Day 237

^“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.” REV 13:16,17 (NASB)

Hebrews in the Old Testament had been commanded; “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.  And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.  Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.  Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.” Deut4:6-8. Here is the buccaneer of the universe pulling off another counterfeit.

People of all social classes will be pressured to receive the mark of the beast on their right hands or their foreheads. Just as the seal in the forehead identifies those whom God regards as His (Rev.7:3,4; Rev.14:1), so the mark of the beast identifies the worshipers of the beast. The mark of the beast and the seal of God are two opposites.

The mark of the beast is not a visible sign of any kind. Its placement on the right hand or on the forehead counterfeits the instruction that Moses gave the Israelites to bind God’s law as a sign upon their hands or their foreheads (Deut. 6:8). The right hand has to do with behaviour and cooperation, while the forehead has to do with the mind or mental agreement. Some will choose to receive the mark of the beast to escape the threat of death, while others, in their minds, will be fully committed mentally and spiritually to this apostate system of worship.
The central issues in the final crisis will be worship and obedience ( see Rev.14:12).

The seal of God is received only in the forehead because God’s people have made that choice. The word ‘worship occurs 7 times in Rev 13 & 14.If the Mark of the beast is the opposite of the Mark of the beast, then it would be a good thing to know in detail what they are. If you would like to join a Bible study by ZOOM on the subject of the Seal of God and the Mark of the beast then please indicate your desire to the number you receive these reflections from.