5-18-20 COVID-19- Reality Check
COVID 19 – Reality Check :: By Tommy Stone
It’s time to look at 4 questions regarding the COVID 19 situation from a perspective of reality. Where the virus came from, who is to blame, how bad it is, and what effect will it have on the future. Of the 4, there are two sides to each question: what we know for sure, and what we don’t know for sure.
Questions 1 & 2. COVID 19, where did it come from and who is to Blame?
We can all speculate on the details, and believe what we choose to believe. But in reality, no one but God knows everything about this situation. There are a few things we can know with certainty, but without being directly involved or responsible, there are many details we just can’t know for sure.
We are told from many sources that COVID 19 came from a mutated virus found in Bats in China. Others say there is evidence that suggest it was created in a lab in China, and that it’s a weaponized virus. There are those who claim it was originally smuggled out of Canada; some say the U.S. military was involved. There are literally dozens of speculations and accusations floating around. Many, including myself, have spent many hours researching this subject, but can any of us really do enough research with our limited resources to know with any certainty where it came from, or who’s to blame? I don’t think so.
God is sovereign. He was not caught off guard by COVID 19, nor has He ever been caught off guard by any disaster. Personally, I choose to believe God, in His infinite mercy and grace, as societies stray too far, chooses to get our attention from time to time and reveal just how fragile, weak and vulnerable we really are. I think He also uses circumstances like this one to help us realize this current world is under a curse, and that it offers no real safety or security. After all, sooner or later we’re all going to die, right?
Sometimes, especially in a nation like our good old USA, we can get so caught up in the false sense of security that comes from living a life of ease and comfort, we choose not to even consider our own mortality or future. God, who is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, sometimes gives us a glimpse of just how uncertain life really is, and how fast things can change.
God allows circumstances like this one to get us to consider our mortality, and what He has provided for humanity through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. I think He would like us all to know the peace and security that comes from putting our faith and hope in the finished work of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin, and the free gift of eternal life.
This brings us to the final two questions.
How bad is COVID 19 and what effect will it have on the future?
If we listen Democrat politicians and policy makers, it is very bad, and things can never be the same again. Some are saying society cannot be restored to normal until we have a vaccine. There is also talk of mandatory vaccinations with a digital ID system for verification before society can return to normal. If we listen to the mainstream media, they seem to go along with everything without questioning anything.
When talking with average citizens and freedom-loving Americans, most are beginning to wonder what is really happening. Many are saying something is not right about this, things are not that bad, and society must be re-opened as soon as possible or there will be real trouble.
I also find it interesting that more and more information coming to light suggests the mortality rates from COVID 19 are being fraudulently inflated to show a much higher death rate from the virus than what is really happening. If this is true, it would show this situation is being used for unseen motives and evil intent. With all the differing information floating around, can we with certainty really know just how bad it is? Again, I don’t think so.
All of this is leaving the average community leader stuck in the middle, afraid to take any action at all. Like the proverbial deer standing on the highway at midnight, frozen in place as he sees the coming headlights, afraid move to the left or the right for fear of the consequences.
My personal opinion, for what it’s worth. I believe the personal freedoms this country was founded on are worth standing up for. I believe everyone should do their own due diligence and decide for themselves what they should or should not be doing. I personally believe hang gliding is far too dangerous for me to participate in, so I choose not to do it. But, should my personal fear of hang gliding dictate whether or not others should have the freedom to do it? No! That’s why we live in America; it’s called freedom.
If a restaurant owner believes the threat from the virus is not bad enough to warrant shutting down his business, he should have the freedom to keep it open. If his customers feel the threat of the virus is too great for them to go to his restaurant, they have the freedom to stay away. If Christians are not afraid and want to meet together for worship, they have the guaranteed freedom to do so in this country. That’s what this country was founded on, and that’s what our Constitution guarantees. If they choose to stay home for fear of the virus, they have the right to do that as well.
As for me, I don’t want, or need, politicians making my choices for me. I want the freedom to do what I think is best for me.
This brings us to the final question: What effect will COVID 19 have on the future?
How will this situation turn out? Not knowing God’s timeline for future events, we cannot know with certainty how COVID 19 will affect the future. However, having knowledge of the scriptures, we can know a few things regarding some of the rumors floating around with certainty. For example, until the born-again Christians are removed from the earth, no one, no matter how much money they have, or how hard they may try, will ever successfully cause all to take a digital tattoo or mark on their body for Identification or to function in our society; it will not happen.
We know this with certainty, because the Bible speaks of that happening, and makes it very clear who will be responsible for making that happen. It is the man of sin, AKA – the antichrist, and the false prophet that will force people to take the mark needed for buying and selling, Revelation 13. And they cannot make that happen until Jesus Christ opens the first seal of the judgments of God, allowing them to do it. And that will not happen until the true believers have been safely removed from the earth. See *Rapture – Part 3.
If what is happening now is preparation for what will soon take place as prescribed in the Bible, it means the rapture of the church is imminent. If that is the case, and it could be, I suggest everyone humble themselves before God, repent, and believe the gospel while there is still time. In doing so, you will be saved, and will be taken to Heaven before the identity mark is given and before everything hits the fan. Those with hardened hearts, those unwilling to put their faith in Christ Jesus, had better be ready to go through the worst time of trouble the world will ever know or go through.
It does appear that we are approaching God’s appointed time to call the believers home, but if we are not quite there yet, things could return to normal, or they could still get much worse. End-time events are unfolding very rapidly now, but because we really do not know with certainty where we are in God’s timeline of events, we don’t know for sure what will happen next. This is reality.
My position is to be ready for anything, and no one is ready for anything until they are ready to face death. I do not look forward to the time of my death, but I’m not afraid to die. For I possess eternal life, by the grace of God, through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know God has given me eternal life. So whether I live or die, in the end I will live.
One need not be a rocket scientist to know that evil exists in this current world, evil that is trying to remove freedom and control the people. It is also trying to deny and discredit the truth of God, because it is God’s truth that sets people free. So, as long as I live, I choose to expose evil, proclaim truth, and stand for freedom.
Jesus is the rightful heir of this planet. He will remove the Christians, judge the world in righteousness, and then set up His kingdom. Without question, circumstances continue to move us ever closer to that time, but we just can’t know with certainty how soon it will happen.
This is reality. Are you ready?
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