Revelation 19:11-16

From what I understand, this passage refers to Jesus and includes a detail that He has writing on His thigh…

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. – Revelation 19:11-16

Also check Isaiah 44 verse 5 (Interesting…)

Whenever I hear someone objecting to tattoos and uses Lev 19:28 as their “proof” I wonder if that same person is as conscientious about not “rounding the corners” of their hair and not “marring their beards.” (Leviticus 19:27) Same book, same chapter, one verse earlier.

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I fully understand and appreciate that not everyone likes tattoos and, to be honest, some of them are offensive, sexist, blasphemous. But for me as a professional theologian, in training for 12 years, student of Biblical languages and Bible History, and Lutheran pastor for 31 years, what saddens me is how easily a Bible passage is ripped from its context, both in the book and in history and used as a weapon.

Leviticus contains moral law, civic law and ceremonial law, the last of which describes and prescribes sacrifice rituals etc. The ceremonial law, also known as the “Holiness” or “Purity Code,” uses a principle of separation, “clean versus unclean” for example, to separate the Israelites returning from Egypt from the Canaanites who were occupying the Promised Land. Read the whole book and you’ll get the gist of it.

The Canaanites were a wild bunch, whose “religious life” involved child sacrifice among other unseemly behavior. They, and other ancient middle eastern tribes practiced ritual cutting (see also Elijah and the prophets of Baal) as a means to appease the spirits of the dead. Hair also was offered (vs 27) again to appease dead spirits.
But look at what verse 28 says: “You shall not make any cuttings for the dead in your flesh nor print any marks upon you. I am the Lord.” For the dead, that is, as a sacrifice. Israel was to be completely separate from such things and as their later history would demonstrate, when they became involved in Canaanite religion or adopted their gods as minor deities, they became apostate, fallen away. That apostasy, according to the Biblical record is the reason behind their numerous wars in which they were overcome by their enemies.

Now as for the “cutting” itself. I wonder if those who oppose tattoos know that in the Old Testament, the words literally for making a covenant are “cutting a covenant.” A covenant is a sacred relationship, symbolized and solidified by sacrificing a large animal, cutting it in two (shedding its blood) and setting it afire. The two “covenanters” then walked through the blood and fire. There is historical evidence also that “cutting a covenant” involved each man cutting a few slashes in the upper arm, shedding his blood, and rubbing ashes in the wounds to make a permanent mark. Voile! A tattoo that served as a living reminder of the covenant they had cut.

So let’s get sane about this. Those who don’t want them, shouldn’t get them. Those who are offended by them shouldn’t look at them. And those of us, particularly Christians who wear symbols of their faith, need to practice some discernment as well.

My tattoos tell my life story and when someone asks about them, I start with the cross on my wrist (the only one that shows when I wear a regular shirt) and if they are interested I show them the other ones on this webpage. They are a visible confession of faith. And since I’m in a touchy position as a pastor, I don’t let underage kids use me as a reason for their parents to let them get a tattoo. I tell them this: Make sure you can cover it so a future employer won’t discriminate in hiring against you. Don’t advertise what you aren’t selling (ie drug symbols, death symbols) and don’t put on your body permanently anything you’d be ashamed for God, your mother, your wife or your daughters to see. It’s just that simple. Before you quote the Bible, make sure you
know its context and remember, in the final analysis, faith is all about Jesus who bore the marks of His crucifixion for us. They were His ID—that’s why He showed them to the disciples after the resurrection. I’m going to ask to see those marks someday.

I’ll show Him my tattoos as well, confident that the one who shed His blood for me and who marked me with His cross in my baptism won’t turn me away.

Just some food for thought.
Pastor David, Michigan.

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In the above tattoo, the Cross is the representation of Christ in my life, how He is the cornerstone for all things I do. It’s formed by the 3 nails used to nail Him to His cross. Behind it is a blue flower which is a Rose of Sharon, and a red one which is a Henna/Camphire flower. Both are found in the “Song of Solomon” in the Bible.

My husband is the Camphire/Henna while I am the Rose of Sharon, and our love is as eternal as God’s love for us. Below is Revelation 22:13 and this the second most important piece of my tattoo.

Before my husband and I married, we were searching to make God the absolute base of our relationship, but doing things impure and inappropriate before marriage. In seeking to correct our behaviors, a generational curse that caused unexplainable anger, outrage, and hatred for all things brought out of me to expose that I was possessed. 

My husband worked with his life long family pastor to exorcise me for a whole week. It was a long and exhausting experience for the both of us, but we could tell when the fight was over when he read from Revelation Ch. 22. Specifically, Revelation 22:13 “I am the alpha and the omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Multiple Translations read it this way.) or “I am Alap and I am Tau, The First and The Last, The Origin and The Fulfillment.” (Aramaic Bible as Read in English).

If the battle was not over, the demon/spirit would return and lash out at the sound of God’s Voice as my husband read from His Word. But when all was done, and those words no longer brought it out, we knew Christ had overcome it and I was finally free.

We rejoiced with rest, prayer, and my husband bought me a cross necklace to symbolize the freedom we now both shared and could finally be married. God is so Good.

Thank you for the opportunity to share the story and my tattoo. God bless!

– Raina

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Many Christian’s these days are outspokenly against tattooing and they will quote Leviticus 19:28 “You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves.”

This verse was an old covenant verse that also continues on (in verse 26, 27) to forbid eating any meat with blood in it and forbid cutting your hair! Clearly this was a command for a people at that time and the whole Bible needs to be read in context with the whole of scripture. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh but that doesn’t necessarily mean that He wants us to go to Nineveh! What do you think about this topic? Visit our Facebook page to start a discussion or comment.

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Previous Comments:

0# Frank Mitchell 2011-01-18 08:45
Many Christians get tattooed in Defiance of Leviticus 19:28 because they think Jesus died for them and so they are no longer under the Law. But Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5: 17,18 NIV)
Of course, it’s well nigh impossible to keep the Law down to the smallest letter or the least stroke of a pen, but I happen to know it’s very easy NOT to get tattooed…
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+2# Serving HIM 2011-02-20 04:18
Quoting Frank Mitchell:
Many Christians get tattooed in Defiance of Leviticus 19:28 because they think Jesus died for them and so they are no longer under the Law. But Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5: 17,18 NIV)
Of course, it’s well nigh impossible to keep the Law down to the smallest letter or the least stroke of a pen, but I happen to know it’s very easy NOT to get tattooed…

Have you read the whole chapter of Leviticus 19 “Frank Mitchell”? Do you think God forbids the cutting of hair today also? We need to be careful not to pick and choose scriptures that we want to make law for today. Read the Bible as a whole, learn the principles from it as a whole and be careful not to take a response or Law from God that was directed to a specific person or people out of context and apply selectively to today or towards people that we wish to condemn.I like what it says on the homepage: Does God want you to Go to Ninevah? He told Jonah to go but that doesn’t mean he wants all of us to do likewise. Some of the old commands are not literally for today but we can read them within the context of the whole of scripture and then take away principles. The principle for the Leviticus 19 tattoo command is don’t give homage to false gods by cutting your self or by tattoos. Cutting yourself to lance a wound is not bad in it self. Getting a bible verse tattood on your arm is not bad either.

Keep reading the Bible and use Godly discernment if you are getting tattoos.

PS. I do agree with your comment though”Frank”, it is easier to not get a tattoo than it is to abide by most of God’s laws.

0# Frank Mitchell 2011-02-23 14:30
Serving HIM, I have read the ENTIRE Bible SIX times. I’m now writing a summary of it! In Matthew 5: 17,18 Jesus said “until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen”. That’s IMPOSSIBLE to take out of context. Now please YOU show me where it states that Leviticus 19: 28 “was directed to a specific person or people” as you state!!!
Also, you wrote “Some of the old commands are not literally for today” when Jesus said “until heaven and earth disappear”!!!
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+2# Serving HIM 2011-02-23 15:07
Quoting Frank Mitchell:
Serving HIM, I have read the ENTIRE Bible SIX times. I’m now writing a summary of it! In Matthew 5: 17,18 Jesus said “until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen”. That’s IMPOSSIBLE to take out of context. Now please YOU show me where it states that Leviticus 19: 28 “was directed to a specific person or people” as you state!!!
Also, you wrote “Some of the old commands are not literally for today” when Jesus said “until heaven and earth disappear”!!!

The verse before this says (Lev 19:27) “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”

If not a yot or tiddle has been changed from the Levitical law, I trust that you have a beard down to your chest and the sides of your hair are just as long?

And I take it that you are still making sacrifices, stoning people? If Jesus wanted the Levitical law upheld of stoning adulterers, he would not have saved the adulteress women from being stoned by the angry Pharasees.

0# Frank Mitchell 2011-02-24 16:35
Serving HIM:
1)“I trust that you have a beard down to your chest and the sides of your hair are just as long?”: The point we’re discussing is whether the Law is still in force. Your point implies that my own actions have some bearing on whether it’s in force or not. But it hasn’t. I’m not that important. I HOPE that my many failures in this respect have been paid for by Jesus. Any tattooed person likewise needs Jesus to have paid for his (or her) illegal tattoo.
2)“you are still making sacrifices, stoning people? If Jesus wanted the Levitical law upheld of stoning adulterers, he would not have saved the adulteress women from being stoned by the angry Pharasees”: Jesus was simply confirming what was written as follows: “But to the wicked person, God says: ‘What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?’” (Psalm 50: 16) And, as Solomon said, “—for there is no one who does not sin—” (1 Kings In other words, THE BIBLE ITSELF states that neither you nor I nor anyone is fit to condemn or stone anyone, because we have ALL sinned! So only God may apply the death penalty, in practice! (btw, THAT is context!)
3)“And I take it that you are still making sacrifices”: Of course I am, every time I take Communion! Aren’t you?

0# Frank Mitchell 2011-02-25 04:34
Serving HIM: Just to emphasize item 2) Jesus did not say NOT to apply the Law. He said “let him who is without sin cast the first stone”, i.e., only a sinless person may punish others under Mosaic Law, it being that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3: 23)

+1# majorboot 2011-03-05 02:33
As said above and I have debated in many forums. Rev. 19:16 and he had inscribed on his thigh and his robe :KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.
I’m fairly confident in assuming there were no magic markers back in the day.
Aaaah…but before the neighsayers retort with BUT..it’s REVELATIONS..and is yet to happens…
Let me share with those that GOD the Father..GOD the Son..and GOD the Holy Spirit..the Trinity..IS…WAS…and ALWAYS will be and NEVER changes.
My tatts are my testimony of my life before and my new birth now..I meet with the broken and marginalised and share my testimony and let the Spirit take over from there.

0# Frank Mitchell 2011-03-06 16:02
@Rob Cross: “and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.” (Revelation 1: 13) So His robe reaches TO HIS FEET! So, the inscription is on HIS ROBE at thigh level….. So it cannot be a tattoo per tattooist “interpretation s”….
But, even if it were a tattoo, even so, His people have been forbidden to wear tattoos. So isn’t it pretentious to have them simply because you think Jesus has one? It’s rather like a recruit going around with four stars just because the general has four stars….
Yes, tattooed Christians say their tattoos attract people when they then talk about Jesus. But, actually, a preacher talks to the mind but only the Holy Spirit reaches the heart and the Holy Spirit does NOT need an illegal tattoo!