There have been many claims made in recent months about COVID-19 vaccines. One of these claims is that the COVID-19 vaccine is the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation. Supporters of these claims believe the vaccine is a pathway to government control. It is a big enough concern that California megachurch pastor Greg Laurie spoke to these concerns in a sermon, saying he doesn’t believe the vaccine is the mark of the beast. Laurie said, “it is interesting…we should not be looking for the ant-Christ, we should be looking for Jesus Christ.”

While Laurie disagreed with these claims, there are other Christian leaders believe the opposite. Jack Hibbs, a pastor, and supporter of former President Donald Trump, said in a sermon that he believes the COVID-19 vaccine is a social control tactic that is conditioning people to accept the mark of the beast.

“Don’t be tricked into thinking, ‘Oh my goodness the vaccine’s come in, and that’s the mark of the beast,” Hibbs expressed during his sermon, according to Newsweek. “It’s not the mark of the beast. It’s conditioning you for it.” He also compared a mandatory vaccine to other types of social conditioning that have come up during the pandemic, like handwashing, mask use, and the use of plexiglass dividers.

A number of conspiracy theories have spread on social media, particularly on TikTok, that claim the vaccine is the microchip the government wants to install in the population. The creator of this video references Revelation, saying the mark is placed on people who serve and worship the beast. This is one of the big reasons some of the Christian faith are afraid of technology, especially microchips and the government. They believe these are both evil establishments.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine the mark of the beast? Are there any merit to these claims? To answer this, it’s best to turn to scripture, particularly the book of Revelation.

Let’s start with what the mark of the beast is. It is a seal for the followers of the Antichrist and false prophet who also serves the Antichrist. The false prophet, who is known as the second beast, is the one who encourages people to take this mark.

Revelation 13:15-18 is the central passage in the Bible that addresses the mark of the beast. It says, “The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

While Revelation 13 is the main passage that mentions the mark of the beast, there are other references throughout Revelation. It can be found in Revelation 11, 14:9, 15:2, 16:2, and 20:4. According to scripture, the mark is placed on the hand or forehead. In addition to the recent COVID-19 vaccines being released, breakthroughs in medical implant chip and RFID technologies have strengthened interest in the mark of the beast. While it may make sense to draw connections with the passage, the vaccination, and all other medical implants are not the mark of the beast. We know this because it is something only given to those who worship the Antichrist.

It is important to understand the meaning of the number 666. The number is a reference to the Antichrist. While some have associated the number with a date, we are told in Revelation that the number references a person. In the last days, Jesus warned His followers that there would be false prophets who would arise and masquerade, pretending to e the Savior of the world. Jesus said, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the Christ’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5). The false prophet mentioned in Revelation is the second beast.

Right before Jesus’ crucifixion, He preached about profound events that would happen at the end of the age before His Second Coming. He said that these false prophets would not be easy to recognize or identify. In fact, they are so carefully planned and carried out that even believers, God’s chosen ones, would be deceived. One of the only ways to be able to recognize these false prophets is to be able to keep your complete focus on Jesus.

We are living in fearful times, so it makes sense that people would question the government and the COVID-19 vaccines. Many people find these theories to be baseless, but there are others who will refuse the vaccine because of the conspiracy theories that are shared online and within some congregations. Some of these theories may sound outlandish to you, but many have gone viral and point to real concern and distrust of those in government and science.

We must put our fears to the side and trust in medicine advancement, which is here to help us. If we choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, we are only prolonging the pandemic and our ability to move past this. The vaccinations that have been released to the public are not designed to attack us. There is no malicious intent behind the creation or distribution. They have simply been created for our welfare. Nothing is wrong with doing your research on the vaccines and making informed decisions, but don’t count the vaccine out. Taking it will ensure we are safe and help us to move past this incredibly difficult chapter in our history.