James 1:5
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [a]without reproach, and it will be given to him.
1 John 4:1-3
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
If you are for the masks
I understand many professing Christians truly believe that the masks are effective and helping prevent the spread of the Covid 19 virus. I understand many of you are convicted to wear them out of a love for your neighbor and I don’t fault you for this. For me and my house, I personally believe and am convicted that I must peacefully resist the mask mandates out of fear of the Lord according to His Word. Some of my reasons are:
- It’s been weaponized and used as a tool to persecute the church, harm our economy and businesses all for political reasons.
- There are studies that showed the masks can do more harm than good, and/or are proven to be ineffective against covid 19.
- The number of Covid cases were/are very grossly exaggerated and misrepresented. We’re hearing of people who didn’t take the test getting calls saying they tested positive.
- The mask mandates themselves have been promoted through fear mongering, guilt, shaming, intimidation, and threats.
- The masks have the full force of the main stream media, Hollywood celebrities, and politicians (many of whom reject Jesus Christ as Lord) which should cause us to at least pause.
- It’s become a religious movement promoting a false sense of safety and security.
1 John 4:5
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
Test the Spirits
As professing Christians we are called to test the spirits. Martin Luther protested the sale of indulgences that the Roman Catholic Church was practicing at the time. He wasn’t trying to start a revolution. He wanted to have a debate/discussion. Instead he was told to be quiet, be obedient or be anathematized. At the time people who questioned Rome’s authority were silenced. People were sentenced to death for the crime of owning a Bible translated in their native language.
The tactics being used to promote the religion of wearing masks is similar.
- Opposing views and opinions are censored and/or labeled conspiracy by the tech giants Google/FB/Twitter who we know are NOT followers of Christ. These people are of the world. They celebrate and embrace multiple gender theory, homosexuality, embrace Marxism, and are censoring views they don’t agree with.
- For those of us who question the narrative, we are met with guilt, shaming, threats, potential loss of jobs, and sometimes even violence, which I fear will only increase.
- Churches are being attacked and/or closed while abortion mills stay open and riots are allowed.
- Large businesses and government are essential while small businesses are deemed non-essential.
- People are placing their faith and trust in government, believing that whatever they say is true, living in fear.
Biblical Reasoning for resistance to the mask mandates
It is also clear that masks serve symbolic roles. Masks are not only tools, they are also talismans that may help increase health care workers’ perceived sense of safety, well-being, and trust in their hospitals.
1 Corinth 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.1 John 4:5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
The scriptures command us to test the spirits to see if they are from God. 1 John 4:1-6. From what we see the mask mandates are being promoted with a “spirit of the antichrist.” Leaders pushing it most are those who celebrate the genocide of children in the womb (like NY governor Cuomo). These aren’t people we should be looking to for hope and security. I conclude that wearing the mask is symbolic of submission to Satan or a “spirit of the antichrist” which I cannot in good conscience engage in. (see https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/masks-symbolic-say-dr-fauci-new-england-journal-medicine/)
In Exodus 20:3 the Lord commands us to worship no other gods. We fear the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) and do not want to willfully engage in any type of idol worship if at all possible. Isaiah 45:20, Leviticus 19:4, Gal 4:8, Psalm 16:4
I do desire to submit to governing authorities as commanded in Romans 13, but there are exceptions (like eating foods sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 10:20-22, 28-30), or being told we can’t preach Christ crucified (Acts 4:20), or being told we cannot gather to worship in His name, or commanded to worship other gods (putting our faith and trust in government.)
In Revelation 13:17 we are already seeing the “no one can buy or sell” scenario being played out. No mask, no service is already being mandated in many stores where we live.
Revelation 13:17
17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
In Matthew 24:4 Jesus says see that no one misleads you and while I understand the context is about the end days, He does warn us of false teachers, prophets and false gospels. This command teaches us to be watchful and test for the spirit of the antichrist. The mask mandate is a political religious movement and a false gospel.
This is where I stand. I don’t fault anyone who chooses to wear a mask if that’s their conviction. I don’t believe a mask is the mark of the beast but rather conclude that it is symbolic in nature of submission to the antichrist kingdom. I recognize fellow brothers and sisters in Christ do not agree and choose to wear the masks as mandated by governing authorities. I just pray our fellow brothers and sisters will understand, and respect my conviction.
Image from: https://www.bible-history.com/past/hazor_baal_mask.html