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What is the 'mark' that is necessary for buying and selling in Revelation 13:17?

and that no one should be able to buy or to sell, if not the one having the mark--the name of the beast, or the number of its name.

Dottard
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Jon Dorsett
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  • Welcome to BHSX. Thanks for your question. Please remember to take the tour (link below left) to better understand how this site works. – Dottard Jul 12 '22 at 22:28
  • Might there be a connection between this and that in Rev 18:13 about "buying/selling the bodies and souls of men"? – Dottard Jul 12 '22 at 23:35
  • @Dottard - It's interesting you asked if there is a connection between 13:17 & 18:13, it might worth to think about. However, 18:11-13 have a similar context as in Ezekiel 27:12-24, describing the destruction of Tyre and lost of trade from many countries who made their wealth from Tyre. Many listed items were similar or identical. Would Babylon a metaphor of Tyre, and Tyre a metaphor of a modern city/country whose great wealth relies on trade? – Vincent Wong Jul 13 '22 at 01:58
  • Yes, the ancient city of Type was a type of modern spiritual Babylon. I am particularly interested in the fact that cargoes of Babylon included "bodies and souls of men". – Dottard Jul 13 '22 at 04:48
  • Both the name and the number (or either the name or the number) is the mark. What is marked (the word is 'engraved' - it is not a tatoo, it is carved into the skin) is either (or both) a name or a number. The name is 'beast' and the number is '666'. I don't understand the difficulty here, myself. – Nigel J Jul 13 '22 at 10:56

1 Answers1

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The mark is an identity that the person is submissive to the beast.

The Bible says:

Revelation 13:17 (NIV)

so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is

  1. the name of the beast or
  2. the number of its name.

So the mark has either the name of the beast, which we don't know yet, or the number of its name, which is 666 (revelation 13:18).

Vincent Wong
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  • The mark is twofold : the name or the number. Both (or either) mark out that the bearer is of the beast and under its influence. – Nigel J Jul 13 '22 at 10:54