Globalism as well as advancements in technologies, like bar codes and credit cards, periodically trigger “mark of the beast” concerns for those who take seriously the prophecy, which talks of a one government world and a cashless society.

Randall Balmer, the chair of the religion department at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, said the Book of Revelation presents a real challenge for those like evangelical Christians who take the Bible seriously and often try to interpret it literally.

“A lot of evangelicals certainly take the Book of Revelation seriously. They try to understand it,” said Balmer, who is an Episcopal priest but grew up in an evangelical Christian family. “This is a source of real fascination for a lot of people, but it’s also kind of a parlor game.”