It is evident also that the “Man of Sin” closely resembles the “Beast” of Revelation:

This comparison leaves little doubt that the Man of Sin and the Beast refer to the same power.

When the leaders of the Jews sought to contain the new movement led by Jesus of Nazareth, they used every subtle form of attack they were capable of. When these failed, they had to fall back on crude methods which involved using all the organized powers of religion and state to get him crucified.

With Jesus himself out of the way they next found that the hard facts of his resurrection, and of the transformation it wrought in his apostles, showed their problem to be still unsolved.

Now open persecution only seemed to make the movement prosper more than ever. But the old resources of craft and cunning were not used up completely. And so a deliberate attempt was made to wreck the new “sect” from within. Nowhere is this stated categorically in the New Testament, but the implication of numerous passages is very persuasive:

Galatia: To the Galatians Paul speaks of “false brethren” who had secretly infiltrated the churches, so as to enslave again (to the Law) those who had been made free by Paul’s own preaching (Gal 2:4,5). These agents had apparently been planted in the brotherhood, so as to work slowly and steadily either to draw believers back to the Law or, failing that, at least to create internal dissensions that would weaken the whole community and thus its appeal to others. Even Peter was practically won over to this philosophy (vv 11-14).

It soon became obvious that Paul — intelligent and resolute — posed the greatest single obstacle to their “satanic” objectives. And so the person and the claims and the worth of this great apostle to the Gentiles must be attacked also, as part of the overall plan of these subversives.

Corinth: In Corinth these enemies had some considerable success, in characterizing Paul as weak and contemptible as to his physical qualities (2Co 10:9,10; 11:6). By contrast, the leader of the subversives, called “Satan” by Paul himself, continues to present himself as polished and personable and wise and authoritative — the natural candidate to replace Paul as the leader of the ecclesias (2Co 11:22,23)! Such a sustained campaign of character assassination called forth from Paul the unusual expedient of a prolonged self-defense (2Co 11:13 to 12:12).

Jerusalem: Even in Jerusalem lies were being systematically spread about Paul, that he was teaching all Jews to forsake Moses and all the customs (Acts 21:20,21). While not true as to particulars, it had just enough plausibility to be accepted by gullible new converts. The faceless men who sought to pervert Paul’s work and keep the first-century ecclesia in bondage to the Temple and the priests had evidently been diligently at work in Jerusalem practically from the beginning. (It could not have been Paul’s open enemies among the Pharisees and Sadducees who told such lies, since their stories would have had no chance of being believed. This campaign was plainly carried on secretly, by whisper and innuendo, in the midst of the ecclesias.)

Rome: From Rome Paul wrote to the Philippians (Phi 1:15-17) of those who preached out of envy and strife, trying to add additional affliction to the bondage Paul was already suffering. It is clear that certain “believers” were finding malicious pleasure in preaching the gospel with some special emphasis, probably — because their work would only be another source of worry and vexation to Paul. Such were fulfilling the serpent’s role, by good words and fair speeches deceiving the simple (Rom 16:17,18).

Other hints of the same organized subversion are to be found in:

Eph 4:14: “the sleight of men” (a phrase used for deliberate cheating at games), “and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”;

Col 2:4: “lest any man should beguile you with enticing words” — another plain allusion to the serpent in the garden.

Titus 1:14: Titus was warned not to give “heed to Jewish fables… that turn from the truth”, preached by the deceivers of the “circumcision” group (see also vv 4,9,10).

1Ti 4:1,2: Timothy was likewise warned of false teachers (“seducing spirits”, Paul called them), speaking hypocritical lies, and fostering undue concern for dietary matters.

Hebrews: The entire letter is a learned and reasoned attempt to forestall drift back to the Mosaic institutions and the synagogue system, a drift encouraged by this organized call of opposition in the very brotherhood.

It is plain, then, that there was a subversive, “Satanic” element at work in the ecclesia of Paul’s day: a group (with perhaps a formidable leader) who professed faith in Christ, but whose hidden agenda called for a “return to Moses.” This group (and its leader?) claimed apostolic authority that was rightly the province of Paul and the twelve, and they worked within the ecclesia, or the spiritual “temple of God” (2Th 2:4), being accepted as believers in good standing. It might be assumed that either some of their number actually had Holy Spirit gifts (“all power and signs and lying wonders” — v 9), or else deceived the simple-hearted into thinking they did. They systematically and subtly taught the “lie”, that men could be justified only by keeping the law of Moses.

It is reasonable to suppose that Paul actually had his eye on some apostasy current in his own time, and which had already shown its hostile attitude toward him in very effective fashion (v 7). Otherwise, it becomes very difficult to explain the immediacy and seriousness with which he describes the “man of sin.” These Jewish pseudo-Christians, along with their leader “Satan” (Paul’s “thorn in the flesh?”), were imposters; while professing the gospel, they had not really “received the love of the truth” but instead “had pleasure in (promoting) unrighteousness” (vv 10,12). Paul was using every ounce of his faith and energy to hinder this destructive work (v 6), but Paul would not always be with them: when he would at last pass from the scene, the Judaizers might be expected to flourish almost without restraint (v 7).

Therefore the same Paul who hoped and prayed for the return of Christ in his own lifetime (consider 1Th 4:15, for example) could also expect that the Lord when he appeared would overthrow and destroy this wicked pretender (2Th 2:8; cp 1:6-10). That Christ did not return during Paul’s day or even during the final years of the first century is no reflection on Paul’s faith or understanding: what else should he have done except look for his Lord’s coming? And the fact is, that the first-century “man of sin” (and his adherents) will be destroyed by Christ at his coming — being raised from the dead to stand before the judgment seat.

Appendix

There have been many forerunners, or advance messengers of the Anti-Christ:

1. Cain, the originator of religious war, who slew his righteous brother (Gen 4:4-8), when Cain’s religious deception had been uncovered.

2. Lamech, who boasted himself even against God — so great was his power, or so he thought (Gen 4:23)!

3. Nimrod, the first great “world-ruler”, who began the history of Babylonian power (Gen 10:8-10).

4. Balaam, the false prophet who for material gain seduced God’s people into immorality; the “anti-Moses”, so to speak (Num 31:17; 2Pe 2:15; Rev 2:14).

5. Goliath — the “man of sin”, closely associated with the number six, the representative terrorist, the “anti-David”, who opposed God’s Anointed (1Sa 17).

6. Antiochus Epiphanes, the devastator of the Sanctuary of God.

7. Nero, the great first-century persecutor of the Christians, certainly regarded as “anti-Christ” by those who suffered under his rule.

8. Mohammed, the “false prophet”, a deceiver and “Satan-adversary” in his own right, even though hostile toward the Catholic Church.

Time: 735 – 700 BC.

Summary: Micah was contemporary with Isaiah and was to the southern kingdom of Judah what Amos was previously to the northern kingdom of Israel. Both were fierce critics of the rich and powerful who exploited the poor. Micah’s leading ideas are the regeneration of Israel’s remnant through judgment, the establishment of the kingdom of God in the line of David, and the conversion of the nations through that kingdom. The conclusion of his prophecy is a triumphant expression of faith, seen in its true quality against the background of the materialism and the corruption of the reign of Ahaz.

“Micah’s message is proclaimed with no uncertain sound, as with passionate forthrightness he attacks the social evils of his day. His stubborn refusal to float on the tide of his social environment, and his courageous stand for his convictions of God’s truth, must commend Micah to believers in every age” (Allen).

Key verses: “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it” (Mic 4:1)

Outline

A first-century Man of sin (as outlined in Lesson, Man of sin, first century) can scarcely be the complete fulfillment of the words of Paul. The letters to Thessalonica are so dominated by the theme of Christ’s second coming; and the Judeo-Christian “man of sin” of Paul’s day has long passed from the scene (along with his adherents). So it is reasonable to expect that another “man of sin” will be a dominant element in the prophetic framework of the last days. There is one system, the Papacy, that is eminently “qualified” to fill this role, as the Notes on the Text which follow should demonstrate. The question remains, however: Is there a transition, and a discernible link, between the first-century “man of sin” and the Roman Catholic apostasy?

Zechariah 5 offers such a link: Some of its connections with 2Th 2 are set out below:

Zec 5 appears to be a prophecy of the evils of Judaism which were manifested in New Testament times, corrupting the early ecclesias, and which eventually became firmly established in the Roman Catholic church, along with many pagan ideas.

In its immediate context, Zec 5 presents a false worship in a detailed contrast to the true worship depicted in Zec 4. Zec 5 has the house of wicked women and unclean birds in the land of Shinar (Babylon) (vv 9,11), whereas Zechariah 4 has the true house of God, the true temple (v 9), wherein are the anointed ones (v 14) and the lampstand (v 12). In the picture of the false worship, the flying roll or scroll (v 3) is a “curse” which “declares innocent” (“naqah” — not “cut off” as in AV) those who steal and swear falsely. The dimensions of this scroll of wickedness (20 cubits by 10 cubits) (v 2) are the precise dimensions of the holy place of the temple and tabernacle, indicating again the nature of this worship: a deliberate parody of that which is true.

The scroll, then, represents wicked teaching, which releases men and women from their obligation to obey God’s laws. Such teaching, with a Jewish flavor, may be traced in the Pharisees’ use of “Corban” — a legal fiction that effectively released a man of his obligation to his parents (Mark 7:6-12). By some similar misapplication of law Pharisees enriched themselves by “devouring widows’ houses” (Mat 23:14) and swearing falsely (v 16). This same attitude was carried forward into the early church and became part of the Roman Catholic apostasy. So-called saints are alleged to have accumulated large excesses of virtue which could be transferred, at a price, to sinners. The clerics, from the pope down to the parish priest, claimed the power to excuse on God’s behalf sins of lying, stealing and so on at the confessional. Hence the links between Zec 5 and the Man of Sin.

Then there is the ephah (v 6), a unit of measure. This aptly portrays Judaism in New Testament times, where everything became a matter of measure, of keeping rules and regulations, rather than of developing a character pleasing in God’s sight. Again this entered the early ecclesias and became fully developed in the Roman Catholic church. Col 2:20-22 warns against making religion a matter of rules and regulations which results only in fleshly pride when they are kept. In 1Ti 4:3 Paul prophesied of the time to come when apostasy would make rules about “forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats”, these are examples of the kinds of rules and regulations which Roman Catholicism invented so that the keepers of those rules might be considered as especially virtuous. The idea of a religion of “measure” comes out in other ways too: the idea that, after attending church, the rest of one’s time is one’s own; and the idea that after a fixed sum of money has been handed over, the rest is one’s own to use exactly as one pleases.

Zec 5 is thus a portrayal of apostasy, not so much in its false doctrines as in its iniquitous practices. Hence its use in 2Th as the background for the Man of Sin prophecy. It is noteworthy that in Zec 5 it is a woman who goes to Babylon (Shinar) and builds a house there. The connection with the woman of Rev 17 is obvious. Note also the stork, the unclean bird; the “Babylon” of the Apocalypse is “a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Rev 18:2).

Indeed, without trying to trace actual historical links, the essential unity of the two false systems (apostate Judaism of Christ’s day and modern Roman Catholicism) is perfectly evident:

• Both are heavily dependent upon the sanctity (or presumed sanctity) of special places and special, “holy” buildings.

• Both appeal to tradition and antiquity.

• Both encourage the ideal of a spiritual “elite”, set apart and elevated above the mass of ordinary believers.

• Both teach the doctrine of “Salvation by works.”

• Both have specially consecrated priests, dressed in distinctive garments, offering incense and “sacrifices.”

• Both have well-developed machinery for extorting vast amounts of wealth under religious pretence.

As the great false religious system of the first century was destroyed by divine edict (in AD 70) so the great false religious system of the Last Days will be destroyed — by Christ in his coming in power and glory.

The Lord Jesus never raised a finger to hurt any human being, however great the provocation. The provocations he received would have led a lesser man to fight back, but it was not so with Jesus. When Samaritans denied him hospitality, his disciples spoke of vengeance:

“Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luk 9:54-56).

Again, when the officers of the High Priest, led by a traitorous disciple, came to arrest him, the Lord could reveal his power and still refuse to take advantage of it: “Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith to them, I am he… They went backward, and fell to the ground” (Joh 18:3-6).

He allowed his enemies to rise from the ground and arrest him. When Peter sought to defend him with his courageous but misguided use of a sword which he should not even have been carrying, the Lord resisted that temptation also and rebuked his disciple:

“Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (v 11).

“All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Mat 26:52).

Long before, he had withstood the temptation to accept kingship from the multitudes (Joh 6:15). Now, at his trial before Pilate, he declares his resistance in principle to the thought: “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (Joh 18:36).

It was at the very time when they were crucifying him that the Lord Jesus revealed how deep and sincere was his desire that no one should needlessly be made to suffer on his account, for in his terrible agony he could cry out: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luk 23:34).

This was a prayer which certainly extended beyond the Roman soldiers who were merely doing their duty, to embrace the Jews who had conspired to bring about his crucifixion. In fact Peter puts before us for our imitation the entire manner of life displayed by the Lord Jesus during the period before his death:

“This is acceptable, if for conscience toward God a man endureth griefs, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For to this were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow in his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1Pe 2:19-23).

The Lord’s teaching

The very things that Jesus did in his own life, he commends to his disciples in theirs. In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, he said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit… they that mourn… the meek… the merciful… the peacemakers… they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake… when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Mat 5:3-12).

He took the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” and extended it to cover even hard words and unwarranted rage (vv 21-26). He also taught: “Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two” (Mat 5:39-41). “Love your enemies, and bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you: that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat 5:43-45).

The Apostles’ teaching

The apostles certainly took the Lord’s words to heart, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit they recalled for the instruction of the ecclesias what the Lord had said to them (1Pe 3:14; 4:14; Rom 12:14-22). Nowhere is this more plainly taught than in Paul’s words:

“The Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if perhaps God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth” (2Ti 2:24,25).

There is much more evidence of the same kind in the writings of the Apostles. The Lord’s sufferings, his restraint, his teaching of his disciples, and their own counsel to one another, all create an atmosphere in which anything pertaining to war or bloodshed has no place. If we summarize the impression created by the evidence, it is that, on grounds of principle, the believer is forbidden to participate in war and other acts of violence against others.

What is the “mark of the beast”?

The answers to such a question depend, of course, on who or what is first identified as the “beast”. In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, many Protestant expositors so identified the Pope of Rome. This led, more or less logically, to the identification of the beast’s “mark” as the cross or crucifix, which figured so prominently in Roman Catholic worship.

In modern times, as attention turned to a possible Last Days “beast” yet to be revealed, much has been made in certain circles of computer-generated “bar codes”, or Universal Product Codes, variants of which can now be imprinted on or even implanted in people.

Perhaps a latter-day Arab/Moslem “beast” will arise in the Middle East, to defeat Israel and to subjugate the Jews, and to be in turn destroyed by the coming of Christ. Assuming this, then can we determine a Biblical basis for identifying the “mark” of such a “beast”?

“Marks” in the OT

• Gen 4:15: Was this a visible mark for all to see, or merely a divine pronouncement, to all, of vengeance to come upon anyone who harmed Cain?

• Exo 13:9.

• Deu 6:6,8; cp Deu 11:18: These were highly figurative commandments of God, to the people of Israel. His Laws were, symbolically, to be written upon their hearts (cp Pro 3:3; 6:21; 7:3; Song 8:6), but not necessarily literally upon their hands and foreheads. That is, they were to remember and do all that He had said! However, the ritually-inclined Hebrews soon proceeded to write certain passages upon little scraps of parchment and place them in leather boxes called “phylacteries” (Mat 23:5), which were strapped to their arm and around their forehead before morning prayers.

• Eze 9:3-6: This divine marking (reminiscent of Cain’s) was a mark of favor or protection. As such, its purpose ties together with the “sign” or “symbol” of God’s Law figuratively placed upon the forehead and arm of the faithful Jew. That is, those who truly kept God’s Law, and were thus “grieved” for the detestable things done by wicked men in God’s Temple, would be specially marked out by God and preserved through the coming divine judgments. Was this “mark” literal and visible? Not likely, as it was put upon certain individuals by angels, and angels would be the only ones who needed to “see” it.

The “Mark” of the Saints in Revelation

• Rev 7:3,4; cp Rev 9:4.
• Rev 14:1.

(3)         Rev 22:3,4.

The mark, or seal, upon the foreheads of God’s servants is the name of God and His Son. In other words, these servants who kept God’s Law would be marked out by Him: His Name would be upon them, and they would belong to Him, and be safe. So this Revelation usage corresponds to the OT passages cited previously.

The “Mark” of the “Beast”

With the foregoing Biblical evidence, we can reasonably expect that the “mark” of the “Beast” will be a crude parody of the true divine mark. It will be a sign (not necessarily literal and visible) by which those who worship the Beast and keep his laws will be “guaranteed” his protection!

• “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark (charagma: a scratch or etching) on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark (charagma), which is the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Rev 13:16,17). There is certainly a religious significance to this “mark” (see Rev 13:15), but there is also a commercial significance: Today wealthy Arab nations have organized economic monopolies and even boycotts against other nations who have financial dealings with Israel. Is this the shape of things to come?

• Rev 14:9-11.

• Rev 20:4: In addition to economic boycotts, oppressive laws are being reported in Muslim nations against those who disregard the Koran and seek to hold to and practice other beliefs, such as Judaism and various forms of Christianity. Saudi Arabia is the home of Islam’s most sacred shrines. That country now executes “criminals”, those “guilty” of any of a long list of offences against Islamic law, by beheading!

Thus Arab oil-producing cartels and the uncompromising practice of Islam are two possibilities for the “mark” of the beast. Note that Islam is enforced upon all subjects as a way of life, as a political code, and not just as a “religion” in the more liberal Western sense. Where it has the power, Islam is a system which permeates every part of society.

Last Days Persecution by the Beast

In the Last Days, when the Beast overruns Israel and tramples down Jerusalem, he will probably make every effort to force his religion upon the Jews — in short, to make his “mark” (Rev 13:18; 14:9-11; 20:4) upon them in place of God’s “mark” (Exo 13:9; Deu 6:8; 11:18; Eze 9:3-6; Rev 7:3,4; 9:4; 14:1). It is not hard to envision the brutal measures — such as economic boycotts, threats and, in the extreme, beheadings — by which the practices of Islam could be forced upon all their subjects. There is, in fact, the hint that such public executions will be carried out in the great public square of Jerusalem, in front of the “Wailing Wall” adjacent to the Temple Mount (cp the “street” or “wide place”, the one great open square, of “the great city… where also their Lord was crucified”: Rev 11:7,8).

It is possible that a resurgence in the practice of Judaism (which may include the rebuilding of a Jewish temple) will precede the last and successful Arab invasion of Israel. If this proves to be the case, then the Arab defeat of Israel might lead to one of two things:

• An Arab attempt to totally destroy and demolish every vestige of Judaism by the most brutal means, or

• A more insidious Arab effort, to infiltrate and undermine the worship of the Jewish Temple by an amalgamation, in its precincts, of Judaism and Muslim principles and practices.

Either approach will spell trouble for the Jewish Christian remnant that will be developed by the Last Days preaching of “Elijah” (Rev 11:3-6). These new believers may find themselves squeezed between two systems (“orthodox” Judaism and militant Islam), both antagonistic toward the religion of Jesus. The dual persecutions of the Jewish followers of Jesus Christ in that day may, in fact, parallel (and exceed!) the dual persecutions of the Jewish believers in the first century, who were caught in a vise between the “orthodox” Judaism of Caiaphas and Annas, and the political oppression of the Roman overlords like Pilate (cp Heb 10:32-34).

Jezebel (a Zidonian, and an Arab!) and Ahab (an apostate Jewish “puppet” king) joined forces in an unholy “mixed marriage” to persecute Elijah and the righteous remnant in Israel in his day. So it is possible that a latter-day Arab “Jezebel” (Rev 2:20; cp Rev 17;18) and a latter-day Israeli “Ahab” will similarly join in persecuting the Jewish converts of the latter-day “Elijah” in the Land.

In such a time and place, it will be extremely difficult for a faithful remnant to maintain their faith in the One true God and in His Son. But such a fierce oppression as will be their lot will last no more than 3 1/2 years (Rev 11:2,3; cp Rev 12:6; 13:5; Dan 7:25; 12:7). And those who maintain their faith, their godly “mark” on the forehead, even to the point of death, will rise from the dead to receive a crown of life.

“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God” (Rev 7:3).

“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Rev 14:1).

Those who bear in their foreheads the name of the Lamb and of his Father have the “mark” of the Lamb. They are deliberately contrasted with the people who bear, on the right arm or the forehead, the “mark of the beast” (Rev 13:16-18).

The Lamb is of course Christ. In an especially poignant scene of the Apocalypse, he is pictured as “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (5:6; cp 5:12; 13:8). The “Lamb” Jesus is the Passover Lamb, slain for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1Co 5:7), bearing ever after in his body the marks of his sacrifice (John 20:25-28).

The original Passover lamb was slain in Egypt, and its blood used to mark the lintels and doorposts of the houses of the believing Israelites. Succeeding generations of Israel would readily recognize such a mark as approximating the Hebrew letter “He”, which almost by itself spells the name of God: Yod He, or YAH. It is no great stretch of the imagination, therefore, to see that every faithful house in Egypt had the name of the Father marked over its doorway, written in the blood of the Lamb! And the name of the Father, “Yah”, is — of course — the name of the Lamb too: “Yah-shua”, or Jesus!

Now, in the Book of Revelation, there are marked out, not houses, but individual men and women, each sealed, not upon the door, but in the forehead (the “door” of the mind) with the “mark” of the Lamb. These are the individuals who have opened their minds to the message of God, who have directed their thoughts into the ways of His Laws. These are they who have been touched by the blood of Christ, who have been baptized into his name and the name of his Father. These are they who, wherever they are — even in the grave itself — will be protected in the Last Days from the “Angel of Death” and will be delivered from the “Egypt” of slavery and sin. Listen to what the Lord and King Jesus promised to those who keep his word and do not deny his name:

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem… and I will also write on him my new name” (Rev 3:10-12).

Such is the “mark” of the Lamb! Wear it thankfully, and never seek to erase it, or hide it. It will mean your life in the age to come.

According to most NT scholars, this is the earliest of the four gospels. The Gospel of Mark portrays the person of Jesus more by his actions, and portrays him particularly as a servant.

The Gospel of Mark is evidently written for Gentiles, and for Romans in particular. Mark translates Aramaic and Hebrew phrases (Mar 3:17; 5:41; 7:34; 14:36); he transliterates familiar Latin expressions into Greek, for example, “legion” (Mar 5:9), “quadrans” (“kodrantes”: NIV mg) (Mar 12:42), “praetorium” (Mar 15:16), and “centurion” (Mar 15:39). Moreover, Mark presents Romans in a neutral (Mar 12:17; 15:1-10), and sometimes a favorable (Mar 15:39), light.

Mark begins his gospel with the statement, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mar 1:1); and the last human to speak in the gospel is the centurion who confesses at the cross, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mar 15:39).   Like the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark does not mention the name of its author.

One of the first people to identify the author was Papias (AD 60-130), a bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor (Turkey). Papias then noted that Mark had not followed Jesus during his lifetime, but later had written down Peter’s recollections accurately, although not always in their proper order. This will account for the problem of sequential differences between the Gospels of Matthew & Mark.

The Mark believed to have written this gospel is John Mark. He was a native of Jerusalem (Act 12:12), and later became an associate of both Peter (1Pe 5:13) and Paul (2Ti 4:11). The gospel has many characteristics of an eyewitness account, for which Peter would have been responsible (Mar 1:29-31).   It may be that as a youth Mark was present at the arrest of Jesus and that he has left an “anonymous signature” in the story of the young man who eluded arrest and fled away naked (Mar 14:51,52).   Main themes

One of the unique points about this Gospel is what some term the “messianic secret.” Mark records how, often following a miracle, Jesus would command persons healed, onlookers, disciples, and even those healed of demons to be silent about his great works (Mar 1:34; 1:44; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26; 8:30; 9:9). It has long puzzled readers why Jesus, who came into the world to make himself known, would work at cross-purposes with his mission by trying to remain hidden.

A fair explanation is that Jesus’ command to silence was intended to protect himself from false expectations of the Messiah that were current at that time. It seemed most saw the “messiah” or “anointed one” as a military hero who would come to overthrow the Roman rule of Palestine; such was the crowd’s attitude at Christ’s “triumphant” entry into Jerusalem. Jesus had no intention to play the part of a great warrior; rather, he took upon himself the attitude of a servant.

Outline