Various theologians and Bible scholars provide endless speculations on the nature of “the mark.”
Will the mark of the beast be an imprint on the forehead or the hand? I suggest we look at the effect of ‘the mark’ to perhaps understand the end game of ‘the beast.’
He causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one may buy or sell, except he who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Revelation 13:16-17
After a friend told me about his wonderful experience with T-Mobile’s high-speed internet service, I called to sign up. The first thing required of me was not a credit card. The online clerk wanted my social security number, which I refused. T-Mobile would not sell me service without my SSN. T-Mobile will not sell their service to me without knowing my Social Security Number.
I then visited the AT&T store in Rockwall. AT&T also wanted my SSN, which I refused because I NEVER give my SSN to vendors. There, I had no problem because AT&T checked my creditworthiness with a verbal questionnaire.
I enjoy teaching. Over my lifetime, I have taught Bible students, salesmen, engineers, and customers. My teaching philosophy is simply this: Before you can teach a dog tricks, you have to know more than the dog. The reason I enjoy teaching is I am challenged to learn more about a subject. The learning experience is the most enjoyable part of teaching a subject.
I applied to become an Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF) leader. I submitted references, people who are members of my church, Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, who have known me well for many years. Within a few weeks, I was notified by email that I had been approved. Quickly, I picked out the classroom and prepared myself to teach. After two or three weeks, an email came requesting my SSN for a criminal background check. I refused. The rest is history.
My wallet holds a Texas driver’s license, a Texas handgun license, my passport, and a global entry card issued by the Department of Homeland Security. The federal and state governments have my SSN, but a commercial enterprise seeking to verify I am not a criminal will not get it.
The Social Security Administration warns, “Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in America. A dishonest person who has your Social Security number can use it to get other personal information about you. Identity thieves can use your number and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, when they use the credit cards and don’t pay the bills, it damages your credit. You may not find out that someone is using your number until you’re turned down for credit, or you begin to get calls from unknown creditors demanding payment for items you never bought. Someone illegally using your Social Security number and assuming your identity can cause a lot of problems.”
I have a paid account with LifeLock that guards against identity theft and helps keep my finances safe. LifeLock alerts you when there is a credit check. Within moments after AT&T approved my credit worthiness, an alert from LifeLock via text message popped up on my cell phone. Lifelock can warn you, but LifeLock cannot prevent identity theft. It is an insurance company as well as a watchdog, the company will “reimburse out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of identity theft.“
Do criminal background checks succeed in preventing criminal behaviors by Sunday School teachers, youth workers, and church employees? Not at all. News media is replete with reports of public school teachers and church workers engaging minors in unlawful sexual activities. Hitting close to home, a young mother who was working with the youth group was arrested for engaging in sexual intercourse with a young teen boy who was not a member of our church.
Back to the Mark of the Beast
I suggest the thing to watch for is your inability to buy or sell without disclosure of your SSN.
When the Social Security program was first proposed in Congress, many Bible-believing Christians were opposed to the use of a social security number due to their understanding of the Biblical warning about the mark of the beast.
Citizens were told that the Social Security Number (SSN) would never be used for personal identification; it would only be used for Social Security purposes. My personal Social Security card stated in bold letters, “FOR SOCIAL SECURITY PURPOSES – NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION.”
DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) is a tool that compares with the use of the SSN. Across the nation, big banks and investment companies have employed ESG and DEI to restrict commerce to only persons and corporations that subscribe to these two rules of exclusion.
Texas Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Flower Mound recently shared why he believes the “mark of the beast,” as mentioned in the Bible in Revelation 13, is “active even now.”
What’s in your wallet?
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 