Where is the ‘Mark of the Beast’ Found in Scripture?

Where Does the Bible Say 666?

The Scripture passage relating to the “Mark of the Beast” is found Revelation 13:16-18:

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.”

The above noted passage informs us of the universal religious influence of this counterfeit Holy Spirit. The mark is placed in the most conspicuous place of the body, i.e., the forehead or right hand. The “mark” (Greek word charagma) means an impression made by a stamp like a brand used on slaves and animals, or a stamp placed on an official document. During those terrible days known as the Great Tribulation, people without the mark of the Beast will be unable to buy, sell, or trade. Life will come to a grinding halt without that mark. The False Prophet will ration commodities only to those who have the mark of the Beast.

The mark of the Beast is explained as being a triple six–“the number of a man,” each digit falling short of the perfect number seven. Six, in the Scripture, is man’s number. The number implies that this title referring to the first beast, Satan’s masterpiece, limits him to man’s level which is far short of the deity of Jesus Christ. (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, by J. F. Walvoord, p. 210.)

It is easy to understand that the number assigned to the unholy trinity is 666, less than perfect, but a multiple of man at his best, the highest Satan can attain. Hence, this is an appropriate mark for the trinity of evil: Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. (Liberty Bible Commentary on the New Testament, pp. 777-778.)

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Dr. Elmer Towns is a college and seminary professor, an author of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over 20 resource packets for leadership education.His personal education includes a B.S. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.He is co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty’s existence. Today, the University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the School of Religion.Dr. Towns has given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. He holds visiting professorship rank in five seminaries. He has written over 2,000 reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees. Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious education and evangelism.

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