Several years ago, when I was introduced to crypto, many people were talking "end of days" and "the mark of the beast" and other such nonsense.

Of course, I was, AT THE TIME, in agreement with much of what was being said.

Why? 

Because it was something I didn't understand well, so I followed what others were saying.

In 2011 I was online checking into various investments, and an ad popped up about keeping my Bitcoin safe from hackers.

I was not really interested until a few months later, I saw that the Bitcoin was worth around $100 USD.

So, I checked into it and found several faucets that were giving, at that time, large amounts of the coin. I started gathering as much as I could, but didn't have a wallet, so I checked around for the best.

In my head there was this nagging voice that kept screaming out, "you are dealing with the mark of the beast!"

But at that time, I was still a bit on the fence. 

Was it the mark of the beast, and had I taken part in the evil people were saying it was?! Had I just turned my soul over to the devil?!

This fear stemmed from the fact that I really didn't understand what "the mark of the beast" really was...

The bible says that the "mark" will be on their right hand, and their foreheads, of those who "take it". But what did THAT mean?

Digging deeper into my bible, I came to a better understanding of what the mark actually was. 

Bitcoin is a "thing" that does something, and has no ability to force me, or whatever to interact with it.

The car in itself isn't a bad thing...it is a tool to help people do things. People are the ones who turn it into something beyond that.

The term right hand and forehead actually refers to "what you think about, and what you take hold of". 

In other words, kind Solomon was wiser than anyone around at that time, but he still fell into adultery and worse. He was the one who chose to do what he did, and the consequences were what they were.

The Bitcoin Blockchain is a tool to be used by people. It makes sending funds faster, (debatable) and helps in taking out the middle man, therefore costs less.

It has value because people say it has value, and therefore people continue to get more of it.

A backpack is a tool that helps people carry things that they would normally have to carry in their hands.

It's a great thing, but what the person does with it makes it either a good thing or bad thing.

Thinking about Bitcoin in a practical way, putting your hand to Bitcoin in a practical way, is not the same as doing it with greed in your mind and heart.

The same way that grabbing that backpack to help with cargo doesn't mean that it's bad because God wants us to suffer and carry our heavy stuff by hand. 

Bitcoin/altcoins aren't the mark of the beast because they exist, anything can be a "mark" by how we use it.

What we think, greed, or good, and what we put our hands to after that thought, makes it the mark. Because WE have decided that whatever tool we are using is going to be used or obtained with either good or bad intentions.

It's all a MINDSET, not the actual thing itself...

If we do what we do because we are greedy and don't care about others and would sell our grannies for more, then we have taken the mark and the almighty has some severe words for us.

If we do things, in a normal way, to provide for our families, and to set future generations up, then it's called being responsible, and the almighty looks favorably towards these people.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.