Revelation 13:15,16

Allowed to breath life into the image. We see the "unholy alliance" of anti-christian religion and anti-christian government working together to make slaves out of people. When people can be fooled into believing their leader [emperor, dictator, chairman, king, etc.] is a "god," they give themselves as willing slaves. The mark of the beast is the spirit of anti-christ (1 John 2:18-19) which shows itself in individuals by their "God-opposing, Christ-rejecting, persecuting attitude." Contrast this with the "seal" placed on the forehead of the believer (Revelation 7:3), symbolic of the "mind of Christ" (Philippians 2:5) which each one of the saved is to have. The believer has a seal, but the unbeliever has only a mark.