Under pressure… Standing firm

Earlier I wrote about the pressure/coercion to vaccinate that is currently being exerted in many (formerly free) countries. A year ago, a corona passport was still considered a conspiracy theory, but by now that too has been overtaken by reality.

For those who choose not to get the shot, various motives may play a role, such as:

• preferring to trust in the God-given immune system rather than in a (temporarily effective) “vaccine”;
• preferring to wait until all normal testing phases of the “vaccine” are completed (end of 2023) and more is known about long-term effects;
• distrusting the global pressure being exerted to take “the shot” and seeing in it the contours of the coming “Beast rule” (Rev. 13).

exclusion

The mainstream media usually portrays this conviction as selfish and antisocial. Those who raise the above considerations are ridiculed (“crackpots,” “conspiracy theorists”) and regarded as a danger to public health. In the Netherlands, admission passes still leave the very cumbersome option of getting tested, but increasingly the G3 system (= Vaccinated, Recovered, or Tested) threatens to be changed to G2: no shot, no access. In the Netherlands the corona passport (currently) is still required only for restaurants, cinemas, and theaters, but elsewhere in our continent the admission certificate is already being enforced in supermarkets or even every public space. Despite solemn promises from the government that this would never happen in the Netherlands (see video), it has now become possible for companies to refuse the “unvaccinated.” This means one is not merely excluded from “the fun things in life,” but even loses their job and income. And in some countries, even the right to social benefits. That is Europe 2021.

under pressure

Mind you: the core issue here is not being for or against a corona shot, but the voluntariness of the choice. It is the indirect coercion of the passport that blackmails people into taking “the jab.” The cases that have come to my attention in recent weeks are often distressing. For instance, this week I received the following email from a visitor of the GB site.

Hello André,

In recent weeks I’ve been lying awake and have felt very restless about the coercion I’m experiencing to take the corona shot. In fact, with everything I know and the possible consequences and ideas behind it, I wouldn’t do it. But due to my work, I feel forced. I foresee that I have to take the shot in order to continue performing my job (…). It’s becoming increasingly difficult to be allowed to work and stay overnight there. If I now have to cross the border for a day, I already have to get tested. If I spend the whole week there and commute, I already have to test at least twice a week… if I have to stay overnight there, then I have to get tested every two days just to stay in a hotel and be able to eat. In some regions, there’s already G2 in place, which means I’m no longer allowed to enter anywhere, nor can I sleep in a hotel.

I don’t see the shot as something beneficial, but simply as political coercion. That really affects me. Fortunately, I may know that God has a plan for us and that He will never leave us. Also, I know that a turbulent time is coming, and it’s good that we may see this, though it’s also difficult. If I don’t take the shot, the time will come that I can no longer do my job. Suppose I get fired as a result… within no time we’d be living in a cardboard box… I still have to provide for my family…

I feel like I’d be giving in if I took the shot, but on the other hand I know that nothing can separate us from the Lord and that it need not affect our relationship with God. I just don’t know what to do—since I’m experiencing so much distress and stress from this coercion, my question is: can you say something meaningful about this? How can I deal with it? What does God expect of me?

Sincerely,

nothing can separate us…!

That such pressure, as described in the above email, causes stress is not surprising. Especially due to the uncertainty about how all of this will unfold. I do not say what someone in such a situation must do. I also do not pass moral judgment on whether someone does or does not take “the shot.” That is for each to decide for themselves. And it is true, as was noted: nothing (not even a shot) can separate us from the love of God.

waiting

At most, I can say what I myself would do under these circumstances. My consideration is that, since so little is known about the effects of “the shot” in the long term (except that regarding COVID-19, it seems to wear off after a few months), for that reason I am, for now, choosing to wait with getting the shot. I accept the inconvenience of testing and exclusion. I also take into account that the “vaccine story” and the corona pass may eventually fizzle out or even implode. For example, through:

• reaching herd immunity;
• the availability of a successful medicine;
• excessive vaccine injury in the medium or long term;
• undermining effects of “the shot” on the immune system;
• etc.

Who can say? No one knows how it will turn out. What is clear, however, is that intimidation and blackmail to participate in this medical experiment are increasing. Those who give in for pragmatic reasons, thinking they will regain their freedom, may very well have “bought a pig in a poke.” As is being experienced in Israel: a third “vaccine” is now required in order to keep “the green checkmark.”

yielding or standing firm?

The pressure and exclusion associated with the corona pass is certainly a form of tribulation. One becomes a pariah within (or actually: outside) society. That is not suffering “for Christ’s sake” but it is suffering for righteousness and for conscience’ sake (see 1 Peter 2 and 3). After all, someone conscientiously chooses to do what is right, with the consequence of being excluded. Then it applies: do not yield to such tyranny, but stand firm. And know that when you do what is good, regardless of the consequences, GOD never puts anyone to shame. As Peter declares:

“But if you should also be suffering because of righteousness, happy are you…”
— 1 Peter 3:14

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