Vaccines and the Mark of the Beast

[Szdfan]

None of this proves that vaccine shots are the “Mark of the Beast.”

It may not be, I would hazard a guess that how we view the end carries through to our views. Keep in mind, the Jews denied Christ and did not perceive the prophecies to be speaking of Him.
We know we are in the last days... There is no proof that can convince of a future event until after it happens. Many will accept the mark and while I personally believe people will know they are taking the mark. (which would strongly suggest that the mark is not the vaccine for all at least as that would suggest many faithful on here blindly took it)
The bar code, the social security, the chips in pets. We know those are not the mark and I believe the mark isn't something that can ever be forced on you but its coming. A life style of accepting a vaccine despite moral compromises may lead to further compromises for the sake of worldly things.

How many "christians" will give up the tv, restaurants, sports arena, gmo free food, nice food, nice houses or houses at all for the self denial of following Jesus? will we be like the Russian Mennonites who traded eternity for earthly (very temporary) safety?

My brother and many others in the world would gladly kill babies to end this pandemic... He's a non-believer... would you accept it after the fact in the same light as receiving organs from a murder victim? This is a mark of sin and the beast. May your compromise (foreknowing/postknowing) on the vaccine not lead to greater.

I agree with you that how we understand eschatology colors how we view these things. I certainly have some strong opinions on eschatology and they do color how I see things.

Do I believe that Jesus is coming back? Yes. The whole narrative arc of Scripture is the hope of reconciliation between Creator and Creation through Jesus Christ. Do I believe that Revelation and other apocalyptic texts are a road map for the end of the world? No. Do I believe that we can apply Revelation to current events to predict how the world is going to end? Also no.

Christians have often for the past two thousand years believed they were living in the End Times and that Jesus's Second Coming was right around the corner. I think that kind of eschatological expectation can be healthy in the church, especially if it gives the work and mission of the Church a sense of urgency. One of the things I struggled with when I was a pastor was the complacency I saw in a lot of congregations who didn't have a sense of urgency and were at their core content to grow old and die off.

The problem arises when we tie specific events and people with biblical prophecy. I've been around the eschatological block several times and its striking that the Antichrist is usually someone or something opposed by American Christians, whether it's the Soviet Union or Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden or the Pope or subterranean lizard people. There's a problem when the Mark of the Beast is whatever in society is causing Christians anxiety at the moment -- i.e. Social Security numbers, bar codes, QR codes, credit cards, microchips or vaccines (apparently, Sunday worship is also the Mark of the Beast?).



For me, it's a red flag when God's enemies are the same as your enemies (or the things you're opposed to).

I don't think that the real danger for many of us is that we are going to be the Pharisees and miss what God is doing (the Pharisees, after all, missed Jesus because they had rather rigid expectations of how God was going to act and Jesus "zigged" where they expected him to "zag"). I think the danger is that we're going to be like Harold Camping, William Miller or Pope Innocent III, who were all deeply wrong in their End Times predictions. I think erroneous End Times predictions are often the product of bad exegesis and hurt the credibility of the Church.

I think that it's a human impulse to try and predict the end of the world during times of anxiety. This isn't just a Christian impulse -- I've read a number of secular pieces about the existential crisis presented by climate change. It can be hard to imagine a future. At the same time, I do have issues with the kind of energy and attention that goes into eschatology and the kind of alarmism and embrace of conspiracy theories that I see going on in Christian circles. I think for example, Soloist, that you present some well thought out ethical concerns (even if that's not where I end up) but I think those concerns could be lost with all the End Times, Mark of the Beast stuff.

[Szdfan]

Here in Germany they’re using something call the “3G’s” if you’ve been fully vaccinated, overcame Covid or have a negative test you can go to the shops. However, this is being phased out and already in some supermarkets there are time when only vaccinated people can use the store. Anyone else is denied entry.
If you want to eat a meal in a bakery or cafe, you have to provide evidence of your vaccination or previously having covid, no negative test is accepted.
Germany is also considered more lax in this than its neighbouring countries. France has been closed for unvaccinated people for months. Josh is right, Australia is headed that way too.

It may be free where you are in the US, but be sure the rest of the world isn’t like this.

None of this proves that vaccine shots are the “Mark of the Beast.”

I was referring to this;

Bootstrap wrote:

Actually, I just don't see much resemblance at all to the Mark of the Beast in the Revelation. I think the "buying and selling" bit is also quite a stretch. Nobody is trying to stop you from getting what you need, they may require you to wear a face mask. But they also require you to wear shoes and a shirt. They are not imposing this on you because of your Christian faith, they are trying to prevent a pandemic. You are not being asked to swear loyalty to The Beast.

It takes a bit more than a face mask out here. If you can read German here’s a list of restrictions that will be implemented the coming weeks. Underlined is religious services, coincidentally at the same time the government is requiring people to now pay for their own tests. Unvaccinated will need to start paying to attend church.

Actually, both Bootstrap and I spent time in Germany and can read German .

There's been a lot of debate in several threads about public health restrictions placed on churches and whether or not this is a form of religious persecution.

[Bootstrap]

Wouldn't the devil be "giving it away" if he made it that obvious??

In the Revelation, it sure looks like it's going to be obvious, a conscious decision to declare loyalty to either The Beast or to Jesus Christ.

Anything that looks like, "oops, I had no idea this was choosing the Mark of the Beast" just doesn't meet the Scriptural test as I read it. There's no hint of anyone being tricked into accepting the Mark of the Beast or being surprised they had done so.

[Bootstrap]

“That none may buy or sell”

That's absolute. Can't buy. Can't sell.

I don't see that happening. I don't see any intent to stop people from being able to get what they need, I see only measures to prevent the spread of disease during a pandemic. As far as I can tell, even people who have active Covid-19 cases have ways to buy what they need.

[Josh]

“That none may buy or sell”

That's absolute. Can't buy. Can't sell.

I don't see that happening. I don't see any intent to stop people from being able to get what they need, I see only measures to prevent the spread of disease during a pandemic. As far as I can tell, even people who have active Covid-19 cases have ways to buy what they need.

You can’t buy if you can’t work which is exactly what is happening in Victoria.

Your hand waving away of this is callous.

[nett]

“That none may buy or sell”

That's absolute. Can't buy. Can't sell.

I don't see that happening. I don't see any intent to stop people from being able to get what they need, I see only measures to prevent the spread of disease during a pandemic. As far as I can tell, even people who have active Covid-19 cases have ways to buy what they need.

Victoria is locking people out of the economy if they're not vaccinated, is that not clear to you?

[Chris]

Interesting. Would love comments.
https://www.brighteon.com/ad1c2680-8c99 ... 6337e50f65

[Chris]

Wouldn't the devil be "giving it away" if he made it that obvious??

In the Revelation, it sure looks like it's going to be obvious, a conscious decision to declare loyalty to either The Beast or to Jesus Christ.

Anything that looks like, "oops, I had no idea this was choosing the Mark of the Beast" just doesn't meet the Scriptural test as I read it. There's no hint of anyone being tricked into accepting the Mark of the Beast or being surprised they had done so.

That's not scriptural. It doesn't say it would be obvious. It just says he will cause.
You can repent of the Mark.

I'd say the C19 vaxx is very likely the Mark. Especially when it stops allowing more people in the world to not buy or sell.

[Josh]

Wouldn't the devil be "giving it away" if he made it that obvious??

In the Revelation, it sure looks like it's going to be obvious, a conscious decision to declare loyalty to either The Beast or to Jesus Christ.

Anything that looks like, "oops, I had no idea this was choosing the Mark of the Beast" just doesn't meet the Scriptural test as I read it. There's no hint of anyone being tricked into accepting the Mark of the Beast or being surprised they had done so.

That's not scriptural. It doesn't say it would be obvious. It just says he will cause.
You can repent of the Mark.

I'd say the C19 vaxx is very likely the Mark. Especially when it stops allowing more people in the world to not buy or sell.

If repeated booster shots are required in order to have a job or to go to a store and buy things, perhaps then it could be considered the mark of the beast. Most notably, one could repent by simply not getting more booster shots.

Fauci has already indicated you will have to get "booster shots" in order to be considered "fully vaccinated" in the future; Israel requires a third booster shot right now to be fully vaccinated and enter grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

[Ken]

Here is a question for the biblical scholars here who have studied these topics much more than I have.

How do you know for sure what portions of scripture are meant to be taken literally, and which are to be taken figuratively or as allegory? For example, we had recent threads here that involved detailed literal interpretation of every single word of Genesis from the two creation stories to events like Noah's flood. And there are many who take offense at the notion that Genesis may involve allegory rather than literal events.

Yet here we are at the other end of the Bible with Revelations and no one is taking this passage literally. Everyone here is looking for hidden meanings and allegory in this section of scripture. Why the difference and who decides which portion of scripture is allegory and which is literal? What does Revelations 13 actually say about the "beast?" It literally says...

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

I haven't seen any 7-headed sea monsters with 10 horns and leopard, lion, and bear parts, or any dragons. The whole planet is covered in cell phones with cameras. I'm not aware that anyone else as spied the beat yet anywhere else on the planet. So as far as I can tell, the beast it not yet among us and so any talk of 'the mark of the beast' seems premature as well. Based on the actual physical description in Revelations, it doesn't sound like we will be at all confused about it when the best is actually in our midst. It is going to be pretty hard to miss. And why vaccine cards? Why not driver's licenses which I need to cash a check these days or open a bank account? Or maybe social security cards. I need my social security number for certain financial transactions? And why the US-centric focus? This text was written somewhere in Asia Minor, perhaps in Ephesus. Maybe we should be looking for signs of the beast in Turkey and not North America?