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Writer's pictureBen Shafer

Fool Me Once




The first real hype wave that I remember was the great hole in the ozone layer. The theory was that chemicals in aerosol cans caused so much pollution to the ozone that a hole was ripped into it. Because of this, everyone was going to end up dying of skin cancer. Then one day people just quit talking about it and it was never heard from again.


Then I remember the Y2K scare. This was when people believed that the world was going to fall back into the times of Adam and Eve because all technology would crash on January 1, 2000. The year 2000 came and went, and nothing happened.


We live in an age where everything is hyped. Every storm has to have a name attached to it. Every politician is Hitler or Stalin reborn. How many times a day does Fox News play their “Breaking News” sound? Everything is hyped, and rarely is anything as bad as they make it out to be. Storms come and go. Politicians come and go. Day to day life is rarely affected.


The situation with Covid-19 (to me) seems to be another one of those hype stories that is just going to just fade away. That’s not to say there isn’t a virus and that it isn’t bad, but that when it’s all said and done, we are going to be left with trillions of dollars wasted, livelihoods lost, changes to our daily life, with nothing to show. Our consolation will be “Better safe than sorry right?”


Why do we still listen to the hype machine? Why are we wearing masks? Why do we believe we are actually helping by staying in? Why are we willing to give up liberties at a request of a Dr? If it is because "they" said so, why in the world would we ever listen to them? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.


The answer has to be boiled down to us asking ourselves “what if they are right?”. The chances of my house burning down are very low but I still have insurance. I think that is the mindset of majority of people right now regarding Covid-19 precautions.

The greater question is, why do many not carry AT LEAST that same diligence to what God has said?


God has never lied (Num 23:19). That means he has NEVER said anything that was not true. He has never misstated a fact. He has never got it wrong. He has never had a slip of the tongue. In fact, Hebrews 6:18 tells us it is impossible for Him to lie. Malachi 3:6, in speaking about God’s nature says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change”. In eternity God never said anything that was untrue, since the dawn of time God has never said anything that was untrue, and forevermore God will never say anything untrue. His truthful nature will never change. Even if the entire human race stood up and took a vote on one of God’s word, He would not change it (Rom 3:4).


His instructions laid out in the New Testament are simple, clear, and can be obeyed. Those instructions are built on promises kept throughout thousands of years. With Jesus alone it is estimated that there are over 300 prophecies concerning him. God's word is perfect, but still people are quicker to listen to humans than his Holy Bible.


Right now, people are being mindful of human contact because a flawed medical community says to be mindful of it, yet they have no mind to the sin they infect themselves with every day (Rom 1:25-32, 6:23).


Churches are doing their diligence to abide by the government’s guidelines, but have never cared for the guidelines for Christian worship as it is given in the New Testament (John 4:24, Col 2:23).


I see people wearing masks because a doctor said you should wear a mask, but argue against the command of the Great Physician to be baptized for salvation (Mark 16:16, John 3:3-5).


I see many professed Christians that live as if Jesus is not coming back to Judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30), but stay in their homes because the coronavirus comes like a thief in the night.

This is not to ridicule or mock anyone who is taking precautions that they feel necessary. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about to wear a mask or gloves or whatever else you choose to do. This is written so you will think about what you are willing to do for something that is uncertain, versus what you will do for what is certain.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness… 2Peter 3:9-11

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