Who Is This Beast And What Is This Infamous Mark Of His? (Op-Ed)

My fellow Patriots,

The End Times is a widely debated topic from which people pull all sorts of theories from the Bible but only from a surface look at the Bible with isolated passages instead of full chapters or books that provide context and critical information that could dispel many of the false End Time theories.

Many political commentators who discuss the "New World Order" talk about the End Times as they are discussed in the Bible and specifically in the book of Revelation, but they have only a surface understand of the book of Revelation without the context and understanding about the End Times that comes from other books in the Bible such as the Gospel of Matthew. This misinformation, which is probably unintentional, can cause more problems, for those who are listening to these commentators and accepting what they say without question, because they are missing important information that would cause less fear and panic in people. One thing to understand is that DISinformation is different that MISinformation. DISinformation is when a person intentionally spreads falsehoods, while MISinformation is when a person UNintentionally spreads falsehoods. Another name for this misinformation, especially when it leads people to think that everything similar to the Mark of the Beast (which will be discussed later in this article) is in fact the Mark of the Beast, is sensationalism. Sensationalism is inherently a distortion of the Bible, because it takes away from the whole of the text and instead takes ideas from the text and tries to apply them to the world without understanding the details that come from actually reading the biblical text. 

The Gospel of Matthew talks about the End Times and the times leading up to the End Times in chapters twenty-four and twenty-five. In Matthew 24:5-7 Jesus Christ tells his disciples "For many will come in My name, saying 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of the birth pangs." Jesus says that before the End Times there will be an increase in false teachers (because there has always been false teachers) and that there will be an increase in wars and rumors of wars as well as nations fighting nations as well as kingdoms fighting other kingdoms. One interesting translation fact is that the Greek word that is translated into the English word "nation" is the Greek word "ethnos", which is the root word of "ethnicity"; so Matthew 24:7 talks about ethnicities or races fighting one another; also known as race wars. Jesus also says that these wars and famines and earthquakes will happen before the End Times, but will be signs that the End Times is near. It should be noted that "near" could be as soon as tomorrow or as long as decades or longer, because Jesus also says that in Matthew 24:36 that no one will know that day or hour of the End Times and the Rapture of the church (which will be discussed later in this article).

Matthew 24:9-14 says "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Before the End Times comes there will be great persecutions against the Church and "Christians" will betray other Christians in attempts to save their own lives. There will also be an increase in lawlessness throughout the world. Obviously we are seeing vast increases in lawlessness both among the average person as well in governments across the world. Corrupt politicians are able to commit treason and face no consequences like General Mark Milley. All of the things discussed in this paragraph and the previous paragraph will all happen BEFORE the End Times and the rapture of the Church.

Now to discuss the much debated topic: the rapture of the Church. There are Christians who believe that the Rapture is before the End Times, in the middle of the End Times, and at the end of the End Times, or not even an event that the Church will experience. I can assure you that when taking a look at the whole of Scripture the rapture of the Church will be a real event and it will happen before the End Times. Many Christians who believe in a pre-tribulation (which is another term for the End Times) rapture point to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 which says "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." At the same time as pre-tribulation rapture Christians point to this for proof of the rapture, other Christians who do not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture point out that the word rapture does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Well the phrase from 1 Thessalonians 4:17, "caught up" means to be suddenly or instantaneously grabbed, which was translated from Greek into Latin as the word "raptura", which is how Christians get the word "Rapture" in English. So the meaning of the word "Rapture" is in the Bible, but since the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek the word "Rapture" itself is not in the Bible, since the Bible was not originally written in English. Now going back to the Biblical proof of the Rapture of the Church before the End Times, in Revelation 3:10, Jesus says to Christians that "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." The "hour of testing" or the "hour of trial" or the "hour of wrath", which is all different ways this passage has been translated into English, refers to the End Times or the Tribulation Period which will be seven years. So Jesus says that the Church will not experience the Tribulation Period. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 also says, talking to Christians, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." So clearly, since the Tribulation at the End Times is filled with God's wrath on the Earth for it's unbelief, the Bible says that Christians will not experience this wrath of God. Now, this is just one aspect of the Bible that points to a pre-tribulation rapture; if you want more I would recommend watching, on YouTube, some sermons from Amir Tsarfati, who is the founder of Behold Israel. He has done lots of research and studies into Biblical prophecies including those that discuss the End Times.

Now for the main part of this article (although everything previously written is extremely important). The part of the book of Revelation that gets the most attention in the political commentary sphere, but is also misunderstood the most by most political commentators is Revelation 13, which talks about the Dragon, the two Beasts, and the infamous Mark of the Beast. Revelation 13:1-2 says "And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his head were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feel were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority." I'm not going to break down what all the animal descriptions of the Beast of the Sea mean, but the dragon is Satan, the devil, or Lucifer (depending on what you want to call him). Revelation 12 introduces the Dragon and gives references from the Fall of Humanity in the book of Genesis that talks about God's plan for humanity and how Satan used humans' free will to cause sin to come into the world, and these references would only apply to Satan. Ancient Israelis were scared, as a people, of the Mediterranean Sea, so the sea is used to reference a dark or unknown place throughout Scripture. What the beast coming from the sea means is that this beast will be an unknown character until he is thrust into the global spotlight. Many political commentators refer to the "Beast System", which they claim is a system of global governance and that is what Revelation is referencing instead of a singular person who will lead a global system. Revelation 13:2 says "and the Dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority." Many people wonder how Satan can give this Beast of the Sea authority on the Earth if God is the ruler of this world; well since the Fall of Humanity, Satan has really been running wild on Earth and the sin nature of people is what rules people. Even Jesus in the Gospel of John 14:30, says "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." Jesus Christ calls Satan the "ruler of this world". Since Satan is the Dragon and the ruler of this world, then he can give a throne to the Beast of the Sea, who is also known as the Abomination of Desolation as referenced in the Old Testament book of Daniel and in the New Testament Gospel of Luke as well as many other places throughout the whole of the Bible. This Beast of the Sea is also known as the AntiChrist.

Now many of you may be confused when I tell you that there is another Beast that is references in Revelation 13 other than the Beast of the Sea; there is also the Beast of the Earth. Revelation 13:11-12 says "Then I saw another beast coming up out of the Earth; and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the Earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed." If the first Beast (the Beast of the Sea) is the AntiChrist, then who is the second beast (the Beast of the Earth)? Revelation 13:12 says "and he makes the Earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast." The second beast will be the false prophet or religious leader that will point the Earth to the AntiChrist as being god. Revelation says that as part of pushing for the worship of the AntiChrist, the False Prophet in Revelation 13:16, "causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free man and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead." This is the Mark of the Beast that everyone is constantly referencing in relation to the Covid-19 vaccine passports. Now, the AntiChrist will rise first and be revealed, then the False Prophet will be revealed and then there will be a mark that is implemented as a mandatory form of worship of the AntiChrist and it has to be on the RIGHT hand or the FOREHEAD of people. The Mark of the Beast will NOT be an app on a phone or physical papers; it WILL be a mark that MUST be on the right hand or forehead of people.

People wonder next, how will we know we are in the Tribulation period. For one thing, Christians will not be on the Earth, because they have already been raptured to Heaven by God, as has already been discussed in this article. For the exact time of when the Tribulation period, you have to look back at the Old Testament of Daniel; now this "exact time" is not a date, but an action that will be taken by the AntiChrist that will signal the beginning of the seven year Tribulation period. Daniel 9:26-27 says "...and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifices and grain offerings; and on the wings of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes the desolate." One thing to understand about the second half of the book of Daniel, is that it is all in reference to future times, both the coming of Jesus and then the end of the world. Another thing to understand is that in Daniel's visions a "week" actually represents a seven year cycle based on the lunar calendar; that is how Christians know that the Tribulation period will be seven years long. The "prince" referenced is Satan, who is the prince (or ruler) of this world, as has been discussed already; and this prince will make a covenant "with the many", which in the Hebrew language is a reference to the Israelite people, aka Israel. So the seven year period will start when the AntiChrist, who has been given the power and authority of Satan, signs a covenant or deal or treaty with Israel. While it is not known for sure, it is believed by those who study the prophecies of the Bible for the End Times that this covenant between Israel and the AntiChrist will probably have something to do with the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. Hebrew sacrifices are offered at the Temple, so if there is no Temple, then sacrifices cannot be given; therefore the AntiChrist cannot stop sacrifices until the Third Temple is built.

To summarize everything that has been communicated, there will be a massive increase in violence, lawlessness, wars, famines, and earthquakes in the times leading up to the End Times upon which there will be a falling away from the faith as some "Christians" will turn against other Christians in an effort to save themselves from persecution. The Church will be raptured by God before the Tribulation period begins to protect them from the wraith of God that will come. The AntiChrist will be a global leader and will have a False Prophet that will push people to worship the AntiChrist by claiming that he is god. The Mark of the Beast will be a part of showing that people worship the AntiChrist, and has to be a mark on either the right hand or forehead of people. There are many other aspects of the Tribulation period that I have not covered including all the other proofs of the rapture happening before the Tribulation period. I have also not covered the judgments of God against the whole world that will happen during the Tribulation period, but that would be another extremely long article. If you want more information, I will again recommend that you listen to the sermons of Amir Tsarfati, which are available on his YouTube channel.

As mentioned near the beginning, it is important to keep to the text of the Bible, not just pulling ideas from the Bible without the details; this is called sensationalism and it is a distortion of the Bible. So pray for wisdom, read, and study all the End Time biblical prophecies, not just the few that are always referenced so you may be not swayed by the false teachers that will come before the Tribulation period and pull people away from their faith. In all the chaos that is here and is increasing in magnitude in these times as we approach the End Times, keep your eyes and faith in Christ so that you will be protected and will never be given more than you handle. Even if you are hunted down, arrested, and killed for you faith, remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Go in peace brothers and sisters, and for those who have not surrendered their life to Jesus Christ, I pray that your eyes will be opened and your hearts softened to Him who is able to do more than you could ever ask or imagine, the Savior of the World: Jesus Christ, Yeshua, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.