Revelation 13 and COVID-19 Quarantine

As I was reading through Revelations chapter 13, some ideas came to my mind as the world goes through home quarantine due to COVID-19. Below are the verses that struck me.

¹⁴ This second beast fooled the people living on earth by using the miracles that he had been given the power to do for the first beast. He ordered people to make an idol to honor the first beast, the one that was wounded by the sword but did not die. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give life to the idol of the first beast. Then the idol could speak and order all those who did not worship it to be killed. ¹⁶ The second beast also forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark put on their right hand or on their forehead. ¹⁷ No one could buy or sell without this mark. (This mark is the name of the beast or the number of its name.)

¹⁸ Anyone who has understanding can find the meaning of the beast’s number. This requires wisdom. This number is the number of a man. It is 666.

The first beast is the Antichrist. He was wounded by the sword but did not die. He might imitate Jesus Christ's resurrection to fool the world into believing that he is the chosen one, the one people should follow.

The second beast is the false prophet of the Antichrist. He is given power to give life to the idol of the first beast. With technology today, and shows like West World, it is not hard to imagine how an individual can produce an idol of a person and give it power to speak. With animatronics and computer programming, you could easily program a robot to order the killings of people who will not worship it. Or instead of a robot, this could be a hologram - like that of Whitney Houston which is performing long after her death.

Verses 16 and 17 are something we can now all relate to after this worldwide quarantine. For the first time since I was born, my rights to purchase basic necessities have been restricted. I could not do it without a quarantine pass. In a way, I could not buy without a 'mark'. Now, this mark is not yet on my right hand or forehead. But it gives you an idea why COVID-19 had to happen. The Antichrist will need to have a system of control. How do you control people? You have to have an international identification system so that you could easily restrict their purchase of basic necessities. If you deprive people of the basic things they need to live - for example, food and water - you can easily sway them into doing whatever you want - including worshiping you. People who reach desperation are bound to do anything to survive. To have an international I.D. system, you probably need a national I.D. system which is what our leaders are pushing for. While people might be swayed into the benefits of having such a system, they should also be wary for it will hasten the plans of the Antichrist for control and domination. Easy identification means easy capture, persecution and deprivation. No wonder some have resorted to doomsday prepping. Perhaps they can live a little while longer under the radar.

An international I.D. system might also be the key to identifying who the Antichrist is. If this system already existed, would it be possible that the individual with I.D. 666 is the Antichrist?