Evangelist Franklin Graham said that although he does not believe the "vaccine passport" microchip is the Mark of the Beast mentioned in the Bible, it does make him consider how close the world may be to the Biblical prophecy.
After reports of the Swedish-designed microchip made headlines, the Samaritan's Purse CEO offered his thoughts on the subject.
As CBN News has previously reported, the number of Swedish people who have chosen to inject microchips with their vaccination passports into their hands has increased after the government announced additional COVID regulations.
As a matter of fact, on December 1, Sweden implemented new laws requiring persons to show their passports at any gatherings with more than 100 attendees.
"Vaccine passes are a measure that we see as necessary. We cannot just kick back and hope for the best," Karin Tegmark Wisell, a spokesperson for the Swedish Public Health Agency, said last month.
Evangelist Graham responded by sharing his thoughts on Facebook.
"Right now, a Swedish company has developed a 'vaccine passport' chip that is implanted under the skin and can be scanned. It could be required to enter restaurants or businesses, fly commercially, etc.," he wrote.
"I personally do not think this particular chip is the mark the Bible talks about, but it does make you think how close we may be."
Christians worldwide, he said, are asking whether COVID-19 is being used to groom the world's society to embrace the mark of the Beast. Graham acknowledges that if a "scannable chip" embedded under the human skin can hold vaccination information, adding more personal and financial data may be a short step.
Graham argues, however, that the alleged Beast's mark through the vaccine passport chip is not the one yet. Additionally, he said that Christians should not be concerned about this.
"This may sound frightening; but people who have put their faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, don't need to be afraid. We should not live in fear," he said.
"God told us what was coming in His Word. Make sure that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life by repenting of your sins and putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ."
Not an anti-vaxxer
Graham has been an outspoken proponent of vaccinations from the start of the COVID shot rollout.
According to Faithwire, he claimed in a March 2021 Facebook post that he thinks Jesus would have backed vaccination against COVID-19 had the pandemic happened during "His earthly ministry."
"I have been asked my opinion about the vaccine by the media and others," Graham reportedly said. "I have even been asked if Jesus were physically walking on earth now, would He be an advocate for vaccines. My answer was that based on the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, I would have to say-yes, I think Jesus Christ would advocate for people using vaccines and medicines to treat suffering and save lives."
Nonetheless, Graham expressed his concern that political leaders are exploiting the COVID pandemic as a pretext to exercise ever-increasing levels of control. Many foreign leaders, he claims, continue to use COVID as a justification to impose economic and social restrictions on their citizens, with devastating consequences for their countries' socioeconomic development.
