It is not a surprise that I have been asked a number of times recently:
“Is the Covid [ jab / mandate / passport ] ‘the mark of the Beast’ the Bible talks about?”
The answer is incredibly alarming, but likely in a totally different way than you might think…
First, the ‘Mark of the Beast’ as described clearly in the Bible:
He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18 Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Revelation 13:16-18 (NLT)
There are other places where ‘the mark’ is also described, giving a different angle of the consequences of accepting:
- Revelation 16:2 (NLT) – Sores break out on those who have accepted ‘the Mark’ 1 “So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.”
- Revelation 19:20 (NLT) – Those who accepted ‘the Mark’ are deceived by false miracles 2“And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue”
- Revelation 14:9-12 (NLT) – Those who accepted ‘the Mark’ are thrown into hell for eternity 3“Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” 12 This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
So, it is very easy to see that accepting the Mark of the Beast is a terrible idea! Not only will you be deceived and get some weird skin diseases, you will also be thrown into hell…
I don’t know about you – but I would far rather avoid that!
Thankfully, there is a sure fire way of avoiding the consequences of the mark of the Beast: Follow Jesus! Seriously, it sounds cliche but it really is that simple (I said simple, not easy!).
You see, those who follow Jesus, live like He lived, obey His commands…they will never take the Mark of the Beast. Their allegiance is to Him and His Kingdom – not this culture, not their own pleasures & desires, not money, not fame or success, not this planet, not this life, not themselves.
We don’t need the Mark of the Beast to be doomed!
Every human on the planet is doomed, before we even talk about ’the mark’… We are all destined to hell because of our own sin. Although we aren’t aware of it, before any Mark, coercion, deception or enforcements, we are under God’s wrath because of our sin – our bad choices – that violate His law, that are against Him and His people.
We are all guilty. We are stained by sin. Our actions have offended the Creator of all. Don’t believe me? Well He says: “Do not Lie”, “Do not steal”, “Do not Commit adultery” (sex before marriage, pornography etc), “Do not commit murder” (hatred is the same), “Worship and serve only God”. We fail miserably – our thoughts, words and actions are offensive to the One who gave us life – and He will judge us. As the perfect judge, He will send us to hell.
If that is news to you, please, talk to God right now. He doesn’t want you to go to hell…
In fact He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on your behalf – for your sin. Put your trust in Jesus today – He is the only One who could pay your debt. He rules the Kingdom of God now and forever. All He asks is that you turn away from Your sin & follow Him. The benefits are eternal, the risk is none existant and the time… that is now!
So does the Covid [ jab / mandate / passport ] equate to the Mark of the Beast?
The first and biggest point to note is that the Mark of the Beast is not just some random event, or ’thing’, it is something that a particular person or being is pushing. That being is the Anti-Christ.
This Anti-Christ is not ‘just’ someone who opposes Jesus, but someone who has the ability to perform miracles and deceive people. Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Mask McGowan, Dan Andrews, Jacinta Adern – while they may be over-reaching, oppressing or making evil rules, they are unable to perform miracles.
So, until someone performing miracles tries to force you to take a ‘Mark’ on our right hand or forehead (without which you wouldn’t be able to buy / sell food etc), it is not the Mark of the Beast. That said, be warned!
If you are living for yourself, loving sin, rejecting God or ignoring Jesus, you fate is the same as someone who willingly accepts the Mark of the Beast. It is not the fate of all though…
All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”Revelation 21:7-8 (NLT)
It is clear that there are many signs of the times, the time being near the end. But as Jesus said, the end will not come right away. 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:4-14 (NLT) . The reason for Him not coming back right now? He wants to give people a chance to repent! 5 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
2 Peter 3:9-10 (NLT) . That means, if you know Jesus, He wants you to work for His Kingdom, work at planting seeds or watering them. 6 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9 (NLT)
Make disciples people – follow Jesus… Nothing else is of importance!
Conclusion: The Mark of the Beast is nothing to be feared…Jesus is stronger…and wants to rescue His chosen Ones. Let us run to Him and work at bringing others into His Kingdom…
Lord, help us to see our sin for what it is: and offence to You. Help us to turn away from sin and turn to You – help us to enjoy the things that please You. Please help us to know what is right and avoid the culture around us in favour of You & who You are. And give us the motivation to work for You – to seek and build Your Kingdom first & foremost.
There will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.Matthew 24:21-31 (NLT)
Footnotes:
- 1“So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.”
- 2“And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue”
- 3“Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” 12 This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
- 4Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:4-14 (NLT) - 5The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
2 Peter 3:9-10 (NLT) - 6It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9 (NLT)