Some folk are concerned whether Revelation 20:4 and similar scriptures should have any bearing on our attitude to being vaccinated against Covid-19. This article has been written to address their concerns.

Revelation 20:4 reads: “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God; they had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands.”

Certain theories attempt to link the Covid vaccination to this verse. To address this, we need to consider the wider context, in particular other closely linked scriptures. Previous verses to which Revelation 20:4 consciously refers include Revelation 7:3; 9:4; 12:11; 13:16; 14:1; and 14:11; also Genesis 4:15 and Ezekiel 9:4-6. Let’s look at them.

A sign of God’s protection

In both Genesis 4:15 and Ezekiel 9:4-6 God puts a mark on the forehead as a sign of his protection. In Genesis, it was the murderer Cain: “Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no-one who found him would kill him.” In Ezekiel, a symbolic man in linen is told to “Go throughout the City of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it”; which is followed in Ezek 9:6 by the slaughter of anyone who does not have the mark.

Both Revelation 7:3 and 9:4 refer back to the Ezekiel passage. A seal is put on the foreheads of believers as a sign that they belong to God, and thus for their protection. Revelation 7:3 says, “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God”; then in Revelation 9:4 “they were told not to harm ... [the vegetation] ... but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads”. So the book of Revelation follows Old Testament imagery: the seal on the forehead of believers identifies those who belong to God. Revelation 14:1 reminds us again who they are, those “who had his [the Lamb's] name and his Father's name written on their foreheads”.

Coming under authority

Revelation 13 introduces a different set of people. The second beast deceives the inhabitants of the earth, and orders them “to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead” (13:16). This (false) mark is clearly in contrast to the seal given to believers. It is a deception, a counterfeit of the true seal of God already given to those who belong to him. Revelation 14:11 confirms this identity as “those who worship the beast and his image, and who receive the mark of his name”. The word ‘name’ implies ‘authority’, as elsewhere in scripture. It means anyone who chooses to identify themselves as coming under his authority. It is a bit like a football supporter buying a club scarf. The allegiance comes first; gaining a symbol of identity then follows.

The allegiance comes first; gaining a symbol of identity then follows.

Revelation 13:8 confirms that there are two different sets of people: “The inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast, all whose names have not been written in the book of life”. So by the time we come to Revelation 20:4, it has been very carefully explained who the two different sets of people are. Firstly, there are those who have received the seal of God on their foreheads, as a sign of his ownership and protection; conversely there are those who have been deceived into following God's adversary, and as a result bear his (counterfeit) seal.

The right hand

What about the mark on the right hand? We saw that in the symbolism from Ezekiel the seal of God is put on the forehead. Of course, it is not a physical seal, it is symbolic of coming under God's authority and protection. Since the book of Revelation clearly adopts this symbolism for followers of the Lamb, why does the mark or seal of the beast refer to the right hand (13:16) as well as the forehead? What further symbolism is intended?

In those days, the right hand was often identified with authority. In a legal context, where the right hand was used when taking a vow, it could be held to represent the character and the will of the individual. So it is a symbolic way of saying that they submit their character and their will to the beast. It is symbolic language talking about coming under authority. And as such it clearly has nothing whatsoever to do with anyone having an injection, or anything remotely like that.

Symbolism and Literalism

This brings us to the whole question of how we read the book of Revelation. How much is metaphor and symbolism, or ‘spiritual pictures’ if you like? Should any of it be taken absolutely literally? I recently wrote a paper on Jewish idioms, which pointed out the dangers of taking those parts of the Bible too literally which were never intended to be taken that way. The most obvious example is Jesus' teaching about ‘plucking out an eye’ (Mark 9:47), but there are a great many more which are not so obvious.

We are part of a spiritual struggle, so make a deliberate choice whose authority you are going to come under.

We need to remember that the book of Revelation is a special type of Jewish literature (termed Apocalyptic) which is intended to be rich in spiritual symbolism, and which derives heavily from Old Testament metaphorical imagery, but which is never intended to be taken absolutely literally. All Jewish teaching, including Jesus' own teaching, loved symbolism and metaphor, so we are not meant to be running round getting scared about Covid vaccinations, any more than we are meant to be rushing about plucking out our own eyes.

Summary

The book of Revelation builds up a contrasting picture of two different groups of people. Both groups are clearly identified and are deliberately held in contrast. Revelation 20:4 describes believers by using symbolism and imagery already developed earlier in the book. It describes who they are and who they are not. As those who already carry the seal (authority) of God, they cannot then come under another authority (bear another mark). The seal of God and the 'mark' of his adversary are both metaphors, contrasting spiritual symbols.

Despite the exotic symbolism, the message is really very simple. We are part of a spiritual struggle, so make a deliberate choice whose authority you are going to come under. Don't be deceived into drifting into the ways of the world, when God's Kingdom has other values. That is the message. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with Covid injections, or anything of the kind.

Notes on the author

Frank Booth lives in the Cotswolds with his wife and daughter. He has two children and two grandchildren. He has a degree in Economics, and an MA in Biblical Interpretation. God first began to speak to him about the End Times on a trip behind the Iron Curtain in 1966, and that soon included having a heart for Israel.