The Mark of the Beast

By Hazel Holland
 

I’ve been praying for discernment abut this subject for some time now as I see so many people on Facebook running scared and offering all kinds of possible scenarios as to how we will be forced into taking this dreaded mark of the beast—666.  The consensus of many is that this "mark of 666" will be some sort of computerized microchip implanted under the skin in the hand or forehead, and that if taken will consign people to hell!  On the other hand, people who refuse to take the “mark” will not be able to buy or sell, and will be eventually killed for refusing to submit and give their allegiance to this “beast” power.  Whatever our choice, the outcome doesn’t look good.

The other day as I was praying about this the Holy Spirit impressed me that in order for us to better understand the “mark of the beast”, we first needed to understand the meaning of the "seal of God".  So I wrote a post showing how the seal of God is the promised Holy Spirit.  If you haven't already read this post I would suggest that you read it first before you go any further because it helps lay a spiritual foundation of what is to follow.  

We need have no fear of the "mark of the beast" because God's perfect love casts out all fear!  Furthermore, our sins have been forgiven...past, present and future because we believe that Jesus Christ took our place on the cross.  In order that we may know that we have eternal life in Him, God has already given us new life through the promised Holy Spirit who guarantees our eternal redemption by His blood! 

Just as the "seal of God" is about God the Holy Spirit giving us a witness in our hearts and spirits that we are His children and have eternal life, I believe the "mark of the beast" is about another god and an "unholy spirit" who seeks to control and buy the souls of men for his kingdom of darkness.  To me the issues being discussed here are heart issues that revolve around which kingdom we will choose.  The Kingdom of God leads to eternal life, but the Kingdom of Darkness leads to eternal destruction.  Hopefully this will become clearer as we open up our hearts to the Spirit who has promised to lead us into all truth!♥

Solomon and 666

 

So let's take a look in the Old Testament and see what references we can find for this curious number of 666 that is mentioned in Revelation 13:18 as being the number “of a man”.  John says, "Here is wisdom.  Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six".  The words ‘wisdom’ and ‘understanding’ refer us back to Solomon, a king who initially had much wisdom and understanding given him by God.  Unfortunately however, King Solomon eventually fell away into terrible apostasy and began worshiping false gods.

The number 666 is mentioned two times in reference to the same event in King Solomon’s life and is recorded in 1 Kings 10:14 and 2 Chronicles 9:13.  I found it interesting to note that both books mention that King Solomon collected 666 talents of gold in revenue yearly, and they both also employ many numbers in describing the reign of King Solomon and the opulence of his kingdom and possessions.  However, all the numbers greater than 100 referred to in these passages are rounded to the nearest one-hundreth or one-thousandth, or end in zero—all except the number 666.  This unusual number stands alone! 

Also the context of this number and the way it is used is very odd.  The annual income King Solomon received in terms of talents of gold “was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.”  (2 Chronicles 9:13-14; 1 Kings 10:14-15).  Obviously from the text he had much greater revenues than 666 talents per year!  It would be like me expressing my hourly wage of $15.00 as $6.66 plus a whole lot more!  So why is this specific number given? 

A System of Bondage

To me it seems safe to say that God had a specific purpose in overseeing that the number 666 be written this way.  First of all it provides for us a symbolic connection with the number six representing the number of man.  It alerts us to the fact that although King Solomon commanded a prosperous and thriving economy, he chose to forget that God was the source of his riches.  Instead he used his position and power and wealth to enslave the people who had been entrusted to his care.  What was once a blessing from God turned into a system of bondage and slavery! 

"Behold...I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.  I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days" (1 Kings 3:12-13).

 

Although God did deliver His promise to Solomon and bless him, we know that the king did not finish his life faithful to God.  Over time he allowed the blessings God had given him to corrupt His heart.  The more power, honor and influence he gained, the further he fell into apostasy and began to serve other gods.  

Two generations earlier the prophet Samuel had warned Israel about the dangers of being ruled by a king.  But they refused to listen because they wanted to be like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8:19-20).  Even Moses had laid down specific requirements should Israel ever want a king (Deuteronomy 17:16-20, but Solomon did as he pleased and paid no attention to Moses commands.  True to the prophecy of Samuel, the entire nation of Israel would end up being economically oppressed by their kings (1 Samuel 8:10-18).  

How true this proved to be in the case of King Solomon!  Because Solomon had raised a levy upon all Israel (1Kings 5:13), Jeroboam, appealing to King Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) said, "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us” (2 Chronicles 10:4),   In the end, King Solomon's wealth and success turned him into an oppressor of his own people.  Extra-biblical sources indicate that the high levels of inflation that existed during the later stages of King Solomon’s reign caused the people to lose their individual freedom!

A Foreshadow of Things to Come 

I believe that King Solomon’s Golden Age provides a type or foreshadowing of another type of Golden Age that the world is hankering after today.  The mention of the number 666 in these passages of Scripture provide us with an example of what happens to people who forget that God is the source of their blessings.  It shows us that power and wealth is able to corrupt our hearts to such an extent that we mistreat and abuse the very people whom we once claimed to love, serve and care for.  

Over the years we have seen many outlandish levels of meaning being given to the number 666.  However, I believe the Bible provides a fairly clear and straightforward description.  Aren’t the “beast” and “man” together indicted in this Revelation passage?  Isn’t the number 666 representing man’s systems, beliefs and idolatry that have been hijacked by the Prince of this World?

I found it interesting to discover that the number 666 in Revelation 13:18 comes right after the verses that inform us that the false prophet will attempt to induce everyone to take the “mark”: “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).  

Obviously there is an economic and financial connection being indicated here where an idolatrous and man-made system of control is being predicted—a system that boasts of self-sufficiency and relies upon earthly materialism.  Nevertheless, man-made systems like this are destined for destruction or collapse as happened to Solomon’s kingdom.  In this sense, we may see that a common “unholy” and yet familiar spirit finds a connection between the later stages of Solomon’s reign, the number 666 and future prophetic events for this world.

Thoughts to Consider

For a number of years we have been told that globalization will lead us to another golden age for all mankind.  People thought that the American Dream was unstoppable.  But now with the world economy in shambles and the economic situation here in America looking very bleak, people are not so sure that they will ever recover from the loss of their jobs, their homes, or the losses they have taken in the stock market.  

  

All of a sudden our materialistic system and global economy seem powerless to help those who are in financial trouble.  The man-made systems that once thrived now seem impotent and we wonder how long this economic depression will last. People are out of work and can’t find employment.  They are worried about how they are going to feed their families or pay their next month's rent. 

We know that King Solomon’s rein of self-reliant commercialism and dependence upon a prosperous economy ended badly.  Is that the way our current materialistic world economy is headed, too?  Is this finally happening because our world economy has also been built upon an ungodly system that is ruled by a familiar spirit of greed and cold love?  Are we already beginning to see and experience the systemic rise of the unholy spirit behind the number 666 prophesied in Revelation 13?

So why is it that many within the body of Christ fail to see the familiar spirit of greed and cold love that is behind man’s self-sufficiency and materialism?  Why do they fail to see how this unholy spirit of abuse is not only at work in the world, but also at work within the church?  Why have many in the church become blinded by the golden promises of this materialistic age and unaware of the unholy spirit that is masquerading in the place of Christ?  

I believe that the systemic aspects of the beast and his mark of 666 are already operative in our world today within people's hearts.  People will either choose to believe God and receive His free gift of eternal life, or they will refuse His gracious offer of grace and receive eternal separation from Him.  I believe that the unholy spirit behind this “mark of the beast” is a spirit that is against anyone receiving the free gift of eternal life, because this spirit is against Jesus Christ, the Anointed One!  This unholy spirit rises up against agape love, and against all those who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and have the Father’s name written in their foreheads.♥

See also: The Seal of the Living God
Gently Broken