Search and Study

July 15th, 2020 | Jack Hightower

There is a lot of talk about the Book of Revelation as a result of the COVID-19 “pandemic” and the subsequent worldwide response to it.

These uncertain times have given rise to a renewed cottage industry of Bible prophecy pundits, swindlers, and professed “scholars” in regards to “endtimes” topics such as: the mark of the beast, the “new world order,” the rapture, the beast and the false prophet, and more.

Of particular interest is the “mark of the beast” as many are now claiming that some sort of vaccine identification tool will be forced on people in order to give them permission to shop, and those who don’t take it will be prohibited from shopping. Allegedly, this is a perfect fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation 13:16 which states “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.”

It is an interesting connection—the idea that Revelation describes a “mark” that some are claiming could only apply in our modern, technologically advanced times, and that this is coming to fruition before our very eyes. It is a belief/interpretation that can easily confuse ignorant Christians or anybody else who has no foundation in the totality of scripture. Or, who simply are ill-equipped to read the Bible “for all it’s worth” and recognize basic grammatical and historical methods for communication and/or interpretation.

The False Premise

The interpretation of the book of Revelation and the “mark of the beast” potentially referring to a coming “mark” that will prevent us from “buying or selling” if we don’t take it is all based on one singular false premise. And that premise is that the Book of Revelation is a book about the future, and that we are living in the days of its fulfillment.

Questions to Ask

If you are a true student of the Word of God, before you attempt to truly study, the first thing you must do is consciously recognize your biases, your existing beliefs, and your desire to find a specific outcome. Otherwise, your “confirmation bias” will never allow you to see the truth, and you will ignore all factual information that is contrary to your biases.

So, do you want to be living in the last days? Have you already adopted, even casually, the belief or assumption that you are living in the “last days” and that the mark of the beast is coming soon? Do you have friends, loved ones, or family members who believe the same and would taking another position cause social turmoil for you? Do you attend a church that has professed this position and would finding evidence to the contrary upset your relationship with your church?

These are real questions to ask yourself, because the answers to these questions can hinder you from ever coming to the knowledge of the truth. It is called “confirmation bias” and it is part of human nature. If you don’t consciously overcome it, you can never expect to learn what the Bible plainly teaches.

That being said, here’s some questions to ask yourself:

The Timing of the Book of Revelation

To determine the timeframe of the book of Revelation, we only need to look at the text itself. And we also have to ask a simple question: do words which denote timeframes matter? Or is it okay to twist, manipulate, and force definitions on words which evidently don’t apply? Why don’t we just start with the very first verse…

Revelation 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…”

Do words have meaning? What does “shortly come to pass” mean? Can it be twisted, manipulated, and forced to mean “about 2,000 years later?” If the book of Revelation was apparently written in 69 AD, or thereabouts (some place it’s authorship as late as 96 – 97 AD), is it a reasonable interpretation to say that the things written in it, which were to “shortly come to pass” are just barely happening now, nearly 2,000 years later?

Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

What does “at hand” mean? Does that mean “a few millennia from now?” Do these words matter? It is evident that God went out of his way to give us a timeframe for these scriptures and for this book, specifically. So, do those words matter? Does God’s timeframe matter? Do the words that He chose to clarify the timeframe in which these things would come to pass matter? Are they of any import to us as Bible students?

Revelation 22:10 “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”

So, the Lord opens up the Book of Revelation in chapter 1, verse 3, by stating that the timing of the events he is about to describe is “at hand.” Then at the close of the book, in chapter 22, verse 10, he finishes it up again by saying that the events described in the book which has now been recorded by John, were again, “at hand.” The timeframe for this could not be any clearer. The timing of the Book of Revelation was “at hand” for the time in which it was written.

Regardless of whether you choose an early date of 69 AD or the later date of 96 AD, or any other date during the life of the Apostle John, what matters is that you recognize that the events described in the Book of Revelation were “at hand” or about to happen very soon after John had written them. In othe words, they must “shortly come to pass.”

What does "Quickly" Mean?

To further underscore the timing of the Book of Revelation, consider what Jesus said several times within the book of Revelation:

Whatever it was that Jesus was referring to when he said he “comes quickly,” we must recognize that it referred to something that would happen “quickly” within the timeframe in which it was written. By our modern calendars, that was a long time ago! Nearly 2,000 years ago.

So, while the Book of Revelation had many elements and events that it told and foretold what were future to the time in which it was written, if DEFINITIONS and TIMEFRAMES matter, then the events that were described had to take place quickly, or soon after the time in which the book was written.

The Book of Revelation uses no less than 7 specific scriptures which declare a specific timeframe in which these things were to take place. And they all coincide with one another plainly declaring that the events were to take place very shortly after the time in which the book was written.

There is no way an honest hearted student of the Bible can reasonably twist, distort, or manipulate these phrases and words to mean that the events would take place 2,000 years later (in our day). That is an absolutely absurd interpretation that so significantly damages the Word of God, that to maintain that standard of interpretation can allow anything to mean anything, thereby undermining the concept of Biblical absolutism.

The truth of the Word of God is easy to see if you just let the Bible speak for itself. In this case, a very plain reading of the Book of Revelation demonstrates that the events described, which include the “mark of the beast,” were things that took place in the time period just shortly after the time in which the Book of Revelation was written.

Therefore, while the concept of a digital microchip, RFID chip, or medical/vaccine ID device, that is implanted in your head, wrist, or body, is quite sinister and evil all on its own—and should be fought against furiously—it is no way possible for it to be the fulfillment of the prophecy of the “mark of the beast” in the book of Revelation.

Additionally, something does not have to be the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in order for it to be wicked or evil and thereby something we, as Christians, should fight against.