IT HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT writing that 1000-word precis of the larger article I earlier wrote about ‘666’ and the ‘mark of the beast’. The fact is (like with most of the articles) that most people simply could not be bothered reading the original 13,000-word article. They want soundbites and audiobooks! So the 1000-word precis is a kind of taster for the larger version. So, of course, now many people who deliberately did not read the 13,000-word version actually skim through the 1000-word precis and are horrified by the contents. 🤯 But rather than try and educate themselves out of their horrification by going on to read the 13,000-word version, they complain about the 1000-word version which they do not understand. The reality is that most professing Christians today (especially in America) have been sooooo brainwashed by the idea that the ‘mark of the beast’ is merely a physical thing that the idea that it is purely symbolic seems to them like heresy!

Oh boy, how heavily have we fallen for distractions and diversions in this wayward age! It’s like there’s a kind of ‘mark of the beast’ cult which spends its time trying to work out what it is. One minute it’s a barcode; next minute it’s a vaccine; next minute it’s the Covid test; next minute it’s the Digital ID; next minute it’s the ‘whatever’. This is in the same loony street as trying to figure out who is the Antichrist. The Pope, Mikail Gobachev, Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, Barack Obama, Donald Trump! I’ve heard them all! Let me tell you this: When the Antichrist has his parousia, there will not be the faintest doubt whatsoever for genuine disciples of Christ, who will recognise him instantly in all his shamanic interfaith evil masquerading as the Christ. Same with the ‘mark of the beast’. A genuine disciple of Christ will not follow all the worldlings who are constantly prattling about what could be the mark. If they diligently search the Scriptures, they will know that the ‘mark of the beast’ involves total allegiance to Satan and his beastly world-system. No need to fret about what it could be. They know; and it is nothing that they need to be concerned about having; for they have the seal of the Spirit and that is their ‘mark’. They know that the ‘mark of the beast’ is a temporary satanic parody of the ‘mark’ that they have for eternity.

Unlike the fanciful churches of today, the early Church Fathers did not view the ‘mark of the beast’ as some kind of physical branding, but as a symbolic sign of allegiance in thought (the head) and action (the hand) toward the satanic powers of the world. They viewed the ‘mark of the beast’ as a satanic parody of the divine ‘seal’ received by God’s people which is placed just three verses after the verse about the ‘mark of the beast’ (see Revelation 13:16 – 14:1), and they connected that to the terrible persecution they received from the Roman Empire, which was the contemporary manifestation of the ‘beast’ in their day. Simply refusing to renounce Christ and instead bow down to the emperor and deify the state was enough to ensure that you could not lead a normal life or were incarcerated in a prison or were liquidated. That is what is meant by refusing the ‘mark of the beast’.

I can tell you this: If you do not have the ‘mark of the beast’ (i.e. have no allegiance to Satan and his ‘beastly’ world-system) but instead have the seal of the Spirit in you (i.e. total allegiance to Christ and His Lamb-led kingdom), then when the Antichrist is revealed you will not only be unable to go about your normal business but war will be waged against you and you will be killed for your faith and your express opposition to the ‘beast’ (Revelation 11:7; 13:7; Daniel 7:21-22). But all of that will not be because you merely refused a microchip or some similar artefact! It will be because you will be among the comparative few who will declare the Antichrist to be an impostor and counterfeit who even many professing Christians will believe to be the returned Christ. Looking around at the state of the visible church today, you can see how SO MANY are ‘all over the place’ in their thinking and in their fealties to so many crazy teachers and how they have a wholly unteachable spirit, merely taking on board what their itching ears want to hear. One can see this saying of Jesus working itself out: “Narrow is the gate and afflicted is the way that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:14). Comparatively speaking, when compared to the mass of people who will take the broad way leading to the second death, there will be few who will hold the line of faith and persevere to the end. This should drive us to diligence even more.

Anyway, before this becomes another unread 13,000-word piece or even another book,🙂 all I can say is this: If you are one of those struggling with the 1000-word precis, then go on to read the larger original article. Then you will surely understand. In order to equip oneself these days it is vital not to be a skimmer, not to just jump on the many facile bandwagons of today, and to be prepared to study and study and study and study (for all God’s people are really His students!). Satan loves superficial skimmers. God loves conscientious students. Satan loves those who fall for bandwagons (for they are his speciality). God loves those who embrace truth, regardless of whatever discomfort it may cause. The wonderful thing is that you do not need to be an academic or intellectual to study in the Christian life. Being regenerated (i.e., made into a new creation) means that your mind and powers of perception are multiplied many times more than beforehand and you have a natural inquisitiveness to gain understanding. Oh to have an inquisitive mind which embraces truth at all costs!

[Here is the link to the larger version of the article about ‘666’ and the ‘mark of the beast’: https://diakrisis-project.com/2025/10/20/identifying-the-mark-of-the-beast-the-meaning-of-the-number-666-updated/ . It will be interesting to see how many go there and actually study it].

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2025
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]

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