And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
(Rev 13:11-18)
I'm going to make a few observations here:
1. The mark is instituted by the SECOND beast, not the first beast.
2. The first beast is generally understood by most if not all historicists as representing the Roman Empire, or at least the Roman political/secular system.
3. The second beast has "two horns like a lamb", thus indicating a certain "lamb-like quality" to it. The lamb, in the Revelation, is Christ. The second beast then appears to be a sort of substitute Christ, a counterfeit, or what claims to represent Christ. Yet it "speaks as a dragon". Now, what this particularly refers to, this speaking like a dragon, I am not really getting into at the moment, but I think it is important to notice that most historicist commentators have simply assumed what a "dragon" would speak like. Or else based their ideas on medieval and Renaissance European folklore. I would simply remark that "dragon" in Scripture may not be exactly synonymous with the "dragon" of medieval folklore.
4. In any event let's look at "the mark". The mark is a sign or token, placed upon individuals, identifying them as belonging to the beast. It is placed in the right hand or in the forehead. It is distributed to all classes of persons, excepting none. It is accompanied with an ability to "buy and sell", that is, to carry on mercantile activities or trade or "business". Failure to have the mark results in an inability to buy or sell, that is, to carry on business or trade. It is identified with a name, and a number. The name and the number signify the beast, and the mark (being a representation of ownership by and allegiance to the beast) therefore is a symbol or sign of that name and number. In other words, the mark, the name of the beast, and the number of the beast are all connected, signifying the same basic thing - submission to the beast. There is however a distinction between the mark, the name, and the number: "...save he that had the mark,
or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name." They all signify the same essential thing, yet they are each distinct in themselves. A person might have the mark, OR the name, OR the number of the beast.
5. The mark is connected with worship:
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
(Rev 13:4-8)
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
(Rev 13:12-15)
So, in summary, we have an essentially religious system being put in place, which ostracises from society, and which persecutes and even kills those who refuse to participate in it. It is a worship not only of a created "image of the (first) beast", but is also worship of that first beast itself, and in fact is worship of the dragon. This worship is primarily characterised by fear, and a sense that the object(s) of worship here is/are "unbeatable", that nobody "can make war" with them. In other words, the worship essentially consists in being resigned to the belief that resistance is futile and ineffective. This worship and obedience/allegiance is symbolised by a mark in the right hand or forehead.
Now, this is in contrast to another mark that has already been mentioned in the Revelation:
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 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.
(Rev 7:1-4)
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)
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)
There are two marks in the Revelation, one identifying the servants of God and of the Lamb, and the other identifying the servants of the beast and of the dragon.
We read something very similar in Ezekiel:
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 9:4-6)
In Ezekiel, a symbolic mark was placed upon those who were faithful to God and who were not in agreement with the corruption that had befallen the nation. The judgment of death that was to go through the city was to pass over those who had been marked as belonging to God. In Revelation, the same basic concept is presented, the plagues are stayed until the servants of God are marked, and thus the plagues fall upon those not so marked (as in Ezekiel).
Both marks are said to be in the forehead, although the mark of the beast can also be in the right hand. What does this signify?
Scripturally, the right hand symbolises power and activity. Christ on the right hand of God means Christ is the agent through which God operates, through whom His power is active and accomplishing things. Therefore, the right hand symbolises action and activity.
The forehead is the place in the front of the face, between the eyes. What is on the forehead represents that which is "before one's eyes", ie that which is always in remembrance and in thought, that which is in one's plain sight, and thus signifies thinking and belief and awareness and knowledge. Especially as it relates to the motives and direction one takes in life (ie one's choices):
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
(Psa 101:3)
So what we are seeing in the Revelation is a dichotomy, a comparison between two rival systems of worship and allegiance. God has marked His servants, and the beast has marked his.
We should keep in mind that John's vision is just that - a vision. He is seeing spiritual truths communicated to him via symbols. We should not expect a literal physical mark placed upon people's hands or foreheads, anymore than we should expect God's servants to have a literal physical mark placed upon them, or that there should be a literal seven headed monster rising from the Mediterranean Sea, followed by a large monster with lamb horns rising from the earth. Just as the beasts represent certain things, so do the marks.
(cont in next post)