The Seal of the Spirit
What is the Mark of the Spirit?
From scripture, one can clearly ascertain that the mark or the seal of God is the Holy Spirit that sets apart His people from the rest of humanity. God's way of doing things doesn't change. For example, it's interesting to note that the angel in the book of Ezekiel (Old Testament) is told to mark those who grieve and lament (the righteous) and further on in the book of Revelation (New Testament), we find that an angel of God is told to put a mark on the foreheads of the servants of God.
Exodus 13:16
16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”
Exodus 28:36-38
36 “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal:holy to the Lord. 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.
Ezekiel 9:4-6
4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it. ”
5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 4:30
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Revelation 7:3
3 “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.”
Revelation 7:1-4
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “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.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
Revelation 9:3-4
3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
See: The Holy Spirit
The Mark of the Beast
An eternal seal
This is the beginning of the mark of the beast:http://gizmodo.com/5937249/scientists-clear-a-path-to-the-fountain-of-eternal-youth
Whatever this "mark" is will certainly entail some sort of DNA tinkering like genome sequencing or the complete changing of the biological and physical makeup of a person that makes them inherintely human.
In Genesis we learn that humans have already partaken from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". From this we have gained knowledge of the difference between right and wrong and the ability to choose between the two. Freewill essentially.
What humans have not yet partaken of is the "Tree of Eternal Life". Both of these trees were in heaven. God did not allow Adam and Eve to eat from the "Tree of Eternal Life" for good reason. To do so would mean eternal life in a fallen human body. It would be a body that isn't redeemed, perfected, and glorified by Jesus Christ.
In short, this is the repercussion of taking the mark of the beast: the mark will promise eternal life. They will receive eternal life by the workings of mankind, not from God. There will be no rest, day and night, forever because it is a degenerate, unglorified eternal life, wherein a person will still experience pain, suffering, and sickness in a body that still aches, bruises, and bleeds. Further, mankind's creation of eternal life will not stop emotional sickness such as fear, sadness, guilt, anger, lust, and so on. Neither will this eternal life experience love, happiness, contentment, or joy because the attributes of God cannot exist in hell or in a fallen, eternal human being. Whatever love or joy or anything good that a person, who is destined to hell, had is taken away. This is because nothing good can exist in hell. It is stripped away the moment a person takes the mark of the beast. There is no going back. This is hell.
Revelation 14:9-11
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”