Church Times Six-question Covid-19 interview series (2)
Olamide Adekunle
Since Olamide Adekunle graduated from the University of Lagos where he studied Geography and Urban and regional planning, he has embraced missions traveling to nooks and crannies of Nigeria and other neighbouring countries preaching the gospel and training missionaries. Adekunle who lived his early years in the UK before he came to Nigeria to pursue both secondary and tertiary education is the founder of Pneuma World Outreach through which he carries out his missions’ assignment. He has put in well over 20 years in missions. He gives a mission’s perspective to the present global phenomenon.
Do you see the present pandemic as an indication of the end of age?
This is not the end of age. I don’t think believers should be alarmist because we have a mandate to be change agents. From my reading of the event, I do not think this will mark the end. The gospel is still being preached and we are yet to cover many nations of the world. It is also cheering that the coronavirus is not as deadly as being portrayed. And that is not to play down its impact and horror it has caused some families. Our heart goes to them because every soul is precious before God. But it is cheering to note from the statistics that more people are recovering than dying. So this can’t be the end. The world is not ending on a sad note…but in a BLAZE OF GLORY!!!!
There have been such pandemic in years past. How is this different from others?
This is different because of technology. Don’t forget that the world is now a global village. The internet and other communication media spread the knowledge of what is happening faster that previous years. This is the reason there is fear and panic everywhere. We should not also forget that air travel of people from across the world has also spread this disease. But then, the panic would not have been possible without technology.
There are insinuations that the pandemic is a preparation towards one world govt. and the reign of the antichrist. Do you agree?
Disease is disease and because the world has become “smaller” the disease will be fought globally as a team and not just by individual nations. I do not believe in this anti-Christ narrative. We have expressed similar fears about the anti-Christ and have called all sorts of things anti-Christ in the past. This particular pandemic is causing so much hysteria and fear making us think of the anti-Christ because there is massive technological advancement in the world. I think only time will tell if it is a preparatory ground for the anti-Christ. But I do not see the anti-Christ in this.
The W.H.O is currently working on a vaccine to deal with the pandemic. The vaccine according to the body should be ready in about a year from now. Should believers take the vaccine when out?
They should take the vaccine. We took the yellow fever vaccine and got our yellow cards. I think we should stop being alarmist. It is a sign of spiritual immaturity to discountenance medical intervention. If there is evidence that the vaccine will stop the impact of the virus I think people should take it. We have taken several vaccines in the past and we have not had to succumb to the devil. I believe God still reigns in the affairs of men.
Some believe the vaccine is a mark of the beast and that there will be an implant in the hands of people to monitor them by the one world govt. What do you think about this?
Who really knows what the mark of the beast is? Whoever is spreading such news is creating unnecessary panic. I don’t think the mark of the beast will come in the form of a vaccine. The mark of the beast can be anything. The mark of the beast is mentioned in Rev 16v2 and Rev 19v20 as a sign that identifies those who worship the beast that came out of the sea. I have taken several vaccines like any other person and yet we have not experienced the anti-Christ. So I really don’t see any link between the vaccine and the mark of the beast.
What should be the Christian attitude in times like this?
Believers should live and focus on the mandate of the cross. Jesus addressed the issue of the end when the apostles asked him in Acts chapter 1v6 if the time had come for him to “free Israel and restore our kingdom”. He said to them, the father is the one that would set the time and dates. He said the dates are not for them to know. But that they should tarry in Jerusalem and they would receive the power to witness to the world. So, we should stop being reactionary. The message of the gospel has not changed. And the mind of God has not changed. It is not for us to start having hysteria over the end of age. This is the time for us to intensify our evangelism and reach out to the lost world.
1 comment
Great thoughts