The Mark

The Mark

Branding is rough man. I don’t mean brand like a clothing brand, or an organizations brand. Nope, I’m talking branding cattle.

Who has ever branded a calf? Man, that stuff stinks. And the calf does not like it. The whole process is done because that calf, or cow, or horse or whatever belongs to a certain group of people. And it’s obvious to anyone who looks at them that they are the property of that group.

We really aren’t much different.

Rev 13:16-18

'Also, it 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

Now how many of you have heard of the Mark of the Beast? It’s common in our culture to hear this phrase thrown around. Usually “the Mark” is associated with some sort of microchip or something like that. But in reality, it’s much worse than all that. To understand we must go back a few thousand years to the time of Moses. Look up Deut 6:4-8

Deut 6:4-8

'“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. '

Deuteronomy 6:4-8

The greatest commandment was spoken thousands of years before Jesus. Then Jesus added another one, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So, what is similar between these 2 passages? Both include something being attached to your hand and your head. These represent your thoughts and actions.

Many time we call our selves Christians, little Christs, but do we think and act like it? Do our thoughts and actions line up with who we say we are?

There is an interesting thing about the mark, 666. When you start looking at what numbers represent in Revelation, you realize that 3=divine, 7=complete, and 6=falling short or completeness. So, 777=Holy and Complete while 666= a really bad imitation. Unholy, incomplete.

The Mark isn’t anything physical, it’s any time we put our thoughts and actions where God’s thoughts and actions should be. It’s when we say, “God, I got this. I’ve watched you do this enough I can do it myself.” And it ends up being a really bad imitation of perfection and holiness. In fact, we usually end up serving only ourselves and our selfish desires. We make horrible gods.