We cannot receive a more emphatic warning than the one we find in the Third Angel’s Message:

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name (Revelation 14:9-11).

God wants everyone to know the result of following the Deceiver’s rationale. Satan presents the idea that God doesn’t care how we worship Him. He says as long as we live a good life we don’t need to worry about any of the particulars.

In reality, though, it is very inconvenient to worship God according to the Bible. There will be some pretty dire consequences for those who hold to the belief that their behavior and worship doesn’t matter. If we would heed the counsel in the Third Angel’s Message we would see that there will also be dire consequences for giving in to the false system of worship. Though persecuted and tried, the way of the righteous will prove true in the end:

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish (Psalm 1:5-6).

What is the mark of the Beast (Revelation 14:9, 11)?

To understand the mark of the Beast, we must first understand that God has a mark that distinguishes who His people are. Exodus 31:13 explains:

Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

The Sabbath was a sign that was to extend throughout the generations of God’s people. Even when the new earth comes, God’s people will continue keeping the Sabbath (see Isaiah 66:22-23). The keeping of the Ten Commandment law, including the Sabbath, is the sign of God’s people (see Revelation 13:16).

In Deuteronomy 6:8, God instructed His people to bind a sign on their hands and foreheads. The hand represents what we do, and the forehead represents our ability to think, make decisions, and believe in something. God wants us to believe in His law as well as obey it.

Satan also has a mark, and he is not nearly as picky about it being on both the forehead and the hand. One or the other is good enough for him. He doesn’t care whether we obey him because we agree with him, or if we just obey him because we have to. Notice the language in Revelation 13:16-17 describing the mark of the Beast:


And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads (emphasis added).

If God’s sign is His law, and in particular the seventh-day Sabbath, then Satan’s mark is a substitution for God’s day of worship. This would be an implementation of a law that forces a day of worship that is not sanctioned by God or His Word.

This is just some of the symbolism we find in this most solemn message to the world. We would be wise to prayerfully study these things and avoid the consequences of following after the enemies of God and His truth.

Read more about the mark of the Beast