Because of current events happening in the world lately, I thought a reminder regarding buying and selling is in order.

Revelation 13 describes two future world leaders, the "Beast" (a.k.a. the Antichrist) and the "False Prophet" religious leader who will endorse and support the Beast.

At some point during the future seven-year-long Tribulation period, John says the False Prophet

causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18).

We are warned that

if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. (Revelation 14:9-11)

Regardless of whether this passage supports eternal conscious torment or not, it does say that there will be very serious negative eternal consequences for people who accept the Mark of the Beast. I don't see any hint in the wording of the verse that this sin is forgivable or that the eternal consequences will be cancelled for anyone.

So in case you don't have time to read my whole post, I'll give you my conclusion now:

If, for any reason, someone says that you can't buy or sell without opting into some system that requires a mark in/on your right hand or forehead, and/or someone tells you to worship someone who isn't Jesus returning in the clouds wearing a robe dipped in blood, sitting on a white horse, surrounded by the armies of heaven (Revelation 19:11-14), in a display that will be like lightning flashing from the east to the west (Matthew 24:27, Luke 17:24), DON'T DO IT. Even if it costs you your life.

Yeah, that sounds scary, I know. But it's where God has told us that this world is going. At the speed things are happening regarding current events today, it seems possible that such a system could be implemented sooner rather than later.

But if you're a Christian who has trusted in Jesus as your savior, it means we should be looking forward to the Rapture, and shouldn't be afraid at all.

Why I Felt the Need to Write

Certain rules being implemented by governments in many countries and regions around the world are having an impact on who can do what or go where, depending on whether a person has a certain slip of paper or a government-issued QR code.

Now, I need to be very clear. The Covid vaccines are not the Mark of the Beast. Also, none of these health or Covid passports are the Mark of the Beast.

Yet, at least, since neither of these match the description in Revelation 13:16-18 about receiving a "mark" (Greek: charagma meaning "an imprinted mark" 1) in/on (Greek: epi meaning either "in" or "on" 2) people's right hands or foreheads.

Although these current systems are being set up to control who has access to some forms of travel and to other specific locations or activities, as of yet, the systems are not being used to totally control everyone's ability to buy or sell (i.e., purchase goods or services, operate a business, or be financially compensated for one's work).

However, I believe that the time may be coming, perhaps sooner than we think, when such functions could be easily added to these systems.

For example, Europe is proposing a "digital wallet" that would hold all of a person's identification documents, and could be used for many different things, including:

• applying for loans
• opening bank accounts
• filing taxes
• applying for universities
• renting cars
• proving a person's personal identity to authorities across the EU

All as part of one standardized system.3 If Covid is still around, vaccine passports would likely be part of this mix of critical personal documents stored in such a digital wallet.

As a side-note, such an all-encompassing system would surely require a very high level of security in order to avoid identity-theft, and it would have to be available to everyone, not just people who have cellphones or printers. Something that can't be lost, stolen, duplicated, or hacked would be necessary, like a personal ID number linked to an implantable microchip, a quantum-dot tattoo, or an RFID ink tattoo, maybe.

But I'm not going to say exactly in what form the Mark will appear, since it could be different than these things. All I know is what the Bible says about the Mark of the Beast being in/on the forehead or right hand and being related to controlling all buying and selling. I'm also not offering any advice on how to 'calculate' the number of the Beast, since that is pure speculation until the system rolls out.

I'm also convinced that whenever the Mark of the Beast appears and in whatever form it appears, it will be so obvious that no one will be able to accept it accidentally or unknowingly. I believe God couldn't justly impose severe negative eternal consequences if it were possible for people to take the Mark of the Beast mistakenly or accidentally without people clearly knowing what the consequences will be.

So don't worry, the Mark of the Beast is not your social security number, credit cards, bar codes, QR codes, or anything else that people currently use as of this date of writing.

Current Psychological Preparation for the Mark of the Beast

Already, in many countries and regions of the world people are lining up to receive the new Covid vaccines in order to get back to normal life, including all the things they were used to doing before lockdowns and Covid. Things like eating at restaurants, travelling, shopping, attending sporting events or concerts, and more. Those who didn't receive the vaccines or negative tests are unable to participate in these activities.

So far, none of these restrictions are completely preventing people's ability to buy or sell, and so as currently implemented, these systems are not the Mark of the Beast.

However, I do think the vaccine passports are preparing the people of the world for the mindset that will lead many people to accept the Mark of the Beast at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Why do I think this? Because in my opinion, the average person is too addicted to the things of the world. If an authority figure or government comes and says "I'm not going to let you do [insert thing here] unless you take this Mark" (in whatever form it will be), how many people will rush out to get it?

We just saw a million people in France rush to sign up to be vaccinated after the French president Emmanuel Macron announced the implementation of Covid passes in order for people to have access to things like restaurants, shopping malls, and travel on trains or airplanes.4

This does restrict who is allowed to buy or sell in these very specific contexts. People are also being limited in what they can buy, or at least how and where they can buy the things they want or need, if they are not allowed access to particular stores.

Once the government has the power to control people's physical movement and economic activity, it's not difficult to predict that this control could escalate to the level of denying people the ability to buy or sell altogether, if people do not do what the government wants them to do.

In a way, the promises being made now that if people do what their governments are trying to pressure them to do, people will then be allowed to go certain places and do certain things reminds me of when Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, to try to tempt him.

Satan said to Jesus, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours" (Luke 4:6-7).

I imagine the Antichrist's offer to people in the Tribulation will be something like: "To you I will give access to all the pleasures of the world, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it all to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."

So I suspect people will be told that if they'll only accept the Mark of the Beast and worship the Antichrist, they'll have full access to anything and everything they could ever want. Access to travel, nightclubs, bars, concerts, spas, gyms, maybe a universal basic income, free healthcare, free university tuition, free daycare for their children, free doughnuts, and on and on.

Most people are currently so absorbed with all these things they enjoy that likely, they won't be able to imagine living without them. Once the threat of not being able to buy or sell anything is added on top of this, for most Biblically-uninformed people, taking the Mark of the Beast will be a no-brainer. Especially if they don't believe in an afterlife where there could be eternal consequences for their choices.

We can see creeping shadows of the Mark of the Beast in how some industries in countries around the world are pressuring their employees with threats of being fired if they don't line up and get their Covid vaccinations.

For these people, it might come down to not being able to work, at least, until they can find a new job. So it's true that currently the vaccines aren't "mandatory". But if these people are in very specialized industries and don't have many transferrable skills or the financial means to move to find a new job or retrain, it could be a very difficult choice to make.

If these people fear that the current Covid vaccines are a greater risk to their health than remaining unvaccinated, given the current lack of long-term testing and reports of serious side-effects from these vaccines, then their employers are effectively forcing these people to choose between their personal health and their ability to earn a living, to buy the things they need to survive. This is highly ethically questionable.

If people are currently willing to accept a risk of potential short-term or long-term health consequences in exchange for access to jobs, shopping, travel, and cultural events, it's not such a stretch to think that in the Tribulation, people will be willing to accept the possibility of eternal death in exchange for access to their money and all the things that money can buy, in addition to whatever other incentives might be thrown at them.

In a way, then, perhaps the lockdowns and restrictions that many people around the world have been subject to over the last year can be useful. Personally, they've taught me that I don't need all the things that I was used to having.

Not that I'm the sort of person who has a desperate craving to go out to nightclubs or bars in the first place. But I've learned to get by without professional haircuts, eating in restaurants or getting takeout, going to movies or concerts, shopping for fun, taking transit, going to the gym, going to libraries, and travelling to other cities.

Now if Satan or one of his human lackeys tells me that I need to worship the Antichrist in order to get access to all these things again, I could easily say "Nope, not interested." I don't need any of that.

If the consequences were more severe, such as having my degrees revoked, being unable to work, having my savings confiscated, being put under permanent house-arrest, taken off to an internment camp, or even being executed, I trust that the indwelling Holy Spirit would help me be able to say "No."

Since, after all, once you believe in Jesus as your Saviour, your eternal salvation is guaranteed due to the indwelling Holy Spirit, as God has promised in Ephesians 1:13-14. Thus, no true Spirit-indwelled Christian will ever be able to take the Mark of the Beast, since God warns that taking the Mark leads to guaranteed eternal death in Revelation 14:9-11. If it were possible for true Christians to take the Mark of the Beast, it would lead to a paradox for their eternal destinies.

But if it ever came down to giving up on Jesus or being executed, as many Christians have experienced ever since the early church, then why should I try to save my life?

For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36, NASB)

If someone wants to kill me for not worshiping someone other than Jesus, then I just get to heaven a little sooner than I expected. But being in heaven is "far better" than staying in this fallen world, even if we should want to stay to serve God as best we can (Philippians 1:21-24).

So it's a question that's worth thinking about: is there anything in this world that you desire so much that you would worship Satan instead of Jesus in order to have it? I hope not.

If you worry that there might be something you would deny Jesus for, try thinking about how great heaven is going to be instead. We're going to get new perfect bodies that will never get sick or age (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 2 Corinthians 5:1-4), homes in the New Jerusalem (John 14:2, Revelation 21), a wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-10), and much more. How could anything in this world ever outdo that?

Maybe it would help to practice denying yourself the things you love the most, so that you won't be tempted if it comes down to having to choose between that and your faith.

Mmmmm... doughnuts... or Jesus... doughnuts... or Jesus... Hmmm, tough choice (just kidding). As if Jesus can't give you an endless supply of doughnuts after you're resurrected and living on the New Earth, if that's really what it comes down to. Maybe he'll even be able to make doughnuts that won't make us gain weight!

I don't think there is anything that is truly good in this world that won't be even better on the New Earth. After all, God is the source of all good things in this world (James 1:17). In the New Jerusalem we'll have full access to everything because we will all be full citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) and co-heirs along with Christ (Romans 8:17).

If that means missing out on a few years of this world which can never fully satisfy and is getting rapidly darker, in exchange for an eternity that is going to be better than we can ever imagine, then it's worth it.

If all you worry about losing is your relationships with loved ones who are unsaved, then maybe it's a good time to share the gospel with them.

In conclusion, if, for any reason, someone says that you can't buy or sell without opting into some system that requires a mark in/on your right hand or forehead, and/or someone tells you to worship someone who isn't Jesus returning in the clouds wearing a robe dipped in blood, sitting on a white horse, surrounded by the armies of heaven (Revelation 19:11-14), in a display that will be like lightning flashing from the east to the west (Matthew 24:27, Luke 17:24), DON'T DO IT. Even if it costs you your life.

Maybe I'm wrong about the vaccine passports, and they'll disappear in a year or two when the world gets over the fear of Covid. I hope so.

But the Mark of the Beast will happen someday, because that's what God tells us in the Bible. The only questions that remain are about how fast the world going to get there, and minor details about the technology or method that will be used to implement the Mark of the Beast.

The good news is that I think all this means that Christians should be getting rather excited. Jesus promises that the gates of hell won't overcome the Church (Matthew 16:18), but Satan will overcome the saints who are on earth during the Tribulation (Revelation 13:7). So that's one very good argument (among several others) that the Church (i.e., all true Christians) must be raptured out of this world and taken to heaven before the Tribulation begins.

If we're seeing all of this beginning now, we should expect Jesus to come get us anytime (John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:28)

September 20, 2023 Update:

Although the vaccine passports have thankfully been put on the back burner for most countries, there is still a strong interest in developing both digital IDs and digital currency by several powerful global organizations. Check out these recent news articles:

• Aaron Kheriaty, "The WHO Treaty Is Tied to a Global Digital Passport and ID System", Brownstone Institute, May 24, 2022.
• "United Nations Proposes Digital ID System Tied to Bank Accounts and Mobile Payment Platforms", The Daily Hodl: News and Insight for the Digital Economy, June 24, 2023.
• Bryan Jung, "G20 Announces Plan to Impose Digital Currencies and IDs Worldwide", NTD News, September 12, 2023.

So the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the G20 countries are all on board with creating something that could very well turn into the Mark of the Beast system in the future.

Personally, I could see a global digital ID being rolled out after the Rapture, in order for the authorities to determine who is still left on Earth.

A new digital currency linked to these IDs might be a way that world governments will deal with the Third Seal judgment, where food prices skyrocket (Revelation 6:5-6). It could act like a basic income or a welfare program to make sure people can buy food, in order to try to keep hungry people from rioting or looting stores.

Yet a digital ID and/or a digital currency are not the Mark of the Beast unless they are associated with a mark in/on a person's right hand or forehead. Countries could theoretically create these systems ahead of time, earlier on in the Tribulation or even before the Tribulation begins, so that it would make implementing the Mark of the Beast much simpler at the halfway point of the seven-year Tribulation period.

So this is still something to keep an eye on in relation to Bible prophecy. However it works out, we know Bible prophecy will be completely fulfilled.

Footnotes:

• 1. William D. Mounce, "5916" in Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 1309.
• 2. William D. Mounce, "2093" in Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 1150.
• 3. "European Digital Identity", European Commission.
• 4. Constantin Gouvy and Angela Charlton, "French rush to get vaccinated after president's warning", CTV News, July 13, 2021.