Kanye West told Forbes magazine he's "extremely cautious" about the possibility of a vaccine for the coronavirus But Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff thinks the rapper has misinterpreted Revelation chapter 13.
West, who converted to Christianity recently, said children were "being vaccinated and paralyzed".
"So when they say the way we're going to fix Covid is with a vaccine, I'm extremely cautious," he said.
"That's the mark of the beast. They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can't cross the gates of Heaven.
"I'm sorry when I say they, the humans that have the devil inside them. And the sad thing is that, the saddest thing is that we all won't make it to Heaven, that there'll be some of us that do not make it."
In his broadcast last week, Hanegraaff said West was wrong about a Covid vaccine and that the rapper's view on the subject was "as misleading as it is dangerous".
Offering up his own view, Hanegraaff said the mark of the beast was "symbolic".
"Biblical interpretation matters. If we interpret the Bible incorrectly, we'll think the Bible is a bunch of nonsense," Hanegraaff said.
"The mark in Revelation 13 symbolizes identity with the beast. And as such, identifying with Satan's kingdom is what will keep you out of Heaven, not getting vaccinated.
"As Kanye West must surely know, the forehead and the hands of people are Old Testament symbols of their beliefs and behaviour."
He continued: "Kanye West's interpretation of the mark of the beast as a vaccination or silicon or microchip is tenuously tethered to thin air.
"The multitudes who follow West should know taking on the mark of the beast is the intentional denial in thought, in word, in deed of the Lordship of Jesus Christ."
He cautioned Christians against "trafficking in selling of sensationalism" as he told them to do their homework and study Scripture for themselves.
"Fall in love with the Word of God all over again, rather than falling in love with the words of social icons," he said.
"It is so important that we stop falling for selling in sensationalism and ... we learn to read the Bible for all its substantial worth ... because Christianity is the only hope for western civilization."
