BY SHARON VAN ARNEMAN
When people in Christian circles start peddling theologically fraught conspiracy theories suggesting that there is a connection between the COVID-19 vaccines and the Mark of the Beast, I think what ends up happening is that Christianity gets misrepresented and people become distracted. Then instead of giving their attention to placing their faith in Jesus and accepting Him as their personal Lord and Saviour – which is really what’s most important – people get all worried that the vaccine will brand them with the Mark of the Beast. That’s why it’s like a breath of fresh air to know of stalwarts of the faith, who remain the normal, regular folk that they are, while keeping themselves grounded in God’s Word through it all.
Take bestselling Christian author and pastor, Max Lucado, for example. Despite being fully vaccinated, he recently tested positive for COVID-19. I found his outlook on the whole thing so refreshing. Instead of giving in to discouragement, he was just thankful he’d gotten the vaccine: “Though miserable, the misery would have been worse with no vaccination. So doing my best to count blessings,” he posted on social media. I like that! You can be sure that no Bible teacher or author, who is credible, will tell you that the COVID-19 vaccines are linked to the Mark of the Beast. What they will tell you, if anything, is to hurry up and get the vaccine to protect against serious illness, hospitalization or even death, should you become infected – and this is especially urgent now that we’re grappling with the highly contagious Delta variant.
People throughout history have sensationalized the Mark of the Beast – and wrongly linking it to the Covid-19 vaccines is just the latest in a long list of flawed theories. But I assure you that the Mark of the Beast and the COVID-19 vaccines are entirely different things. There is no need to fear getting the Mark of the Beast by taking the vaccine – and even if you did take the vaccine, but you did so in a spirit of defiance against God, thinking that you were actually taking the Mark of the Beast, that still does not make the vaccine what it is not. It is common knowledge that the Mark of the Beast is the number 666 and, according to Revelation 13:18, it is the number of man. It is notable that the word “mark” in this passage is translated from the Greek charagma, says world-renowned Bible teacher and author, Dr. David Jeremiah.
“The charagma was a symbol used somewhat like notary seals are used today. The symbol consisted of a portrait of the emperor and the year of his reign. It was required to complete commercial transactions and was stamped in wax on official documents to authenticate their validity. The Mark of the Beast will function in a similar way, identifying those who bear it as worshipers of the Beast and permitting them to conduct financial transactions. Worse still, the Mark of the Beast will separate its bearers from the love of God and sentence them to eternal judgment. The number 666 will represent the apex of human ingenuity and competence in man's last attempt at ruling the world before Jesus overrules all those who oppose Him once and for all,” Dr. Jeremiah explains. So why not place your trust in Jesus and accept the eternal salvation He offers you today while there’s still opportunity? You never know if tomorrow may be too late.
To contact Sharon,
write to P.O. Box 484,
Philipsburg, St. Maarten,
Dutch Caribbean.
Email: allbecauseofgrace
@gmail.com
