Why Doesnt Jesus Tell the Woman at the Well You Must Be Born Again

by Matthew 50. Halsted, PhD

In an article published last week on theLAB, COVID-nineteen and The Mark of the Animal, I claimed that the mark of the beast (666) is nigh likely not a physical or visible marker (Rev. 13:sixteen). The biggest objection I received from readers had to practise with this very point: how could the mark be non-physical and invisible if having the mark was what allowed people to "purchase or sell" things (Rev. 13:17)? Wouldn't the mark demand to exist visible in order to do that? Furthermore, isn't there plenty testify that the vaccine is the "number" of the beast, including a bill currently earlier the Business firm of Representatives (6666) and the very messages "C-O-R-O-N-A" themselves? ¹ These are good questions, and I remember a response would be helpful. But first, we need to start from square one and do some background work.

Alphabetic character to the Churches

First, nosotros must remember that Revelation is a first-century letter to seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 1:four, eleven). Letters in antiquity are much like modern letters—situational, personal, and contextual. To understand a letter betwixt two people (or groups of people), you really demand to know a matter or two virtually what necessitated the sending of the letter in the first place. In other words, you demand context. In order to rightly interpret the letter of Revelation, we need to investigate these churches' historical situation.

Many evangelicals tend to skip over this step and jump straight to awarding. This is a grave mistake. If nosotros completely detach our modern-day applications from a text's original, historical context, we risk misapplying the text—sometimes in embarrassing ways. Revelation 13:17 ("no 1 tin purchase or sell unless he has the marking, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name," ESV) is one such text. In gild to interpret information technology rightly, we need to know its context. We need some historical data from the letter'southward time menstruation in social club to gain clarity into its meaning. Is there whatsoever such information that might shed some light on this passage? Every bit it turns out, in that location is.

Worshiping the Emperor

If you lot desire to reconstruct the historical context of Christian people living in first-century Asia Small-scale, you must have into account the Roman imperial cult. There's simply no way around it. The cult itself presented clear challenges to early Christians. But what do I mean by "imperial cult"?

For starters, Roman emperors were oftentimes deified later on they died, becoming "gods" for Roman citizens to worship. For instance, after Julius Caesar died, he was deified. His adopted son, Augustus, took for himself the title "son of god." ^two The logic was simple. If his father became "god," and so he got to be called, well, you guessed information technology: "son of god."

Though it was true an emperor would exist deified after he died, many Greeks living in various cities throughout the eastern parts of the empire jumped the gun; they would worship the Roman emperor while he was notwithstanding alive. ^three Information technology is interesting to note that this was true of Ephesus (just like the letter to the Ephesians). ⁴ The city of Pergamum, too, had long been a hotbed for majestic worship. ⁵ Smyrna needs to be thrown into the mix as well. ^six The listing goes on. In fact, this was besides true of the other four cities to which John directed his letter. ⁷

The more than despotic emperors of the outset century sought to be recognized as gods while they were nonetheless living. Nero was one such emperor; Domitian was another. ^eight Suetonius, the well-known ancient historian, says Domitian demanded to exist addressed as both "Lord and God" (Suetonius, Dom. 13). The situation was such that Domitian was "everywhere hated and feared" (Dom. 14).

Keep in mind that near scholars believe Revelation was written during the reign of one of these two tyrants. Either way, if you were a Christian, you very well might accept been plagued with angst, fear, and incertitude. After all, Nero was infamous for murdering his ain female parent, equally well every bit killing innocent Christians by turning them into tar-covered human being candles to calorie-free up the night. Suetonius tells a story of how Domitian once wined and dined his palace steward, lavishing on him kindness and generosity. Then the next solar day Domitian had him crucified. Why? Simply because he could (Dom. xi).

It is perhaps understandable, then, why other ancient texts came to refer to Nero and Domitian as a "animal." This is documented in places like Pliny's Panegyricus, the Sybilline Oracles, and Vita Apollonii. ^nine I'd say the shoe fits.

"666": The Number of the Brute

Years ago, I recall hearing how some had taken President Reagan to exist the end times "beast." The reasoning went like this. When yous take his full name, Ronald Wilson Reagan, you tin see how each name contains exactly six letters. No wave of the wand or hat-trick was needed to see how that dreaded, mysterious number was embedded in the president'due south name. To say this is silly is an understatement. (How odd that John wrote in such a style that but a person who was familiar with both the English language language and modern American politics could rightly interpret his bulletin!) In order to avoid embarrassing interpretations like this one (and similar ones that seem to prevail in 2020), we must deal with the text's original context. Again, yous can't just spring to mod application without dealing with the historical context.

Scholars often associate "the number of the beast" with Nero Caesar. There's actually good reason for doing then. For instance, nosotros know from Suetonius that many people were at the fourth dimension toying with the numerical values of Nero's name (Nero 39). This practice, known as gematria, took a letter of the alphabet and assigned information technology an equivalent number. So, for example, in the case of Greek, the first letter of the alphabet alpha would exist given the number one. The 2d letter beta would be understood as two, and then on. When you take Nero'southward proper noun (Neron Kaisar) and transliterate it into Hebrew, the outcome is the number of the beast: 666. ^ten

The Prototype of the Animal

Remember that in Revelation "the mark of the beast" is tied closely to the worship of the beast'due south image (Rev. 13:15; 20:4). Since we have a pretty good thought about the identity of the beast, is there any other historical data we could await to that would link the worship of the beast'south image with the worship of Caesar's paradigm? Again, the respond is yep. From the writings of Pliny, for example, nosotros learn how professing Christians' faith were put to the exam by having them worship the image of Caesar (Pliny, Messages, x:96-97). ¹¹

The emperor'south paradigm was everywhere, particularly on coins. Modern folks are used to this. In my country, images of former national leaders are on our money. But Rome was slightly different. Caesar's epitome would be on coins forth with his claim to divinity. Quite literally, the emperor's boast that he was in some way "divine" was etched (cartel I say marked?) on money, decrees, and the like. Ane scholar observes that, "One could do petty in commerce . . . without handling such a 'mark,' because allusions to the emperor'southward divinity appeared on many coins and fifty-fifty shipping bills and other documents." ¹² During this fourth dimension period, involvement in local economies would have often required some sort of participation in pagan worship. For example, trade guilds often had feasts that centered effectually the worship of idols. If you were part of the guild, then your participation in these feasts would have been compulsory—that is, only if you wanted to be able to buy and sell. ¹³

Buying and Selling

What, and so, can we conclude about that "buy/sell passage"? When it comes to the brute, his mark, and the worship of the beast's image, the historical information seems to be pointing us in one direction: It's but a reference to how the imperial cult impacted one's participation in the local economy. If the "mark" is an innuendo to the emperor'south claim to divinity (symbolized on Roman coins, statues, images, etc.), and so a person in the beginning century could genuinely exist said to "take the mark of the fauna" by participating in the economy at the expense of their faith in Jesus. That last part is fundamental. In other words, at sure times and in certain locations in the empire, the but way to be a good-standing citizen would have been to only curse Christ and worship Caesar'due south image (see again Pliny, Letters, x:96-97). Once again, this would have been a item problem for Christians in Asia Small-scale. They would oft find it impossible to brand a living and worship Christ exclusively.

Of course, a person could reply by saying, "Yeah, but the text says the 'mark' is placed on the 'right hand or the forehead.' Does this not therefore necessarily imply a physical mark?" The respond is no. Craig Keener offers helpful thoughts on this point. He notes how "the mark of the beast" in Rev. 13 acts as a parallel to the "seal" that is placed on the foreheads of Christians in Rev. vii:three-4. This "seal" really has an Former Attestation basis, namely, in Ezekiel 9, where a "mark" was said to accept been placed on the foreheads of God'south people (Ez. nine:1-6). Keener also points to some other Jewish text of the period (known every bit the Psalms of Solomon) that describes a marking placed on evil people. He observes how the two marks in Ezekiel and the Psalms of Solomon are clearly "symbolic . . . visible just to God and his angels, not to people." ^xiv And and then it is quite reasonable to conclude that the marking of the fauna, like the seal of the Lamb, is also symbolic.

So is the Vaccine the 666 Mark of the Creature?

Growing up, I never heard whatever of this stuff. I reckon that most people in my evangelical tradition haven't either. Merely without all the background data, people are existence tossed to and fro by endless speculations and fears. Sadly, some people—many of them sincere Christians—are terrified that they will be forced to accept the mark of the animate being (no, it's non Bill Gates) in the nigh hereafter. Could it exist the vaccine? Is information technology a calculator scrap? What if I become tricked into taking it?

With these questions in mind, let me offer a few remarks about modern-solar day awarding. First, the historical information does not allow us to think the "mark of the creature" is something you tin accidentally take. It's a marking of loyalty and worship, which requires full cerebral and heart-felt awareness of what you are doing (otherwise it's not worship). If there is some futurity mark imposed on people by some nefarious person, and so to have that marker, you'll know exactly what y'all are doing—namely, blasphemous Christ and pledging devotion to his enemy. Scripture and other ancient writings from that timeperiod indicate u.s.a. in this management and, quite frankly, there isn't much elbowroom on this point (although y'all can fence me in the comments, if yous wish).

2d, be careful and wise with how you apply these texts. Let me give an example. Correct now, in my own country (and it's been this way for a long fourth dimension), a person might notice information technology very tricky and difficult to operate within our local economies without a government-issued social security number. Let me be as clear as I possibly can about this: In that location is no biblical reason to recall that accepting government-mandated social security numbers is the equivalent of taking the mark of the fauna. Whatever the electric current issue may be (vaccines, SSN, fleck implants, SIM cards, etc), we need to be careful about confusing our personal and/or political convictions with the meaning of a biblical text. Some public policy ideas are good; some are terrible. But either way, unless "They" require you to forsake your faith in Jesus as the sectional object of your worship, They have no relation to the marker of the brute. Once again, given what we know about the historical context of these biblical texts, the "mark of the beast" must be tied dorsum into worship if information technology is to exist applied properly.

To take all of these things into account allows a much-needed moratorium on all the pointless feet and fright-mongering. The message of Revelation beckons usa away from angst and worry. Information technology bids united states of america to gaze upon the slain Lamb—to worship him with loyalty, devotion, and delivery. Let'due south make Christ our focus, not endless speculations that, at the end of the day, accept very niggling to practise with the message of Revelation.

*Correction: An before version of this post stated that the Senate had a bill earlier it, when it is the House of Representatives.

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Comments? Go out them beneath. Also be certain to read Dr. Halsted's before article, Covid-19 and the Marking of the Animate being.

1. I recently saw somebody construct a numerology from the word "COVID" that goes something like this:

   C =   3

   O = 15

   R = 18

   O = fifteen

   Northward = 14

   A =   one

   vi     66
   

2. Floyd O. Parker, "'Our Lord and God' in Rev 4,xi: Testify for the Belatedly Appointment of Revelation," Biblica 82, no. 2 (2001): 213–14.
3. Craig S. Keener, Revelation (The NIV Application Commentary; Thousand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 37.
4. See once more Parker, "'Our Lord and God,'" 213–14. Come across also Tae Hun Kim "The Anarthrous Yios Theou in Mark 15,39 and the Roman Regal Cult." Biblica 79, no. 2 (1998): 221–241.
5. Marking Wilson, "The Early Christians in Ephesus and the Appointment of Revelation, Again," Neotestamenica 39, no. 1 (2005): 171.
6. Duane Warden, "Imperial Persecution and the Dating of i Peter and Revelation," JETS 34, no. 2 (June 1991): 211.
7. Keener, Revelation, 37-38.
8. On Nero, see Wilson, "The Early on Christians," 177–78. On Domitian, encounter Warden, "Imperial Persecution," 207–8. Fifty-fifty taking into account Warden'southward cautions almost overplaying Domitian's claims to divinity with respect to the dating of Revelation, his conclusions are nevertheless insightful. Run into besides Keener, Revelation, 37.
9. Wilson, "The Early Christians," 185.
10. Meet how the values piece of work in Wilson, "The Early on Christians," 184. For a helpful introduction to "666," I recommend Keener, Revelation, 354–56.
11. Keener, Revelation, 351.
12. Keener, Revelation, 352.
13. Keener, Revelation, 353.
14. Keener, Revelation, 353.

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