According to Facebook, Twitter, the lady at the grocery store, regular church goers and a host of other people, the following things are the Mark of the Beast and damnation to hell:
- Getting 666 tattooed on you
- Getting a chip implanted in you
- Getting a barcode tattooed on you
- Having your bill total to $6.66
Pause for excessive laughter
Why am I laughing?
Because all of the above is absolutely absurd (though I don't think I'd purposely tattoo 666 on me).
If you believe in the Mark of the Beast, then you must also believe in Jesus, and you most likely believe in the Bible (I don't really know how you'd come to believe in it otherwise). Here's a refresher on what the Bible says about the Mark of the Beast during the end times:
- The Beast will require everyone to receive the mark in their right hand or in their forehead.(Revelation 13:16)
- In order to partake in society, you will need the mark of the Beast. (Revelation 13:17)
- The number of the Beast is 666 (Revelation 13:18)
- Any one who receives the mark will be tormented (Revelation 14:9-10)
- To worship the Beast is blasphemy (Revelation 13:1-6)
So at first glance, you say 666 is the number of the Beast, therefore it is bad. Technology is increasing, and likely something like a chip or barcode for citizenship could be required soon which would obviously be the mark of the Beast. I see where people come up with this stuff... But stop for a minute, everything is supposed to connect without contradiction.
Think about this: if the mark is a chip or tattooed, what's to stop someone from knocking you unconscious and forcing it upon you? What's to stop a hospital from automatically placing chips in babies? Or parents from putting tattoos/chips on their children? All of this would be involuntary. Now if to worship the Beast is blasphemy and taking the mark of the Beast is a sign of worship, then taking the mark of the Beast is blasphemy--the only unforgivable sin. If the mark was a tattoo/chip, you could commit an unforgivable sin involuntarily---obviously that can't be the correct interpretation. Note too, that the mark is supposed to be "in" your hand or forehead, not "on"--therefore it can't be a tattoo or a barcode. Note further, that many will be fooled. There are atheists who would refuse a chip because they don't want the government tracking them; I highly doubt this method is going to fool many. The Mark of the Beast will be a deliberate action that only you can make.
For more info, see the following posts (its a series):
Sunday Church--To Go or Not To Go
How Sunday and the Sabbath Became Intertwined
The Sabbath, The Mark of God, and Still Debating Where Sunday Fits In
Conclusion
