According to an Associated Press news article, a man who believed he saw the “mark of the beast”, amputated his own hand with a circular saw, microwaved it, and then phoned the authorities who afterwards placed him into protective custody in the mental health unit of the local hospital.

Scripture References:

There are 5 scripture references to the mark of the beast which will be forcibly inscribed on the forehead or the right hand in the tribulation period: Revelation 13:16-18; 14:8-12; 16:1-3; 19:19-21 and 20:3-5.

Possibly, this man who cut off his own hand reacted to these Bible verses and irrationally incorporated Jesus’ saying “…if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you…” recorded in Matthew 5:29-30 & 18:7-9, and Mark 9:42-48.

Errors in Biblical Interpretation and Application: 

I don’t know if the man in Idaho who cut off his hand was mentally ill or not. But he misconstrued scripture in his desperation. 

The mark of the beast:

Note: I acknowledge there are differences of opinion concerning the timeline of the events in Revelation. I will not cover them all in this article. From the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ doctrinal view… there is no Beast on the world scene today unless you and I have missed the Rapture. Regardless:

• the mark will be a brand on the forehead or the right hand. What would this man have done if the mark were on his forehead?
• the mark will be forced on everyone alive… the consequences of refusing the mark will be decapitation. You wouldn’t have to do it yourself.
• the mark will be mandatory for buying and selling… conducting all commerce.
• the mark will be co-requisite with worship of the Beast.

Cutting off hands, etc…

As a conservative Christian, I do believe in the literal interpretation of scripture… but only in context to the individual passage and the full Bible.

The Bible verses concerning the mark of the beast should be taken word for word… not loosely interpreted to apply to everything from barcodes to tattoos, birthmarks, national ID cards, credit cards, microchip bio-implants, and whatever else one may imagine…

That said, I do not believe Jesus’saying “…if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you…” should be applied literally:

• If Jesus had intended to be taken literally, there would be examples given among his Apostles. Peter, for instance, would have had to cut out his own tongue. Every other time Peter opened his mouth he got into trouble or offended somebody.
• The full record of the gospels… people came to Jesus to be healed, not to be disfigured. The blind had their eyesight restored, rather than the other way around.
• Jesus healed even his enemies: Luke 22:47-53.
• There is no biblical account of any follower of Christ literally applying this teaching.

This saying of Jesus should be taken figuratively:

• Jesus often spoke in terms of physical reality when talking about spiritual realities, concepts, and ideas. All of the parables, etc…
• If it were sensible to go to the extreme of even amputating a limb, or plucking out your eyes, in order to enter into the kingdom of God then surely giving up ones’s favorite argument against God, or repenting of sin, would be an even better idea… and easier to do.
• Jesus taught that it is impossible for man to save himself by self-improvement or reform. Matthew 19:16-26.
• Jesus taught that gaining the cumulative wealth of the entire world is not worth losing your own soul. Mark 8:35-37.

If you wish to follow Jesus… do not cut off parts of your body! Just change your mind! Repent of your sin. Stopping putting your faith in the things of this world… believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then one doesn’t have to worry about ever bearing the mark of the beast, unless I’m wrong about the Rapture in which case we just might be in danger of getting beheaded soon for lack of it!

The plight of persecuted Christian’s worldwide, who still too often suffer martyrdom, seldom makes the headlines of the major news organizations. But the July 23, 2007 issue of Newsweek highlights the escalating flight of Christians from the Middle East as radical Islamists increasingly are issuing life-or-death ultimatums:

‘He refused to leave Baghdad, even after the day last year when masked Sunni gunmen forced him and eight co-workers to line up against a wall and said, “Say your prayers.” An Assyrian Christian, Rayid Albert closed his eyes and prayed to Jesus as the killers opened fire. He alone survived, shot seven times. But a month ago a note was left at his front door, warning, “You have three choices: change your religion, leave or pay the jeziya“—a tax on Christians levied by ancient Islamic rulers. It was signed “The Islamic Emirate of Iraq,” a Qaeda pseudonym.’

The ultimatums aren’t new even if they are news worthy today. The jihadists were practicing the same doctrines for hundreds of years prior to the Crusades. Our Jewish friend Debbie Schlussel, albeit with a very sharp tongue,  calls Islam the “Religion of Eradicating Christianity” while she is valiantly trying to educate the western world as to the dangers of the modern, militant variant of Islamic jihad. Thanks Debbie.

For more news about Christians who are suffering persecution and martyrdom see Christian Persecution Information.

The press reported Ruth Graham died today surrounded by her husband and all five children. My condolences to Dr. Graham and all of the family. I know the grief, and the joy, of a loved one passing over the river Jordan into glory land.

 What the media didn’t report was the reunion and celebration in heaven! See you someday soon Ruth.