I hope that every Orthodox Christian who reads this is immediately shocked and dismayed at this question, principally because of its completely ridiculous underpinnings. Of course the answer to this is no, and I hope that this is immediately obvious to everyone. If not – I have not done my job very well at all as the Rector of our parish, and I ask that you reach out to me as soon as you can so that we can work this through.
Next: why would I even ask this question, given it is so divergent from the Orthodox understanding of Eschatology (literally, “the last things”) - the study and understanding of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? This second coming is discussed by several of the authors of the New Testament and is a thread that runs throughout the New Testament. It is covered in great detail in the Apocalypse of St. John the Theologian, albeit with much allegory and symbolism, which is why Orthodox Christians should always read this book of the Bible with a solid Orthodox explanation handy to refer to. Archbishop Averky’s might be the best available in English, although we read Fr. Lawrence Farley’s for a Great Lenten book club a few years ago and that was quite good too. Bottom line: you cannot be fooled into accepting the Mark of the Beast. You must voluntarily accept this, with a full understanding of the repercussions of your actions. And it is the opinion of the Venerable Gabriel of Georgia (someone quite familiar with the realities of Orthodox spiritual life) that you can repent of your choice in this regard and be forgiven (not that it is good to voluntarily commit any sin with the plan to repent as a rule, since the Lord does not promise us tomorrow).
But I still haven’t answered the question: why even ask this silly question? Archbishop Peter has stated on several occasions that the vaccine is not an ecclesiastical one, but rather a medical one. That means that Vladyka is quite certain that the vaccine is not the Mark of the Beast, and as our Abba, our Spiritual Father, his word carries very heavy weight in our spiritual lives. But please read here what Metropolitan Hilarion, our First Hierarch, says on the same topic:
“Vaccination is not a new thing, it has existed for a long time, so people should not fear it. For instance, I was vaccinated as were many others. But some are very alarmed by this. In this case the Church makes no recommendations: we do not advise people to be vaccinated, nor to reject vaccination. This is the free choice of every person.”
This is from an article posted on the Synodal Web Site last month. In Russia the guidance from the Church has been much stronger. Just as our Metropolitan was vaccinated, so too was the Patriarch. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolask, head of the External Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, was less subtle in his statements than our hierarchs earlier this year.
Finally the answer: we ask this question here because there are those that are out there spreading such erroneous teachings and scaring those who are new to the faith, or who are not theologically strong in their knowledge of their faith. Those spreading these lies need to be confronted. This is a small effort in this regard, since I do not know who they are. But I know they are there, because people are coming to us in great fear that they have given their souls to the Devil by receiving the vaccine.
If, having read all this your answer is “all the bishops and priests are fooled – the vaccine is the Mark of the Beast”, then I do not think I can help you. God can – He can help you to regain your sanity, perhaps through long work with a Psychiatrist. But assuming that you are not spiritually deluded, and you understand that our hierarchs desire first and foremost the salvation of their flock, then please know that, according to one of our priests who experienced this in his former, Protestant life, that these ideas are all old style Protestant millenarianism and fanaticism. He supposes, and I think this is a very valid theory, that this has all affected the Church through the gradual assimilation of these Protestant beliefs and teachings from those who came to the Church from Protestantism, but did not throw off the old man, as St. Paul alludes to. This has all been "cleaned up" and Orthodoxified by those seeking to impose Protestant ideas onto the pure faith conveyed to us from our Savior, found only in the Holy Church. Do not be fooled. The vaccine is not the Mark of the Best.
Whether you choose to be vaccinated or not is up to you – Metropolitan Hilarion and Archbishop Peter have made that abundantly clear. This is a medical question and not a spiritual one, according to our hierarchs. If you keep that in mind, such nonsense as “the vaccine is the Mark of the Beast” will not be anything to you but a call to pray for those who spread such errors in their delusion. And let us pray brothers and sisters! For those who have been fooled by such un-Orthodox teachings, and especially those who are ruining their souls by spreading such heretical teachings. And let us strive for peace, because in this pandemic many have lost their way in this regard. “Acquire the spirit of peace and 1000 around you will be saved”. These are the words of St. Seraphim of Sarov. I think we can say he understood the realities of spiritual life a bit better than our Orthodox millenarianists. And if you agree with St. Seraphim, which I hope you do, let us strive diligently for that peace so that we may help thousands of others to the calm haven of our Orthodox Church.
Asking Your Prayers,
Fr. Gregory
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