Hello farout.
Your explanation is parallel to Chad's description of the mark. Chad posted a thread entitled 'mark of the beast'
and in that thread Chad offered the following explanation;
In the Scriptures, "six" is the number representing man, so 666 stands for man at his highest level apart from God.
That 666 is marked on the right hands and the foreheads representing conformity to the image of the beast, thinking
Satan's thoughts and with the hands doing his evil works.
Interesting interpretation of the scripture regarding 'the mark'.
Revelation 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the
beast or his image,
and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned
with Christ for a thousand years.
The text above states
'and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand'. Notice that they
'received'
the mark and it is placed on the forehead or hand, i.e., it is a visible mark and it is positioned on the forehead or hand.
The text implies a visible, physical mark, representing allegiance to the beast. The mark was not inherent in the mind
because the text states 'forehead'. All through human history marks of different descriptions have been placed on
the foreheads of followers. Even Catholics wear a mark on the forehead made out of ash during lent I think. The way
of the world or the way of satan if you wish, has been the literal marking of the followers. Why would the kingdom of
the antichrist be any different to the course of history and badges of allegiance?
The number 666 is the number of the beast from the sea and his number is (a) mans number, not mans number. So this number fits one specific man (or succession of men) on earth who is the visible head of that system. And it is not just the number of the beast it's one of 3 possible marks (mark, name or number of the beast) one must have to be able to buy or sell.
Revelation 13:17 “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
So we see its one of the 3 that's needed to buy or sell.
Revelation 14
11 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.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here
are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The Direct opposite of this beasts mark, name or number is the commandments of God. (Exodus 20) Within those commandments is a similar mark that belongs to God and it denotes rulership or kingship and centers on WORSHIP.
The mark placed on a person who attends Ash Wednesday at a Catholic Church is a cross made out of ash as well as other sacraments of the church that all require that same "mark" but with oil to be placed instead. And they put it where! On the forehead. So people that attend Ash Wednesday "allow" a mark to be placed on their forehead by a "church" as an outward sign of who, what and when they "worship". Not only do Catholics do this but Buddhists Hindus and Muslims all have "marks" placed "willingly" on the forehead. Hinduism calls for a "mark" placed in between the eyebrows up to the top of the "forehead" on men and a dot on the women's foreheads. It's is an outward "sign" of who they "worship". With the Islam faith a dark mark starts to develop from the many times they put their "forehead" to the ground while praying which is from voluntary "worship" of Allah. And ISIS terrorists wear a green bandana that goes on the "forehead" claiming who they "worship". Again Allah.
So here we see worldly religions who do not believe in Christ the savior or the son of God who also accept a literal mark on the forehead to show who they worship and more than that who they "OBEY". But what they did first before accepting these physical literal marks is they "made a choice" to "accept" that religion and then "took action"' to allow the literal mark to be placed upon them through OBEDIENCE..
Most religions have some sort of literal mark placed upon the forehead that denotes OBEDIENCE AND WORSHIP of false religions including the RCC.
Does getting this ash mark from the catholic church say that that's who one obeys? Yes of course it does!
Can someone obey both the worldly religions and God? No
Is the mark of the beast only a future thing or has it been happening all along? has been happening for 1000s or more years.
Does each person "choose" who they OBEY before they die? Of course in one way or another
Have they been choosing all along? Yes
The only difference I see is one day much like in the "dark ages" we will be forced to make a choice to obey God and His commandments and be killed by the beast system for not accepting this beasts mark, name or number of his name.
The bible parallels both literal AND symbolic. So if one worships another god besides Christ it IS shown via a literal mark on the forehead as well as a symbolic "choosing" done by the brain in the very area BEHIND the forehead where we make decisions and the "hand" is a symbol of taking action. A person kills with the right hand, slaps with it, writes with it, and builds with it as well as seals the deal with it via a handshake. So symbolically we become sealed or marked by the decisions we make and the action we take especially in regards to who we worship and who we obey.
There is another symbolic meaning as well.
The bible says this "beast" will think to change times and laws. But who's times and laws? Since the bible is written about Israel then this beast must be closely associated in bible history with true Christianity as was in the world for the first century after Christ but apostatized from God. And these laws can be none other than Gods laws. And more specifically the Ten Commandments of God where there is a set time that has been deceptively changed and deceptively taught to people's.
So people who "accept" this beasts mark, name or number will be lost and those that keep the commandments are saved. So this mark, name and number must come from a powerful system and makes its own times and laws that are in direct opposition to Gods times and laws.
This system must be able to get people to abandon Gods laws and obey theirs. These times and laws MUST also have to do with worship.
