“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Revelation 13:16-18).
As mentioned at the beginning of our look at this chapter, we can divide Revelation thirteen into three sections. Verses one to ten discussed the blasphemous political climate that will characterize that era. Verses eleven to fifteen described the godless religious structure of that period. The last section (covered here in verses sixteen to eighteen) will lift the veil on the anti-God economic system that will dominate that age.
Most people (even the non-religious or spiritually indifferent) are likely to have a passing familiarity with certain elements of this passage. Verse sixteen serves as a case in point: “The beast forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, slave and free, to have a mark placed on their right hands or on their foreheads” (GNT).
Before we consider this reference at greater length, let’s examine the meaning of the word “mark” as it appears in our text. In the original language of this passage, this word conveys the image of a stamp or imprint. (1) With this information in mind, it appears this mark will involve a label on one’s skin for identification purposes. This has led to many theories, conjectures, and speculations, some of which are well-informed, and others that are less so.
Those theories range from radio frequency identification (RFID) implantations and bar codes, to various types of symbols. Then there are other, less credulous views that involve corporate entities, medical procedures, or different forms of technology. At best, some of the more outlandish theories regarding this passage appear to be nothing more than thinly veiled efforts to generate internet page views for profit. At worst, they bring discredit upon God’s Word and provoke unnecessary fear and speculation among those who are spiritually naïve.
While there is much we don’t know about this mark, there are some things we can say with certainty. First, this will be a global initiative that will be mandatory for everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status. In addition, this mark does not appear to represent a form of currency, for it allows (or authorizes) users to buy and sell. Finally, the mark is the name of the beast, or the number of his name, and will appear on one’s right hand or forehead.
(1) G5480 – charagma – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5480/kjv/tr/0-1/