What is the Beast?

By mentor24 | July 5, 2008

Much has been written and discussed over the centuries about The Beast. I’m talking about the passage from Revelation related to the Mark of the Beast:

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Millions of hours have been spent by theologians and truth seekers pouring over the bible and other ancient documents trying to unravel the mystery of exactly who or what John was referring to in that passage. And no one has ever definitively answered that question. (Please correct me if you think I’m wrong about that).

So who am I to take a stab at it? Nobody. I have absolutely no credentials to claim any special understanding in these matters. Furthermore, I’m not even going to attempt to get into citing all kinds of arcane biblical references to support my specific points. Nevertheless, I do have a theory, and I’ll let you decide if it has any merit.

Beasts are referred to in various places in the prophetic writings of the Bible. When it comes to prophetic writings, I consider Daniel to be the gold standard. His interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the giant statue representing the coming civilizations is truly uncanny and leaves little doubt that he was a true prophet. Daniel used the beast metaphor to describe these civilizations (Babylon=Lion, Medo/Peria=Bear, Greek=Leopard, Rome=Dreadful Beast), and that’s where I’m going to start with my theory.

I believe that the Beast referred to in Revelation also symbolizes a civilization–our own. Just as we or any other creature in the world are made up of many parts–atoms, molecules, cells, organs–so our civilization is a living, breathing “organism” in its own right that is made up of many parts such as people, businesses, technology, institutions, laws, knowledge, and so on.

The Beast is an entity that, while it exists within the same physical dimension that we humans do, is on a completely different plane of awareness. Though we are each a part of it, none of us can ever expect to relate directly to it–just as we as individuals can’t relate to a single brain cell or microorganism that constitutes part of our physical being.

So am I saying that I believe the Beast–our civilization–is a sentient being? Maybe. I don’t know, because I can’t relate to it any more than you can. (So don’t bother trying to tell me you know that it isn’t a sentient being). All I’m doing is extrapolating from natural patterns and drawing a logical conclusion.

I know that some who read this will say it is a ridiculous, far out notion. If you are among them, I hope you’ll read on with an open mind. I also know that many people will instinctively grasp the concept, and indeed, have probably pondered it themselves. They have eyes to see and ears to hear. For those people especially, I want to elaborate on this concept and then bring this article to a conclusion of the utmost importance.

The Anatomy of the Beast

The Beast has a skeleton - The fundamental support structure for the Beast is the planet itself.

The Beast has a brain - This one is obvious. We humans are to civilization what brain cells are to humans. Each one connected to their own network, sending signals back and forth and collectively forming the overall thought patterns of the Beast. As we debate and codify norms in politics, culture, laws, and religion as individuals and groups, ultimately the mind–the personality–of the Beast is formed.

The Beast has a nervous system - Brain cells would be pretty useless without the system of axons, dendrites, synapses and neurotransmitters that facilitate their communication. Our civilization’s nervous system is our global communications network. From the development of languages and alphabets, to the development of the printing press, to the invention of the telephone, this nervous system has grown in strength and sophistication. Today we communicate by cell phone, email, web sites, Blackberry, Twitter, social networks, digital TV, YouTube, well…why keep going? You get the idea.

The Beast has a heart - I’m talking anatomy, not spiritual. So by “heart” I mean the pump that keeps the Beast alive. That’s commerce. The pulsing beat of business keeps products, services and money circulating through the body of the Beast. And when it skips a beat, slows down or gets weaker, we feel it–and get very nervous.

The Beast has lungs - Restrict someone’s food for a while and they’ll get weak. Cut off their oxygen and they will die in very short order. What is the equivalent of oxygen to the Beast? Energy. Whether it comes from oil, coal, nuclear, or solar, it is the essence of life to the Beast. There’s no going back to horse power. Without a steady flow of energy our civilization would be brought to its knees within minutes.

The Beast has a circulatory system - Every day people and our products flow back and forth through the body of the Beast in cars, trucks, trains, ships, and aircraft, each one like an an individual red blood cell carrying it’s life-sustaining payload.

the Beast has a stomach - Does it ever! It has a voracious appetite. Another word for it is consumption. The Beast starts with the choicest ingredients (raw material extracted from the Earth) and through the creativity of its amazing brain (above) prepares it into appetizing morsels too scrumptious to resist. A true epicurean, the Beast’s primary raison d’etre is the process of gathering, preparing and consuming stuff.

The Beast has arms - This one is too easy. The military. You can also throw in police and other security forces here. They provide the muscle a civilization needs to exert its will.

The Beast has a mouth - I already covered eating, so now I’m talking about communication. How does the Beast talk? Through the media. Oh, it’s a cacophony of voices to be sure. But though in much of the world we have a free press, most of our individual voices can never be detected as anything more than subtle inflections in the Beast’s voice. Meanwhile, through TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and all the other modes, the Beast definitely gets its primary messages across.

The Beast has legs - The Beast’s legs are the scientific foundations that allow us to continually build on top of previous generations. For centuries the Beast has steadily marched forward through time, growing stronger with each successive step. At a certain point it began to pick up the pace, and broke into a jog, then a run. Today, the Beast is in a full on sprint forward into the future.

Now before I move on to the conclusion let me just be clear that I am not claiming this is a perfect metaphor. For example, I recognize that within this analogy you’d have blood cells (cars) transporting brain cells (humans), which obviously doesn’t happen in our bodies. So I hope it is obvious that I don’t think this metaphor should be taken too literally. I think of it this way: Humanity has built the Beast in our image just as God created man in His image. And just like I don’t expect God to be an anthropomorphic figure with arms, legs and a flowing white beard, I don’t mean to suggest this Beast literally shares our physiology. (Sorry I even had to say that, but you know some people are going to start trying to pick the analogy apart).

The Beast is Going to Die!

But I do intend to make the point that the Beast–our civilization–is a living entity in its own right. Like any creature, it is instinctively motivated to ensure its own survival. And like any other creature, it is destined to die. Whether it happens relatively soon, as I contend, or at some point in the distant future, there can be no doubt about the final outcome for the Beast.

What happens to we humans individually when the Beast dies? Will some humans be planted like seeds on another planet, thus manifesting the procreation of this creature? If the Beast dies alone on this planet, do we all just simply die along with it? End of story? Or do we humans contain the spirit of the Beast, that part that goes on to live in another state while the corporeal body of the creature decays back into the Earth?

I think it may be all of the above. But setting aside the question of procreation for a moment, I want to return to the mark of the Beast. What is it? What does it mean? I’m not sure of the mechanics–whether it is your social security number, the VeriChip, credit cards, or some form of tatoo. But I think what it really represents is our attachment to our host, the Beast. Are you completely invested in the Beast? Do you depend on it for your well being? Do you fear its death?

What if the Beast had a fatal attack in one of its vital organs? A lack of oxygen (energy) causes a massive heart attack (economic depression) which leads to a shut down of the brain and nervous system (breakdown of society). No more Starbucks, no more cars with GPS, no more barbecues. Just a struggle for survival for you and your loved ones. Could you keep your spirits up in that situation? Or would you say to yourself “If civilization is over, then I would rather be dead”? There are plenty of painless ways to end your life. Would that be your solution? This would be the ultimate act of identifying yourself with the Beast.

I submit that if your fate is bound to that of the Beast, then you have received the Mark of the Beast on your heart. I’m not saying that we should all go off the grid and live an ascetic life. The Beast still lives and we are part of it. That isn’t our fault. I don’t see any problem with enjoying it while it lasts. But we must realize that the Beast is a mortal creature, and be prepared to detach from it when it meets its fate. I believe that remaining attached to the Beast means being dragged into the ground with it as it decays and going to ultimate death. Detaching from the Beast means that your spirit is free to move on to whatever greater existence goes on eternally.

When civilization crumbles, the true spirit of people will be revealed in how they respond to the situation. I for one hope to face this event with peaceful acceptance and faith in God’s eternal love.

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