George Floyd vs. George Liele

 

Drive around town or walk the streets of any major US city today and you’ll probably see a mural or statue honoring George Floyd, who was tragically killed in May 2020 by Minneapolis Police. The priesthood of BLM and the woke culture have basically sainted Mr. Floyd as a civil rights martyr on par with MLK. Don’t get me wrong, what happened to Mr. Floyd was heartbreaking and criminal. I’m not diminishing the circumstances surrounding his death at all. Mr. Floyd deserved justice, just like any human being made in the image of God.  

But, many black voices - like Candice Owens - have raised the point that Mr. Floyd is not a great role model to emulate. Owens has said, “Floyd didn’t deserve to die, but its WRONG that he’s being hailed as some kind of saint.” She has gone public several times describing Mr. Floyd as a “career criminal” who’s record included charges of aggravated robbery, theft, criminal trespassing, and drug-related arrests. Floyd’s violent criminal past once saw him break into a pregnant woman’s home and point a loaded gun at her unborn child as he demanded money and drugs from her.

Owens summed up her position saying, “Black Americans are unique in that we are the only people that fight and scream and demand support and justice for the people in our community who are up to no good.” [1] I think Owens makes a valid argument. What exactly did Mr. Floyd do to advance “social justice”? What major contribution did he make to the human race? For her comments, the left-leaning media have branded Owens a “white supremacist.”   

I am reminded of what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 8:10, “Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity.” So, the George Floyd situation is “nothing new under the sun.”  

Against George Floyd, allow me to present another black man named George Liele. One of the most significant figures in the history of Christian missions is a freed Georgia slave named George Liele. Even though William Carey may be called the father of the modern missionary movement, George Liele left America and planted the gospel in Jamaica a full ten years before Carey left England.

George Liele came to Christ in 1773, at the age of twenty-three, and was baptized by his white pastor, Matthew Moore. Sometime after Liele’s conversion, his owner, Henry Sharp, who was a Baptist deacon, gave Liele his freedom so he could pursue God’s call. Liele preached for two years in the slave quarters of plantations surrounding Savannah and into South Carolina after his conversion.

Because of his faithfulness and powerful preaching of the Word, many surrendered their lives to Christ. George Liele was ordained on May 20, 1775, becoming the first ordained African American Baptist preacher in America. After his ordination, he planted the first African American Baptist Church in North America, a church still in existence today.

Soon after his release, Moses Kirkland, a colonel of the British army, befriended Liele and helped him leave the country. Kirkland helped pay for Liele’s trip to Jamaica, and after two years Liele paid this debt and obtained a certificate of freedom for himself and his family. George and his wife, Hannah, and their four children left Savannah and landed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1782.

When Liele landed in Jamaica it was a British colony. There, Liele found land and a people who needed a missionary. Slaves were brought from Africa to Jamaica to work on the sugar plantations. These men and women had no real knowledge of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Liele planted a church and held a baptism service every three months. These baptisms were public events in which professing converts were baptized in a nearby ocean or river.

The work of the church and the public baptisms caused persecution. Eventually, Liele was charged with preaching sedition and was thrown into prison. He was later acquitted of these charges. Despite facing these hostilities, during the eight years of preaching, he was able to baptize five hundred people and establish a strong church.

Not only did Liele’s ministry lead to a spiritual impact on the island, but his work also made a social difference for the Jamaican slaves. By July 31, 1838, slavery was eradicated in Jamaica.

In 1814, there were only about eight thousand Baptists in Jamaica. This number included slaves, freedmen, and some whites. However, as a result of Liele’s ministry, by 1832 there were over twenty thousand believers.

George Liele died in 1828. He may have begun life as a slave, but he lived as a free man in Christ. He left a rich legacy of thousands who were transformed by the good news of Jesus.[2]

What a sign of the times – that our woke culture venerates George Floyd more than they do a real hero like George Liele. Mr. Liele is a shining example of Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Don’t believe the cultural narrative of victimhood. History is filled with remarkable examples like Mr. Liele of how the Gospel allowed people of all background to rise from adversity, racism and poverty to accomplish great things. -DM

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[1] Jason O’Toole, “George Floyd didn’t deserve to die, but it’s WRONG that he’s being hailed as some sort of saint,” RT, 8 June 2020 <https://www.rt.com/op-ed/491203-candace-owens-george-floyd-being-hailed-as-saint/>

[2] Lesley Hildreth, “Missionaries You Should Know: George Liele,” International Missions Board, 26 June 2018 <https://www.imb.org/2018/06/26/missionaries-you-should-know-george-liele/>

Vaccine Mandates and the Mark of the Beast

 

We all knew it was coming – vaccine mandates. On May 13, 2021, Pres. Joe Biden announced, “If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask,” but then a moment later said bluntly, “Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do.”[1] When vaccine numbers began to trail off, the Biden administration rolled out a new campaign of door-to-door health workers to encourage the unvaccinated holdouts to get jabbed ASAP. On the day of this article’s publishing – August 10, 2021 – 167 million Americans had been fully vaccinated, just over 50% of the US population.[2]

Now with the emergence of the media-hyped “Delta variant” of COVID-19 into the global bloodstream, we have seen a slew of vaccine mandates declared.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told USA TODAY, “As soon as the Food and Drug Administration issues a full approval for a COVID-19 vaccine, there will be “a flood” of vaccine mandates at businesses and schools across the nation.”[3]

Starting in September, New York City will require people to prove they’ve received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine to eat indoors, visit gyms, and go to theaters.[4]

More than 400 universities followed suit – requiring students returning in the fall to show proof of vaccination or submit to routine testing (including my alma mater UNC-Chapel Hill).[5]

Other nations have also clamped down on COVID passports. Israel has fully vaccinated 58% of its population, but Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recently announced that citizens will be legally required to present vaccination certificates to attend many social events across the country. Europe is also marching to same drumbeat with Italy and France mandating similar vaccination verification for residents and visitors.[6]

In the wake of all the COVID craziness, I have had several friends ask me, “Derrick, do you think the COVID vaccine is the Mark of the Beast?” I figured that many other Christians may be wondering the same thing, so I’ve decided to finally put my response and reasoning in black and white.

(By the way, the purpose of this article is not to advocate for or against the COVID vaccine – I believe that should be a matter of personal choice.)

My answer is simple – “No, I do not believe that the COVID vaccine is the "Mark of the Beast,” and before I explain why, it’s important to read the passage in Revelation 13 that prophecies the coming mark in order to give proper context:

16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Rev. 13:16-18)

WHAT IS THE MARK OF THE BEAST?

In Revelation 13 we read that during the 7-year tribulation period a despotic ruler—which the apostle John calls “the Beast”—is going to rise to power. He will be Satan’s CEO. Most know him by the title, “Antichrist.” One of the ways that he will gain control over the world is by an economic system which will force people to buy and sell by only using his prescribed mark. The Antichrist will have a “right hand man” or first lieutenant of evil, called “the false prophet.” It will be the false prophet who will set up the infrastructure and implement the MOTB.

If the tribulation citizens will not worship the Antichrist willingly, then the false prophet will force them to bow the knee by hitting them where it hurts the most—their bank account. The people alive during the Tribulation will be forced to make the following choice: either receive the MOTB and worship the Antichrist, or starve to death with no ability to buy or sell.

Just think of this—your bank account will be frozen. No one will be able to shop at the grocery, eat a restaurant, fill up at gas stations, pay utilities or the mortgage without the MOTB.

Life under totalitarian governments in our time provides a faint glimpse of what is to come. A man who lived under the harsh communist regime in Bulgaria told of his people’s misery:

“You cannot understand and you cannot know that the most terrible instrument of persecution ever devised is an innocent ration card. You cannot buy and sell except according to that little, innocent card. If they please you can be starved to death, and if they please you can be dispossessed of everything you have.”[7]    

There is much superstition and speculation surrounding the number 666, but it’s merely a symbol meaning, “the number of a man.” In the Bible, 7 is God’s number of completeness. In fact, the book of Revelation is built upon the recurring theme of 7s—7 churches, 7 seals, 7 angels, etc. Six however is number of man, going all the way back to day six of creation when man was formed by God. 666 merely represents the best and most advanced man can be without God. The mark is emblematic of the height of man’s ingenuity to the point he thinks he’s a god. But he is still a 6. He is not God and therefore, imperfect, lacking and incomplete.

What is significant is not so much the number as is the fact that for the first time in history man has the technological prowess to achieve the marriage of biometrics to an economic market.

 WHY THE COVID SHOT IS NOT THE MOTB

 With that context its pretty clear to see why the COVID vaccine is not the MOTB.

First, we aren’t in the tribulation period yet. The rapture has not occurred, and the church is still on the earth. Where are the two witnesses? There is no Antichrist assuming world power and we have yet to witnesses several of the horrific judgments spelled out in Revelation 6 (i.e. 1/4 of world population dead by pestilence, famine and war, a series of cosmic calamities).   

Second, we still have economic freedom to buy and sell. Under the MOTB people alive during that time will be utterly paralyzed financially. The unvaccinated still have the ability to go to the grocery store and Wal-Mart, order from Amazon, and pay bills online.

Third, the MOTB will be associated with the name of the Antichrist. In other words, there will be something unique about it which links people to him and pledges allegiance to his rule – whether it be a microchip, a tattoo or some futuristic technology not yet invented. No one is going to take the mark of the beast accidentally. They are going to be willfully, knowingly taking it. Note also that the Bible very specifically says that mark will be given on the right hand or forehead. Every time I have got a vaccine, I have never received a poke in those places.

ONE FINAL NOTE

With all that being said, I do think that there is a prophetic purpose behind the COVID vaccine that has nothing to do public health. Jesus described the Tribulation period as a time in which there will be great deception (Matt. 24:4-5) and fear run amok (Luke 21:26). It will also be a time in which people will willingly give up their freedom to a global dictator who promises “peace and safety” in exchange for assimilation into his world system (1 Thess. 5:3).

We could easily make the argument that COVID and the events since 2020 have utterly changed the world. It’s quite amazing that in less than a year, in America over 167 million people have got an injection that has largely been untested through rigorous clinical trials. What are the long-term effects of this shot? No one knows. All this for a virus that still has a 99% survival rate. Moreover, it’s been proven that the vaccine isn’t really a vaccine technically speaking as it doesn’t prevent COVID infection, it only reduces symptoms.[8] I say this to point out that what’s happening right now is a vast social and medical experiment. Only time will tell the results.

If 167 million people and counting are willing to get a shot for a virus that has 99% survival rate, then what do you think its going to be like when the Antichrist puts real pressure on people with the MOTB and threatens to paralyze people financially unless they get his mark? The pressure to assimilate during the Tribulation will be turned up to 11 and people will fold like a house of cards. COVID, the vaccine, the pandemic of fear and the desire “to get back to normal” are all factors that have conditioned people to participate in a global experiment brought to you by Big Pharma. It’s just one incremental step in setting the world stage for the END where conditions will be way worse than they are now, and people will be crying out for a Mr. Fix-it!

The Good News of the Gospel is that we aren’t looking for the Antichrist, but for Jesus Christ! We are on the cutting edge of having all the technology that the Antichrist and False Prophet need to wire this world together for their evil purposes. The world stage is being set for their appearance and the final act of God’s divine drama is about to begin. That means that the rapture of the church and the coming of the Lord Jesus is getting even closer! Are you ready? 

 -DM

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[1] ZEKE MILLER and MICHAEL BALSAMO, “’Great day for America’: Vaccinated can largely ditch masks,” Associated Press, 13 May 2021 <https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-masks-cdc-guidelines-9d10c8b5f80a4ac720fa1df2a4fb93e5>

[2] “U.S. COVID-19 vaccine tracker: See your state’s progress,” Mayo Clinic, <https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vaccine-tracker>

[3] Elizabeth Weise, “Dr. Anthony Fauci: Expect 'a flood' of COVID-19 vaccine mandates after full FDA approval,” USA TODAY, 6 August 2021 <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/08/06/anthony-fauci-covid-vaccine-mandates-fda-full-approval/5513121001/>

[4]  Rebecca Heilweil, “New York City issues vaccine mandate for indoor activities, confuses entire country,” VOX, 3 August 2021 <https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/8/3/22607985/new-york-vaccine-mandate-indoor-dining>

[5] Neelam Bohra and Justin Lear, “More than 400 universities are requiring Covid-19 vaccines. But the murky threat of fake vaccination cards worries some students and experts,” CNN, 8 August 2021 <https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/08/us/university-vaccine-mandates-fake-vaccine-cards-trnd/index.html>

[6] Kierra Frazier, “Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to require vaccine certificates to attend public events,” Yahoo! Life, 23 July 2021 <https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/israeli-prime-minister-naftali-bennett-203249779.html>

[7] W.A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1969), 4:120-121.  

[8] Ben Guarino, “You got a coronavirus vaccine. But you still became infected. How did that happen?” Washington Post, 21 July 2021 < https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2021/07/21/covid-vaccine-breakthrough-infections/>