[Rick Shabi] Perhaps no passage in the Bible has drawn more speculation than this one. "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name." You find that in Revelation 13. The infamous mark of the beast. It has long fascinated readers of Revelation and recently has been the subject of conversation in some news commentaries. What will that mark be? Will it be a literal mark, like the Jews had to wear during Hitler's Third Reich? Will it be a figurative mark, such as being forced to worship a false god, an idol, on a false Sabbath day? Will it be a computer chip implanted into each person, like some theories say? Will AI have anything to do with it?

Well, it could be any of those, all of those, or something else that has not yet been thought of or developed. Whatever it is, the mark of the beast will be an unmistakable sign of your absolute submission to those who have unlimited control over you. The hand and the forehead mentioned in that verse represents one's loyalty by thought and work. That is a physical and mental allegiance to that dangerous person or system. That's a mark you don't want on you. I'll get back to why in a moment. But let's first talk about the beast that's mentioned here. The Bible says you are going to have to bow to that beast, or you won't be able to buy or sell. That is you won't have access to your cash, you won't have access to your bank accounts or assets.

The Bible talks about this beast in the early verses of Chapter 13 of Revelation. Let's see what this beast is. Revelation 13:1, "Then I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having 7 heads and 10 horns, and on his horns 10 crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name." Beast here is a metaphor for a brutal governmental system which is savage and ferocious. It's led by an evil man who's also called the beast. Notice that this power or system is against God. It's blasphemous. In Daniel 7 in the Old Testament, we see a corresponding prophetic description of this beast's power. In the book of Daniel, in Chapter 7, it says, "I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth. It was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had 10 horns."

This is the same beast we saw in Revelation. It depicts a system run by a powerful man who has yet to appear on the world scene, who will have no conscience or concern for others who is domineering and sees himself as a god. He is powerful, and he crushes and destroys anyone who disagrees with him. Revelation describes this coming man as one who receives his power from Satan, and he will use that power to exert absolute control. So people will think they have no choice but to bow down and worship him. If they don't, look what happens. You find that in Revelation 13:7, "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them." That is kill them. He will be dedicated to eliminating the true God from that society. In verse 15 of the same chapter, it says, "He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast," that's an idol, "that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed."

That's a real autocratic government. That's a real dictator ruling over you. Make no mistake about it. If you are listening closely to what's going on in the news these days, you begin to see the elements of government control that are being spoken about here. Often it's being spoken by those who want that control the most. This time we read about in Revelation is coming. But let's ask the question. Could you really lose your ability to buy or sell if you won't bow down and take the mark of the beast? Can that really happen? Yes, it can. We live in an age of digital currency. More and more you hear about CBDCs when they talk about banks and where banking is going. Society is moving toward a cashless system. Everything will be processed digitally. What that does is give banks and governments control over your finances. If you do something or say something they don't like, they can shut off your assets with the push of a button.

Never before in history was this ever a possibility. But today it is. This can really happen. And it's already happened to some who have had their assets frozen because their governments just didn't like what they were doing. Do you remember the Canadian truck drivers' protest from a few years ago? They lost access to their funds for a while because their government didn't like their stance on government mandates that were being proposed. If you're listening to this, beware, because we live in a time when the prophecies of the beast power are beginning to unfold. This is a prophecy that can very much come to pass in your lifetime.

Beware. Listen closely to governments that want to dominate your thinking or limit free speech. Beware of systems that speak of misinformation. Often, misinformation really means "You don't agree with me." And they have the power to censor you, cancel you, or lock you up. Beware of governments and people who speak evil of Jesus Christ, calling Him and His followers threats to society, threats to their agenda. People who say things like that are interested in having absolute power and control over you. And one day in the foreseeable future, that beast-like brutal power will appear and dominate our lives, and you will be faced with the fateful decision. Will you bow down and take the mark of the beast? It's a major decision because the Bible reveals the dire consequences of taking that mark.

In Revelation 14:9-10, right from God's own Word, it says, "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.'" You don't want to fall into the wrath of God. Believe me, you don't.

So what can you do now? What should you do now? While we need to be aware and watch for this coming beast power, because this will surely happen, we must remember where our hope and salvation really lies. It doesn't lie with any man or any government of man. The only hope we have is in God and Jesus Christ. No matter the persecution we face, nor the assets that may be taken away from us, we have a God who can provide for all our needs if we learn to trust in Him. In Matthew 6, Christ gives some encouraging words. He says, "Don't worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or, 'What shall we drink?' or, 'What shall we wear?' For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things." You need to turn to God now. Get out your Bible. Pattern your life after God. Learn what His way of life is. Repent, as Jesus said, and turn from your way to His way. Let Jesus Christ be your king, not some deceptive, power-crazed man. Only in Christ can you have life, hope, and a promising future. The only way to resist the evil that is coming is to turn to God.

You can learn much more about what we've talked about today, much more about the Bible, and what God has to say about all of this. Visit us at ucg.org/beast.