GUWAHATI: A church organisation in Christian-majority Nagaland has asked people not to believe in the “prophecy” of a prayer centre that the COVID-19 vaccines are “not the will of God.”
“The COVID-19 mass vaccination... is not the will of God, for which all believers are told not to take it. Through the vaccination, the mark of the ‘beast’ will come which will follow biochip/microchip containing the number of the beast,” the prophecy, issued by Eastern Zion Healing Ministry, reads.
It further stated: “Those believers, who have received COVID-19 vaccine, will not be able to enter the reign of Christ's millennium kingdom.”
The Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC) said the alleged “divine revelation” was contrary to the Bible and Christian faith.
“Churches around the world have prayed for God’s intervention and healing from the dreaded disease...Therefore, the church believes that the vaccines, which have come to us, are indeed God’s answers to the prayers of believers,” the CBCC said in a statement.
Vaccination has nothing to do with Salvation and does not have any biblical basis. A vaccine does not get to decide and cancel the work of Christ on the cross, it said.
The CBCC acknowledged that the Church believes in prophecy but said it is always guided by the Bible which admonishes not to believe every prophecy.
“The same kind of prophecies emerged (in 2018) from the same group which claimed that getting Aadhaar Card and Rubella vaccines were against the will of God and will attract the beast marks which was also then clarified and out-right condemned by the CBCC,” the statement said.
The church body suspects that vested interest is running a misinformation campaign to derail the fight against the pandemic.