It could go either way, so I keep the options open.
Kind of like the moon landing. :)
Forty and six years has the prophecy house of merchandise been in building.
Buyers, sellers... symbiosis. Judgment begins at the den of thieves. That could explain the sign of the prophet Jonah. Those who sold doves were forced to pay attention when their seats were overturned.
Matthew 21
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Heart of the earth: where its treasure is, what it values most. Where thieves break through and steal...
:)
I'm not 100% sure either, though I do think it's a strong possibility we've been tricked and have already received our 'mark', since many parts match up so precisely. Have we, unwittingly, sold our birthright for a bowl porridge?
I certainly wouldn't rule out a later 'level' of the prophecy of an actual 'marking' of a sign of some beast, as some believe John saw a image of the mark of Islam.