The second Beast of Revelation 13 will cause "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name" (verses 16-17).
What is behind this strange-sounding practice? How will it affect people as the time of the end draws near?
There is historical evidence that, in the ancient Babylonian culture, slaves "were identified...[by] some kind of mark, either tattooed or branded on the face or the back of the hand..." (H.W.H. Saggs, The Greatness That Was Babylon, 1962, p. 173). There may be parallels between this ancient practice and what God reveals will happen in the end time.
Many have speculated about the meaning of this puzzling prophecy. Some interpret it in terms of supercomputers, unique personal identity numbers and even microchips embedded under the skin.
However, we should consider that receiving a mark on the hand or forehead could well be figurative. Remember from Revelation 7:3 that God's servants were sealed on their foreheads. And in Deuteronomy 6 Moses told God's people to "keep all His statutes and His commandments," noting, "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes" (verses 2,8). The hand and forehead here represent one's actions and thoughts respectively—which should be dedicated to obeying God.
