Day 236

^“15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” REV 13:15,18 (NASB)

This part of Revelation 13 contains one of the clearest allusions to the Old Testament in Revelation. There are multiple parallels to the story of the three Hebrew worthies and Nebuchadnezzar’s worship test on the plain of Dura.(Daniel 3) 1] People from all over the world are compelled to engage in an act of worship. 2] There is a death decree attached to the command to worship. 3] Both events are associated with the number 6 ( all dimensions of the image in Daniel 3 are in 6’s which was the base number of the Babylonian system. C.f. the number 666 in Revelation 13). Revelation 13 indicates that in the final crisis of earth’s history, the scenario of the plain of Dura will be repeated. The experience of Daniel 3 will be visited universally upon earth’s final generation.

The time will come when a worldwide confederacy combing religion and state, will seek to impose its will on true believers. At that time those who refuse to go along with the system will not be allowed to buy or sell. But what if that time is nearer than we think? What if this text provides a clue to how we should choose to live all of the time? What if our buying and selling gives tacit approval to a system that coerces and harms people? Are there times when choosing to buy and sell is like giving allegiance to the mark of the beast? 

As children of God, we need to be aware of how our lifestyle choices affect the lives of others, particularly those who cannot speak up for themselves. God calls us to defend the defenceless. Sometimes a bargain for us is purchased through the deprivation of others. Loving things more than people is not pleasing in God’s sight. Perhaps the time has come to ask some hard questions about our buying and selling. 
Revelation 13 indicates that the lamb-like beast will have the leading role in the final crisis. This world power will establish a global economic system in an attempt to control the worship & beliefs of people. This system will mirror medieval Christianity under papal control.