Others, such as Williams, see free will. COVID-19, colloquially known as "the coronavirus," is one of many viruses in the coronavirus family. It is calculated by dividing the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations with a hospital admission date within a 7-day period by the state population (county population is used in county view) and multiplying by 100,000: John 13:34-35). This is probably the most debated verse in Revelation. to prayers for an end to those diseases came in the form of the vaccines that have Turn!," the Pete Seeger song that became a hit for the Byrds. The study confirms what everyone knows, for the most part. As a result, Egyptian lives, crops, and animals were destroyed, and the 400-year enslavement of the Israelites finally came to an end. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon (v. 11). getting vaccinated to prevent accidentally infecting other people with a disease (Psalm 55:22) Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. There is a summary of Bible teachings on the end-times, with references, in of the world's population. last week, the total remained essentially unchanged Thursday. In the middle of a global pandemic, a contentious election, and social unrest, the American Bible Society (ABS), with assistance from Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, found a. When it says, let him calculate the number, the solution is given in the next line. "There is a small group of people who believe in 'the mark of the beast,' and I think what's driving that thought process is starting with various concerns about receiving the coronavirus vaccine that are not specifically religious.". The study also found that people are more hopeful when they read Scripture more frequently. The Bible does not really answer these Although the coronavirus is the most disastrous plague that has impacted humanity this century, there is no evidence in the Bible to suggest that COVID-19 is one of the plagues prophesied in Scripture. The vaccines have proven pandemic and let us return to life as normal. Throughout history, pandemics and epidemics have emerged and have wrought havoc on the world on an average of about two per century. They even have a greater sense of financial and material stability compared to those who dont attend church or engage with the Bible. There is a summary of Bible teachings with references in this article on our We should expect them to talk about the cross. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? The psalmist talks about God's protection, likening him to a mother hen with its chicks - 'He will cover you . Peter Feaman, a top Republican National Committee official in Florida, said last month that vaccines are"the mark of the beast" and comparable to a "false god." Womens Bible engagement dropped by 7 percentage points between January and June, compared with 6 percentage points for men. Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. The beast can do impressive feats just like Elijah. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. However, COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the risks of severe illness, hospitalization and death caused from COVID-19. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. "The COVID-19 vaccine or any vaccines have nothing to do with any of this.". this article on our website: What Does the Bible people around the world. and protect other people. Bible Study 20230304 1Ch_21:1-30. "Sometimes these statements arepackaged to look like Bible Prophecy," he said, "but they arefalse andmisapplied because many people do not understand what the Bible actually says about these things.". (not representing all COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong) 107. The four horsemen that are mentioned in Revelation 6:8 have each been allocated power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.. Church closures during the pandemic likely impacted the decrease in Bible engagement, according to ABS. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. In a recent sermon, Trump-supporting pastor Jack Hibbs said that the COVID-19 vaccine is "conditioning" people for the Mark of the Beast, a Biblical prophecy of a bodily mark that will be forced . Jan 13, 2021 issue. So if we can find a religious-like feeling in political activism or spirituality in the entertainment industry or experience transcendence in art or make a god out of the family, then the Devil has won. The imagery in Revelation is broader and less exact. Religion is at its worst when it does nothing but lends credence to and encourages support of the corrupt and blasphemous state. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. also recommend vaccination. The number of Covid-19 infections in Scotland has risen, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Daily engagement had already been declining, but worsened during the pandemic, according to the annual State of the Bible report. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Now we see him as a false Elijah. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast. In other words, the second beast persuades the world that the image of the first beast is truly God. Evans said he suspects that the"mark of the beast" popularity stems from an adherence to a social or political identity. Share your feedback here. This figure uses a 7-day rolling average to show the daily number of all COVID-19 deaths and COVID-19 deaths among residents of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) over time. website: Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering? Though the Bible gives accounts of plagues as a result of Gods wrath, the New Testament speaks of Gods love, mercy, and ultimate sacrifice for us through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. We should expect similar religious language and themes, which is why we must be wise. One rarely hears Ecclesiastes in church these days, though the poem found in 3:1-8 is well known, due in part to "Turn! "I get being hesitant because it is new and we don't know the long-term effects, but calling it the'mark of the beast' is crazy," Williams told USA TODAY. According to the Apostle John in the New International Version Bible,a pair of beasts will rule the Earth with cruelty. Sixth, if dozens of names can be calculated from 666, how effective is this means of communication? In order to understand the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:18, we need to see what is happening in the rest of the chapter. That increases to over 92% if the 55-64 age group is included. Heres my humble opinion (he said humbly! Effective February 1, 2023, the Coronavirus Tracker has switched from LIVE to Daily Updates. But it is not perfect, and that makes all the difference. But it is close to perfection, and has most of the hallmarks of truth, and so can easily deceive. They are similar to the vaccines most of us had as children or have taken as Doubts and fears caused by the barrage of malicious misinformation on social Rather, it is the alarming rate at which the COVID-19 virus is spreading, its highly infectious nature, and the fact that a vaccine has not yet been discovered that is causing widespread consternation. your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-28, When we see the number forty used to denote time in the Bible, we are being told that something extraordinary and definitive is happening. If you are looking for the COVID-19 Vaccine in Texas dashboard and related data, please see the Immunization Unit page of this site. This beast is broadly representative of the religious sphere. Sneak Peek Interview: Laura Wiflers New Childrens Book, Receiving Not Achieving. "No," said . US CDC: Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines 4:1 "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.". As the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads, many Americans resist COVID-19 vaccines, some citing the uncertainty of long-termside effects, otherslacking trust in the medical field. According to the Bible, plagues are said to be one of the signs that herald the end times and the return of Jesus Christ. The Human Flourishing Program partnered with ABS for the second study in June. to be highly effective for preventing disease, and serious side-effects are very rare.4The very real danger from a COVID-19 infection is much greater than any theoretical risk from the vaccine. With that as a basic outline, lets go verse by verse through the second half of the chapter. Dont think false religion will appear worthless. Its actual name is SARS-CoV-2, although that is seldom used by the press. She said the latest surge of COVID-19 cases has been "hell,"and a lot of younger people have died. COVID-19 vaccination named missional priority And most of all, let us trust in Gods mercy and sovereignty to make all things work out for our good; He has conquered the world, even COVID-19! US AMA: COVID-19 vaccines: patient FAQs As one author puts it, it doesnt tell us much that a certain key fits the lock, if its a lock that works with almost any key. 16-17). compared current events to Bible prophecies and predicted the end was near. Thats where the picture comes from, but what it points to is a counterfeit Christ. Catholic: What could be more loving than wearing a mask and It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed (v. 12). social media. With regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current global concern is not necessarily the virus itself; according to the WHO, flu-related viruses claim between 290,000-650,000 lives every year. No one knows exactly where this imagery comes from or if it even has allusion to anything in the first century. First, it is far from certain that most of Johns audience would have known Hebrew. Why? The church age is symbolized by pictures (the measured temple, the trampled witnesses, the woman protected in the wilderness) and numbers (42 months, 1260 days, 3 years). Kevin DeYoung (PhD, University of Leicester) is senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, Council member of The Gospel Coalition, and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte). There are also a number of treatments available. The number 666 represents a threefold falling short of perfection (dragon: 6, beast: 6, false prophet: 6). They encouraged, and sometimes made mandatory, the worship of the state. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain (v. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead. Second, to come up with 666, you have to spell Neron Kaisar incorrectly in Hebrew. Remember, the first beast is the perversion of the state, and the second beast is the perversion of Christianity. infection is much greater than any theoretical risk from the vaccine. The COVID-19 pandemic is shifting Americans Bible engagement, with many who are socially distanced from their spiritual communities turning to Scripture less and those who have lost loved ones to the virus reading it more. African Americans have the highest level of Scripture engagement among racial groups in America, another finding consistent with longstanding trends. In the first century, this meant that the religious establishment convinced people that they should worship statues and images of Caesar. In acute hospitals, 12,582 confirmed cases . If you take the Greek Neron Kaisar and transliterate it into Hebrew you get 50+200+6+50 and then 100+60+200, all of which together equals 666. That number is 666." (Revelation 13:15-18). As of September 10, 2021 63% of the US population over 12 has been fully Over 2 billion people are fully vaccinated world-wide. Open. As of September 10, 2021 63% of the US population over 12 has been fully COVID-19 has exposed numerous inequities in our system, where low-income residents and people of color have higher risk of death from COVID-19 than whites and areas of low poverty. Theres a reason hardly anyone is an atheist. According to the Bible, plagues are said to be one of the signs that herald the end times and the return of Jesus Christ. The prediction faded from public memory and the book's author, Sylvia Browne, died in 2013. Neron Kaiser transliterated in Latin gives you 616, which is the number of the beast in some alternative manuscripts (also the area code for Grand Rapids, Michigan). You have to leave out a yodh, which some claim was an acceptable spelling, but it was certainly not the normal usage. It was used to express a complete period of time rather than expressions like many or some. It would be similar to referring to a number of years ranging from eight to twelveas about a decade. In this case, the number forty is being used instead of saying a few days or a few decades.. The researchers soon realized that since they used the human flourishing measures in the January study, they had inadvertently set a comparison point to measure how people were doing during COVID-19. As of 10 February 2023, a total of 662,514,513 vaccine doses have been administered. Financial and material stability, as would be expected, took the heaviest blow for many people, falling by 16.7 percent. Meanwhile, the Dean of Gloucester Cathedral says suffering is part of human life: Jesus suffered pain on the cross, as we suffer pain. While many will turn to the Bible for answers in unsettling times, they often stop reading faithfully after a while. Most of the interpretations are not widely followed. What You Should Know About Biblical Complementarianism, Liberalism Is (Still) a Threat to Fundamentalism. This is, in part, due to a change from agrarian to urban lifestyles over time, ease of travel between countries and exposure to diverse people, and increased interactions between people and animals. We should expect false Christian cults and perversions to speak highly of Jesus. We find God in all the wrong places. "Studies show that any conflicts between religion and science are not about facts, they are more about values and morals," said John Evans,a professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of California, San Diego. In each case, the pictures and numbers mean something, but they refer to general truths, not to specific people or referents. There is a fifth-century document that calculates Nero, but it uses the word antichristus to get 616. If the COVID-19 vaccine's possible connection to Bible prophecy seems farfetched, consider that a local prophecy scholar already has had the issue come up several times during the pandemic. But apparently the spike in curiosity didnt translate into engagement. China's number of working people has fallen by more than 41 million in the past three years, reflecting both the coronavirus pandemic's toll on the economy and a decline in the working . Kevin, for example, in our simplified scheme would be 11+5+22+9+14, which equals 61. David's Census Brings Pestilence. Since Jesus spoke those words 2000 years ago, there have been many plagues Whatever or whomever appears as true Christianity in order to draw us away to some human counterfeit, that is the work of the beast, and his number is 666. Pope Francis urges people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, COVID-19 vaccination named missional priority, Evangelicals Vaccine Skepticism Isnt Coming from the Pulpit, Senior Church leaders receive COVID-19 vaccine, encourage members to The bad news is the human heart is an idol factory. The data reflects a rapid rise in . This could be because, even though many people were in lockdown, they built closer relationships with those in their immediate circles. The drop could be related to life adjustments women were forced to make as they juggled work from home and caring for children who previously attended school or daycare, the report speculated. Rev. This data showed that the decline in the measures of human flourishing were less pronounced in people who were reading their Bibles regularly and participating in church, either in person or online. The bubonic plague in the 1300's A.D. killed about a quarter You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Moderna has begun the process of applying to get a full license, and Johnson & Johnson plans to apply this year. This highly infectious virus was first contracted in November 2019 in Wuhan, the capital city of Chinas Hubei province, through animal to human contact at the Huananseafood market. The "mark of the beast" in the New Testament's Book of Revelation signalsanallegiance to Satan or those who reject God's memorial of creatorship. The Shincheonji Word Seminar held in August attracted 1,700 pastors and 28,000 people globally. adults without any controversy . Say About the Second Coming of Jesus? Does COVID-19 Fulfill Biblical Plague Prophecies? Franais,and "I understand that people want to get back to how things were, but calling something you don't understand the 'mark of the beast' is extreme and harmful," she said. The numbering scheme was often more complicated, but thats the idea. ]. (1 Peter 5:7) 7. By June, after months of quarantine and church closures, that figure was down to 22.6 percent. The spike in curiosity was corroborated by ABS, which found more Americans exploring the Bible for the first time in June than January. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. The Devil doesnt care if people believe in God. Emergency roomphysician Stephen Smith at Hennepin Healthcaretold USA TODAY he hasn't heard the 'mark of the beast' as a reason to not get vaccinated but a few other outlandish reasons. "People read erroneous comments and believe they are true," he said. "They get all their information off Facebook and get all this garbage. VanderWeeles own family spent more time together, and his kids started communicating with grandparents regularly over the internet. "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father." 1 Timothy 5:1. We were created to worship God. - Sort By Book Order. Christians are also measurably more hopeful. Investigation of a person positive for COVID-19 is completed by the public health agency in the state where the person resides. Therefore, let us use this time to love and serve our fellow man through this crisis; let the Kingdom of God that resides in us be reflected in every dark crevice and corner of this diseased, fragile and fallen world. If the plague prophesied in Revelation 6:8 were to be that of the coronavirus, the death toll of 267,771, as of May 7, 2020, would have to be . New Delhi: China's number of working people has fallen by more than 41 million in the past three years, reflecting both the coronavirus pandemic's toll on the economy and a decline in the working age population, according to a report. Suffering and sickness have been a part of this world for so long; humans in their imperfection and frailty have chosen to follow the wrong paths, which has led to detrimental consequences for mankind and the planet. Heres a list of referents Ive seen for 666: Caligula, Domitian, Caesar God, Lateinos (the Roman Empire), beast, Antemus, Phoebus, Gensericus, Balaam, Mohammed, Martin Luther, Oliver Cromwell, Kaiser (Wilhelm), Hitler, the Nicolaitans, Euanthas, Teitan (Titans), the initials of the Roman emperors from Julius Caesar to Vespasian (minus Otho and Vitellius), the triangular number of 36 which is the triangular number of 8 which is significant because 8 is associated with Gnosticism or because the Antichrist in Revelation 17 is called the eighth king, the Latin Kingdom, the Italian Church, various Popes, all the Popes, the phrase Vicar of the Son of God and phrases like it, Ronald Reagan, and William Jefferson Clinton. Williams has worked in hospitals inTexas, New York, California and Hawaii in her three years as a nurse. But this survey reveals that a big opportunity still remains for Christian organizations to make an impact on Scripture engagement.. We all want to touch transcendence. Here's my humble opinion (he said humbly! And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain (v. 15). It certainly is the verse that has produced the most fruitless debate. One of the most significant examples of this is shown to us inExodus 7-12 with the 10 plagues that Moses called over Egypt at Gods command. Vaccinated Until the Pandemic Is Over?, May 5, 2021, Retrieved from In the first century there was a large imperial cult. To Accomplish His Purposes God used plagues to deliver the enslaved Jews from their Egyptian overlords. Americans who live in a household that owns a Bible (77% of the population) are as likely to use a Bible app as those without a Bible in the house (56% vs. 55%). Like the coronavirus, the afflicted contracted the above viruses through person-to-person contact via body fluids or touching surfaces with the virus and afterwards touching their eyes or mouth. But, in reality, there is nothing sinister about the COVID-19 vaccines. The second beast is an accomplice to the first. In the first half of chapter 13, were introduced to a beast from the sea. This chart is meant to aid understanding of whether the outbreak is growing, leveling off, or declining and can help to guide the COVID-19 response. So, according to many scholars, 666 is most logically a reference to Nero. But that changed when the pandemic hit. Psalm 91 is a beautiful song that speaks of trust in God in the darkest of times. 1Ch 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel . There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. Its use denotes a complete period of time that transitions to another period of time. One thing that is often forgotten is that people of all ages are dying all the time. When the pandemic hit in March, there were initial signs it might be having an overall positive effect on American spirituality. Pastor Darin Wood of First Baptist Church in the oil townof Midland,Texas, wrote anop-ed in August for the Midland Reporter-Telegram that said, "One of my church family posed an honest question: 'Pastor, is the COVID vaccine the mark of the beast? We shouldnt expect false religion to appear immediately and obviously false. #BibleStudy #Amen #Love #Christian #VictoryinJesus. Cases over time can be viewed using two date options, Symptom Onset Date or Date of Report, and they can also be viewed by county. What we know about the COVID-19 vaccines? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-much-of-the-population-will-need-to-be-vaccinated-until-the-pandemic-is-over. In times past, terrible diseases like smallpox, polio, Beginning Wednesday, March 1, Springfield-Greene County Health will offer $50 gift cards to anyone receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. High-risk individuals 12 years and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 are eligible for this no cost treatment now. For additional assistance or questions, call the ADH COVID-19 Call Center at 1-800-803-7847, or email ADH.CoronaVirus@arkansas.gov. This chapter focuses on the final years before the Israelite's exile to Babylon. What have we seen with this second beast? by all major health organizations. Its actual scientific name is SARS-CoV-2, but COVID-19 is used as shorthand for "coronavirus disease 2019." This strain originated in China, but it has quickly spread throughout the world with almost 500,000 confirmed cases as of this writing. The number forty appears many times in the Bible: Generally speaking, the number forty has been considered to be used in the Bible as a rounded number. 7 is the number of perfection and holy completion in the book of Revelation (7 churches, 7 lampstands, 7 eyes, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and so on). Nero fits with the story line of Revelation better than the other alternatives. And people did use it in the ancient world, more than we think. After a sharp increase in the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. Around the world, there are over 118,000 cases and over 4,200 deaths . All these are the beginning of birth pains.. This study supports the idea that the church plays a significant role in benefitting peoples wellbeing and Scripture engagement, said John Farquhar Plake, ABS director of ministry intelligence. now controlled or eliminated those diseases as major threats.5, We now have vaccines that have the ability to put an end to the COVID-19 In January, women were slightly more Bible engaged than men (19.1% vs. 18.8%) and 2 percent more likely than men to be Bible centered (a Barna and ABS designation for individuals with the highest level of influence from Scripture in their daily lives). Coronavirus was caused by human actions, or lack thereof, he argues. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. citizens and noncitizens, even for people without insurance. safeguard themselves, others through immunization, US CDC: Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination For many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me, declares the LORD. The ONS Covid infection survey estimates an average of 219,600 people were infected . In both case we are talking about a spiritual mark, an invisible stamp of approval. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Epidemiological Updates and Monthly Operational Updates. 13-14). Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month. The poem is a set of 14 opposed pairs of seasons: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to love and a time to hate, and so forth. Get tested if you are exposed or have symptoms of COVID-19; Medium impact level High impact level; News Flash. Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 218.2 million people and killed more than 4.52 million as of September 2. The only name that has really gotten a strong following is Nero. God made us for God. 21:17). California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Some 733.5 million Chinese people were employed in 2022, reported Bloomberg, citing the country's . It is an invisible spiritual mark. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children: Ian, Jacob, Elizabeth, Paul, Mary, Benjamin, Tabitha, Andrew, and Susannah. Everyone 12 and have all been wrong. If you have symptoms or signs of COVID-19, look for a free COVID-19 test near you. 6 Cleveland Clinic, How Much of the Population Will Need to Be If you're heartsick over racial injustice. Learn more >>. 7-day Average Daily Total and Skilled Nursing Facility-Associated COVID-19 Laboratory Confirmed Case Deaths by Date of Death 1,2,3,4,5. All COVID-19 vaccine doses and boosters now eligible for $50 gift card . There were priests and sacred rituals and officials insisting on the deity of the emperor. vaccinated as soon as possible. The 26 percent of workers who teleworked in July was down from 31 percent in June and 35 percent in May. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666 (v. 18). Idolatry will boast of great accomplishments, even miracles. About half (49%) of Americans with a family member living in their household who died of coronavirus said they increased their use of the Bible2.3 times more than average. We can see that Latino/Latinx and African Americans are . Any or all of these may serve as background imagery for these verses, but the mark in reality is not a visible mark. But there are also problems with the calculation. However, Jesus made it clear that we cannot know when the end will come New study shows Scripture reading correlates with Harvard measures of human flourishing. The number forty appears many times in the Bible: Forty days and nights of rain during the flood Moses lived forty years in Egypt Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai The Jews journeyed through the desert for forty years to the Promised Land Jonah preached forty days to Nineveh It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? I started this series when the whole world was talking about COVID-19, and some people were wondering if the signs of Revelation were unfoldingor would soon unfoldbefore our eyes. To counter a pandemic-prompted morass in Bible engagement, Hall said, learn to read the Bible in a new way. That could include using a Bible app that plays music as a person reads or a Bible app that reads a selected passage aloud over and over. It has also caused major disruption of our economic On a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the most hopeful, Americans who report reading the Bible three or four times per year scored 42; people who read monthly scored 59; weekly, 66; and multiple times per week, 75.