THE MARK OF THE BEAST: PART ONE

The Book of Revelation was written approximately two thousand years ago, and throughout that time period, Bible experts have boldly declared that they knew what the "mark of the beast" was, and many have even declared they knew the identity of the Antichrist.  Ironically, for most of those twenty centuries, born again believers have been wrong!  That is not surprising, in that, the Book of Daniel tells us the information concerning these things would be sealed, or remain a mystery until the "last days" (Dan. 12:4, 9).  Of course, believers from the time of Christ's Ascension, believed they were living in the "last days" (Acts 1:7).  And, in a way, they were right.  The Church Age has lasted two thousand years, and to God, "a day is as a thousand years" (2 Pet. 3:8).

So what makes us, as Bible students in the twenty-first century, believe we have solved the mystery?  Well, first of all, Daniel's description of the "last days" included "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4).  Today, it is possible to travel around the globe in an hour and a half (International Space Station), and computers have made an immeasurable amount of knowledge available with the single click of a button! 

In addition, the end of the Church Age is described as being one of apostasy, and is there anyone who doubts we are living in the Laodicean period of Church History (2 Thes. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-2; 4:3-4; Rev. 3:14-22)? 

But perhaps the most telling of clues has to do with the scientific advances in computer micro-chips.
One source wrote,

"We can fully expect the new human tracking chips to be progressively integrated into our society over the next decade. Americans have already implanted the chips into one million of their pets. And what are we as citizens if not pets of the government? As such, we’ll be treated much the same way.  First they’ll start with voluntary programs for those on government sponsored healthcare plans. Membership will have its benefits, and those with the chip will be able to see their doctor quicker than the unchipped. This may even be expanded to include quicker security screenings at airports and other TSA checkpoints.  Then, the Department of Homeland Security will order tens of millions of chips to have on standby in case of a major disaster or emergency. In fact, the Israeli military did just that in October of 2011." (rcg.org)

To be continued