This Is More Important Than Recognizing “the Mark of the Beast” by Michael L. Brown for Ask Dr Brown
I’m hearing questions like these virtually every day from concerned Christians. “Do you think world reaction to the coronavirus is preparing the way for the antichrist? Will there be a mandatory vaccine that will include a microchip? Could this be the mark of the beast?”
To be sure, I’m not a friend of globalism. And I’m certainly not keen on the government having the right to insert a chip in our bodies.
But, to be perfectly candid, I’m not thinking much about the antichrist or the mark of the beast. There are far more pressing (and practical) issues that demand my (and our) attention. Like loving God. And loving our neighbors. And being decent human beings. And sharing our faith. And walking in moral purity. And keeping our marriages healthy. And spending quality time with our kids.
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Yes, everyday stuff like that.
It may be not as exciting as studying end-time prophecy (this is called “eschatology”). It may not be as exotic as the visions in the Book of Revelation. But on a daily basis, all this is far more relevant than speculation about “the mark of the beast.”
For those not familiar with some of these concepts, they come from the Book of Revelation, which speaks of a Satan-empowered world leader, described as a 7-headed beast wearing 10 crowns on its heads.
This end-time world leader, also called “the antichrist,” will be worshiped by “everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev 13:8; again, for those not familiar with this imagery, the Lamb refers to Jesus).
Revelation also describes another demonic figure who “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” (Rev 13:16-17).
This all sounds frightfully serious, which is why many Christians ask: What, exactly, is this mark? And are we unwittingly paving the way towards a one-world government – in other words, towards an antichrist system?
But there are several problems with this line of thinking (although, to repeat, I am no friend of globalism).
