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It is a symbol of submission to wicked laws in place of God's law.
Interesting article but I didn't notice any Islam reference there is lots of stuff relevant to Islam and Revelation like the badges the Mudjadeen where are very reminiscent of the Jewish Phylactery, and the mark of the beast can be seen as a Satanic counterfeit of the Bible verses that speak of having the word of God engraved upon your heart, serving the Lord in deed as well as your profession of Faith etc.
This should be required reading for COVID conspirators who say that the vaccine is the mark of the beast.
Is this a philosophical inquiry, or a theological one?
For my part, I don't think anyone actually knows the exact nature of the Mark of the Beast, or specifically when, where or how it is to appear.
It does make for interesting conversation, though.
The Catholic Church knows for she has the history of being there since Christ established his Church and it was that Church which selected the Book of Revelation to be included in the New Testament Canon in the first place.
There was reluctance to add the Book of Revelation because the Church knew that many
people would interpret it incorrectly and they were right.
Remember Hal Linsdey ? According to his interpretation in "There's a New World Coming," the Soviet Union should've invaded Israel by now and the US going to their
defense. We should be in the middle of WWIII by now according to his interpretation of the Book of Revelation.
Is this a philosophical inquiry, or a theological one?
For my part, I don't think anyone actually knows the exact nature of the Mark of the Beast, or specifically when, where or how it is to appear.
It does make for interesting conversation, though.
I think there are pre-cursors - things that are not the Mark, but that are leading to some sort of controlled society - and I think COVID and all the media hysteria (are we not to speak quietly about disease?) is showing to what degree society is ripe for the social control and planning that would exist under an anti-Christ dictator. I think however COVID is more a failure of planning. There can be good planning eg. having proper contingency measures ready. But COVID is to me a mixed affair - at its clear its just poor problem solving and reactionary thinking that is the problem. I think therefore something like COVID could under the certain spiritual conditions (including prayerlessness) lead into a tribulation period. I don't think vaccines in themselves are the mark of the beast - but some people make a decision spiritually to no longer believe in God and then put their faith in something man-made and no longer give thanks to God - the same scenario as the second half of Romans chapter 1.
I like your point about how hysteria may refect a time of ripeness in which people resign themselves to some kind of social planning, and there could be something to that.
But haven't there always been various kinds of control in various socities of the world? How would we know if the one you're speaking of in future tense would be much different than those of the past?
Normally there are checks and balances to stop it, but when these are being abrogated, or bypassed its concerning. There would have to be a pre-text for it however, people would not give up freedoms just like that. And so I don't think it would happen without some real emergency but the state of affairs many countries have been in with COVID is concerning and so we need to be watching and praying.
On the end-time 'fictional' side of things - I was reading Gary Cohen's 1974 novel : The Horsemen are Coming - and he envisaged events in Revelation taking place fairly literally including a pre-trib Rapture followed by a world-wide planned society under an anti-Christ dictator, involving parents being only allowed one child, and the giving up of private property and commitment to peace. This becomes PPP which they say will turn the world upside down - to indicate this they turn the PPP upside down so that it becomes 666!!
However one doesn't have to look far to see that these are ideologies that do currently exist and while there is still opposition to them they have gained the allegiance of at least some people already. Of course his novel is dated in that he sets it around the year 2000. But it's pretty stirring all the same and not a long read - unlike the LaHaye / Jenkins multi-volume end-times saga.
I keep coming my across info on alternative sites that lead me to believe it is some kind of device that touches either the brain or skin and kind of takes over your heart and soul. If so, it makes sense that those who get it will be unable to cry out to Jesus for salvation. Their essence will be stripped.