I recall you mentioning this in the past, and I still see it as stretching it if connecting this with Cain's mark somehow. Let's look at that mark then see why he got that mark to begin with and who gave him that mark, then let's compare to the mark recorded in Revelation 13.
Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Cain was sentenced to be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, which might mean there could be a bounty on his head. Verse 14 tends to prove that.
What does the LORD then do? He set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And this mark apparently made it clear somehow to those seeking to slay Cain, that by them doing so, vengeance shall be taken on that person sevenfold.
Now let's look at the mark recorded in Revelation 13.
Revelation 13:16 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:
17 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.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
In Genesis 4 who caused Cain to have a mark? The LORD. For what reason? For protection involving a bounty on his head.
In Revelation 13 who causes all, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. The 2nd beast, the beast that comes up out of the earth, the beast that performs false wonders. Was that beast around when Cain was? Did that beast cause Cain to receive a mark in his right hand, or in his forehead, and without this mark he was unable to buy and sell?
It is a spiritual mark. It has been there from the beginning. It relates to reprobation. All those who reject God’s way and go their own way end up with this mark. This mark sets apart the reprobate from the righteous. Genesis 4:15 tells us that
“the LORD set a mark upon Cain.” This was Satan's first convert to populate Hades.
Revelation 13:8-9, 15-17 says,
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear ... And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 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 14:9-12 describes the awful destiny for all those who receive Satan’s mark, saying,
“if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: And they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
The fact that the converse company to the beast’s devotees are described as being Christ’s from the “foundation of the world” (Revelation 17:8), or, the elect of God of all ages (past, present and future), would confirm that the beast’s adherents relate to all those that reject Christ in this life and therefore end up in hell. It is they that commit the unpardonable sin in this life – namely stubborn, continuous and willful rejection of the convicting promptings of the Spirit of God. The mark of the beast is the devil’s invisible spiritual sign of ownership on the damned. It confirms a man’s final rejection of Christ and his eternal allegiance to Satan. These Christ-rejecters have received their final stamp from Satan signifying his eternal ownership. Just like slaves were once marked by their owners in olden times, so these spiritual slaves are eternally marked by their owner Satan. It is this company that are eternally doomed.
Jesus warned in Matthew 12:31-32,
“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
The mark of the beast has to be the mark of reprobation that ensures a man will never see heaven. Men are obviously either saved or unsaved – but not all unsaved men have yet taken this mark of reprobation (mark of the beast). Many will eventually be saved at some future juncture. The message for them is to repent lest they receive this spiritual mark and spend eternity under the wrath of God as a consequence. The Lord is still evidently in the saving business. However, when men go over a line of disobedience (set by God) they will never again be saved.
While it seems proper to understand the mark of the beast as a spiritual brand it would be wrong to relate it generally to all who are unregenerate. It is more than a sign of or on the unsaved. It is something greater than that because all who receive it are damned for all eternity. They can never be saved. It has to be the sign of all those that have went over the line of reprobation. If someone does not repent of their fallen state then this leads to ultimate reprobation and Satan final stamp of eternal damnation. I believe election is in eternity, reprobation is in time.
The beast’s adherents that carry his mark certainly commit this awful irreversible unpardonable sin and are therefore separated forever from the presence of God and are eternally punished. It must be they, then, that are in view, whom the Holy Spirit identifies admire and marvel at the beast and who subsequently carry the beast’s spiritual mark. It is the wicked of all ages (past, present and future) who throughout their earthly sojourn reject Christ that finally succumb to this awful irreversible stamp of reprobation. If the mark of the beast isn’t the mark of reprobation on a man’s life then it is interesting that it does the exact same thing. It guarantees him eternal punishment with the devil and his angels. It offers him no way out or no option of backtracking. It is final and eternal.
In short, those that carry the mark of the beast speak of the full company of the unsaved that commit the unpardonable in this life – “whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.” As a result of their rebellion they end up damned and doomed in a Christless hell. The antithesis company to this is the elect of God whom the Father “hath chosen … in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4) and whose names were “written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.” An interesting fact that should not be overlooked in our examination is the fact that those individuals that are written in the “book of life from the foundation of the world” (namely the elect of God) are the only ones that withhold their adoration and affections from the beast. Significantly, those incorporated within this great favoured number include not only the current believers that have trusted in Christ but also all those that will eventually come unto the Lord in salvation. After all, they too have their names “written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.”
Those that “receive” this awful mark (regardless of how men understand it) are damned and doomed for time and for eternity. Their future is hopeless and beyond return. They face a lost eternity with the devil and his angels. Reprobation cannot be undone, just like the mark of the beast. There is no example in Scripture of this final mark of damnation being removed or reversed. Those that receive it have sadly crossed a line of opportunity and of no return. God has finally given them up in their vain imaginations by stamping their foreheads (or their minds) and their right hand representing their actions. The right hand and the forehead refer to the ungodly beliefs and behaviour of the Christ-rejecter.
Romans 1: 18-32 tells us,
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
How you think will determine what you do. If your mind is reprobate so also will your actions be. The symbolism seems to contemplate the ability to think and the ability to do. It is a matter of belief and action. The mark is a representation of those who have yielded their minds and bodies into the service of the beast, of those who accept the teachings and obey the commands of the beast; they worship the beast.
This damned company can never be saved. They are eternally excluded from the Lamb’s book of life. We should note, reprobation is always seen to be in time, whereas election is always in eternity. The wicked expressly "receive" this mark in life after years of continuous and stubborn rebellion.
Our thesis is supported by the influence attributed to the “mystery of iniquity,” “that man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” and “that Wicked” in
2 Thessalonians 2:1-13:
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
What about the extent of his influence? What type of entity could possibly be “in them that perish” (2 Thessalonians 2:10)? In fact: who are “them that perish”?
This description is so watertight, broad and inclusive that it shows us that it relates to all the eternally damned. No one could surely underestimate the power and influence of this entity. Anyone that takes a literal reading of Scripture could not deny this. The possession of this wicked entity is so damaging that it causes them to reject the truth and be damned for all eternity.
This text tells us that those who have “the mystery of iniquity” are damned “for all eternity because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). This, in turn, results in God sends “them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Here is the mark of reprobation! Here is the mark of the beast! What results is unthinkable: “they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess 2:12).
The mystery of iniquity must therefore be a spirit. This evil spirit dwells “in them that perish” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). This correlates with the longevity, characteristics and influence that are attributed to the beast. His influence is wholesale on all those that do not make it to heaven. Paul seems to agree with John in his description of this being, repeating the same truth.
It is clear that a literal human cannot physically be literally “in them that perish” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). No evil human is in every single unsaved person. Only a spirit can do that.
