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The following story could have been written about congregations anywhere in North America. Are these actions godly, are they Christ-like, are they a witness of God's power and love?
Please read the article and then my comments below.
Anti-lockdown Tennessee pastor tells mask-wearers they are not welcome:
‘I’m not playing these Democrat games’
27 Jul, 2021 00:01
© REUTERS/Amira Karaoud
As mask mandates continue to be debated across the US, a pastor in Tennessee, known for his opposition to lockdowns and mass vaccination, made it clear that mask-wearers will be removed from his church.
Addressing his congregation on Sunday, the controversial pastor said he was against counties reimposing mask mandates to curb a rise in coronavirus cases. If Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where the Global Vision Bible Church is located, goes through the same regression in policy, pastor Greg Locke claimed he would not be following the reinstated guidance.
“If they go through round two and you start showing up (with) all these masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave,” Locke said to a round of cheers from his congregation. “I will ask you to leave. I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church. If you want social distance, go to the First Baptist Church, but don’t go to this one,” the pastor added, as the congregation gathered in a giant tent erupted in applause.
In a service that was broadcast live on Facebook, Locke went on to criticize fellow pastors for refusing to do services like baptisms out of fear of the virus and its quickly spreading Delta variant.
“I ain’t playing these stupid games,” he said. “A bunch of pastors talking about how much they want to see people heal and they’re afraid to baptize people because of a Delta variant – I’m sick of it.”
Locke said he has no plans on closing even if ordered to.
“They will be serving Frosty’s in hell before we shut this place down,” he promised.
Locke gained national attention last year during Tennessee’s lockdown when he continued holding in-person services while most other churches turned to remote alternatives.
His anti-mask mandate has predictably caused a stir with liberal-leaning users on social media. Some predicted that Locke and his supporters would inevitably catch Covid-19, with one commentator going as far as suggesting that the pastor would die from the virus.
The current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to social distance or wear masks in most public spaces. With growing concern among health officials about rising cases and slowing vaccination rates, however, the mask guidance could change. White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed on Sunday that there are active discussions taking place at the CDC about reverting back to a universal masking recommendation.
Locke has also been a critic of Covid-19 vaccinations, urging his followers not to trust them, even claiming “political elites” are lying about getting inoculated.
“If you think for one minute that those political elites actually got the vaccination, you are smoking meth in your mamma’s basement,” Locke said in May. “Bunch of fake liars is what they are. They didn’t shoot nothing in their arm but a bunch of sugar water.”
That last statement borders on paranoia. Whether other pastors suffer similarly is a good question.
While Pastor Locke exclaims he will not play Democrat games, he seems to forget that the pandemic started when there was a Republican government, and in a country far from American politics.
In fact, he is playing politics by asking masked congregants to leave. Jesus never played politics! He met people where they were regardless of how unpleasant they might appear. Kicking people out of your church for wearing a mask is making the statement that your church is your church, not God's church. God may have specifically called some of those people to church that morning, only to be rejected by the pastor. This is disgraceful and God will hold you to account.
But why the fear of receiving a vaccine?
There is a reason for Christians to be wary of vaccines, but it's complicated.
1. Few people trust Big Pharma anymore. I don't. I'm convinced many of them are 100% about profit and 0% about concern for their customers. Many executives should be in prison, like Martin Shkreli.
2. Who knows what is actually in the vaccine? Especially mRNA vaccines which can do some weird things to our DNA.
3. But too many pastors and Christians seem to confuse Covid-19 vaccines with the Mark of the Beast. The Mark of the Beast, in Revelations, refers to identity tags, probably computer chips, that will be installed in people's foreheads or wrists. This happens during the Great Tribulation in the Last Days just before Jesus returns to rule the earth. We're not there yet, though we are getting close.
4. I'm quite sure that we are not there technologically to inject such things into billions of people. I'm quite sure that we don't have billions of such microscopic chips that can be injected through a 23 gauge needle. Microscopic chips would have to be injected in the forehead or wrist, otherwise, they would simply enter the bloodstream and be expelled from the body.
Is the whole Covid-19 thing a preparatory step for a future Mark of the Beast dissemination? Quite possibly. Many countries are currently making the vaccine shots mandatory. This is a necessary step for the Mark of the Beast, but it isn't the Mark of the Beast.
The rebellious attitudes of some churches and Christians toward Covid-19 are, unfortunately, IMHO, playing into the hands of Satan. It is Satan who wants countries to legislate vaccines in emergencies. While some Christians think they are opposing Satan by refusing the vaccines, they are, in fact, giving him the ammunition he needs to legislate vaccine distribution. Also, such churches are displaying an attitude that the unsaved cannot understand. This contributes to the growing anti-Christian attitude in the world today. The Great Tribulation will bring about the slaughter of millions upon millions of Christians, and rebellious churches are helping to set the table for that slaughter.
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