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. This resource from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a wide range of national, state, and community COVID-19 data. The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is beginning its transition toward the endemic phase of this pandemic. (Matthew 24:27, 24:36-39, 24:44). And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose(Romans 8:28). Or, you can text the keyword LACOVID to 898-211 for . 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. We will not be happy or fulfilled or valuable without them. people are more hopeful when they read Scripture more frequently, National Well-Being Measures Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Online Samples, With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, A Christian Approach to Social Justice Is Slow, Careful, and Self-Reflective, Our Attraction to Idols Remains the Same, Even When the Names Change, Turkish Christians Plead: Dont Distribute Bibles After Earthquake, After Pushing for UMC Unity, Former Bishop Joins New Denomination, Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Beautiful Mystery of Gods Silence, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. All of these solutions are calculated by a process known as gematria. For international customers: The center is staffed and provides answers on Sundays through Thursdays between 7AM and 14PM Israel time Toll Free number 1-800-448-9291 Telephone +972-3-761-9056 Fax . Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? Any or all of these may serve as background imagery for these verses, but the mark in reality is not a visible mark. So, according to many scholars, 666 is most logically a reference to Nero. The truth is that the COVID-19 vaccine encourages the body to create copies of the spike protein found on the coronavirus's surface. Jan 13, 2021 issue. What we know about the COVID-19 vaccines? Lack of encouragement from physical presence with other believers can diminish our engagement in the spiritual disciplines because when were together, were encouraged to stay faithful to the things of God.. That number is 666." (Revelation 13:15-18). Within that overall decrease, the Bible centered segment was most impacted, decreasing by 9.7 million. The priests of Egypt had their secret arts too. The number of women considered Bible centered in January dropped by 3.9 points by June compared with 1 point for men. 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. COVID-19 pandemic requires us all to work together for the common good and get While most Bible readers (65%) prefer a printed version, millennials are about as likely to read the Bible digitally (52%) as they are in print (48%). How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? 40 is the smallest number n with exactly nine . This coronavirus originated in China and seems related to the wildlife trade there. also recommend vaccination. 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: On March 6, 2020, the state Department of Health confirmed Indiana's first case of COVID-19, a novel respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 that became a global pandemic.. On March 16, the Department of Health reported the first death in Indiana due to COVID-19. Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines, September 7, 2021, Retrieved from Amid the pandemic, a larger decline occurred among the Americans who say their choices and relationships are shaped by the Bible, a group ABS calls Bible engaged. In January, 27.8 percent of American adults were Bible engaged. Turn!," the Pete Seeger song that became a hit for the Byrds. 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. departments and many drugstores. 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. 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. "People with spiritual beliefs that all things are influenced by religion are more likely to believe 'mark of the beast,' which is in every Christian's Bible, but people will focus on particular passages in the Bible to support their belief system," Evans said. Within just a few short months, COVID-19 has spread like a wildfire to almost every corner of the globe, infecting a confirmed 3,870,865 of the worlds population in its wake and tallying a death toll of 267,771, as of May 7, 2020. A possible corroboration for this view can be found in the Latin version of his name. The risk of getting COVID-19 varies between and within . But that changed when the pandemic hit. Dozens of pastors across the Bible Belt have succumbed to coronavirus after churches and televangelists played down the pandemic and actively encouraged churchgoers to flout self-distancing . Some think the coronavirus is one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Church closures during the pandemic likely impacted the decrease in Bible engagement, according to ABS. Cumulative number of positive nucleic acid test laboratory detections. I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. citizens and noncitizens, even for people without insurance. Wearing a mask in public and getting As a number of major countries have now transitioned to weekly updates, there is no need anymore for immediate updates throughout the day as soon as a new report is released. the COVID-19 vaccines. 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). After a sharp increase in the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. The COVID-19 vaccine has been scientifically proved to save lives,but for a selectgroup of people in the religious realm, a more important matter is at stake eternal salvation. In mathematics. We should expect other religions to talk about love and morality. "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. COVID misinformation: FDA warns about ivermectin as COVID treatment. serious side-effects are very rare.4 The very real danger from a COVID-19 Coronavirus White House pitches $1.6 billion plan to combat Covid relief fraud The proposal aims to provide more resources to investigate and prosecute fraud related to Covid funding while also. The Bible does not really answer these "People read erroneous comments and believe they are true," he said. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.. For many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many. He is a counterfeit. "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father." 1 Timothy 5:1. Turn! When he asked the mother if she had been vaccinated, Smith said her response was"Oh no, that turns you into a zombie.". The data covers the period from March 2020 until mid-February this year. So the number of the beast could refer to Nero. What is the significance of the number forty in Scripture? The Weekly Epidemiological Update provides an overview of the global, regional and country-level COVID-19 cases and deaths, highlighting key data and trends; as well as other pertinent epidemiological information concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourth, verse 18 does not call us to solve a riddle. Adding up some subsets of its divisors (e.g., 1, 4, 5, 10, and 20) gives 40; hence, 40 is a semiperfect number. The number of persons positive for COVID-19 and number of tests positive for COVID-19 reflect only South Dakota residents, regardless of where testing was conducted (in-state or out-of-state). Beginning Wednesday, March 1, Springfield-Greene County Health will offer $50 gift cards to anyone receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Pope Francis urges people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 (March 2): 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.Some 733.5 million Chinese people were employed in 2022, according to the country's statistics bureau. Christians should read big, meditate small, he said, reading a larger passage and then spending a few minutes thinking about one verse or phrase. . The most well-known of these is Revelation 6:8: I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! COVID-19 County Data. The researchers have not shown that Bible reading or Christian worship causes human flourishing, only that the two things happen in related ways. ; Coronavirus.gov: Public information provided by the U.S. government related to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19); CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Current public health and safety information on COVID-19. Ive been told it is.' "The number of participants at this time reflects their interest and effort to understand the words of Revelation consistently with the rest of the Bible," said Mr. Shin-chang Kim, General Director of the International Mission Department of Shincheonji Church. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. Sneak Peek Interview: Laura Wiflers New Childrens Book, Receiving Not Achieving. The bubonic plague in the 1300's A.D. killed about a quarter 5 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), A religion scholar explains why the biblical reference should be considered in its first-century context. 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). In the U.S., cases of Coronavirus have crossed 800and the death toll has risen over 20 with an even larger impact globally. If you have elderly friends or family. 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 . We find God in all the wrong places. Senior Church leaders receive COVID-19 vaccine, encourage members to A survey highlighting the impact of COVID-19 wasnt the original plan, said John Plake, director of ministry intelligence for ABS. Around the world, there are over 118,000 cases and over 4,200 deaths . A lack of in-person connection with churches and small groups also could have played a role, according to the report. If you're heartsick over racial injustice. Theres a text that identifies Jesuss gematria name as 888, which is supposed to be significant because 8 is the number of re-creation. Even Jesus explained to His disciples inMatthew 24:4-8, that difficult times will mark the coming of the last days of earth: Jesus answered: Watch out that no one deceives you. Womens Bible engagement dropped by 7 percentage points between January and June, compared with 6 percentage points for men. getting vaccinated to prevent accidentally infecting other people with a disease 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). I think the State of the Bible showed me empirically everything I knew intuitively and existentially, Ross said. But it is not perfect, and that makes all the difference. The church is symbolized with pictures (the 24 elders, the two witnesses, the woman) and a number (144,000). I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. Frequent Bible readers rated themselves 33 points more hopeful than irregular Scripture readers did in two surveys of more than 1,000 people done six months apart. media are causing many people to avoid vaccination. So relying on your readers to not only know gematria but also transliterate a name into another language they may not have known seems like a poor way to communicate, unless John wasnt interested in his audience knowing the answer to the puzzle. "God will not doom people for taking something unwittingly.". Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. questions, but it does have a lot of related information. There is a fifth-century document that calculates Nero, but it uses the word antichristus to get 616. vaccinated helps to protect you, and also helps to protect other people who "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.". 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 Catholic: There are also a number of treatments available. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end wont follow immediately.. Thaddeus Williams asks good questions about contemporary zeal for change. "Social media plays a 100% role in the misconceptions about the vaccine," Smith said. What You Should Know About Biblical Complementarianism, Liberalism Is (Still) a Threat to Fundamentalism. "All these are the beginnings of sorrows." The passage is attributed to Jesus Christ who told his followers what to expect before his second coming. 6 Cleveland Clinic, How Much of the Population Will Need to Be Thats where the picture comes from, but what it points to is a counterfeit Christ. In other words, 666 is mans counterfeit to the holy Trinity of 777. The trend in hospitalization rate refers to the trend in the 7-day rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population. Its use denotes a complete period of time that transitions to another period of time. Coronavirus has infected more than 85,000 people and killed at least 2,933. Psalm 91 is a beautiful song that speaks of trust in God in the darkest of times. What have we seen with this second beast? They are similar to the vaccines most of us had as children or have taken as It's just one of the many online rumors floating around about the coronavirus, treatments and the vaccine. …Ive been sent numerous articles and videos that (suggest) the vaccine represents a conspiracy of governmental control or that the vaccine contains some sort of marking agent to indelibly identify those foolish enough to receive the vaccine. . You have to leave out a yodh, which some claim was an acceptable spelling, but it was certainly not the normal usage. 4:1 "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.". The findings were published in October in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in a report co-authored by VanderWeele, Plake, Jeffery Fulks of ABS, and Matthew Lee of Harvard. In the New Testament, there is mention of plagues that will act as key signs that will herald the end times and the coming of Jesus Christ. If, however, doctors or politicians or members of the media or anyone else, for that matter, elevates himself to a position of Godlike authority and knowledge, then that is what Revelation warns Christians against. Dont think false religion will appear worthless. systems. People with COVID-19 might not have any symptoms. 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. He acts on his behalf and leads people to worship him. According to Romans 8:20-21, plagues are a consequence of Adams fall from grace in the Garden of Eden: For the creationwas subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. might get very sick or die from COVID-19.1,2, Jesus taught that one of the most important of all commandments is, "Love (not representing all COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong) 107. The. Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! National Data Resources CDC COVID Data Tracker. And yet, what is so beautiful about Gods Word is His promise to love us and provide for us, regardless of how dire our situation is: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you(Isaiah 54:10). Gretchen Whitmer encouraging vaccines in Michigan:"Diabolical Michigan Governor Whiter wants her citizens to get the Mark of the Beast to participate in society.". In May, Feaman wrote on his blog of Gov. 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! Williams has worked in hospitals inTexas, New York, California and Hawaii in her three years as a nurse. 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. However, COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the risks of severe illness, hospitalization and death caused from COVID-19. All major Christian denominations Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Epidemiological Updates and Monthly Operational Updates. Every letter could also be a number, so names could be translated into numbers. Overall, about a fifth (22%) of US adults interact with the Bible multiple times a week, not counting Scripture use at church, according to a January survey. Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month. Third, none of the early church fathers calculated Neron Kaisar from 666. Think about the possibilities that the pandemic is offering, he said, rather than simply what is negative.. You cant download a hug, said Donald Whitney, professor of biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (flu, mumps, measles, chickenpox, tetanus, diphtheria, shingles, pneumonia, etc.).3. The prediction faded from public memory and the book's author, Sylvia Browne, died in 2013. Other reasons Smith has heard for not getting vaccinated include: not wanting to get microchipped, it's outside their world view, vaccines were developed too fast, they haven't gotten sick, they're not high-risk, they don't trust the government and they readthat people have died from the vaccine.