The Mark of the Beast - Are We Seeing Revelation's Prophecies Revealed in Our Time?

The woman and the dragon from
Revelation by William Blake

I was talking with a friend yesterday about the "mark of the beast" in the Book of Revelation. Many Catholics never read the book because it's difficult and its symbolism is obscure, but they would be familiar with it. Certainly they would recognize this passage which pretty much sums up the condition of many in the pews today:

I know your deeds; I know you are neither hot nor cold. How I wish you were one or the other -- hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold, I will spew out of my mouth. (Rev. 3:15-17)

They would also recognize the passage telling the story of "the woman about to give birth" and the dragon whose tail sweeps a third of the stars from the sky and plans to devour her child when he's born. We hear it on the Feast of the Assumption.

John wrote the Book of Revelation to give hope to the persecuted Christians of his time facing murderous Roman despots like Nero and Domitian:

Early Church tradition dates the book to end of the emperor Domitian (reigned AD 81–96), and most modern scholars agree, although the author may have written a first version after Nero's Great Fire in Rome (AD 64) under Vespasian (AD 69–79) and updated it under Domitian. The beast with seven heads and the number 666 seem to allude directly to the emperor Nero (reigned AD 54–68), but this does not require that Revelation was written in the 60s, as there was a widespread belief in later decades that Nero would return.

One aspect of the book that has generated mountains of speculation is the meaning of the "mark of the beast," a beast of monumental proportions with seven heads who is frightening to behold. The mark is significant because without it the beast "did not allow a man to buy or sell anything unless he was first marked with the name of the beast or with the number that stood for its name."

What would that mean for the practical life of a person or a family? What is employment but the ability to "sell" your services in order to "buy" what's necessary for life? And, speaking for the United States, what is undermining that ability today? Refusing to bow to the homo/trans monster and embrace the mental "mark" of homo/trans mind control. Here are a few examples of the persecution for those who refuse to bow to the monster:

High School French Teacher Fired for Refusing to Use Transgender Pronoun

Male Gym Teacher fired for refusing to watch transgender girl undress

Baker Jack Phillips back in Court for Refusing Transgender Woman 

Berkley Student Under Fire for Refusing to Endorse Transgender Ideology

Companies Will Require Pronoun Compliance 

California Workplace Pronouns 

Catholic Couple Fined for Refusing to Host Same-Sex Wedding at their Farm

Famous Psychiatrist Slammed for Debunking Transgender Ideology

I could go on and on with this: bathroom bills, little boys and girls dressing as the opposite sex in elementary schools, kindergarteners disciplined for "misgendering" a classmate. We are only beginning to see the persecution that will result against those who refuse to be "reeducated" according to the beast's homo/trans mandate.

Is this mind-bending the mark of the beast? I'm not the first to suggest it. John-Henry Westen talked about it at the Rome Life Forum in 2016. In view of the impact of this juggernaut, I think it's plausible. Think about the jobs likely to be closed to Catholics who dare to oppose the beast: bakers, photographers, owners of party venues, county officials who register weddings, teachers at all levels, etc. Suppose I wanted to be a substitute teacher in my county. I think one look at my blog would result in my being banned. Now I don't need a job but my kids and grandkids do and will. What will happen to them? Listen to Westen's talk at the Rome Life Forum. What do you think?