As the coronavirus and its variants continue to be a concern, and as the vaccine is considered and debated, some have wondered aloud if the vaccine—especially with talk of vaccine passports—could be the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation 13:
16 Also [the beast] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,
17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Rev. 13:16-18)
Of course, if the vaccine is the mark of the beast, the huge drawback is that numerous other passages in Revelation indicate that those who receive the mark will suffer the wrath of God along with the beast (Rev 14:9-11; 16:2; 20:4). Others have suggested that the vaccine could be a “precursor” to the mark of the beast, in a sense softening us up to take the real mark later on.
So what should we think? Is it possible that the vaccine is the mark of the beast or some kind of precursor?
Before I answer, two preliminary comments. First, this is not a pro- nor anti-vaccine article. I’m simply addressing the possibility of the vaccine being either the mark of the beast or a precursor to the mark of the beast. Second, while there are numerous overarching views on eschatology (dispensational, historic premil, amillennial, etc), and while I do hold one of those particular views, my arguments below do not require one to hold my view of eschatology as a whole in order to make sense.
In short, it is my view that the Covid vaccine is in no way related to the mark of the beast. I have numerous reasons to believe this. The two reasons that should hold regardless of one’s overarching eschatological view are below.
- The mark of the beast is likely not a physical mark of any kind.
The main reason we should not expect the mark to be physical in nature is that there are numerous cases in Revelation of the enemy presenting a Satanic counterfeit of some act of God. For example, in response to the Trinitarian Father, Son, and Holy Spirit there is Satan, beast, and false prophet (Rev 20:10) . Whereas Christ died and rose again, so also does the beast (Rev 17:8).
Similarly, there is a mark placed upon the foreheads of those who belong to Christ:
"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (Rev. 7:3). This mark is mentioned also in 9:4, 14:1, and 22:4. Particularly, helpful to see the parallel with the mark of the beast is 22:4, “They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” Likewise, the mark of the beast is the beast’s name.
Perhaps, there are those who believe that those belonging to Christ will spend eternity with a literal tattoo on their foreheads. However, the mark on the foreheads of God’s servants is typically understood to be a metaphorical way of describing those who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). In other words, it is a metaphorical reference to the inner, invisible claim of God on the life of those who have followed Christ. In your heart, you belong to Him.
The mark of the beast should be understood as the Satanic counterfeit of this mark of believers. Those who are not marked out as servants of God are marked out as servants of the beast. And just as the mark of believers is not a physical mark, but an inner, invisible claim of God on the life of the believer, so the mark of the beast is not a physical mark, but an inner, invisible claim of the enemy on the life of the unbeliever. In your heart, you belong to the beast.
To expect a physical mark is to miss that this mark is intended to counterfeit the mark of the believer, which is spiritual in nature.
However, a much better reason to hold that the vaccine is not related to the mark of the beast is…
- Those who take the mark do so as an intentional act of worshipping the beast.
Many who are concerned about the vaccine wonder if it is somehow the mark of the beast in disguise, and perhaps, the powers that be are tricking people into taking it. But that does not at all comport with how the mark is taken in Revelation. That is, those who take the mark in Revelation are not tricked into doing so. They go into it with their eyes open.
Revelation 13:15ff shows that the mark of the beast is introduced in the context of open worship of the beast and after the execution of those who refuse to worship the beast. There is nothing subtle about it. Other references to the mark of the beast also show that people do not get the mark accidentally or through trickery on the part of the beast; rather, it is part of their worship of the beast (14:9-11; 16:2; 20:4). This is precisely why those who receive the mark will be objects of God’s wrath—they worshiped the beast instead of God.
Therefore, the mark of the beast is a willful act of allegiance to Satan. It cannot happen by accident. Rest assured that in the absence of any overt call to turn away from God and worship the devil as you get vaccinated, there is no danger that the vaccine is connected to the mark of the beast.
Again, this is not intended to be a case for or against the vaccine. I would simply say that fear of the mark should not be a factor in one’s decision.
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