When people turn their attention to end-time events, they often talk of the mark of the Beast. They might ask, What will this mark be? How will believers in the Tribulation avoid getting it? With today’s move towards developing a secure way to access all of one’s accounts and identity, we can see how the mark of the Beast could be used in the future.
But all things considered, I think the more compelling question is, Have I been marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit? Revelation chapter 14 shows us that whether one is marked with the name of God or with the name of the Beast is the determining factor of their eternal destiny.
In our lives today, we can be marked by outward things like injuries or illness, which might leave scars in our flesh, reminding us of the occurrence. We can also be marked inwardly by traumatic losses, and words spoken over us that sear themselves into our soul. The Lord cares about the effects of these marks on our lives. He sent the Holy Spirit as a comforter to help us heal and grow. God has also given us the body of Christ to encourage and build each other up.
However, as Christians, these physical and emotional marks in our body and soul, though very real, are temporary. This is because we bear another mark or seal given to us by the Lord through the Holy Spirit. This seal guarantees whose we are and our future redemption—spirit, body, and soul—at the Lord’s return (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—
having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is
given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own
possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).
It is this seal that defines us. It makes us overcomers, co-heirs with Christ, and kings and priests of our God. Our real joy is found not just in overcoming Satan’s work in our lives but in the fact that we are sealed for redemption—our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20; Rev. 21:27). So, when many are talking about the mark of the Beast in light of our times, it's important to remember and encourage one another that we bear the mark of the Lord!
Study the book of Revelation: Come Lord Jesus: A Woman's Walk—Spirit, Body & Soul—Through the Book of Revelation.
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