What does the mark of the beast symbolize?

Answer 1

One opinion:

One way to determine what the "mark" or "sign" of the Beast is... is to first determine what the Bible tells us is the mark or sign of God.

Then... whatever the sign of God is, it may determined with a certain amount of confidence that the Beast's sign will be a "counterfeit" one. Something "false" or "opposite" to take the place of God's sign.

The Bible tells us that the coming Beast will derive his power from SATAN THE DEVIL [the Dragon - Rev.13 & 12:9].

"...the Beast which I saw was like unto a leopard... a bear... and... a lion [see Dan.7's dream of these historically prophetic 'world-ruling empires'; government systems of men]... and THE DRAGON GAVE HIM HIS POWER, and HIS SEAT, and GREAT AUTHORITY." (Rev.13:2)

Satan hates God and His creation... and has worked these past millennia, since man's creation in God's image, perverting it and undermining men's understanding of it, deceiving him, leading him astray from the ways of Peace and Happiness, which would result through humble obedience to God's laws.

Whatever God has created... Satan has deceived man regarding it. And God's sign or mark is no exception.

"Wherefore the children of Israel shall KEEP THE SABBATH... for a PERPETUAL [Eternally] covenant. IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME [Jesus Christ; the Creator God of the Old Testament - John 1:3] and the children of Israel FOR EVER..." (verses 16-17)

There... from the Bible... is "God's MARK!"

The mark which this, Satan's deceived world, HATES WITH A PASSION! It hatefully calls God's sign the , "Jewish sabbath." Even though the Bible calls it "God's Sabbath."

"...IT IS THE SABBATH [sign] OF THE LORD..." (Lev.23:3).

"...the SEVENTH DAY is the SABBATH [sign] OF THE LORD [Jesus Christ - John 1:3] THY GOD..." (Ex.20:10).

God made the Sabbath [sign] on the "seventh day of creation"... not centuries later, under the prophet Moses. He made it for "man" [Mark 2:27]... not the "Jews" [who were still within Adam's genetic makeup, along with all the other future nations of the world].

And it was 'that old Serpent' who "deceived the whole world" that day in the Garden of Eden into distrusting and disbelieving their Creator. And they followed the god of this world and his lying, murderous, deceptive ways to this day.

Satan-guided men argue with God's Word... pass judgment upon it... ignore it... and rebel against it at every turn, to keep from obeying it. And that includes the "acceptance of God's sign or mark" of "identification" that tells the world who God's people are: and which tells the world who their God is.

One main modern rebellious argument of modern professing Christianity is that "the Exodus scripture says that it's a perpetual covenant for the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL!" And that it therefore doesn't apply to "FAITHFUL Christians."

Therefore, all who are Christ's "faithful servants" come under that "perpetual covenant sign of God Almighty"... His Sabbath.

The "mark" of God isn't "symbolic"... it's the spiritual obedience of the "inner man" to His Commandments [REMEMBER the Sabbath day to keep it Holy]. And it's the application of character-building obedience to God's Word in one's life. It's enduring and overcoming the world's hatred and perversion of what is God's... and overcoming through Jesus Christ, the world's persecution upon those who bow humbly and obediently to God's will... and not the will and pressure of 'that old Serpent.'

So, anyway... that's what the Bible says "God's mark" is -- His Sabbaths.

If it "symbolizes" anything... it would have to be the Godly character in builds in the Children of God who are able, through Jesus Christ, to stand up to and overcome this world's hatred and persecution of those who would dare to "remember" it and "keep" it. To "accept it in their forehead" [the frontal lobe of intellect in the human brain - see Rev.7:3].

The "mark of the Beast," therefore, would have to "symbolize" the rejection of God's mark... and the acceptance of the perverted "sign" of the god of this world -- any day of the week other than God's Holy seventh-day Sabbath, that men prefer over their Creator's Holy, Blessed and Sanctified day.

Any sign that rejects the "remembrance"... the keeping in mind of "creation and our Creator." Any sign that subsequently advocates a Godless, Creatorless universe.

"...I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and Judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the Beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Rev.20:4)

The human forehead [where the mark is] symbolizes the "accepting human spirit"... man's intellect, which is the "mind of man."

"...be renewed in the SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND." (Eph.4:23)

It's the Truth... or the lies... with which one agrees in this world... and the convictions thereof by which a person lives his life.

And the mark on the right hand symbolizes the works to which one applies his beliefs and convictions in his life... be they righteous deeds or the deceptive misguided ones of the god of this world.

The mark of the Beast [or the mark of God] is the acceptance or the rejection of one or the other BY VOLITION... the conscious act of making a deliberate choice or decision. It involves an informed decision based on an understanding of the Truth of God, and whether or not the ones God is calling choose obedience to it. An understanding about which the majority of mankind remains deceived and in the dark.

The Beast's mark [and God's mark] cannot be "imposed" or "forced" on you. It's not a computer chip implant... or a tattoo. It's one's free will acceptance or rejection of God's mark [and His Word]... as opposed to the Dragon's mark and his lying words...

It's about one's enduring and overcoming the resulting persecution by the Dragon's world, should God's mark be chosen instead of his.

And when it finally comes down to "buying and selling" [earning a living]... and "eating or starving"... and "living or dying" due to the acceptance or rejection of God's or the Dragon's mark -- the "symbolism" of it all becomes moot to the flesh -- that greedy, lusty all-consuming physical nature that we presently are. The acceptance and/or rejection of the "signs" of God and the Dragon have Eternal consequences that transcend symbolism.

Short opinion

The "mark of the beast" symbolizes identification with the beast.