Covid-19 Vaccines (Part 3) - Are They the Mark of the Beast? (Part B)

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v. Worshipping the beast may include more than just simply bowing down to it. a. Worshiping often involves bowing the head (Gen 24:26) and falling down to the ground (Dan 3:5). (i) In the case of worshiping the beast, this wouldn't necessarily have to be the case. (ii) Some people think that worshiping requires bowing down to the ground, and therefore they think that men cannot be worshiping the beast if they are not bowing down to ground in front of it/him. 1. Such people refute their own theory every time they go to church to worship God. 2. How many pastors and Christians do you know that fall down on their faces during a church service to worship God? 3. The answer is very few, if any; and if it does happen, it is extremely rare. 4. Does this mean that we do not worship God? No, of course not. 5. We worship God by presenting our bodies living sacrifices in the church; praying to God with thanksgiving, praise, adoration, and supplication for our needs; singing praises to Him; learning about Him through the preaching of the word; keeping the ordinances which remind us of what God has done for us; and presenting our offerings to Him. (iii) Remember, the beast is a government, a world empire, so there is no physical thing to bow down to. (iv) The second beast/false prophet (Rev 13:11-13) and the image of the beast (Rev 13:14-15) are physical things that men could worship by falling down before them. (v) But, the worship of the beast could be less obvious than that. (vi) Remember the definition of worship. 1. Worship v. - 1. a. trans. To honour or revere as a supernatural being or power, or as a holy thing; to regard or approach with veneration; to adore with appropriate acts, rites, or ceremonies. b. transf. To regard with extreme respect or devotion; to ‘adore’. 2. The primary definition of worship in the OED doesn't even mention falling down or bowing down. 3. The beast could be worshiped by way of men honouring, revering, and adoring it and trusting in it to provide for them in place of God. b. Worshiping something is tied to serving it (Deut 4:19; Deut 17:3; Deut 29:26; Deut 30:17; 1Ki 16:31). (i) Serve v. - I. To be a servant (to), render service (to). 1. a. intr. To be a servant; to perform the duties of a servant. b. To be a slave or bondman; to be in bondage; to labour as a bondman. (ii) Worshiping the beast could be done by rendering service to it in place of God. 1. Serving someone is done by obeying him (Jos 24:24). 2. Whomever we obey is whom we serve (Rom 6:16). 3. Serving God acceptably is done with reverence and godly fear (Heb 12:28). 4. Serving someone is following him (Joh 12:26). 5. We serve whom we belong to (Act 27:23), and we obey and are under the control of whom we belong to. (iii) Following, revering, and fearing the beast by obeying it's dictates to wear a mask, social distance, get a "vaccine" and a "vaccine passport", etc. could be an act of worshiping the beast. c. Worship is tied to turning aside, walking after other gods, and serving them (Deut 8:19; Deut 11:16; Jer 13:10). (i) This happens when people forget God (Deut 8:19). (ii) Walking after someone and serving him (worshiping him) is associated with fearing him, keeping his commandments, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him (Deut 13:4). (iii) Men could worship the beast by fearing it, obeying it, and cleaving to it faithfully. d. Worship is also tied to making sacrifices (2Ki 17:36). (i) How many people have sacrificed their jobs, mental and physical health, social lives, and children's wellbeing to serve the beast and its Covid-19 lockdown, mask, and "vaccine" mandates? (ii) These sacrifices could be part of worshiping the beast. e. Worshiping false gods is associated with loving, serving, walking after, and seeking them (Jer 8:2). (i) These are the same acts that godly men do to worship God. (ii) Those who love, serve, follow, and seek the protection and provision of the beast could be doing so in an act of worship. 6. Could the Covid-19 "vaccine" along with the associated "vaccine passport" required to buy and sell be the mark of the beast? A. Based on what we have seen so far, it's possible. If not the mark itself, it is likely a precursor to it. B. It bears some of the characteristics of the mark of the beast, far more so than anything that has come before it. i. Things like social security numbers, drivers licenses, credit cards, smart phones, etc. may have also been stepping stones on the road to the mark of the beast, but they are in a totally different category than the Covid-19 "vaccines" and "vaccine passports." ii. Not having some of those other things might have made life a little inconvenient, but not getting the Covid-19 "vaccine" and producing proof of it is literally prohibiting people from buying and selling by barring them from having a job , going to restaurants , and even going to some grocery stores in France . C. Those who receive the mark of the beast go to the lake of fire (Rev 14:9-11). i. So before you take the risk, you better be absolutely certain that the Covid-19 "vaccine" along with the "vaccine passport" is not the mark of the beast. ii. Most people agree that the Covid-19 "vaccine" and associated "vaccine passport" is a precursor to the mark of the beast, but nobody can be sure that it is not the mark of the beast itself. iii. Why would any Christian willingly take a precursor to the mark of the beast, or something that could be the actual mark of the beast, knowing that those who receive the mark go to the lake of fire? iv. Is it worth it to gain the whole world (a job, government benefits, healthcare, or even food at a grocery store) and lose your own soul? (Mar 8:36) v. Faithful Christians will get victory over the mark of the beast and have a place in heaven (Rev 15:2). a. Victory n. - 1. The position or state of having overcome an enemy or adversary in combat, battle, or war; supremacy or superiority achieved as the result of armed conflict. b. This means that Christians should be resisting and fighting the mark of the beast and anything which clearly leads to it. c. We should not be flirting with eternal damnation by willingly receiving what we acknowledge is a precursor to the mark of the beast. 7. Could the Covid-19 "vaccine" and associated "vaccine passport" be a stepping stone to the mark of the beast? A. It most certainly could be since the "vaccine" and the "vaccine passport" associated with it bear eerily similar characteristics to the mark of the beast such as being required to buy or sell. B. It's hard to imagine that it is not a major stepping stone to the mark of the beast. 8. Could those who get the Covid-19 "vaccine" be worshiping the beast? A. If a person already got the Covid-19 "vaccine" because of health concerns and not because he wanted to obey the beast in order to buy and sell, then this would not be an act of worshiping the beast. B. If in the future a person decides to get the "vaccine" and the "vaccine passport" because he fears the beast and fears not being able to buy and sell and provide for himself, then it's possible that that man is worshipping the beast. C. Therefore, a believer better seriously consider before getting the "vaccine" in the future if he is going to do so because of threats of not being able to buy and sell. 9. Objections to the possibility that the Covid-19 "vaccine" and the associated "vaccine passport" is the mark of the beast. A. "Some of my family, friends, or brethren have gotten the vaccine." i. Some might object and say that the Covid-19 "vaccine" can't be the mark of the beast because a lot of their family, friends, or even church brethren have gotten it. a. That is not an argument. b. We all have family and friends that have received the "vaccine." c. But that doesn't determine whether or not it's the mark of the beast. d. Only scripture determines that. ii. If they got the vaccine for purely health reasons, then that's one thing (see previous section). iii. If they get it in the future in order to obey the beast so that they can buy and sell, that's another thing. iv. When the mark of the beast does come (if it's not already here) we will all have plenty of family and friends that will get it. B. "Nobody will be tricked into getting the mark of the beast." i. Some might object by saying that the mark of the beast will be obvious and nobody will be tricked into receiving it, but all who get it will do so knowingly and willingly. ii. Why would someone think this, given the fact that Satan is a great deceiver who deceives the whole world? (Rev 12:9; Rev 20:8, 10) iii. Those who receive the mark of the beast are deceived into getting it (Rev 13:14-17; Rev 19:20). a. Deceive v. - 1. trans. To ensnare; to take unawares by craft or guile; to overcome, overreach, or get the better of by trickery; to beguile or betray into mischief or sin; to mislead. b. In other words, those who get the mark will be tricked into getting it. c. Be not deceived into receiving the mark by thinking you cannot be deceived into receiving it. C. "As long as you worship God in a true church, you will never get the mark." i. Some might object by saying that since the mark of the beast is always associated with worship, as long as you are worshiping the true God in a true church, you will not be worshiping the beast, and therefore will never get the mark of the beast. ii. For one thing, there will always be goats who creep into the church among the sheep who will be perfectly capable of appearing to worship God while worshiping the beast (Mat 7:15, 21-23; Jud 1:4). iii. Furthermore, people can worship the LORD (or at least be doing so outwardly) and worship false gods (2Ki 17:26-28, 33, 41). iv. Also, there is more to worshiping God in truth than attending church services, keeping the ordinances, singing, praying, and listening to sermons. a. Those things are absolutely necessary. b. But in addition to that, part of true worship is fearing God above all else, trusting and relying only on Him for your needs and protection, and rendering absolute obedience to Him alone. c. If you do all these things, you will not be worshiping the beast nor relying on it or its mark to provide for your needs. v. The best way to have assurance that one is not a reprobate is by worshiping God in spirit and in truth (Joh 4:23-24) and not taking the mark of the beast or anything that bears a striking similarity to it like a "vaccine passport." D. "It's just a precursor to the mark of the beast, but not the mark itself." i. Some might object that the Covid-19 "vaccine" and the associated "vaccine passport" is just a precursor to the mark of the beast, so it's okay to get it like the other things we have accepted which were precursors to the beast system. ii. As I mentioned above, the Covid-19 "vaccine" and the associated "vaccine passport" is different than anything that has come before it because not getting it is literally preventing people from buying and selling which is a fundamental characteristic of the mark of the beast (Rev 13:17). iii. If it's such an obvious precursor to the mark of the beast, why in the world would a Christian get it? iv. How will you know at what point to draw your line in the sand before it turns into the mark of the beast? a. If you will take the vaccine in order to keep your job, keep your government benefits, access public places, buy food, or travel, will you then get a "vaccine passport" card to be able to do so when the beast demands it? (i) You could still tell yourself that it's not the mark of the beast because it's not in your hand or forehead yet. (ii) "It's just a precursor to the mark," you might say to yourself. b. If you will get the "vaccine passport" card, will you then get the app on your smartphone which stores your vaccine status and is required to be scanned every time you enter a grocery store, restaurant, or traveling checkpoint? (i) You could still tell yourself that it's not the mark of the beast because it's not physically in your hand or forehead yet. (ii) "It's just a precursor to the mark," you might say to yourself. c. If you get the "vaccine passport" app on your smartphone, will you then get the RFID chip in your right hand to be used instead of the app in order to enter a grocery store, restaurant, or traveling checkpoint at the behest of the beast? (i) You could still tell yourself that it's not the mark of the beast because you're not worshiping the beast yet. (ii) "It's just a precursor to the mark," you might say to yourself. d. If you get the RFID chip in your right hand, will you then do a Japanese-style bow to the beast at the end of every transaction? (i) You could still tell yourself that it's not the mark of the beast because your not actually worshiping the beast yet. (ii) "It's just a precursor to the mark," you might say to yourself. (iii) "It's just a polite bow, not an act of worship," you might say to yourself. e. If you do a Japanese-style bow to the beast at the end of every transaction, will you then fall down and worship the beast every time you see it or its image? (i) You could still tell yourself that it's not the mark of the beast because your not worshiping the beast in your heart. (ii) "It's just a precursor to the mark," you might say to yourself. (iii) "I'm just doing this act of worship outwardly so that I can eat and survive, but I'm not really worshiping the beast in my heart," you might say to yourself. f. At what point in this slippery slope of six steps did it cease to be a "precursor" to the mark of the beast and become the actual mark of the beast? (i) If you compromise on the first step and get the "vaccine" in order to work, buy, sell, and travel, what makes you think you will be strong enough to resist the next steps? (ii) This is deadly serious since those that get the mark of the beast go to the lake of fire (Rev 14:9-11). 10. What if someone has already gotten the Covid-19 "vaccine"? A. If you got the "vaccine" in the past because of health concerns and not out of fear of the beast and being cut off from commerce, then you did not do so in an act of worship of the beast, so I would not worry about it. B. If you are concerned that you might have sinned by doing so, pray to God and beg Him for mercy. C. It doesn't appear that the Covid-19 "vaccine" itself is the mark of the beast, but the "vaccine passport" could be a precursor to it. D. Therefore, I believe that we should all draw our line in the sand right now and go no further. I strongly suggest... i. If you haven't gotten the Covid-19 "vaccine", do not get it. ii. If you have gotten it, do not get anymore shots, do not accept a "vaccine passport", and do not get a chip put in your hand or forehead.