Saturday, October 23, 2021

The Coming Mark:

The Coming Mark
Pastor Johnson


My inbox overflows with the same question from dozens of readers — Is the vaccine the mark of the Beast?

Not long ago, I used this column to answer some of the more common questions I receive. The “Is the vaccine the mark” question was briefly addressed at that time; however, mail with the question increased. Therefore, I will use this column to give more detail.

The short answer — the COVID-19 vaccine is not the mark of the Beast. Taking the vaccine is not an automatic condemnation to spend eternity in hell. The opposite is also true — refusing the vaccination does not grant anyone eternal life. Heaven and hell will contain both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.

Many readers’ concern evolves around those who are losing their jobs because of an unwillingness to receive the vaccine. When the Antichrist mandates the mark, anyone without the mark cannot buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:17). Some see the loss of an income as equivalent to the inability to buy or sell. However, at this point, those who do lose their jobs because of vaccine refusal are free to spend what money they have and seek other employment. The mark of Revelation will not be as tolerant. Being fired and having no ability whatsoever to buy or sell something are not the same. The vaccine, in this point, does not meet the criteria for the mark.

The most significant reason the vaccine is not the mark is the time in history we live.

The mark of the Beast comes during the Tribulation Period. It would be easy to argue that we are in full speed ahead mode toward the Tribulation. Still, the truth is the Tribulation Period has not yet started. Just as a quarterback cannot throw an interception before the start of the game, we cannot have a mark until after the Tribulation begins.

The Tribulation begins when the Antichrist signs a seven-year covenant with many (Daniel 9:27). The same verse describes that in the middle of those seven years, the Antichrist will overspread abominations around the globe. Even Jesus comments on this “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.

Every indication is that the mark is part of the abominations of the Antichrist orchestrates. These occur “in the midst” of the Tribulation. As of today, the covenant does not exist, let alone signed; the Antichrist does not rule the world. There is no possible way the vaccine is the mark.

Still, some will argue that we are in the Tribulation. The thought is that the signing of the covenant was not a huge news event, and it happened without the world populace noticing. Even if the start of the Tribulation goes unnoticed, there is another way we can see if we are in the Tribulation — the twenty-one judgments.

About every time a meteor falls, I receive emails telling me the fifth trumpet just sounded. Yes, the fifth trumpet does include “a star fall from heaven unto the earth.” Meteors fall to earth every day. Most are small and go unnoticed. Some are bright lights, cause sonic booms, and raise some excitement, but none of these is the fifth trumpet. What about the rest of the fifth trumpet? Where is the locust with stings like scorpions that torment every person on the planet except the saved (Revelation 9:1-12)? By the way, the scorpion/locust is only one of several effects of the fifth trumpet, but I figured that was enough to make the point.

I am trying to illustrate that there is a lot of stuff out there announcing we are in the Tribulation by declaring a specific judgment just came to pass.

The twenty-one judgments (seven each of the seals, trumpets, and vials) come in chronological order in the book of Revelation. They are in sequence. We cannot grab an event and claim it is a judgment of Revelation unless the full judgment comes, and it falls in line with the rest of the judgments.

How do we know they are in sequence?

Proof the judgments come in sequence is that the Bible tells us they do.

Inside the sixth seal are the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:1-6). Therefore, the trumpets come after the seals. The Scriptures announced the vials as the “seven last plagues” (Revelation 15:1). Seals, trumpets, vials, in that order, and since God is not a God of confusion, the first seal is first, the second seal is second, and so on (1 Corinthians 14:33).

The first seal, Revelation 6:1-2, is the rise of the Antichrist, aka the Beast.

To recap:

1. The covenant is yet to be signed; therefore, the Tribulation has not started.

2. The mark does not come until “the midst;” sometime in the middle of the Tribulation.

3. Anyone without the mark loses the ability to buy or sell immediately.

4. The mark of the Beast comes when the Beast (the Antichrist) rules the world.

As you can see, none of the four criteria mentioned are in place.

Nothing out there today is the mark of the Beast. Not the vaccine or some computer chip that a factory mandates on its employees. The world’s populace will know precisely the choice they are making when receiving the Beast’s mark. We will leave that explanation for another day.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Regardless if it is the mark or not, this doesn't mean it is not a sin to take the vaccine.

James 4:13-16 says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
No matter how sure a future may seem we should not be trusting in our own wisdom. (Pro 3:5-8) Trusting in our own wisdom seems arrogant (James 4:16) and 1 Samuel 15:23 says, "For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry...”

B from Melbourne said...

Hello Anonymous

Thanks for the Bible verse and your perspective.

12 months ago, my friends and neighbors said that they would refuse the jab.

Last week I find out that all of them have now taken it.

They can quote why they should not have, and how they have suffered from it, but still they swiftly queued up for it.

I feel sad.

It used to annoy me when 'believers justify getting drunk or having an affair, but this really is the prize winning issue.

Scott thanks for your updates.

God bless

Anonymous said...

@ B from Melbourne

We have known a couple people that have taken the shot because of pressures on the outside. Fear of the loss of job being the biggest reason. If we do not know what we stand for, it is easy for us to give in to pressures. Maybe the *v mandates are God's mercy allowing many to come to repentance to further their understanding of the Bible where they truly stand?

It is sad. Many things are sad. We are to keep looking to God no matter our feelings. He is in control and He knows our hardships, whether we feel close or not, or if it seems our prayers are not not answered.

The biggest saddest for us: the focus in the church to pray for health and illness. Recently, it seems death, cancer, stroke and mysterious illness seems to be the biggest prayers in our local church. No thoughts of saving the lost since they are so consumed with the health of the church. Is it by design? The church seems to be weakened. James 4 and James 5 comes to mind. James 5:16, "...The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Philippians 4:6: "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Pray. Pray. Pray. Pray for the lost. Pray for God's Will to be done on earth. Do not focus on this life. Romans 8:26-30. Remember everything is from God: our gifts, resources and abilities. We can invest these wisely. Matthew 25:14-30. May you be blessed fellow servant of God.

B from Melbourne said...

Thanks anonymous

You have an interesting perspective, raising points I never thought of.

True - it's the fear of job loss that drives this behavior, but I suppose you are right in that the side effects they suffer will cause them to call out to God and look to the cross.

I also find that it's a great conversation point, and with the unbelievers, it gives me an opportunity to fold my faith into the conversation.

God bless