Understanding the Mark of the Beast (short and to the point version)
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
(Rev 13:16-17)
This is a counterfeit of the mark of God:
And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
(Eze 9:3-6)
God was bringing judgment upon the city for its abominations and sins, but before that God caused a mark to be placed upon the forehead of those who were still faithful to God and who were opposed to the rampant iniquity and unfaithfulness of the people. Much like here:
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
(Rev 7:2-8)
And again:
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
(Rev 14:1)
These are not "144,000 Jews". They are from all 12 tribes, not just Judah. Moreover, the number is clearly symbolic and represents the remnant of faithful servants of God, the overcomers:
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
(Rev 3:12)
So God's people have a mark or seal, in the forehead. The second beast from the earth initiates a mark upon all those who are not God's people, in their forehead, or in their right hand. Obviously, this satanic mark is a counterfeit of the Divine mark, and signifies ownership and loyalty.
The forehead and right hand:
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year. And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD'S. And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.
(Exo 13:5-16)
Here, both the observance of the Passover/Unleavened Bread festival, and the redemption of the firstborn are likened to signs or tokens (marks) in the forehead and the hand. The significance is given as "that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth". That is to say, they represent obedience to God by following God's ways, God's commandments, God's laws.
We see this again here:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
(Deu 6:4-8)
This is not a command to make phylacteries, as the rabbinics have determined, but is saying that God's law is like a sign or seal or token or mark upon the hand and forehead. The mark of God is the obedience to God and His ways. Thus, the mark of the beast is the obedience to the beast and its ways, its laws.
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
(Deu 11:18)
Having the law of God, His Word, as signs upon the hand and forehead is equivalent to laying them up in the heart and soul, ie sincere obedience.
The mark of God included faithful observance of the Divine calendar. The mark of the beast likewise involves the use of a religious calendar, namely, that of the beast. It is not limited to it, of course, but includes it. The calendar a society or individual follows indicates the god they serve. The mark of God, and the mark of the beast, are symbols representing adherence to a particular religious system that is all encompassing. By obeying the beast and following his calendar and adhering to his ways and his laws/commandments, one demonstrates they belong to the beast and thus are "marked" with his mark. By obeying God and following His ways and commandments (including His Divine calendar) one demonstrates they belong to Him and thus are "marked" with His mark.
So the mark of the beast isn't some computer chip that allows you to engage in digital financial transactions. It is adherence to the beast ideological and social system that allows you to participate in society. "Buying and selling" is not about shopping at WalMart so much as it is about engaging in business:
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
(Jas 4:13)
Is digital currency a bad thing? Absolutely! I might go so far as to say it is an abomination because it is a false weight and measure (
Prov 11:1) which is forbidden by the law of God (
Deut 25:13-16). So that adopting the digital currency may in fact just be another example or way in which people accept the mark of the beastly world system in rejection of God's laws and ways. But even if it weren't such a thing, it is still a bad thing because first of all it is based on literally nothing but the whims of the bankers and secondly because it is not about commerce but societal control, a tyrant's dream come true.
Those who follow God and His Law-Word will reject such a thing. Unfortunately, many who claim to be Christians are indeed saddled with the mark of the beast and don't even know it, because they are looking for computer chips instead of reading their Bibles looking for instruction.