The first child born on the earth from human parents was Cain. I can only imagine what the woman Eve’s thought processes must have been having never experienced pregnancy before. Obviously, she had an understanding of what it was to carry offspring and give birth as the animals about her did. She gave credit to God for assisting her through that ordeal. (Gen 4:1)
What we know about Cain was that he was a farmer. His younger brother Abel also was a farmer. What we do not know is the age difference between Cain and Abel. This in my mind naturally brings up the question: If Abel was not around, who herded the sheep and tended for the other animals? Logically, it would have had to be Adam and Cain. It would have been either Adam and/or Cain who would have taught Abel how to herd sheep.
Before Abel, someone had to cultivate the ground and herd sheep and the other domestic animals and that would have been Cain and his father, Adam. When Abel was born, he learned how to herd sheep. I find it hard to believe that he and his brother Cain would not have shared in the responsibilities of farming which includes taking care of livestock, planting, and harvesting.
When persons read the story about Cain and Abel, they are given the impression that Cain just dealt with the things that grew from the ground. That is, plant and harvest the produce from the ground. And, that all Abel did was tend to sheep. If one reads the account, they were both farmers. Both would plant, harvest, and tend to livestock. It simply does not make common sense to have two men not having a share in all aspects of farming.
These things play an important role in identifying what this mark is in identifying the mark placed upon Cain.
Abel made a sacrifice to God that were the fatty pieces from the firstlings of his flock and God was pleased with his offering. I submit to you that Cain also had flocks of sheep or other livestock that he tended to. Instead of presenting God with a sacrifice of the fatty pieces of his flock, he offered a bloodless sacrifice consisting of the produce from the ground.
There is no blood in produce (and thus no pouring out of blood), so Cains sacrifice was unacceptable to God.
Cain became angry at God and also his brother and killed Abel in cold blood. The main thing I want to focus on is that Cain killed his brother over anger, envy, and jealousy: foolish and unjustifiable reasons. Cain became the first taker of human life. The earth itself – for the first time – had human blood splashed on its surface. That precious blood would forever infect and change the surface of the ground.
For the first time, the earth would be opened up (a grave dug) and Abel’s lifeless body placed in the earth. Abel would be the first to enter into what we call the grave. Abel’s blood would cry out to God from the ground (earth) because it was not normal or natural for human to kill human and be buried in the earth. The ground today is full of dead people and their blood cries out to God. How so?
That is not natural for mankind to kill one another and be placed inside the earth (graves), the earth would want to naturally vomit them out because mankind does not belong in the earth (graves) but on the earth. It would take a greater human sacrifice – the greatest human sacrifice – to bring mankind out of a condition where there is no air (death) to where there is air (life). (Hint: Meeting the Lord in the air).
Yet, for his crime, God told Cain at Genesis 4:10-15:
The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
Cain was basically told by God that anything he put his hands on to do, it will fail. He will become a frustrated and unproductive wander on the earth. Cain apparently understood the full impact of his curse upon the human family. As all born since Cain today would come from Cain, Adam’s son. That curse falls upon all of mankind: Nothing we put our hands to will succeed in God’s eyes. We speak of peace, but we are at a constant state of war. We kill and slaughter each other over the same reasons Cain killed his brother Abel. Mankind today is a restless lot unable to find its way. In other words, we are wanderers in the earth. Mankind has no true leader over it. We create our own leaders and heroes and idolize them and they lead us down a path of destruction. Thus, they are false leaders who one would be unwise to put their trust in to lead them.
Christ recognized this condition in mankind as he said at Mark 6:34:
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Cain realized that what he did to his brother would then be a reality for him as well. The very thought of being killed by someone was foreign to him. The thought of being killed made Cain very afraid. So God placed a mark upon Cain so that anyone finding him would not kill him. Cain was assured a life without the threat of being killed, but he would grow old and die. So what is this mark God placed upon Cain.
What Is The Mark of Cain?
In order to come to a correct understanding as to what this mark was and will prove to be, one must understand that:
- Cain knew God and spoke to him one-to-one as his Father Adam did without a mediator. (There was no Christ)
- Cain, though knowing God, disobeyed him.
- Cain killed his brother
Understanding the above three things will identify what the mark of Cain is and who bear it.
Those who will bear the mark of Cain will not be ungodly persons not knowing God. To the contrary, those who will bear the mark of Cain will know God and will be in a situation where they – like Cain – will not have a mediator before them.
These are persons – indeed, a whole world of people in the future – who will know God but will turn on him – while making a pretense of being godly – and kill those who are loyal to God. In other words, they will hate their Brother and put them to death.
That all of mankind today has a mediator before themselves and God (Christ Jesus is the mediator), tells us that no one today bears the mark of Cain. That all of mankind today does not know God also tells us that within our time period at present no one bears the mark of Cain.
Those who will bear the mark of Cain will be persons on the earth who will be able to speak with God without a mediator and God will speak to them without a mediator. The only time period that will come to the earth where all of mankind will be without a mediator is the time period after Christs 1000 year kingdom ends. (Rev 20:6-7)
When all of mankind is resurrected from the dead (their numbers like the sand upon the seashore which cannot be counted) by Christ and having gone through his 1000 year kingdom/paradise on earth, it is after his kingdom ends will mankind stand direct and one-to-one without a mediator and be accountable to God directly for their actions. All of mankind one day in the future will know good and bad from Gods viewpoint (God’s righteousness) and all of mankind will be mediator-less. There will be no need for an intercessor or a pleader before God when we sin.
Thus, the mark placed upon Cain was prophetic and would be placed upon those who would come to know God, be without a mediator and in spite of all of that, kill their brother in that future time period after Christs 1000 year kingdom ends.
Jesus spoke of a future time period where ALL of the earth will be united – all knowing God – and there will be a turning away, persecutions and killings. Look carefully at the below words of Jesus: He said his faithful followers will be hated by ALL OF THE NATIONS. This does not fit our time period today because ALL of the nations do not hate Christs followers. Christianity is divided against itself and many of the denominations within it hate each other! So Matthew 24:9 is referring to a future time period where all of the nations of people are united – they will all know God – but many will be deceived by the Devil and will turn away and turn on their faithful brothers.
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
Also, Jesus foretold that there would be two types of slaves within his household: A faithful slave and a wicked slave. Notice that both are of his household and his slaves, meaning that the wicked slaves were once faithful but became wicked. (Matthew 24:45-50)
I stated earlier that the notion of being killed was foreign to Adam and his family. I already showed you how Cain was afraid of the real possibility that he too could be killed. Yet, in the future time period of the great resurrection of all of the dead – which occurs when Christs 1000 year kingdom begins – no one will have thoughts of killing another.
Yet, imagine if someone in those future days kills a fellow brother for any reason, the mentality of the populace on the earth in those future days is not to kill that person. Since the blood of the deceased “cries out” to God, it is God who will deal with the murderer as he dealt with Cain. (Remember, no human was to kill Cain).
The Mark of Cain is not a visible mark. The mark is an invisible one that God places upon persons in those future days. The Mark of Cain is The Lake of Fire which is the Second Death. (Rev 20:14-15)
Think of this marking like cattle who marked to be slaughtered. This mark is an invisible mark that God knows and places on persons who knowingly kill their brother in those future days. They are marked to be placed in The Lake of Fire which is the Second Death at he harvest by the angels of God. They are “bad weeds” to be uprooted and destroyed.
The death blow Cain gave to Abel, anyone of us living today can give to another person. For example, one can take the life of another using knives, stones, starvation, guns, poison, “worrying persons to death”, oppressing them, weapons of mass destruction, etc. However, what none of us humans can do is resurrect those dead persons back to life again or cause what is called The Second Death. Only God can cause that to happen.
Any taking the life of his brother in those future days after Christs kingdom over the earth ends, will be marked for eternal destruction. That is, the Lake of Fire which is the Second Death. (For a full explanation of what the Lake of Fire which means the Second Death is, see my article What is The Lake of Fire?)
Those persons in those future days will know what the punishment is for taking a precious life and will seek to die rather than face nonexistence (perishing) in The Lake of Fire. The Apostle John at Revelation 9;6 says:
During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
This fear of not existing does not exist today in the world. Most people today believe that when they die, they go somewhere else. Most believe that they will go to heaven. The thought of not existing is something many have not really sat down to think seriously about.
A person can die and be resurrected as Christ demonstrated. So even at death, a person still exists in God’s memory (Book of Life). Even Adam existed as a dead soul until God made him a living soul. But those receiving the Mark of Cain have only one eventuality: The Lake of Fire which is the Second Death. Nonexistence. Removed from Gods Book of Life. One is even a thought or memory in God’s mind or in anyone elses mind. This is mind-boggling! (Rev 20:14-15)
When Cain said, “I will be hidden from your presence”, he knew what that meant: To be concealed or not existing as far as God was concerned.
Another reason why the mark God placed upon Cain was prophetic is becausse there were no cities and no one out there to find Cain.
Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel were all there was back then. We are told that Adam and Eve also had some daughters, but there were no cities or other people. (Gen 5:4)
Also notice at Genesis 4:10 that God was driving Cain away from the surface of the ground. If this driving away was from the surface of the ground where else could Cain eventually end up: Dead and placed in the ground (the grave, where his brother Abel was) or removed out of existence. No longer a memory in God’s mind.
That we are told that Cain would be hidden or concealed from God’s face, those bearing The Mark of Cain would not be placed in the ground (again) but taken out of existence. If one is hidden from God, God does not see them. It is as if they never existed. (Incidentally, when Adam hid himself from God because he was naked, Adam was afraid of no longer existing for disobeying God. But since God found Adam and corrected his thinking, Adam is in God’s memory to this very day. Adam was allowed to live and he grew old and died at the age of 930 years. Adam did not perish, but died.) See my article, Will Adam and Eve Be Resurrected?
Many think the Mark of Cain is some visible mark or a particular race among the human family. No! The Mak of Cain is The Lake of Fire which means The Second Death. In short, nonexistence.
No one today has that mark upon them. Why? Because the mistakes we make are due to “not knowing good and bad” and “not knowing what we are doing.” Anyone who makes the claim that people know what they are doing are sadly mistaken. If they believe this, then they are saying that they are perfect. For only a perfect person can know good and bad and what they are doing.
At his execution, Jesus ask the Father in heaven to forgive his accusers, persecutors and executioners. Why?
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:43)
No one knows what they are doing. That is why mankind needs a mediator at present to ask God to forgive us. We too MUST forgive others as Christ did as we MUST recognize that people do what they do because they do not know what they are doing.
Many within the religious system called by men – Christianity – are judgmental and condemn others to an eternal hellfire (or threaten it) rather than following Christs pattern in recognizing that we do not know what we are doing and those all in need of forgving one another. Yes, Christianity, you too! You do not know what you are doing – though you think you do – and you are also the umbrella of God’s grace and forgiveness at present along with each and every person on the surface of the ground and in the ground today. That will change, however, in those future days when Christs kingdom ends and Satan is released from the Abyss to establish upon the surface of the ground his kingdom of the Wild Beast. (See my article He Sits Upon an Ass, She Sits Upon a Scarlet Colored Wild Beast)
Resist all of that Hollywood stuff the dramatic music and visualizations. It is there to mislead you. Put to the test what you are told from the pulpit by those who give watered down and dismissive explanations because they really do not know. Resist the notion and teaching that the Mark of Cain is a visible mark or a particular race among the human family. What you read above is the truth.
