Corona vaccines, Mark of the Beast and end time theology

As 2020 drew to a close, many looked forward again to a “normal” 2021. It has truly been a whirlwind year for many relationally, economically, physically and also spiritually. We went from meeting together regularly at church and small groups to being plunged into an online world with an array of strange voices bombarding us.

We truly need wisdom to discern the voices of truth vs the myriad of conspiracies, accusations and fear-mongering coming at us. I would like to address some of these weird and (not so) wonderful topics, 1.) masks and quarantine, 2.) end-time theology and 3.) the mark of the beast. 

MASKS, SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND QUARANTINE:

Anyone who spends time on social media will know, there are multiple opinions about the regulations imposed by the government to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. Some agree while others feel they enforce the rules upon society only to condition them for more control that will later follow. Many people are shouting out against the government as they feel those in power are curbing their freedom.

How should we as Christians react to this?

Many Christians join the ranks of those who say we are being controlled by the government. I have been told by some we should not react in fear by wearing masks.  And, by wearing a mask we reveal a lack of faith.  Even that I am submitting under the control of the devil by allowing fear in my heart.

These believers do not seem to recall this same instruction given to the Israelites by God in the desert when they had diseases break out. Didn’t God tell them to quarantine those with infectious diseases and wash their hands and clothes? See Leviticus 13:46, 14:8, Numbers 5:2.

To be honest, I am deeply concerned about the church’s reaction to these theories, conspiracy or not, and how strikingly similar our reaction is to every generation of evangelicals before us. What are we doing? Haven’t we learned anything from past mistakes? God has given many people brilliant minds to help find cures and give us guidelines to help prevent the spread of diseases. History has shown us how amazing people handle disasters like this. Why are we as Christians often so sceptical? 

I think the answer lies in the wrong interpretation of end-time theology.

END TIME THEOLOGY

This pandemic is nothing new. The world has seen plagues and pandemics since the dawn of time. We can look at ancient and recent history to see how one medical disaster after another hit us, and how humans rose to the challenge and defeated it every time. God has truly made us in His image. We have the intelligence and tenacity to overcome the effects of a world ridden with the effects of sin. 

But, why is this one so different? Or is it?

During every period of adversity, there seem to be radical evangelicals with their banners, bull-horns, videos and social media posts shouting, “The end is here! Turn or burn! Jesus is coming! God’s wrath is on us!”. This seems to be a constant during every calamity. Whenever any crisis hits the world, some Christians sound like the ancient Greeks who believed the gods are angry with us, pouring their wrath on those who are not living according to their will.

There are at least two certainties in Scripture about the end of the world. 1) Jesus will return. No doubt about it. 2) There will be an increase in all kinds of disasters before the return of Jesus. Famine, earthquakes, pandemics, etc. But, according to the table above, it seems like this has been happening all along. So how much attention should we give to this?

Those who preach end-times will generally approach it with a message of fear and accusation. The fear comes through showing the role Israel is playing on the world stage and how world leaders are conspiring towards a one-world government. They often aim accusations at those who are not giving the same priority to these topics as what they believe is necessary.

But I don’t always understand this approach. The end of the world and the return of Jesus is not anything we can control or influence. Even Jesus said He does not know when this day will be, but it is all under Divine Governance. This means, no matter what we preach about the end-times of the world, we cannot influence it at all. So why are preachers gathering crowds and selling a lot of books around a topic that we cannot influence? God has set this in motion and it will happen the way He predestined it.

We should focus on the elements where we have influence and on the areas where God has called us to work on. This is the great commandment. We are called to make disciples. Yet, instead of helping people find faith in times of a crisis; instead of proclaiming a loving God who revealed Himself through His Son; instead of becoming a beacon of hope to a world in crisis, we have become agents of polarisation, inoculating people against the Gospel with fear-mongering and misinterpreted theology.

Has the church become like the boy who cries wolf?

MARK OF THE BEAST

One of my biggest concerns is how quickly people will paste a scripture on their fear-driven message to make them feel legitimised by God. Some even preach the vaccine is the Mark of the Beast. End-time theology, anti-christ fears and the Mark of the Beast are go-to theologies during times of war and pandemics. It is not a message unique to this generation. It has been a message preached to every generation ever since pandemics hit the world. Let’s talk about this mark for a moment.

In Revelation, John uses symbolism to convey a message to people who are in the middle of rampant persecution. John himself was left for dead because of his faith when he wrote this message. In a few places in Revelation (13:16, 14:9, 20:4) we see John writing about the beast coming out of the earth and placing a mark on people’s right hand and forehead who do not worship him. This mark has been said to be everything from a tattoo, microchips, fitbits, iPhones, barcodes, atm’s, vaccines and every other imaginable thing. But, when you interpret one text in a certain way, you need to be consistent with your interpretation throughout the text. You cannot just simply apply an idea to one verse to fit your agenda and then ignore or interpret another text in the same passage differently.

In Revelation 7:3 & 14:1, we read about the mark of God on people’s foreheads. So, if the mark of the beast is a vaccine, will the mark of God also be a vaccine, or is this another injection for Christians? Let’s be consistent with our interpreting of scripture here. If the mark of the beast is an iPhone, is the mark of God an android? Honestly, this is how silly it can get.

This mark is clearly part of the symbolism of the message John is giving his audience and should be interpreted consistently. What we see throughout scripture is how the devil copies everything God does, but coming short every time. God placed a mark on His children’s foreheads, so the devil did the same. He is eternally jealous of God. 

This symbol is as old as the nation of Israel itself. God instructed them to pray with a prayer cloth around their foreheads and right hands, called a Tefillin, with scripture from the Torah in it. A practice still happening today amongst Jewish believers. This is referred to in Proverbs 6:21-23.

This symbol refers to the way our lives are subjected to the one and only God through our thoughts and actions. Is your view on the world (forehead) and the way you live your life (right hand) according to God’s great commandment, or is it in fear of what the devil is doing? Do you worship God, or is your heart influenced by the disasters we see around us? John told his readers to keep their minds and their actions focused on God during this crisis of persecution they were facing, and not adopt the mindset and behaviour of the world and the fear imposed upon them.

As Christians, we should not proclaim this to be the end of the world. We should see a crisis like this as the greatest opportunity to bring light into an already fear-driven society. This pandemic should not be a crisis to the church, but a platform for preaching the true Gospel. Most people will not believe in the second coming of Christ if they have not yet heard of His first arrival. You don’t prepare people for the second coming of Christ by using fear. It is the Gospel of the resurrection that prepares people for His return.

CONCLUSION

Believers in Christ should raise their hearts in worship and thanksgiving to God for enabling humankind to develop antidotes and remedies for diseases that wants to steal, kill and destroy. Instead of criticising science for being part of a global conspiracy, we should see God’s sovereignty being expressed through people created in His image, doing the things He designed them to do. If you do not have a message of hope during a crisis, you are not preaching the Gospel.