Evangelist Franklin Graham does not believe the chip is the mark of the beast, though he warns that such technology could lead to it in the future.
"Right now, a Swedish company has developed a 'vaccine passport' chip that is implanted under the skin and can be scanned," Graham recently posted on Facebook. "It could be required to enter restaurants or businesses, fly commercially, etc. 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."
![Markell, Jan (Olive Tree Ministries)](/media/cyfc4i5o/jan-markell-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=85&height=125&rnd=133638655324570000&format=png)
"I totally, totally agree with him," responds Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries. "What's happening now cannot be the mark of the beast because we don't have a beast."
In other words, there is currently no functioning Antichrist.
"The Antichrist may be alive somewhere, but he's not identified; he's not a functioning Antichrist. You cannot have a mark of the beast without the beast," says Markell. "But the hour is extremely late, and this person could manifest at any time. And I believe [Franklin Graham] and I would share the theology that the Church will never experience this man, ever, because we'll be in glory when this happens."
Revelation 13:16-17 describes the mark of the beast as being in a person's right hand or on his or her forehead, and no person will be able to buy or sell unless he or she has the mark.