Mark of the Beast?

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caerika

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I am a fairly recent convert to catholicism from evangelical protestantism. I was wondering what the Church’s stance is on the mark of the beast. My dad has been sending me some e-mails about this new chip (Verichip) that is being implanted in the right hand and forehead, which according to evangelicals is where the mark of the beast will be. Revelation 13:16-17. I am not sure what the church’s stance is on this issue. Of course, being raised evangelical protestant, I would have difficulty believing the placement of this chip in the right hand and forehead is just a coincidence. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
 
caerika said:
I am a fairly recent convert to catholicism from evangelical protestantism. I was wondering what the Church’s stance is on the mark of the beast. My dad has been sending me some e-mails about this new chip (Verichip) that is being implanted in the right hand and forehead, which according to evangelicals is where the mark of the beast will be. I am not sure what the church’s stance is on this issue. Of course, being raised evangelical protestant, I would have difficulty believing the placement of this chip in the right hand and forehead is just a coincidence. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
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I do not think that Catholic Church endorse the rapture and other related material from Evangelical fundamentalists. Moreover, some of those fundamentalists believe that the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon. BTW, what do those e-mails say??
 
caerika said:
I am a fairly recent convert to catholicism from evangelical protestantism. I was wondering what the Church’s stance is on the mark of the beast. My dad has been sending me some e-mails about this new chip (Verichip) that is being implanted in the right hand and forehead, which according to evangelicals is where the mark of the beast will be. I am not sure what the church’s stance is on this issue. Of course, being raised evangelical protestant, I would have difficulty believing the placement of this chip in the right hand and forehead is just a coincidence. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
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Welcome home! I’m a convert too:) There is no official Church teaching on the nature of the mark of the beast that I’m aware of. There’s plenty of room for speculation on what that mark may be. There’s plenty of room for speculation on what it may be. You might want to read a book called “The Anti-Christ” that is a compilation of the thoughts of the early Church Fathers about the anti-Christ. I don’t remember if it mentions anything about the mark.
 
I happen to be in the middle of an in-depth study of the Book of Revelation from an orthodox Catholic perspective. It seems the best way to understand the “mark of the Beast” is in terms of it’s opposite:
Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (Rev. 14:1)
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The Lamb, of course is Jesus. Mount Zion is the place where God is worshipped (the Church). The symbolic number 144,000 is 12 X 12 X 1000 (12 OT patriarchs and their tribes, the 12 apostles, 1000 = a large number – the whole people of God).

In ancient usage, to bear the mark of someone meant you were the property of that person. In the book of Revelation, this mark is not meant to be a literal, physical mark, but simply identifies individuals by whom they have placed themselves under the ownership of – either the Beast, or God.
 
caerika said:
I am a fairly recent convert to catholicism from evangelical protestantism. I was wondering what the Church’s stance is on the mark of the beast. My dad has been sending me some e-mails about this new chip (Verichip) that is being implanted in the right hand and forehead, which according to evangelicals is where the mark of the beast will be. Revelation 13:16-17. I am not sure what the church’s stance is on this issue. Of course, being raised evangelical protestant, I would have difficulty believing the placement of this chip in the right hand and forehead is just a coincidence. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
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As far as this goes, it may help to keep in perspective that people who have been looking for the signs of the times using these types of interpretations have changed them over the years to match whatever the newest technology was at that time. Thus, a few years ago, it was bar codes; before that, it was ATM cards; before that, it was credit cards; before that it was Social Security numbers; before that it was something else. I’ve read that back in the 1800’s when this theology was first invented, it was tied to the technology of that day. The fads they come, and the fads they go.
 
Fidelis said:
I happen to be in the middle of an in-depth study of the Book of Revelation from an orthodox Catholic perspective. It seems the best way to understand the “mark of the Beast” is in terms of it’s opposite:The Lamb, of course is Jesus. Mount Zion is the place where God is worshipped (the Church). The symbolic number 144,000 is 12 X 12 X 1000 (12 OT patriarchs and their tribes, the 12 apostles, 1000 = a large number – the whole people of God).

In ancient usage, to bear the mark of someone meant you were the property of that person. In the book of Revelation, this mark is not meant to be a literal, physical mark, but simply identifies individuals by whom they have placed themselves under the ownership of – either the Beast, or God.
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Fidelis,
That is a wonderful description, thanks!!! I always wondered how that number was chosen. It makes perfect sense.
 
Thank you “Fidelis”. I appreciate your response. By the way, I looked up this e-mail that my dad sent me on the internet and it turns out this imbedded bio-chip in the hand and forehead is an urban legend, since 2004.
I am still glad I found out the catholic perspective of the mark of the beast. Thank you.
 
While there is no official Catholic position on the mark of the beast, it may help to understand that the general Catholic position on prophesy is that it relates to the conditions at the time of writing. Despite what the supermarket tabloids would have us believe, the Bible was not written to predict the weather in modern times.😉

In John’s time much of the east had been depopulated. Roman generals and emperors took advantage of that to settle discharged Roman soldiers in those areas. Roman soldiers were branded on the hand – to identify deserters. After discharge, those brands were proof of entitlement to land and other benefits.

Similarly, it was the practice to free (manumit) slaves. Manumitted slaves became Roman citizens and still owed duties to their former owners, and were often set up in business by their former owners – many of them in the east – and shared profits with them. These slaves were often branded or marked on the forehead.

So in John’s time, the east was full of Roman citizens, who had special priviiliges and rights which other people did not have. A Roman citizen, for example, could compel a non-citizen to carry a burden for him for a mile (hence Christ’s comment, “If a man compels you to go with him a mile, go with him two.”)

In identifying the beast, there is plenty of evidence the beast is the Roman emperor, and hence those overbearing Roman citizens did indeed carry the mark of the beast.
 
I’d still probably avoid any implant chips (ID chips, tracking chips) they do exist and to me it is just kind of creepy to have something like that put inside me anywhere.
 
I’d still probably avoid any implant chips (ID chips, tracking chips) they do exist and to me it is just kind of creepy to have something like that put inside me anywhere.

I’m mean what if everyone is wrong about it? Why take the chance and are chips that necessary?

Though, we did get them in our dogs but that’s about my limit :o
 
Amateur_Soul said:
I’d still probably avoid any implant chips (ID chips, tracking chips) they do exist and to me it is just kind of creepy to have something like that put inside me anywhere.

I’m mean what if everyone is wrong about it? Why take the chance and are chips that necessary?

Though, we did get them in our dogs but that’s about my limit :o
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Isn’t the mark of the beast an infernal mocking of the seal of confirmation as the “black mass” is a mocking of the Sacrifice of the Mass? this is what I heard a priest tell me, Satan is envious of God and wants his own cult.
 
caerika said:
I am a fairly recent convert to catholicism from evangelical protestantism. I was wondering what the Church’s stance is on the mark of the beast. My dad has been sending me some e-mails about this new chip (Verichip) that is being implanted in the right hand and forehead, which according to evangelicals is where the mark of the beast will be. Revelation 13:16-17. I am not sure what the church’s stance is on this issue. Of course, being raised evangelical protestant, I would have difficulty believing the placement of this chip in the right hand and forehead is just a coincidence. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
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There is no “official” stance of the Church on what “The Mark of the Beast” actually is. However it would seem pretty silly for it to be the number 666 on the hand or forehead for it is Christians who are deceived into taking that “mark”. I mean most Christians know what the Book of Revelation says concerning that so they for sure would not accept such a thing- it would have to be something more deceptive that is in line with what the mark on the hand or forehead meant back when the book of revelation was written- and the mark itself -----

6 is the number of man and denotes “imperfection”
3 is the number designating Trinity which is “totality”

therefore 666 = “Total Imperfection”-

Also - “Caesar Nero” in Greek-

Ken
 
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