or they may be blatant and harsh, as in the Roman Empire or modern totalitarian countries, where Christians may suffer the confiscation of their property. What is the mark (vv. 16–17) of the Beast? It is a counterfeit for the seal of God’s name on the saints (7:2–8; 14:1; cf. Ezek. 9; Deut. 6:8). The Beast owns those who are marked, and they are his slaves (14:9; 19:20; 20:4). A mark denotes spiritual allegiance and ownership, both in the case of God’s mark and in the case of the Beast’s counterfeit
Page 147