In times of crisis, the Bible brings comfort and clarity to millions around the world. As we face the difficulties and uncertainties of a global pandemic and its aftermath, Scripture is a reminder of past trials and future hope. Yet many readers use the biblical text as a kind of crystal ball that offers encrypted allusions to present predicaments. Recently, some have read Revelation’s “mark of the beast” as a coded reference to Covid vaccinations. Public demonstrations against vaccinations have included banners that reflect protestors’ refusal to “take the mark of beast.” But this understanding of Revelation removes the mark from its historical context and forces a modern supposition onto an ancient idea. The original, Jewish, meaning of the mark has nothing to do with the receiving of vaccines. Instead, ’for a person to take the mark of the beast’ is a symbolic way of saying that one has abandoned the commandments of God.
Revelation envisions a time when a beast will arise and cause “both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark” (Rev 13:16-17). Certain Bible-believing circles have equated these words with the rollout of Covid vaccines; to receive vaccination is tantamount to being ‘marked’ with the beast’s mark. Even on a simple surface reading of Revelation, this equation is dubious. Vaccination needles go into arms, not hands or foreheads, and refusing a vaccine does not eliminate one’s ability to trade, barter, or exchange—online economic transactions don’t require vaccination cards – even if certain things are restricted. There are also arguments around the inclusion of graphene oxide in the vaccines, a conductive, and connective, material that can be magnetically guided around the body. However, I believe that gaining an understanding of the real meaning of the beast’s mark depends on careful exegesis, rather than looking to current events.
A mark of following the commandments
When interpreters consult pages of Scripture, rather than frontpage news, the biblical connotation of the mark becomes clearer. Revelation describes the mark being placed on “the right hand or the forehead” (Rev 13:16), which echoes the description of God’s commandments in Torah: “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8; cf. 11:18). Based on this verse, later Jews affixed Tefillin (תפלין)—small boxes containing biblical texts—to their hands and foreheads. (Some of our modern bible translations choose to use the Greek ‘phylactery’ (φυλακτήρια; Matt 23:5)). Observant Jews wear these ritual adornments during prayer to this day. As such, from a Jewish perspective, it is immediately clear that the “mark of the beast” thus takes the place of the divine commands; and to accept this ‘mark’ is simply to reject the will of God. I fully appreciate the concerns around vaccinations, I share many of them myself, but I believe that it is a stretch to imagine that an inoculation jab is directly related to one’s ability to follow biblical mandates.
From a Jewish perspective, it is immediately clear that the “mark of the beast” thus takes the place of the divine commands; and to accept this ‘mark’ is simply to reject the will of God.
A mark of lamenting sin and injustice
This passage in Revelation also draws on imagery from Ezekiel. Before the Babylonian exile, the Lord commands, “Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads (תו על-מצחות; tav al-mitshot) of the people who sigh and moan over all the abominations that are committed in it” (Ezek 9:4). This “mark” (תו; tav) is one that saves everyone who wears it from the destructive force of Babylon (Ezek 9:6). Within Revelation this scenario is turned upside down to make a prophetic point. Whereas in Ezekiel the mark is received for salvation, in Revelation John sees it as a mark for judgement and destruction. In Ezekiel the mark represents the righteous remnant of Israel, people who have stayed true to God and upheld the heavenly commands; in Revelation the mark represents the unrighteous mainstream population who choose to side with the beast rather than the Lord.
A mark of salvation
The passage in Ezekiel also has a precedent in Exodus, where Moses describes Passover like this: “You shall tell your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand (ידך; yadekha) and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s teaching (תורה; torah) may be in your mouth” (Exodus 13:9). As in Ezekiel, those who bear the divine mark are saved. Then later in the same chapter of Exodus, Moses tells the people to consecrate their firstborn to God, and his rationale for this practice is a recollection of Israel’s salvation. “For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go,” says Moses, “the Lord killed all of Egypt’s firstborn, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals… but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. It shall be as a sign on your hand and frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt” (13:15-16). These passages demonstrate that the mark of the Lord signifies salvation from death and destruction, whereas in contrast Revelation presents the obverse for those who choose to take the mark of the beast.
Contrasting the two marks
These Old Testament marks signify therefore three things: following God’s commands; weeping over sin and injustice; and salvation and freedom from slavery through the blood of the Passover lamb – now understood as pointing to Jesus. The choice of the mark being on our foreheads and hands indicates our thoughts and our actions. If we are saved through Jesus’ sacrifice, and we obey his commands, then we are marked with his mark.
If we are saved through Jesus’ sacrifice, and we obey his commands, then we are marked with his mark.
Within Revelation’s original context, the “beast” (θηρίον; therion) represents Rome, also called “Babylon.” Essentially, this will be about whom we choose to follow and listen to, the moral choices we make, whom we put our trust in, and what we say. Ultimately, John sees Rome’s demise and, by extension, all those who have received the mark of the beast: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great…. If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on their forehead or on their hand, they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:8-10; cf. 18:2). In effect the message is that whilst those who side with Rome will meet with destruction, those who stay true to God will enjoy everlasting life: “Those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands… came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev 20:4).
For all the genuine concerns around the Covid inoculations, if we believe that the mark of the beast is an inoculation then we would have to believe that anyone who chooses to take a jab in the hope it will protect them from a deadly virus will miss out on eternal life. That doesn’t equate with the biblical understanding of the mark, nor of the message of salvation offered to us throughout the Bible.
I also believe that the bible clearly tells us that rather than being worried about whether or not our names are on a file at the injection centres we should rather be focused on ensuring that our names are written in ‘the lamb’s book of life’. Revelation 21:27.
