PB
At first I thought “Nah, it’s just a prelude to the Mark”. As more and more demands and restrictions are put on the unvaccinated though, I am beginning to believe it might be. The Bible says even the very elect would have been fooled had God not shortened the days. I’ve also wondered if it might be “part” of the coming Mark. Either way I can base my religious exemption as follows: the vaccines are being used in a sinister way that no vaccine to my knowledge has ever been used before. There are more and more restrictions being placed on people who have chosen not to get it and we are facing job losses, not being able to travel, not being able to access restaurants and other businesses, and, coming soon, not being able to go to the grocery store or go across state lines without proof of vaccination. This parallels the Mark, spoken of in the Book of Revelation, where it is said (paraphrasing) that no man may buy or sell without the Mark. As such, even if the vaccine is not the Mark, it’s similarities in relation to needing it to access basic services, is enough to violate my religious conscience. Even if it isn’t the Mark, taking the vaccine in the face of such duress would make me more susceptible to receiving the actual Mark when it comes and would also set the wrong example for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are on the fence about whether or not to take the vaccine. If I were to get it, it would signal to them that I am okay with how the government is using the threat of losing access to basic societal functions to manipulate people into taking it, thereby potentially leading my brother or sister in Christ to not only take the vaccine but also to accept the Mark when it comes, even if the vaccine isn’t the Mark.