Being healthy is not primarily about vaccination, but about establishing and developing a balanced lifestyle, resulting in being in good mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual condition to serve God and others in need in the most efficient way for as long as possible. Looking back through history, over 1,700 years ago, when the Aramaic-speaking Christians translatedpharamakiain Revelation 18:23 into their language (Syriac), they translated it with sorcery. And over 1,500 years ago, when Jerome translated this word into Latin, he translated with sorcery, magic.. Religious exemptions for school immunization requirements began in the 1960s to accommodate Christian Scientists and other similar minorities, according to legal scholar Dorit Rubinstein Reiss. But some will. Is there any such data that might shed some light on this passage? Here are several reasons why: The seal of God, on the other hand, is heavens confirmation of the believers experience of true rest in Jesus Christ; such rest, in its fulness, involves living and keeping the biblical Sabbath as a sign of God as our Creator and Redeemer, expressing faithfulness to the comprehensive range of biblical doctrines centered in the Triune God. WebRevelation 18:23 The New King James Version (NKJV) 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. Together they lead us to God by teaching us something of the wise and beneficent laws through which He works.. To quote somepostsdirectly, Jonathan wrote, I think you are completely wrong about revelations [sic] 18:23-24 and your antiquated look and view of the Bible is blinding you. For those who claim that the Spirit is opening their eyes to the real understanding of the word, would the Spirit tell you that up means down or black means white or truth means lies? Revelation 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; Revelation 18:3,11-19 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. What's relevant is what the individual's religious belief is, he said. Is it an indictment on Big Pharma? Lectures and studies in this line will prove of the highest value. Vaccination is about preventing a potentially deadly virus from spreading within us or through us to others. 14). By Aaron Earls. Ellen White wisely advises: God's miracles do not always bear the outward semblance of miracles. Revelation 13:13-16 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, . A mandate with exemptions is better than no mandate, he said. A great one, a lord; a courtier, satrap, nobleman. Copyright 2022 AskDrBrown. The anti-abortion Catholic Church said the vaccines are morally acceptable.. REVELATION 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. Such permission slips are not welcomed at the hundreds of hospitals and health facilities of the Catholic Health Association, the largest group of nonprofit health care providers in the nation. White encouraged others to take a smallpox vaccination, and took it herself, according to eyewitness D. E. Robinson, one of her secretaries: Ellen White was vaccinated and urged her helpers, those connected with her, to be vaccinated. She was aware that it would protect her as well as others: She also recognized the danger of their exposing others if they failed to take this precaution. She wisely advised, Those who seek healing by prayer should not neglect to make use of the remedial agencies within their reach. Since we have a pretty good idea about the identity of the beast, is there any other historical data we could look to that would link the worship of the beasts image with the worship of Caesars image? ), then a person in the first century could genuinely be said to take the mark of the beast by participating in the economy at the expense of their faith in Jesus. Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural. God could have miraculously and instantaneously healed the dying King Hezekiah by His power, but instead He chose to heal him through the remedy of a fig poultice (2 Kings 20:5-7; Isa. This is how utterly nonsensical this whole affair becomes when you actually look at verses in context. We can pull anything out of Scripture, but if you cant apply it to your own life experience and what it means for you and articulate that in a way that is able to communicate a sense of full understanding on your part, that doesn't hold a lot of weight for me.. He found plenty of examples of religions calling on people to stay healthy to prevent infection. Certainly not. Pharmacy comes from Pharmakeia Pope Francis and Bill Gates working on the same agenda to commit adultery and try to deceive the nations Revelation 13: 1 Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. Smith pointed to Revelation 18:23, a passage that declares all nations were deceived by sorcery. WebRevelation 6:5-8 says that in the final days, the world will be rocked by subsequent famines and plagues. Hannah Colby grew up avoiding vaccines and decided against getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Some places are resistant to vaccine mandates altogether, he said, let alone vaccine mandates without a religious exemption., Florida Gov. Luke 10:33-35. - Webster's BibleNever again shall the light of a lamp shine in thee, and never again shall the voice of a bridegroom or of a bride be heard in thee. Prayerfully consider the following principles: 1. There are a lot of people suspicious about the flu vaccine. In other words, she was responsible for the persecution and death of righteous followers of Jesus, from the first century, when this was written, until today. One scholar observes that, One could do little in commerce . All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by Please! Its been more than a century since the Supreme Court ruled that states can require residents to be vaccinated against smallpox. How is it that people who cannot read a word of Greek know better? Such living integrates and restores our physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social life by Gods grace, through His Word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee: and the voice of the bridegrome and of the bride shalbe heard no more at all in thee: for thy Merchants were the great men of the earth: for by thy sorceries were all nations deceiued.- King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scanand the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.- New American Standard Version (1995)and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived.- American Standard Version (1901)And never again will the shining of lights be seen in you; and the voice of the newly-married man and the bride will never again be sounding in you: for your traders were the lords of the earth, and by your evil powers were all the nations turned out of the right way.- Basic English Bibleand light of lamp shall shine no more at all in thee, and voice of bridegroom and bride shall be heard no more at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by thy sorcery have all the nations been deceived.- Darby BibleAnd the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. We have found nothing biblical that would stop people from being vaccinated. If the gene is shut off, there you go. Years ago, I remember hearing how some had taken President Reagan to be the end times beast. The reasoning went like this. And so, for their sake, and for the sake of the truth, Ive written this follow-up article, as plainly and simply as I can. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. White was herself vaccinated, and encouraged others to do so for at least two reasons: (1) personal health benefits enable us to efficiently serve others; and (2) vaccination prevents transmission of disease and contamination to others. Israel is almost 16 months into a deal with many nations (Dan 9:27) and the WEF is pushing a global restructuring using the pandemic as the starting point. But what do I mean by imperial cult? This is a grave mistake. on money, decrees, and the like. Some abortion opponents object to the use of a cell line from an abortion 36 years ago to create Johnson & Johnsons coronavirus vaccine. The COVID virus is not a plague from the Book of Revelation. So you dont need to fear getting the beasts mark by taking a vaccineunless, of course, you plan to treat the vaccine as a sort of symbolic expression or unholy sacrament (sorry for the oxymoron!) To take all of these things into account allows a much-needed moratorium on all the pointless anxiety and fear-mongering. The Greek word for sorcery is pharmakeia, she noted. Growing up, I never heard any of this stuff. WebAlmost every disaster that has ever struck the world is seen as being a sign of the end times. Its another thing to say that an ancient word means something it does not mean. Yet, the moment you realize it isnotrelated to pharmaceuticals in the New Testament, then the whole connection disappears. Is it a computer chip? Experts worry religious exemptions could undercut mandates, similar to how theyve contributed to outbreaks in preventable childhood diseases, even though most major religions dont object to vaccines. 10 Telltale Signsand What to Do about It. We need to work diligently under Gods guidance and blessing: Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. The 30-year-old said shes not worried about getting the coronavirus because shes worked in a hospital throughout the pandemic and has kept healthy through frequent hand-washing and boosting her immune system with Vitamin C and other supplements. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were Get a roundup of new Word by Word articles in your inbox each Friday. A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. WebRevelation 18:23. A bridegroom. We need some historical data from the letters time period in order to gain clarity into its meaning. The message of Revelation beckons us away from angst and worry. 19:18; Ezek. God is the only Healer, the true Physician, who can heal all our diseases (Deut. Its huge, Liberty Counsel chairman Mathew Staver said. And so, for their sake, and for the sake of the truth, Ive written this follow-up article, as plainly and simply as I can. He is the Spirit of Truth, after all. What, then, can we conclude about that buy/sell passage? God commands that we protect life and care for the health of our neighbors (Lev. 21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Is it making them sicker, too? Big Pharma is using sorcery and witchcraft to deceive the whole world!. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. Big Pharma is using sorcery and witchcraft to deceive the whole world!. 20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. Not only is the world decieved [sic] into taking test drugs (for which the 'vaxpass' permissions resemble the mark restrictions and are being instituted by martial law in Austria, Greece, Australia and New Zealand), but it was brought about ALSO by pharmakaiea, being a lab creation funded by Fauci. So when I say that I have this religion, I expect them not to question me.. So its a conundrum for society.. God distributeth sorrows in his anger. 6. In short, there is no way under the sun that Big Pharma is Babylon the Great of Revelation, the one described in Revelation 17:5 as, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH., The next verse says that this woman Babylon was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.. WebThe revelation then states that one like unto the Son of man (another image of the Lord) will harvest earth, that is, the grain fieldsa symbolic representation of the gathering of the righteous (compare D&C 86:16). Trying to base prophecy off of what a word originally meant is foolish. Though he thinks the VA should have immediately told health workers they could seek a religious exemption, Staver said the departments process to opt out is probably one of the easiest ones out there.. A study published in 2015 by researchers at the University of Georgia found exemption rates for childhood vaccinations had increased, largely because of people opting out for religious and philosophical reasons rather than medical issues, such as an allergic reaction. A merchant, trader; one on a journey. Thats why its important, Martin said, for businesses to have a clear, centralized decision-making process that handles requests consistently. Big Pharma who killed Christians in the Muslim world in the 13th century? 13). Big Pharma who is killing Christians today in Nigeria and N. Korea and Sudan? Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Singular. I am one of the people that respect the tenets of religion, Fauci, , rather than merely a social philosophy or dietary preference, "There is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine," stated a July 30 memo to the archdiocese priests that was, , including the apocalyptic book, the Book of Revelation, A religious exemption for the religious exemption, Catholic Church does not oppose the vaccines, Expect 'a flood' of COVID-19 vaccine mandates after full FDA approval, according to legal scholar Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, study published in 2015 by researchers at the University of Georgia, Delta variant has college professors 'freaking out' about fall 2021 semester. God created humans in His image (Gen. 1:27) as intelligent beings, to use their minds to reason and acquire knowledge and discern what is right, good, and profitable. As often happens on radio, I unintentionally stir up a hornets nest by giving a straightforward, factual answer to a question that, to my knowledge, is not controversial at all. Perhaps akin to etos; 'yet, ' still. In other words, at certain times and in certain locations in the empire, the only way to be a good-standing citizen would have been to simply curse Christ and worship Caesars image (see again Pliny, Letters, 10:96-97). There are still unknowns in the long-term research on vaccinations effects, but the benefits far surpass its known and potential problems. A narrow majority of the unvaccinated said the vaccine is a bigger health risk than the coronavirus. 7:3-4. Nero was one such emperor; Domitian was another.8 Suetonius, the well-known ancient historian, says Domitian demanded to be addressed as both Lord and God (Suetonius, Dom. But if you have some objective, reasonable basis for questioning the sincerity, then you can ask for additional information, she said. The courts were right to keep government out of the practice of judging peoples souls, said Reiss, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of Law. Thats the case with the subject of the Greek wordpharamakiain Revelation 18:23. Connect with him onFacebook,Twitter, orYouTube. Our Lord wants us to take care of our bodies and live responsible lives because we are accountable to Him. For starters, Roman emperors were often deified after they died, becoming gods for Roman citizens to worship. All, the whole, every kind of. Last updated September 1, 2021. The Greek word for sorcery is pharmakeia, she noted. Multiple states have some form of prohibition on vaccination requirements and mask mandates. The rest have received exemptions or haven't reported their status. Health economist W. David Bradford, one of the reports authors, said religious exemptions may be necessary to get people to go along with vaccination mandates. 13 acts as a parallel to the seal that is placed on the foreheads of Christians in Rev. From the writings of Pliny, for example, we learn how professing Christians faith were put to the test by having them worship the image of Caesar (Pliny, Letters, 10:96-97).11, The emperors image was everywhere, especially on coins. Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. For in thi witchecraftis alle folkis erriden.- Wycliffe Bibleand light of a lamp may not shine at all in thee any more; and voice of bridegroom and of bride may not be heard at all in thee any more; because thy merchants were the great ones of the earth, because in thy sorcery were all the nations led astray,- Youngs Literal Bible. Again, it is not enough to ask for Gods intervention for reaping a good harvest and then not be willing to till the fields and work hard on maintaining the crop. The Ascension of Jesus: What It Is, Why Its Often Overlooked & More, How the Early Church Found the Trinity in the Old Testament, Pastor, Are You Burned Out? 24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Although the coronavirus is not mentioned by name in the Bible, the Book of Revelation speaks of terrifying plagues descending on Earth in the end times. WebRevelation 18:23 23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and ithe voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for jyour merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived kby your sorcery. 6. Allowed are activities that are congruent with Gods revelation, though not directly mentioned in the Bible. If there is a legitimate religious exemption, fine. To lead astray, deceive, cause to wander. The practice that contributed the most to lower vaccination rates was allowing people to opt out for religious or philosophical objections. The COVID virus is not a plague from the Book of Revelation. Delta variant: It's more contagious for children. The reality is that no one would be equating Revelation 18, which speaks of the destruction of Babylon the Great, with Big Pharma if not for the word pharmakia. An ordained minister, Matthews calling is to equip Christians with the tools they need to be gracious, well-reasoned, and convincing witnesses for Christ. 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. - And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee; of a lamp (cf. 1:4, 11). Please click here to learn how. Hey, the text says you must flee from Big Pharma and not share in her sins! Prevention is always more important than actual healing. He observes how the two marks in Ezekiel and the Psalms of Solomon are clearly symbolic . One clue is that when people are surveyed about why they do not vaccinate, they typically raise safety concerns rather than religious views. Does it tie in with the COVID vaccines? I do not think that this is the mark of the beast, but I absolutely think that it is part of the beasts system and that it is a precursor to what is coming in the future.. It doesnt legally matter, he said, whether a persons view on vaccines aligns with what their church says. Its what Revelation 18:23 says that got our attention, in context, regardless of what the Greek word means. To quote some posts directly, Jonathan wrote, I think you are completely wrong about revelations [sic] 18:23-24 and your antiquated look and view of the Bible is blinding you. 3:16, 17; 2 Cor. Plural from megistos; grandees. That if youre a Christian doctor, you must never write another drug prescription, even if it will save your patients life? In all these instances, the God of miracles chose to give lessons of collaborating closely between Himself and humans by using available remedies. Still, for those who are genuinely confused (and sadly, there appear to be many), lets take another minute to set the record straight. To this day, almost every English version of the Bible translates pharmakia here with sorcery or the like. As it turns out, there is. If there was any connection to drugs, it would only be in the sense of producing drug-induced magical spells, not in the sense of pharmaceutical use. Lets read what the Bible says. Thats why the related wordpharmakos, found in Revelation 21:8 describing people who will be cast into the lake of fire, is translated sorcerer, not pharmacist. Obviously! Job 21:17 How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! Revelation 18:23 KJV. 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. To this day,almost every English versionof the Bible translatespharmakiahere with sorcery or the like. Why die prematurely simply because we neglect remedies that are available to protect and prolong our lives, thus enabling us to be a blessing to others? In that regard, being vaccinated is an unselfish act aiding the well-being and protection of others. In the same way, the Spirit would not tell you that a Greek word means something very different than what it actually means. We have been very clear that the Vatican and church has basically said that getting a vaccine is morally acceptable, said Sister Mary Haddad, the associations president and CEO. Please! Quite literally, the emperors boast that he was in some way divine was etched (dare I say marked?) Sadly, no. When we have prayed for the recovery of the sick, we can work with all the more energy, thanking God that we have the privilege of co-operating with Him, and asking His blessing on the means which He Himself has provided.. 12:4). Some people say that their body is the temple of God and that they don't want to put anything in it that would harm their body, said Staver, the groups chairman. Vaccines save lives by stopping the spread of disease, but waiting too long has often made it too late. Chemerinsky allowed that his legal argument doesnt appear to be politically feasible. I'm looking at Quantum Dot Tattoos as the physical mark.. Simply because he could (Dom. Vaccination rates were higher in states that required health departments to sign off on nonmedical exemptions or that had criminal or civil penalties for noncompliance. Its one thing to dispute the meaning of a verse in the Bible. Ellen White wrote nothing about vaccination, but her life and practice provide good support for and confirmation of this articles reflections. Ellen G. White, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald, 1958), 2:346. Its another thing to say that an ancient word means something it does not mean. And we can thank Him and His human agents for the good they do in preserving and restoring life (Dan. Rightly understood, science and the written word agree, and each sheds light on the other. Light, a source of light, radiance. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. Serious side effects of the vaccine are rare, and the unvaccinated account for the majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. The saints rejoice for the judgments of God upon her. Vaccination has nothing to do with the mark of the beast or with false Babylonian teaching. I think this is definitely the pharmakaiea and the 'mighty men', the merchants of the earth described. Prayers for knowledge are not enough to bring success. Theoriginal versionof this commentary was posted by theHealth Ministries Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) and the viral vector vaccine JNJ-78436735 (Janssen) have effectively prevented clinically recognized disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) since their rollout in the United States in late 2020 ( 1, 2 ). Thats a worry for us, she said of one of her concerns about vaccines. Meanwhile, searches for sorcery or sorceries jumped 193%. Dr. Michael Brown(www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicatedLine of Fireradio program. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth, and with the magic which thou didst practise all nations were led astray.- Weymouth BibleThe light of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. If we completely detach our modern-day applications from a texts original, historical context, we risk misapplying the textsometimes in embarrassing ways. In fact, this was also true of the other four cities to which John directed his letter.7. Probably from etho; a race, i.e. To avoid being sick is a biblical mandate (John 10:10; 1 Cor 6:20; 3 John 2). Its what Revelation 18:23 says that got our attention, in context, regardless of what the Greek word means.. Revelation 13:17 (no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name, ESV) is one such text. The reality is that no one would be equating Revelation 18, which speaks of the destruction of Babylon the Great, with Big Pharma if not for the wordpharmakia. Naaman had to go and wash in the River Jordan seven times to be healed of his leprosy (2 Kgs 5:1014). They must apply if a persons beliefs are sincerely held.. It bids us to gaze upon the slain Lambto worship him with loyalty, devotion, and commitment. We need divine wisdom to know how to be best informed and make mature decisions. "There is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine," stated a July 30 memo to the archdiocese priests that was reported by Catholic News Service. Biblical teaching can help to counter mis- and dis-information on health issues, even though it is not a medical textbook on health. Covid-19 vaccines and confusion over a Greek word led an unlikely word to jump in Bible searches this year. If you want to reconstruct the historical context of Christian people living in first-century Asia Minor, you must take into account the Roman imperial cult. An increase in exemptions was directly attributable to increased outbreaks of preventable diseases such as whooping cough and measles. When it comes to the beast, his mark, and the worship of the beasts image, the historical data seems to be pointing us in one direction: Its simply a reference to how the imperial cult impacted ones participation in the local economy. Does it connect in any way to the use of pharmaceuticals today? This practice, known as gematria, took a letter of the alphabet and assigned it an equivalent number. In the Bible there are no Mothers Against Drunk Driving groups, anti-smoking campaigns, instructions on gym classes or breathing fresh air, drinking 68 glasses of water every day, washing your hands before each meal, brushing your teeth, and so on. (How odd that John wrote in such a way that only a person who was familiar with both the English language and modern American politics could rightly interpret his message!) However, whatever we do should spring from biblical principles. Scholars often associate the number of the beast with Nero Caesar. That list would include the command, Be vaccinated or Dont be vaccinated, so we need godly thinking to guide us as to whether to be vaccinated or not. The message of Revelation beckons us away from angst and worry. Scripture and other ancient writings from that timeperiod point us in this direction and, quite frankly, there isnt much leeway on this point (although you can debate me in the comments, if you wish). It's OK to get Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine if it's the only one available, These questions (and answers) could help you make a decision, That's understandable but unproductive, health experts say, Enforce mask mandate, get your salaries withheld, Get vaccinated to stop risk of a deadlier COVID-19 variant, Federal court allows Biden's new COVID-19 eviction moratorium to remain.
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