Mark of the Beast? Or just the Digital Age?

Barcodes…

Many businesses, bands, artists, and even individuals are now utilizing the data matrix barcode system as a means to advertise their goods, services, or even events to the masses. If you have a smart phone with barcode scanning capabilities you can scan these nifty new-age barcodes and you will be redirected to a website with all sorts of multimedia awesomeness.

This got me thinking…in the age of Facebook and Twitter…wouldn’t it be cool if everyone got these barcode tattoos and when you scanned them with your smart phone you would instantly be directed to their homepage with all their stats and interests, photos and everything! What a genius social media tool! I was instantly planning my own tattoo of this design as the idea formed in my mind!

But then I remembered something from those sermons I heard many times over the years in church about the Mark of the Beast.

He (the beast) also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, (Revelation 13:16 NLT)

There’s already been chip implants invented where they can be inserted under the skin that stores personal information, medical history, allergies, etc. One of the features of this chip is it has access to your bank account– a digital debit card, if you will– so a person can make purchases without even having their wallet or purse with them. And there are chips you can have implanted in your pets so if they get lost they can be scanned and all your information is linked to them and they can be returned to you safely.

And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. (Revelation 13:17 NLT)

Now don’t start blasting me with religiosity (or vice versa). This is all merely speculation that has been going through my head this week. I’ve studied the book of Revelation a few times, and still don’t understand it in so many ways. I don’t know how the particular “marking” of the Beast will all come about, whether this is just the precursor of it, or if it has nothing to do with it at all. I’m just throwing it out there for some thinking outside the box.

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 NLT)