonement is for those that “obeyeth the truth”. But those that love darkness rather than light must face the condemnation, which is ultimately death itself – a spiritual death rather than just the mortal death that we must all face once. Jesus further clarified this by saying,
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single to the glory of God, thy whole body shall be full of light.
“But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light which is in thee be darkness, how great shall that darkness be.”
- Matthew 6:21-23
That kind of darkness is not accidental – it comes from a conscious choice. Isaiah wrote concerning those that make the wrong choice:
“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves;
“Thus said the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste.
“Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow his hiding place.
“And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.”
- Isaiah 28:15-19
Those that keep their Heavenly Father's name in their forehead are well described by John as being “...they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lord whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Revelation 14:4-5)
Thus has it always been.
The unfortunate focus of most expositors on the subject is that they focus on the value of the number six hundred threescore and six, particularly because of the statement, “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark....” (Revelation 13:17).
That statement about buying or selling is what appears to most worry those that discuss the number of the beast. They worry about it because of the statement preceding it, “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 forehead.” (Revelation 13:16). Taken separately, the two statements would suggest that no one will be exempt from receiving that mark, under any circumstances and without regard to choice. But the scriptures were not given separately – they describe a single continuous thought.
More important perhaps than understanding what will induce people to receive the mark, is to understand what the verse refers to with regard to buying and selling. For that, we must step back a few verses earlier:
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
- Revelation 13:11-15
If it were true that people did not have a choice about receiving the mark of the beast, then we would not have the option of choosing salvation with Christ either. Instead, the threat presented to the people for not worshiping the image of the beast is the threat of execution. The question to ask ourselves is whether the ability to buy or sell goods is what is referred to by the statement in Revelation 13:17, “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark...” Is this truly about about buying or selling popcorn, or a couch, or an automobile?
In ancient times we read of a similar situation:
“And Jacob sod pottage; and Esau came from the field, and he was faint; and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint; therefore was his name called Edom.
“And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
“And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point of dying; and what shall this birthright profit me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him; and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.”
- Genesis 25:29-33
The implication of Esau's ingraciousness is that he lost the greater blessing. He cared nothing for things that he could not see; but Jacob saw them and acted on that understanding.
This turning of the tables is what the “beast” has plans to accomplish by requiring the mark in order to buy or sell. To take on the name, number, or mark of the beast is to sell the birthright that would otherwise mark them as part of the righteousness of God. Jesus gave a parable to further explain this:
“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of coveteousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
“And he said, This will I do; I will pull down my barns and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits, and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
“But God said unto him, Thou fool! This night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
“So shall it be with him who layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
- Luke 12:17-23
And also,
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? “
- Mark 8:39
Jesus made lengthy statements to the disciples about not worrying over what to eat or what to drink, and of the evils of coveteousness. It may be these very things that the beast will try to tempt people with. No one particularly likes to not know where their food or drink will come from, since these things are part of our basic survival. The instinct for self-preservation is often a stronger drive than what most civilized nations will admit. The Gospel hope of a glorious resurrection is able to overcome these fears, but for many that seems like an unsure promise, invented by a people that have attempted to control others by concocting fantasies about living with God in the “afterlife.” For those that believe and accept these things to be true, there are great trials set before them that will test their belief to the limits.
Like Esau of old, will there be those that will sell off their birthright in the kingdom of God so that they may satisfy the temporary pleasures of this life? It appears so, if they buy and sell with the mark of the beast. What will they try to give in exchange for their soul? The catholic church for years offered to their members the opportunity to buy indulgences, which were basically season tickets for committing sin. That belief will perish along with those that still believe this is possible. There is only one way to get to eternal life, and it does not involve the buying or selling of any physical thing – it involves the sacrifice of one's worldly desires for the sake of doing the will of the Lord.
People are truly marked by things that leave no physical impression. While possible that there may also be a physical mark of some description, the spiritual mark of someone is what matters most. Do they follow Christ, or do they follow something else?
We are told the following:
“And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold, that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.
“And he said unto me, Behold, there are save two churches only; The one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil;
“Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God, belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abminations.
“And she is the whore of all the earth. And it came to pass that I looked, and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters.”
- 1 Nephi 3:219-224
We again see the two choices that stand before us, and it is not surprising to see these are the same kinds of choices listed in Revelation 13. It always boils down to our response to the scriptural statement: Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. To focus on the motivations we have when making our decisions about buying or selling, we may remember the following passage:
“Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness; from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be content. Buy they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
- 1 Timothy 6:5-12
We are truly marked more by our choices than by what we have, for with God there is no respect of persons.. Our only true possession is the choice we have to either follow the Lord in righteousness, or to follow the devil into corruption. Those are marks that cannot be made with tools or paint.
To summarize, we should content ourselves with making the right decisions, and the way to make right decisions is made simple so that we may understand:
“Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which can not satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
“Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice, and behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men.”
- 2 Nephi 6:99-104