THE MARK OF THE BEAST
Revelation 13:16-18 discusses the unholy mix of religion and business:
16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
The buying and selling of religious products and services is a common feature of Old/First Covenant religion. All religious people participate in these business transactions in one way or another. God labels religious business the mark of the beast. Beasts are symbolic terms to identify religious people. This is an apt symbol to describe how religious people bite and devour one another in order to preserve and advance their religious objectives.
STUDY TIP: See Religion is the Enemy, Gods at War, Sibling Conflict and Religion is Injustice, Slavery, Oppression and Affliction for understanding adversarial religion.
This mark not a visible, physical mark but it is a spiritual mark that symbolizes the propensity of Old/First Covenant religionists to participate in the buying and selling of religion. Sometimes they buy and sometimes they sell, but they all participate in religious commerce which is necessary to cover the costs of salaries and infrastructure (e.g. buildings, utilities, staff, travel) that religion requires to keep functioning. Without money, religion can not function.
That is the bad new. The good news is that this propensity to buy and sell is overcome in New Covenant disciples. When God’s laws are written on their hearts, they see the evil of religious commerce and refuse to participate in it. They also see that there is no cost to listening to God’s word when it comes directly from his mouth.
STUDY TIP: See Religion is Commerce, Jesus and the Money-Changers in the Temple, Money and Ministry In the New Testament, Money and Ministry in the Old Testament and What Jesus Said About Money.