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Mark of the Beast
That there is a growing interest in the whole subject of "The Lord's Coming."
245 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1915
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November 8, 2021
"Mark of the Beast" is a Radium-Age fantasy that was part of an apocalyptic trilogy written by British author Sydney Watson who specialized in "rapture" literature.
Out of nowhere, a good portion of the population disappears over the course of a single Sunday. Because of eye-witness accounts and the fact that everyone who vanished was a genuinely good soul, it is believed that the second-coming of Christ just came and went, the missing people having been "translated," a concept I found immensely interesting.
This leaves a population of humans behind that are all mediocre at best, and downright evil at worst. You'd think that such a worldwide miracle would strengthen everyone in their belief in God, but the book takes a different turn. Instead, because there are no true believers left, no one to help guide the lost generations in spirituality, the world descends into chaos, hedonism, and debauchery. Humanity begins worshipping itself. In the midst of all this, a handsome scientific genius emerges as the antichrist, giving the rest of the novel an "Omen" vibe.
What follows is a rather prophetic piece of speculative fiction that seems to predict the trends in Western culture seen today. Cultural norms are systematically deconstructed and dismantled by government and wealthy progressive elites, such as the institution of marriage. Everything that was once deemed traditional is looked down upon as part of an oppressive past incompatible with this new age of freedom. Boundaries get pushed and broken in societal practices and art, leading to ever-increasing sex, smut, and violence being portrayed in literature and being accepted in the behavior of others. Everything is permissable, except of course a conservative or traditional point-of-view.
If Sydney Watson were alive today, he would likely be in a state of existential panic. People dying from unprecedented amounts of illicit drugs circulating the world. Gender confusion so propogated by multimillion dollar corporations that you run the risk of being accused of a hate crime by calling someone the wrong pronoun. The decline of marriage and the rise of child abuse and neglect. The decline of decorum, chivalry, charity, and religious faith. Politicians and celebrities defending child molesters and serial rapists. "A Serbian Film."
The book, being part of a trilogy, does feature a recurring character, Ralph Bastin, but as a protagonist, I found him to be dull. He is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the author's own hyperreligious brand of ultraconservatism.
And the whole book really is thinly disguised fundamentalism. It is very preachy and didactic, with whole sections dedicated to Watson's sermonizing and very literal, if not digital, interpretations of Scripture, the kind that mediocre minds hide behind so they do not have to go through the effort of being at all self-aware.
In fact, Watson ditches traditional narrative three quarters into the book in order to deliver one long religious sermon in the final act. Whereas we follow mainly three or so main characters through a fairly traditional science fiction adventure which takes place in an alternate history, the narrative dissolves into endless citations of Revelations and other Biblical tomes. This was endlessly frustrating, as the book was getting quite tense and surprisingly brutal, but my investment was not rewarded.
Therefore, "Mark of the Beast" will turn off many readers rather than win over the curious or open-minded. And because this book was written as a cautionary tale for society to not be deceived by the attraction of systemic evil when it presents itself in the form of cultural movements and government policies, I say it fails in it's mission.
To give you a taste at how digital the thinking is, the book opens with ramblings about how Judas Iscariot was really a demon incarnate and not just a coward who betrayed Jesus because he caved to Roman pressure. Why? Because the Bible says that Jesus called Judas "a demon." Watson further says that Judas was made manifest by the Devil to foil Jesus in establishing his kingdom on earth. Okay.
Well, I'm sure Jesus had cause to call Judas lots of things. A more modern colloquial translation wouldn't be too far off the mark in having Jesus call him an asshole either. But that wouldn't mean that Judas was a literal sphincter at the end of Satan's digestive tract. And besides, such literal interpretation of the Bible often serves to undo your entire message. As a supposed Christian, Watson inadvertently impunes the divine nature of Jesus by making Judas more than a sinner and actually the Devil incarnate. And Judas did successfully betray Jesus, leading to his execution. So by Watson's logic, Satan's incarnated antichrist got the better of God's incarnated Son. I'm sure that's not what Watson intended to be the take-home message, but that's what happens when you pretend that Holy Writ must be taken at face value to truly "understand."
It's a shame, really, because there are some interesting concepts here. Particularly poignant is the shocking truth that evil is very seductive. We're not talking about the mustache-twirling kind of evil, but the evil that insidiously creeps into classroom agendas, into news bias, into corporate and government policies, into celebrity lifestyles, leading millions of people to imitate evil or obey it. What a scary idea that so many otherwise innocent people could be feeding into something unhealthy and divisive while thinking they are on the right side of history, politics, or the law.
Another interesting idea is how the satanic politicians and corporate leaders had been manipulating popular opinion to be eventually negative about national sovereignty. Evil absolutely loves open borders and global markets. Unfettered invasion causes a clash and confusion of cultures and values that leads to the epic fights of nation against nation as seen in Revelations, making the masses hungry for some sort of woke savior, eventually forming a monoculture that is easier to control by a global government, thus paving the way for the antichrist's rule. No, this book is not the ravings of Alex Jones or Q-Anon. This book is the result of early 20th century scholars, political scientists, and theologians applying economic and political principles to current events of the industrial revolution to play it forward and hopefully prevent a global catastrophe.
This could have made for a wonderful gem of speculative fiction. I overall found it interesting and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, it will come across as smug proselytizing and right-wing propaganda to many readers, leaving an otherwise valuable message in the dustbin of largely forgotten books.
Out of nowhere, a good portion of the population disappears over the course of a single Sunday. Because of eye-witness accounts and the fact that everyone who vanished was a genuinely good soul, it is believed that the second-coming of Christ just came and went, the missing people having been "translated," a concept I found immensely interesting.
This leaves a population of humans behind that are all mediocre at best, and downright evil at worst. You'd think that such a worldwide miracle would strengthen everyone in their belief in God, but the book takes a different turn. Instead, because there are no true believers left, no one to help guide the lost generations in spirituality, the world descends into chaos, hedonism, and debauchery. Humanity begins worshipping itself. In the midst of all this, a handsome scientific genius emerges as the antichrist, giving the rest of the novel an "Omen" vibe.
What follows is a rather prophetic piece of speculative fiction that seems to predict the trends in Western culture seen today. Cultural norms are systematically deconstructed and dismantled by government and wealthy progressive elites, such as the institution of marriage. Everything that was once deemed traditional is looked down upon as part of an oppressive past incompatible with this new age of freedom. Boundaries get pushed and broken in societal practices and art, leading to ever-increasing sex, smut, and violence being portrayed in literature and being accepted in the behavior of others. Everything is permissable, except of course a conservative or traditional point-of-view.
If Sydney Watson were alive today, he would likely be in a state of existential panic. People dying from unprecedented amounts of illicit drugs circulating the world. Gender confusion so propogated by multimillion dollar corporations that you run the risk of being accused of a hate crime by calling someone the wrong pronoun. The decline of marriage and the rise of child abuse and neglect. The decline of decorum, chivalry, charity, and religious faith. Politicians and celebrities defending child molesters and serial rapists. "A Serbian Film."
The book, being part of a trilogy, does feature a recurring character, Ralph Bastin, but as a protagonist, I found him to be dull. He is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the author's own hyperreligious brand of ultraconservatism.
And the whole book really is thinly disguised fundamentalism. It is very preachy and didactic, with whole sections dedicated to Watson's sermonizing and very literal, if not digital, interpretations of Scripture, the kind that mediocre minds hide behind so they do not have to go through the effort of being at all self-aware.
In fact, Watson ditches traditional narrative three quarters into the book in order to deliver one long religious sermon in the final act. Whereas we follow mainly three or so main characters through a fairly traditional science fiction adventure which takes place in an alternate history, the narrative dissolves into endless citations of Revelations and other Biblical tomes. This was endlessly frustrating, as the book was getting quite tense and surprisingly brutal, but my investment was not rewarded.
Therefore, "Mark of the Beast" will turn off many readers rather than win over the curious or open-minded. And because this book was written as a cautionary tale for society to not be deceived by the attraction of systemic evil when it presents itself in the form of cultural movements and government policies, I say it fails in it's mission.
To give you a taste at how digital the thinking is, the book opens with ramblings about how Judas Iscariot was really a demon incarnate and not just a coward who betrayed Jesus because he caved to Roman pressure. Why? Because the Bible says that Jesus called Judas "a demon." Watson further says that Judas was made manifest by the Devil to foil Jesus in establishing his kingdom on earth. Okay.
Well, I'm sure Jesus had cause to call Judas lots of things. A more modern colloquial translation wouldn't be too far off the mark in having Jesus call him an asshole either. But that wouldn't mean that Judas was a literal sphincter at the end of Satan's digestive tract. And besides, such literal interpretation of the Bible often serves to undo your entire message. As a supposed Christian, Watson inadvertently impunes the divine nature of Jesus by making Judas more than a sinner and actually the Devil incarnate. And Judas did successfully betray Jesus, leading to his execution. So by Watson's logic, Satan's incarnated antichrist got the better of God's incarnated Son. I'm sure that's not what Watson intended to be the take-home message, but that's what happens when you pretend that Holy Writ must be taken at face value to truly "understand."
It's a shame, really, because there are some interesting concepts here. Particularly poignant is the shocking truth that evil is very seductive. We're not talking about the mustache-twirling kind of evil, but the evil that insidiously creeps into classroom agendas, into news bias, into corporate and government policies, into celebrity lifestyles, leading millions of people to imitate evil or obey it. What a scary idea that so many otherwise innocent people could be feeding into something unhealthy and divisive while thinking they are on the right side of history, politics, or the law.
Another interesting idea is how the satanic politicians and corporate leaders had been manipulating popular opinion to be eventually negative about national sovereignty. Evil absolutely loves open borders and global markets. Unfettered invasion causes a clash and confusion of cultures and values that leads to the epic fights of nation against nation as seen in Revelations, making the masses hungry for some sort of woke savior, eventually forming a monoculture that is easier to control by a global government, thus paving the way for the antichrist's rule. No, this book is not the ravings of Alex Jones or Q-Anon. This book is the result of early 20th century scholars, political scientists, and theologians applying economic and political principles to current events of the industrial revolution to play it forward and hopefully prevent a global catastrophe.
This could have made for a wonderful gem of speculative fiction. I overall found it interesting and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, it will come across as smug proselytizing and right-wing propaganda to many readers, leaving an otherwise valuable message in the dustbin of largely forgotten books.
August 24, 2025
I highly recommend this book. I believe Bible knowledge is a definite prerequisite to understand the story.
To the Christian, it’s an absolute must read. To the non-Cristian, I would say that person would be mostly confused, but it would open their mind to compare the current events with Bible prophecy, while also keeping in mind this was written around 1918. Many of the prophesies have since been literally fulfilled after the publication. Israel returned to their land and became a nation again in 1948. That most Churches are aligned with the description given by Sydney.
I found myself having a better visualization of the prophesies and literal possibilities found in Daniel and Revelation.
I enjoyed this book and will read the other 2 asap.
To the Christian, it’s an absolute must read. To the non-Cristian, I would say that person would be mostly confused, but it would open their mind to compare the current events with Bible prophecy, while also keeping in mind this was written around 1918. Many of the prophesies have since been literally fulfilled after the publication. Israel returned to their land and became a nation again in 1948. That most Churches are aligned with the description given by Sydney.
I found myself having a better visualization of the prophesies and literal possibilities found in Daniel and Revelation.
I enjoyed this book and will read the other 2 asap.
May 12, 2022
Ok
Another will written British religious beliefs short story by Sidney Watson about god. This was not what I was expecting. Give it a try it may work for you. Enjoy reading. 2022
Another will written British religious beliefs short story by Sidney Watson about god. This was not what I was expecting. Give it a try it may work for you. Enjoy reading. 2022
July 3, 2023
Good read
This is like an earlier version of the Left Behind series. Great storytelling woven with some scripture and not preachy.
This is like an earlier version of the Left Behind series. Great storytelling woven with some scripture and not preachy.
September 29, 2020
I am a big fan of Sydney Watson's books. In this book, he presents a possible scenario of what the end-times could be like. Being that this book was written 1911, Watson used his imagination to envision how the Tribulation might play out in Israel and elsewhere. His stunning predictions make this book plausible in 2020. A great read, and will definitely remind us to be "Ready" at all times!
February 26, 2017
Fantastic!!! Highly recommend it!
June 10, 2013
Bad, bad endtimes fiction from the person who was responsible for making it into a genre. Horrifically bad. I'm just going to put two quotes to show this. The scene is our two protagonists coming across a diabolical parade-float where men dressed as imps pitchfork Bibles into a furnace, and sing a rather dark poem about demons. This is part of their reaction:
"Yet, for all I just said, I feel it in my bones as Mrs. Beecher Stowe's old negress 'mammy' used to say, that this foul demonstration on this glorious Sunday morning is the unauthorized un-official beginning of the Anti-christ movement..."
"Such wanton, open sacrilege as that could only have become possible by the gradual decay of reverence for the word of God, brought about largely by the so-called "Higher critics" of the last thirty years, the men who broke Spurgeon's heart. the Issachars of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, those knowing ones who, like Issachar, thought they knew better than God."
If I wasn't reading this on my cell phone, I would have thrown the book across the room at the wall. I'm a Christian, and I believe in the Rapture, but reading this, and not only understanding how bad it is but knowing because of Watson, we have Left Behind because of this makes me despair a little.
This is the second book in one if not the first end-times novel series that exists. If you have more of a tolerance for bad novels, it might be worth reading to see that despite one hundred years, it's just as bad as what it spawned, and often in the same ways. There's no art to it, no sense of the uncanny or sublime. Getting through 50% of the book showed me virtually no plot as opposed to a collection of sermons and bad writing. The passages above are so stark in their incongruity with what happens before it blows the mind.
No, seriously. You are watching humanity turn diabolic, and burn something sacred. A naked (!) woman is riding a furnace in the late 19th century. But they react to it like someone put a pamphlet in their hands suggesting they should come to a lecture on atheism.
Seriously, unless you are masochistic or are researching the idea of the Rapture in fiction, avoid this.
"Yet, for all I just said, I feel it in my bones as Mrs. Beecher Stowe's old negress 'mammy' used to say, that this foul demonstration on this glorious Sunday morning is the unauthorized un-official beginning of the Anti-christ movement..."
"Such wanton, open sacrilege as that could only have become possible by the gradual decay of reverence for the word of God, brought about largely by the so-called "Higher critics" of the last thirty years, the men who broke Spurgeon's heart. the Issachars of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, those knowing ones who, like Issachar, thought they knew better than God."
If I wasn't reading this on my cell phone, I would have thrown the book across the room at the wall. I'm a Christian, and I believe in the Rapture, but reading this, and not only understanding how bad it is but knowing because of Watson, we have Left Behind because of this makes me despair a little.
This is the second book in one if not the first end-times novel series that exists. If you have more of a tolerance for bad novels, it might be worth reading to see that despite one hundred years, it's just as bad as what it spawned, and often in the same ways. There's no art to it, no sense of the uncanny or sublime. Getting through 50% of the book showed me virtually no plot as opposed to a collection of sermons and bad writing. The passages above are so stark in their incongruity with what happens before it blows the mind.
No, seriously. You are watching humanity turn diabolic, and burn something sacred. A naked (!) woman is riding a furnace in the late 19th century. But they react to it like someone put a pamphlet in their hands suggesting they should come to a lecture on atheism.
Seriously, unless you are masochistic or are researching the idea of the Rapture in fiction, avoid this.
June 7, 2010
The Mark of the Beast (a companion to Watson's earlier novel about the Rapture) was written in the first decades of the twentieth century and concerns the Tribulation as experienced by those "left behind," and the career of the Antichrist as he [SPOILER:] takes over as Emperor of the World and is finally destroyed by God's wrath. Full of racism, sexism, and bigotry, it is a fiction but contains numerous sermons directed toward the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2016
What an amazing book! I'm going to wait on my review until I can type it on my computer.
Read
September 19, 2017 I enjoyed the idea of the Rapture and Tributaion happening in the circa 1910-20 eea
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews