Beasts are creatures of burden and slaughter and without spirit.
A mark of the beast would be akin to branding a cow, and be a clear indicator that the beast was not allowed to be in free pasture any further, and ready for nothing further but slaughter.
Rev 14
(9-10) 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:
So anyone who has picked up a cell phone is marked? Anyone who uses it regularly? After what period of time is the mark received? Why would this particular anti-righteousness addiction be particularly damning? If it is the mark, where/who/what was the beast of the sea? What was its fatal head wound? We clearly canβt see the mark, and itβs clearly not yet required to buy or sell (though they are certainly looking like they might want to push things that direction with tap payments)
I am not fixed in my interpretations, because as you noted, itβs allegory. Certain things should be clear if we are further down the path, though. Future proves past, so what was the past that we missed?
I don't think smartphones are the Mark, but they are definitely a step towards it. They wanted everyone to have a QR code on their smartphone to prove their vaccinations, and to have people constantly "boosted" in order to maintain that mark. CBDC would also be implemented by a smartphone. Already the technology is alread in use for a smartphone to pay for stuff. Perhaps in the future, a smartphone could be a part of one's hand, whether its interface is holographic like in a sci fi movie, or something we haven't imagined yet. At some point, I believe that smartphones and AI will pave the road and eventually become the Mark of the Beast. That's just my opinion. I still use a 4G flip phone.
Beasts are creatures of burden and slaughter and without spirit.
A mark of the beast would be akin to branding a cow, and be a clear indicator that the beast was not allowed to be in free pasture any further, and ready for nothing further but slaughter.
Rev 14
So anyone who has picked up a cell phone is marked? Anyone who uses it regularly? After what period of time is the mark received? Why would this particular anti-righteousness addiction be particularly damning? If it is the mark, where/who/what was the beast of the sea? What was its fatal head wound? We clearly canβt see the mark, and itβs clearly not yet required to buy or sell (though they are certainly looking like they might want to push things that direction with tap payments)
I am not fixed in my interpretations, because as you noted, itβs allegory. Certain things should be clear if we are further down the path, though. Future proves past, so what was the past that we missed?
I don't think smartphones are the Mark, but they are definitely a step towards it. They wanted everyone to have a QR code on their smartphone to prove their vaccinations, and to have people constantly "boosted" in order to maintain that mark. CBDC would also be implemented by a smartphone. Already the technology is alread in use for a smartphone to pay for stuff. Perhaps in the future, a smartphone could be a part of one's hand, whether its interface is holographic like in a sci fi movie, or something we haven't imagined yet. At some point, I believe that smartphones and AI will pave the road and eventually become the Mark of the Beast. That's just my opinion. I still use a 4G flip phone.