Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, recently addressed one of the most debated topics in the book of Revelation, the mark of the beast. Far from science fiction or futuristic implants, Chandler explained that the mark is a spiritual and cultural reality unfolding right before our eyes.
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In Revelation 13, Scripture describes a beast that forces “all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave” to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead without which no one can buy or sell. For centuries speculation has tied this prophecy to credit cards, chips or other technological advances. Chandler pushed back against these interpretations. “The mark of the beast ‘is not [Elon Musk] putting something in our brains or something like that,’” he said.
Instead he pointed to the deeper biblical meaning behind the infamous number. “The perfect number is number seven, and so if seven is complete, six is incomplete,” Chandler explained. “We also know that the number three means complete. And so 666, the mark of the beast, is really to show that the work of the enemy is completely—three sixes—incomplete. And so this is, really, what the enemy produces: complete incompleteness.”
The forehead and hand imagery in Revelation are not physical placements but symbols of belief and action. Chandler noted, “A forehead mark [is] ideological belief and a hand mark [is] the practice of that ideological belief.” In other words, what you think and what you live out shows who you belong to.
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This interpretation ties directly into the broader biblical warning about the Beast system, a world order that demands allegiance and conformity in order to participate in society. As Revelation 13:17 states, no one can buy or sell without the mark. Chandler sees this reality already at work: “I think the way you’re even seeing this today is there are certain, especially in the business community now, ideological beliefs you must have in order to participate in the economy. And I think we’re going to see this get worse.”
According to Chandler the mark of the beast is not waiting for a distant future. “That means I believe the mark of the beast is active even now in this moment of history that we’re in,” he concluded.
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It is an interesting approach for sure, one that emphasizes the spiritual dimension of the Beast system rather than a physical technology. Yet many end times prophecy watchers would caution that with the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, digital surveillance and rising global authoritarianism we may be heading toward a literal fulfillment of Revelation 13, where economic and political systems will require men and women to bear an actual mark on their bodies in order to buy or sell.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
