If I take the Covid-19 vaccine, am I accepting the mark of the Beast mentioned in Revelation 13? Kanye West thinks so.
The rapper, now an outspoken Christian, suggested in a July 2020 interview with Forbes Magazine that the Covid-19 vaccine might include the mark of the Beast referenced in Revelation 13:11-18.
Whether you have read the Bible or not, you are likely familiar with the “mark of the Beast,” 666, from references in pop culture. And if you are a Christian you are fully aware that the mark of the Beast is a pivotal piece of the end times events. So, now that vaccines are rolling out, even seasoned believers are asking this question. Will the Covid-19 vaccine include the mark of the Beast?
I want to offer two reasons that, no, I do not believe the Covid-19 vaccine includes the mark of the Beast. But I also want to offer one reason that this whole discussion should get your attention. So, remember these three things:
- The mark of the Beast will not be a secret.
The major problem with the notion that the vaccine will include the mark of the Beast is simple but, for some reason, Christians tend to completely overlook it.
In the book of Revelation, where the mark of the Beast is mentioned (13:11-18), the purpose of the mark is to force allegiance to the Beast and make people choose between worshipping God or the Beast, who is aligned with Satan. Everyone will know about this choice. It will not be a secret. That is, no one is going to sneak up behind you and give you the mark of the Beast, and it won’t be given by means of subterfuge, because that would defeat the purpose of requiring allegiance to the Beast.
Satan is all about pride and flash and flair. Why would he do in secret what he could force in public? And Satan is a liar by nature (John 8:44). The lie will be that allegiance to him is smarter than allegiance to Christ (Luke 4:8). If he does that in secret, he doesn’t get to gloat. Where’s the fun in that?
In addition, the mark of the Beast is applied during the Great Tribulation. As far as I can tell, we are not there yet.
- Medical science is generally trustworthy.
As far as vaccines go, I don’t see this one as any different from any other vaccine. I was born in 1962. Since then, 22 vaccines have been developed and distributed for the first time. So, in itself, the development of a new vaccine is nearly commonplace.
But what makes the Covid-19 vaccine so different is the highly politicized environment we are in, as well as the fact that it applies to a global pandemic. Those factors fuel skepticism and even fear that this vaccine is somehow associated with the end times. But in my view, there is no evidence of that at this point.
Generally speaking, medical science is trustworthy. But it isn’t perfect. Scientists make mistakes, and they learn from those mistakes. More research. Then less mistakes. That’s why it is odd to me that we rant and stomp when all of the public faces of the medical profession are not in complete agreement about every facet of the virus, its spread, and its outcome. How can they be? Scientists base their applications on previous conclusions and facts already in evidence. If a virus is new, they do not have any empirical study on that virus yet. How could they all possibly agree on everything about it?
And, by the way, this reveals again just how dependent we have become on science. Sadly, Christians tend to buy into the notion that science is godlike, and scientists are infallible. No, God and God alone is sovereign. So, what we seek in medical professionals is not perfection, but skill and humility. And we should use our common sense, pray, and make an informed decision of our own.
So, as long as it is voluntary and without government interference that directly targets people of faith, you can relax and, as with the flu vaccine, decide for yourself whether or not to receive the vaccine.
- End times events are progressive. And we are closer than we were yesterday.
In 2019, Microsoft applied for a patent to technology that would be either injected or wearable and would monitor a person’s use of cryptocurrency. The patent has the creepy designation W0/2020/060606. Yikes!
Rumors are wrong that the patent includes injecting people with a microchip. The patent says nothing about that. Even so, Christians have been alarmed by the implied 666 in the patent number. But remember, that’s just a number. If you were around in the ‘70’s, you’ll remember the bestseller that claimed bar codes included the number 666. And remember the ‘80’s when some believed Ronald Reagan was the antichrist because his full name, Ronald Wilson Reagan, added up to 666?
See, the truth is, the end is coming, and human beings know it. We even know that the biblical version of concluding events is the correct one. It is wired into our spiritual DNA. So, that being true, we can expect events that foreshadow the end as depicted in the Bible. The number 666? Yeah, it’ll show up over and over until the time that it matters the most.
Something else that we tend to misunderstand is the character of the events that will close history. We tend to think of the end times as a singular set of events occurring in rapid succession only at the end. So, we are fairly complacent until something comes along to make us worry.
But the Bible teaches that end times events are progressive and repeatable. These events will build and escalate over centuries until Christ returns. Jesus taught extensively on these events in Matthew 24, and the core of that discussion is the escalating and progressive nature of these events. Then He concludes that discussion with one fundamental directive: “This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44).
Every time the Bible teaches about the events that will close history, it is for this purpose. So we will be ready.
See, human beings are hard-wired to expect an end to all this. Sin cannot go on forever. God won’t allow it. And I believe that we are closer to the end than we have ever been. The events of 2020 should shake us out of our complacency.
But the events of 2020 should not make us afraid. They should make us aware.
They should hone our attention once again on the fact that time is running out, and that a day is coming that will be the last day we have left to share the Gospel.
The end will come. That’s not the question. The question is more personal than that. The question is, when the end comes, will you be ready?