Is The Covid Vaccine The Mark Of The Beast?

 

            Some Christians think that the Covid vaccine is the ‘Mark of the Beast.’ Hence, they avoid taking the vaccine.

            Is it theologically correct to think so? If we understand more about the mark of the beast, then we would know whether the Covid vaccine could be the mark of the beast or not.

            What is the Mark of the Beast? Let’s collate answers from a few credible Christian websites:

            Gotquestions.org teaches that “The main passage in the Bible that mentions the “mark of the beast” is Revelation 13:15-18. Other references can be found in Revelation 14:9, 11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, and 20:4. This mark acts as a seal for the followers of Antichrist and the false prophet (the spokesperson for the Antichrist). The false prophet (the second beast) is the one who causes people to take this mark. The mark is literally placed in the hand or forehead and is not simply a card someone carries... it is important to realize that a medical implant chip is not the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast will be something given only to those who worship the Antichrist. Having a medical or financial microchip inserted into your right hand or forehead is not the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast will be an end-times identification required by the Antichrist in order to buy or sell, and it will be given only to those who worship the Antichrist” [Emphasis Mine].¹

            Pastor John Macarthur (expounding on Revelation 13:16-17) teaches that the mark “...will consist of either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Antichrist will have a universal designation, his name within a numbering system...What is clear is that everyone will be required to have the identifying mark or suffer the consequences.” [Emphasis Mine].²

            He goes on to add, “God sealed, with a mark on the forehead, the 144,000 to preserve them from His wrath against the unbelieving world (7:2–3); the false prophet marks the unsaved to preserve them from Antichrist’s wrath against God’s people. The mark will signify that the person bearing it is a worshiper and loyal follower of the Antichrist... The pressure to give in to the worship of Antichrist will be far worse than anything ever experienced in human history. Life will be virtually unlivable, so the people are forced to bow to the demonized king, not prompted merely by religious deception, but also by economic necessity.” [Emphasis Mine].³

            Theologian Curtis Chang, writing on the website of Biologos, emphasizes that Christians, through the years, have incorrectly predicted the mark of the beast. He recollects how Christians were quick to deem the government, or the CDC, or some other institution as the beast.⁴

            An article entitled COVID-19 and The Mark of the Beast in the website of theLAB states, “I know of no reputable biblical scholar or theologian who would endorse that the COVID-19 quarantine or a vaccine is related to the “mark of the beast”. For starters, in Revelation, the “mark of the beast” is by no means a medical procedure... the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18) is a mark that is closely tied to the worship of the beast (13:12, 15; cf. 19:20; 20:4). Thus, the mark of the beast is a mark of loyalty and devotion to the beast... the “mark of the beast” is most likely a spiritual, non-visible mark; it’s a mark of loyalty and worship and is not, therefore, something you could accidentally accept.” [Emphasis Mine].⁵

            Dr. Matthew L. Halsted teaches that the mark of the beast will force us to curse the Lord Jesus Christ and worship HIS enemy (i.e. the Antichrist), “the historical data does not permit us to think the “mark of the beast” is something you can accidentally take. It’s a mark of loyalty and worship, which requires full cognitive and heart-felt awareness of what you are doing (otherwise it’s not worship)... There is no biblical reason to think that accepting government-mandated social security numbers is the equivalent of taking the mark of the beast. Whatever the current issue may be (vaccines, SSN, chip implants, SIM cards, etc), we need to be careful about confusing our personal and/or political convictions with the meaning of a biblical text...But either way, unless “They” require you to forsake your faith in Jesus as the exclusive object of your worship, They have no relation to the mark of the beast. Again, given what we know about the historical context of these biblical texts, the “mark of the beast” must be tied back into worship if it is to be applied properly.”⁶

            To conclude, these teachings agree on one point i.e. the mark of the beast requires the bearer to renounce/curse Christ the Lord and worship the Antichrist. Since the Covid vaccine neither requires us to curse the Lord Jesus Christ nor worship anyone in particular, Covid vaccine cannot be the mark of the beast.

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/mark-beast.html

²https://www.gty.org/library/bibleqnas-library/QA0174/what-is-the-mark-of-the-beast

³Ibid.   

⁴https://biologos.org/series/should-christians-take-the-vaccine/resources/is-the-covid-vaccine-the-mark-of-the-beast

⁵https://academic.logos.com/covid-19-and-the-mark-of-the-beast/

⁶http://academiclogos.wpengine.com/the-covid-vaccine-has-666-written-all-over-it-and-why-that-doesnt-matter-according-to-revelation/

Websites last accessed on 26^th May 2021.

Five Significant Biblical Archaeological Discoveries Of 2020

 

            These are the five significant discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2020:

1. Remains of Manasseh’s Reign – 2 Kings 21 

Discovery of “three decorated capitals in the remains of a palatial structure.  The capitals (column heads) exhibit a design that is known from the Kingdom of Judah.”¹ “Experts believe the residence was built between the reigns of kings Hezekiah and Josiah, after the Assyrian siege on the city was lifted,” reports Times of Israel.² “The structure dates to the 55-year rulership of Manasseh, who took over the southern kingdom from his father King Hezekiah,” reports Christianity Today.³

2. Kingdom of Judah Government Complex 

“One of the largest collections of royal Kingdom of Judah seal impressions has been uncovered at a massive First Temple-period public tax collection and storage complex being excavated near the new United States Embassy in Jerusalem. The main Iron Age structure is exceptional in terms of both its size and architectural style, said Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Neri Sapir... Over 120 jar handles stamped 2,700 years ago with ancient Hebrew script seal impressions were discovered at the site, clearly indicating the location’s use as a storage and tax center...Prevalent among the stamped inscriptions is “LMLK,” “LamMeLeKh,” or “Belonging to the King,” a way of marking that the foodstuffs stored in the jars had been tithed to the Judean ruler,” reports The Times of Israel.⁴  “The sheer number of inscribed jar handles discovered makes this one of the most important collections ever discovered in the ancient kingdom of Judah and will help scholars better understand the the [sic] period of the kings.”⁵

3. Ancient Hebrew Nametag 

According to Bible Archaeology Report, “Scholars analyzing the broken remains of a large wine jug unearthed at Abel Beth Maacah, have discovered an ancient Hebrew inscription on one of them. The inscription reads, “LeBenayau,” meaning “Belongs to Benayau.” This is a Hebrew name, with the classic Israelite “Yahwehist” ending yau (later, yahu). Archaeologists believe the wine jar was found in a storehouse that belonged to a Hebrew man named Benayau, indicating a Hebrew presence in the city in the 10th or 9th century BC, based on the dating of the jug... this discovery affirms the biblical description Israelites living at Abel Beth Maacah in the 10th century BC. In 2 Samuel 20:19, during the days of King David, Abel Beth Maacah is called “a city that is a mother in Israel.”⁶

4. Church in a House at Laodicea

Christianity Today reports, “Turkish archaeologist Celal Şimşek discovered sacred items used in Christian worship while excavating a house in Laodicea. The peristyle house—built around a central garden or courtyard—was located next to a theater and was likely owned by wealthy people. The apostle Paul sent an epistle to the church at Laodicea, which is mentioned in Colossians but appears to have been lost. The church is also mentioned in Revelation, when Jesus condemns the Christians for saying, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing,” when actually they are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).”⁷

“Şimşek explained that with the spread of Christianity, the first believers had secretly transformed some parts of this large house into a place of worship... This house with the church is very important in terms of reaching data on how Christianity spread in Laodicea since the middle of the first century A.D.,” reports Hurriyet Daily News.⁸

5. Church Built on a Solid Rock

The Jerusalem Post reports, “A church from the Byzantine period dating to around 400 CE was discovered in the Banyas Springs Nature Reserve, also known as the Nahal Hermon Nature Reserve...”⁹ This church was built atop a shrine to another god, according to Christianity Today, “Banias was a cultic center of worship of the god Pan, and the shrine was likely for worship of the Greek deity associated with sex and spring. Christians in the fourth century, however, would have recognized the location as the biblical Caesarea Philippi, near the location where Peter told Jesus, “You are the Christ” and Jesus replied, “On this rock, I will build my church” (Matt. 16:13–19). One stone in the ruin is marked with cross etchings left by pilgrims who visited the church shortly after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.”¹⁰

            How are these findings significant? Every archaeological discovery further strengthens the historic credibility of the Bible and thus that of Historic Christianity.

            Many more archaeological discoveries occurred in 2020. Do visit the websites cited in the Endnotes, if you are interested.

Endnotes:

¹https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2020/12/28/top-ten-discoveries-in-biblical-archaeology-in-2020/

²https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-popular-jerusalem-promenade-archaeologists-find-a-first-temple-era-mansion/

³https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/december/biblical-archaeology-new-discoveries-2020-bible-artifacts.html

⁴https://www.timesofisrael.com/huge-kingdom-of-judah-government-complex-found-stones-throw-from-us-embassy/

⁵https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2020/12/28/top-ten-discoveries-in-biblical-archaeology-in-2020/

⁶Ibid.

⁷https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/december/biblical-archaeology-new-discoveries-2020-bible-artifacts.html

⁸https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/house-with-church-unearthed-in-laodicea-159481

⁹https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/byzantine-church-discovered-in-banias-nature-reserve-647223

¹⁰https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/december/biblical-archaeology-new-discoveries-2020-bible-artifacts.html

Websites last accessed on 23-May-2021

Latest Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery! What Should We Know?

 

            The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the mid-1940s was among the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20^th century. This discovery augmented the reliability of the Old Testament. 

            Recently additional fragments were discovered, “Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists have discovered fragments of an ancient biblical scroll as part of a four-year operation to excavate some 500 caves along the western shore of the Dead Sea,” reports Archaeology.org dated 17-March-2021.¹ This is the first time in more than 60 years that additional Dead Sea Scroll parchments were discovered. 

            The latest discovery includes verses from the Twelve Minor Prophets (specifically from Zechariah 8:16-17 and Nahum 1:5-6) written in ancient Greek.²

            What is the significance of the new discovery? Christianitytoday.com reports two interesting aspects: (1) A special treatment for the Tetragrammaton (the transliteration of the Hebrew name of God in four letters YHWH), and (2) Evidence of changing words to improve a new translation:³

...the newly discovered pieces show a special treatment for the four letters of God’s name, the Tetragrammaton (see Exodus 3:14–15). Instead of rendering the name in typical fashion with the Greek word Kyrios, the name of God is represented in Hebrew letters written right to left. It would be similar to us using the Hebrew letters יהוה (YHWH) or possibly the Latin DOMINUS in the middle of an English sentence.

This representation is significant because using specialized characters for the divine name has carried through to our modern Bibles. Most English Bibles represent the name as “the LORD” with small capital letters, rather than representing its supposed pronunciation Yahweh, as many scholars suggest. This substitution follows the ancient tradition of reading Adonai, a Hebrew word meaning “Lord,” or even HaShem “The Name,” in place of representing God’s name according to its sound.

Moreover, the lettering for God’s name is not typical of most of the other Dead Sea Scroll Hebrew manuscripts. It is an even older script, sometimes called paleo-Hebrew, which was mostly abandoned in everyday writing during the second temple period. Think of it as the difference between our modern Latin lettering and the calligraphic Fraktur or Gothic script, or possibly even like Greek letters. Putting these representations into a translated text provides both a foreignness to the writing and a type of reverence for the name’s uniqueness.

The second correlation we find in the new fragments is evidence of changing words to try to improve a new translation. The Minor Prophets scroll represents a revision of an older Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The original version was used widely by Greek-speaking Jews in the first century throughout the Mediterranean world, but at some point, a new translation became warranted.

For Zechariah 8:17, the Old Greek translated the first word in the Hebrew text (אִישׁ) as a distributive term meaning “each other, another,” which put at the end, similar to every major English version. For example, the NIV reads, “Do not plot evil against each other.”

In the new fragment, the same term is translated by a different Greek word at the beginning. Using an interlinear approach—finding a corresponding word without accounting for the context of its use—the verse starts by representing the same Hebrew word as “man.” It forms an overliteral translation: “As for a man, do not plot evil against his neighbor in your heart.”       

Endnotes:

¹https://www.archaeology.org/news/9530-210317-israel-dead-sea-scrolls

²https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/march-web-only/new-dead-sea-scrolls-discovery-bible-translation-israel.html

³Ibid.

Websites last accessed on 20^th May 2021.

Should Christians Support Israel Or Palestine?

 

            Israel and Palestine are in conflict again.

            This is when some Christians wonder whether to support Israel or not.

            We cannot decide whether to support Israel without considering this theological conundrum: Is the modern state of Israel God’s chosen nation or has the Christian Church superseded / replaced the modern state of Israel?

            If the modern state of Israel is still God’s chosen nation, then Christians are more or less obligated to support the nation of Israel.

            First things first, this is not an essential doctrine of the Historic Christianity.

            This doctrine plays no role, whatsoever, in determining a Christian’s salvation. In other words, Christians can arrive at their own conclusion based on their objective study of this subject.

            Significantly, this doctrine should not cause bitterness between existing friendships/relationships among Christians and the Christian churches.

            I believe in the distinction between the modern state of Israel and the Christian Church. Hence, I would be categorized as a Dispensationalist (Dispensationalism). Those who believe that the Christian church has replaced / superseded Israel as the people of God would be categorized as Supersessionists.

            But my support for Israel is not blind or unconditional support. I do not condone any unjust deeds perpetrated by Israel or the Palestinian authorities / people.

            How should lay Christians decide whether to support Israel or Palestine?

            The best option would be to study the subjects of Replacement theology (the Christian Church has replaced Israel), Covenant theology (Israel was God’s people; the church is an expansion of Israel through the addition of Gentiles) and Dispensationalism (the Christian Church is totally distinct from Israel).

            Here’s a friendly caution: Your hermeneutics could strongly motivate your decision. As I wrote in a previous blog entitled Is the Israeli Claim for Homeland, Reasonable, and War Beneficial?, “The dispensationalists adopt literal hermeneutics and the covenant theologians allegorize the prophetic passages. Thus, we sense a complex web where one leads to another – literal hermeneutics leads to Dispensationalism, which leads to supporting Israel unequivocally.”¹ 

            We could also consider this sensitive subject from the perspective of legitimizing Israel’s claim to a homeland. In that very blog, I deduced: ²

Although the Jews were exiled to different parts of the world, they began to immigrate into their homeland during the Ottoman rule. In 1909, Tel Aviv – an all-Jewish city - was founded.

Given these facts, one can deduce that:

1. The Jews are a race with a homeland from as early as the 13th – 12th century BC/BCE. The Jewish race survives to this day, maintaining its national identity. (Israel was rechristened to Palestine in 5 BC.²)

2. The Jews were exiled to various parts of the world due to foreign conquests, but they             returned in parts even before the UN legitimized Israel’s homeland in 1948. 

3. Therefore, the Jewish claim to Palestine is not utterly outrageous as some Christians propose, but vastly reasonable and legitimate. The decision of the United Nations, to grant Israelis the land, was reasonable and credible.

“If the Arabs put down their weapons there would be no more conflict, but if Israelis put down their weapons down there would be no more Israel.” ³ If this quote is valid, we concede Israel’s right to defend herself against any aggression.

            Finally, as Christians, you could support Palestine or Israel. That’s totally fine.

            Let us allow our study of the Bible to lead us into becoming a Covenant/Reformed theologian or a Supersessionist or a Dispensationalist. But remember; a Covenant theologian and a Dispensationalist could remain in the same church, worshipping the Triune God. A Christian with a Covenant persuasion can very well shower brotherly love upon another Christian who is a Dispensationalist.

            Let not our disagreement on these fringe doctrines induce any form of animosity between the Christian Churches and among individual Christians in the Church of Jesus Christ.   

 

Endnotes:

¹https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2013/10/is-israeli-claim-for-homeland.html

²Ibid.

Websites last accessed on 18^th May 2021.

Varying Rewards In Heaven

 

            Christians will be offered varying rewards in heaven (cf. Daniel 12:3; 1 Corinthians 3:14-15). The Bible says all Christians will stand before the judgment seat of God and each of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:10,12). Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth tells the Corinthians, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10; cf. Luke 19:17,19).

            Christians need not fear; for during this judgment we will not be relegated to hell (cf. John 5:24; Romans 8:1). God will only judge the Christians to evaluate and offer varying degrees of rewards in heaven (cf. Revelations 11:18).

            It also seems that the sins of Christians would be revealed on the last day for the Lord, “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5; cf. Colossians 3:24,25). The sins that will be exposed will be exposed as sins that have been forgiven, and thereby there will be the occasion for giving glory to God for the richness of HIS grace.

            While on earth, we, as Christians, should be careful as to how we live, “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, ESV).

            Even though there will be degrees of reward in heaven, the joy of each person will be full and complete for eternity. If we think that those with greater rewards or higher status would be more joyful in heaven, we are mistaken. For if those with higher status would be more joyful, the apostles and the heavenly creatures would be more joyful than the others. In a state of perfection, this disparity does not seem plausible.

            Millard J. Erickson in his work Christian Theology (Second Edition) offers a useful analogy. He compares the joy in heaven to the varying degrees of pleasure people derive from a concert. The same sound waves fall on everyone’s ears, but the reactions may range from boredom to ecstasy. A similar situation may well hold with respect to the joys in heaven, although the range of reactions will presumably be narrower. No one will be aware of the differences in the range of enjoyment, and thus there will be no dimming of the perfection of heaven.

            What should we do now to gain better rewards in heaven? Gotquestions.org describes this beautifully, “The closer we were to God during this life, the more centered on Him and aware of Him, the more dependent on Him, the more desperate for His mercy, the more there will be to celebrate.”¹

            Last but not the least, can a born-again Christian willfully disobey God and yet expect rewards in heaven? This question does not need an answer per se but a more significant aspect to consider is if a born-again Christian could even think of willfully disobeying God. If a Christian thinks so, would it not question his born-again status?

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/rewards-in-heaven.html

Content sourced from: Systematic Theology (An Introduction To Biblical Doctrine) by Wayne Grudem and Christian Theology (Second Edition) by Millard J. Erickson.

The website last accessed on 30^th April 2021.

The New Heavens And New Earth

 

            So many Christians are longing to be free from evil and to live in HIS glorious presence.

            Evil is rampant in our world (cf. Ephesians 2:2). Those whose lives are overwhelmed by evil are yearning for deliverance.

            For Christians, this earthly life is a road to the glorious life we would be living with God forever.

            After our death, our soul (in a disembodied existence) would proceed to God’s presence (although not yet into the new heavens and new earth), awaiting the final judgment.

            After the final judgment, Christians will enter into the full enjoyment of life in the presence of God forever. Jesus will say to us, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” (Matthew 25:34, ESV). We will enter a kingdom where “And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him...” (Revelation 22:3, NET). We would be with God in heaven forever in the new heavens and a new earth – an entirely renewed creation (cf. Isaiah 65:17, 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13).

            The new heavens and new earth is a joining of heaven and earth in this new creation wherein we will live in the presence of God forever. Just as the earth is a place, the new heavens and new earth will be a literal place, not a state of mind.

            In the new heavens and new earth, we will live in our resurrected bodies – a body that will never grow old or become weak or ill.

            We will have perfect knowledge – a beatific vision of God. For the very first time, we shall see and know God in a direct way (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 & 1 John 3:2).

            The following aspects characterize the new heavens and new earth:¹

           No death, sorrow, or sickness (Revelation 21: 4; 2 Corinthians 1: 4-5).

           No curse (Revelation 22: 3).

           A place of abundant life and joy (John 10:10; Revelation 22: 1-2 cf. Psalm 16: 11; Luke 15:10).

           Perpetual worship and service (Revelation 4:8, 5:13-14, 22:3).

           We will be perfect in heaven – in body, in morality, in knowledge (Philippians 3: 21; 1 Corinthians 13: 9-12, 15: 51-53; Revelation 21: 27).

           There could be heavenly homes, mansions and palaces (John 14: 1-3).

           We would be reunited with our loved ones in heaven (1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18).

           Heaven is a place of eternal rest and eternal reward (Revelation 14:13, 22:12; Hebrews 4: 9)

           Heaven will be exceptionally beautiful and indescribably glorious (1 Corinthians 2: 9; Revelation 21: 18-21; Romans 8:18; Ezekiel 1:13).

            Heaven is an eternal or everlasting or an endless abode. Heaven will not cease to exist (Titus 1: 2; Matthew 25: 46). 

            William Lane Craig describes our post-death corporeal existence in the new heavens and new earth as, “Your next life will not be “in heaven” but on the new Earth that God will usher in after the close of human history and the dissolution of this universe. We shall have resurrection bodies that Paul describes as glorious, powerful, immortal, and supernatural (I Corinthians 15.42-44), inhabiting a new universe which has undergone a resurrection of its own (Romans 8.21), free of decay and death... I would say that the afterlife will, indeed, be “an extension of our earthly life.”... There will not be marriage in the afterlife, but that’s no reason to think that you will not know your earthly wife (or wives!) as your sister in heaven.”²

            How does the study of the new heavens and new earth help us now? The present creation filled with evil is temporary. Our life in the new creation will last for eternity.

            Hence, we should strive to live a godly life while on earth regardless of living in a [perpetual] state of happiness or sorrow (cf. 2 Peter 3:11-13).

Endnotes:

¹https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-is-heaven-like.html

²https://www.reasonablefaith.org/question-answer/P40/how-will-we-be-different-in-heaven

Websites last accessed on 29^th April 2021.

Does God Determine The Date & Time Of Our Death?

           For many of us, living during the Covid pandemic is to stare death in the face.

            It’s not that in pre-covid times we took life for granted, but, then the chances of living were more than the chances of our dying. Today it is not so; the chances of our death have increased exponentially.

            Death seems so much closer to us than ever before.

            Although we hope to die peacefully without being a burden on any one, we are not in control over our death. Some deaths are peaceful, some brutal and violent, and some deaths are sudden and unexpected. We are painfully unaware as to how and when we would die.

            In this context, we may be more secure if God determines the ‘when’ and the ‘how’ of our death i.e. the date, time, place, and the nature of our death. To know that God is in total control of our death is to know that God would be with us when we breathe our last breath (cf. John 14:17). If God is with us, we could be secure and peaceful during our final moments of this mortal life.  

            When we say that God determines our death, we are not alluding to the notion that God knows every detail about our death. Of course, God, as the maximally great being, would know everything – that includes every detail of our death.

            To know something is distinct from determining something. Consider a casual example. I may know that you would be travelling to your destination in public transport. On the other hand, if I play an active role in you using public transport for your travel, I am rather determining the nature of your travel. (The more I increase my involvement in your journey, the more I determine your journey.) Knowledge of an event is included in determining an event. So determining an event includes both knowledge and an active participation of the causal agent in causing that event to occur.

            When God determines our deaths, God is actively involved in the date, time, place, and the nature of our death.

            This does not mean that God is the cause of all suicides. God will not violate man’s freewill.

            God allows man to commit suicide [although in certain instances, God, being a sovereign being, can prevent a man from committing suicide]. In other words, man decides freely to commit suicide. While using his freewill to commit suicide, man chooses to either actively or passively ignore or violate God’s perfect will.

            Unhealthy lifestyles could also usher an early death. But an unhealthy lifestyle is not God’s perfect will for man. However, if man chooses to disobey God to live an unhealthy lifestyle, God, in all likelihood, would allow that man to exercise his freewill.

            So a suicide or an unhealthy lifestyle or a rash decision could usher an early death. But the exercise of man’s freewill does not diminish God’s perfection by any means. God would still determine or be actively involved in the death of every Christian.

            Does the Bible teach that God determines the death of every Christian?

            Consider these verses:

            God has ordained all our days on earth. This includes the days of our birth and death. (Psalm 139: 16 (NIV) “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”)

            God is in absolute control over our life. (Matthew 10: “²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” - NIV)

            God gives us our life and our death. (Acts 17: 25 “And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” - NIV [Emphasis Mine].)

            The Lord decides our death. (James 4: “¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”” - NIV)

            (Also refer Deuteronomy 32: 39; 1 Samuel 2: 6; Job 1: 21, 14:5 etc.) 

            To conclude, we may stare death at the face, but worry not, the Triune God who created us and sustains our life is in control over your life and mine.

            On a personal note, my prayer, when I die, is that I will be sane and diligent to pray, “Into your hand I commit my spirit.” (Psalm 31:5 ESV; cf. Acts 7: 59).

Should Christians Take Covid Vaccine?

            The anti-vaccine movement is rather rampant. Quite a few anti-vaxxers are actively feeding seeds of doubt into the cautious and contemplative minds of certain Christians, who are uncertain about receiving vaccine shots.

            Some critical objections of the anti-vaxxers are:

1.      Vaccines have not been tested properly. Animal tests have been either inadequate or the vaccine made animals deathly ill in trials.¹

2.      Some Covid vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which are completely new type of vaccine. We are clueless if these vaccines will be effective or safe.²

3.      mRNA vaccines will alter our DNA. We would, then, become genetically modified organisms, if we received the vaccines.³

4.      Vaccine hooks us all up to an artificial intelligence interface.⁴

5.      Some vaccines (Oxford University/AstraZeneca) were developed using HEK-293 cells that were obtained from a human fetus (unborn baby) who was legally aborted.⁵ So it would be a violation of Christian ethics if we are to take these vaccines.

6.      Covid vaccines are related to the “mark of the beast.”⁶

How should we respond to these doubts?

A.     mRNA vaccines cannot alter the human DNA, according to the fact-checking website Snopes. “The mRNA is incapable of crossing the nuclear envelope of the cell where that human DNA lives. It means the vaccine cannot alter human DNA,” says Snopes.⁷

Christian biochemist, Dr. Fazale Rana, in his article entitled The COVID-19 Vaccines and God’s Providence claims God’s presence in the rapid developments of the Covid vaccines. mRNA vaccines are safe to use, he claims.⁸

B.     Should we receive a ‘morally tainted’ vaccine? John Wyatt, who was the Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Paediatrics, Ethics & Perinatology at University College London, encourages Christians to receive vaccines that may be ‘morally tainted.’ A Covid patient or a relative of the Covid patient is not as morally responsible as the Christian technologist or  a Christian pharmaceutical executive making decisions about which vaccine candidates to invest in or a Christian politician with responsibilities for public spending.

If our viable option is only the ‘morally tainted’ vaccine, we should receive that vaccine than risk our lives by not receiving one. But if there is another option, then we could opt for the ‘non-morally-tainted’ option.⁹ 

This, of course, matters only to those Christians who are staunch ‘pro-lifers.’ (Pro-choice Christians don’t care about abortion.)

C.     Many Christian leaders (Fazale Rana, Franklin Graham, s/o famous evangelist Billy Graham, Robert Jeffress, Francis Collins etc.) have encouraged vaccination.¹⁰

The ‘mark of the beast’ is not a medical procedure and most certainly is not at all something that could be accidentally taken, claims an article in the Logos Academic Blog entitled COVID-19 and The Mark of the Beast.¹¹

D.     There is no concrete evidence for the vaccine to hook us all up to an artificial intelligence interface.

These assertions negate doubts about the inadequacy of the vaccine tests.

            Aside from these doubts, Snopes has refuted an apparent claim that Covid vaccines are called Luciferase, indicating that the vaccines possess satanic connotations. In reality, Luciferase refers to a group of enzymes which act upon a chemical compound called luciferins.¹²

            Believers of the Lord Jesus should not worry about death with respect to receiving Covid vaccination. Unless, God allows, we will not die. If God allows our death through Covid infection, we would be in God’s presence – a much better place than this evil world.

            Finally, if our government makes vaccine mandatory, could Christians resist receiving the vaccine? “Therefore, since the word of God gives us no specific direction on medical treatment (including on taking vaccines), believers have no Scriptural basis for choosing to disobey a government requirement to take the vaccine,” according to an article entitled Should Christians receive the COVID-19 vaccine?¹³

            In conclusion, when we have overwhelming evidence to receive vaccination, what then prevents us?

Endnotes:

¹https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/enough-make-scientists-cry

²https://www.hartleychiropracticsaintaugustine.com/letter-from-frank-shallenberger-md-hmd-regarding-the-covid-19-vaccine/

³https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/enough-make-scientists-cry

⁴Ibid.  

⁵https://johnwyatt.com/2021/01/04/article-coronavirus-vaccines-and-christian-ethics/

⁶https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/16/covid-vaccine-misinformation-evangelical-mark-beast/

⁷https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/12/17/frank-shallenberger-covid-vaccine/

⁸https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/the-cells-design/read/the-cells-design/2020/12/23/the-covid-19-vaccines-and-god-s-providence

⁹https://johnwyatt.com/2021/01/04/article-coronavirus-vaccines-and-christian-ethics/

&

https://pastorsacademy.org/blog/pro-life-christians-are-free-to-get-a-covid-vaccine/

&

https://pastorsacademy.org/blog/can-christians-get-a-covid-vaccine/

¹⁰https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-26/u-s-evangelical-leaders-preach-vaccine-to-holdout-flocks

¹¹http://academiclogos.wpengine.com/covid-19-and-the-mark-of-the-beast/

¹²https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/covid-19-vaccine-luciferase/

¹³https://www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/should-christian-receive-the-covid-19-vaccine

Websites last accessed on 14^th March, 2021