Revelation 13:16: “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.”

September 6th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The proof of a person’s loyalty to the Antichrist will be their acceptance of his mark. Exactly what that specific mark will look like has remained an area of great speculation for centuries. We are the first generation to see how easily a surgically implanted RFID (Radio-frequency identification) chip into the back of someone’s hand or even into their forehead could fulfill this prediction. Back in 2004, Mexico’s Attorney General reported that he and 160 of his employees have already been implanted with a rice-grain size RFID chip for security reasons. Although the current applications for humans do not include buying and selling, the technology for doing so already exists at most of the retail checkout counters in our nation.

It is interesting to note that the placement of the mark corresponds to the Jewish custom of wearing phylacteries on the back of the hand and on the forehead. This is also probably a direct distortion of God’s seal, which we read of in Revelation 7:3: “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” We remember that anti-Christ means literally “in place of Christ,” so for those living during his reign, this antichrist will probably be an attractive counterfeit. Satan began with deception in Eden and will continue to refine and use deception right up until his doom. However, God is greater, as Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” helps us remember:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

“LORD, we look to You to guide us through this day, away from the snares and traps of the evil one and onto Your path of Light.”