Let me begin by laying my cards on the table when it comes to the Covid-19 vaccines. I was among the first in line to receive mine – I actually participated in the Moderna vaccine study. I did that because I believed it was the best way to do my part to end this pandemic. It was a small part, but it felt like something I could do.
My purpose though is not to convince you about the effectiveness of the vaccine, or the merits for or against requiring it. I’ll let the medical experts and politicians work those out. My purpose is to help you understand what the Bible says about – or actually what it does not say about – the vaccine itself. This is a hugely important question. Where God's Word speaks, we must listen. We can't come up with our conclusions before we study it for ourselves. As Christians, we must take God's Word so seriously that we wouldn't dare believe something contrary to what it says.
I’ve had a couple of people ask me lately whether or not the vaccine was the Mark of the Beast. They asked that question because of talk of employers and perhaps even governments mandating the vaccine and hearing that some stores will not allow people to shop there unless they can show proof that they’ve been vaccinated. Again, the truth of those statements, and the wisdom of those kinds of actions, can be debated. That’s not my point here. My point is only to answer the question – is this vaccine the Mark of the Beast?
Let me begin by definitively saying this: the Covid-19 vaccine is not the Mark of the Beast. But I want to show you why that is true from scripture. You don’t need my opinions. You need God’s Word. And though we don’t know everything about what this mark will look like, we certainly know enough to know what we are seeing now is not what the Bible talks about.
It's also important to recognize that this debate is not new. Some people believed social security numbers were the mark. Others believed UPC codes were the mark. The idea that something the government requires is the Mark of the Beast has been around for a long time.
Let's take a look at the scripture that refer to the Mark of the Beast, found in Revelation 13. In this chapter, which takes place around the mid-point of the Tribulation, John sees two beasts - one coming from the sea, symbolizing the antichrist. The antichrist is allowed to exercise authority, he speaks blasphemy for 3 ½ years, and he persecutes Christians in a way they’ve never been persecuted before. The second beast is from the earth, symbolizing his assistant, who acts as a religious leader for the antichrist. This second beast forces the whole world to worship the antichrist, while performing miraculous signs and killing those who don’t worship him. Then, verse 16 says this:
“Also, it causes all, both great and small, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has that mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
John goes on to say that the one who understands should calculate the number of the beast, that it is the number of a man, and that number is 666. Then, in verse 1 of chapter 14, John contrasts those who have taken the mark with believers in Jesus, whom he says have the Father’s name written on their foreheads. The choice is clear – receive the Father through Jesus, and get his mark, or bow to the antichrist and receive his.
From these verses, there are several things that have to be true for the vaccine to be the Mark of the Beast:
1. We must be in the tribulation period. Now, I believe the tribulation happens after the church has been raptured (taken up to Heaven). I recognize that there are a lot of different beliefs on that issue, but you don't have to believe exactly what I believe to understand we are not in the period the context of chapter 13 talks about. Though worshiping Jesus may mean a death sentence in some countries, that is certainly not the case in most of the world. The kind of persecution that chapter 13 talks about is not happening at this moment.
2. The antichrist must be ruling the earth, and his false prophet must be doing miracles, proclaiming him as God, and requiring that people worship him. We've seen some truly evil leaders in our world, but no one like those two have arisen yet.
3. The mark itself must be on the hand or on the forehead. The Covid vaccine is injected into the upper arm.
4. It must be required worldwide. Because the world is ruled by one person, then he has the ability to require the mark. Nothing about our current system allows that to happen. One of the reasons that this kind of thinking becomes prominent is because we are too America-centric. This passage is not talking about something that happens in America, any other single country, or even multiple countries. This is happening worldwide, in a world ruled by one person.
5. The mark itself must be required for buying and selling. This is where many people get caught up on the question of the vaccine. Some employers already are requiring it, and others may decide to require it. There may come a time when federal or state laws require it for everyone (though I would be very surprised if that happens). There may be businesses that require it for you to be their customer or enter their establishment. That still doesn’t meet the requirements of what the Bible says about the mark. There will still be plenty of ways for unvaccinated people to buy and sell, even if the vaccine is required for entrance to many, or even all businesses. Amazon anyone?
6. The mark must be a conscious sign of the rejection of Jesus. This is most important. No one will accidently take the mark. Each person who takes it will be saying, "The beast is Lord" instead of "Jesus is Lord" and they will know what they are doing. They will not only worship the beast, but they will consciously worship him, and in doing so, consciously reject Jesus.
Let me make this clear: for the vaccine to be the mark, all of these six statements must be true. None of them are true of the vaccine. There are certainly other questions that you will need to answer before deciding whether or not to take the vaccine. Those are questions for your medical provider to answer. But this question - whether it is the actual Mark of the Beast - has an easy answer. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, one of two things is true: they do not understand the Bible, or they are intentionally trying to deceive you so they can make you afraid.
