Our conspiracy theories may turn out to be big blow worse than virus

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.” Nothing has confirmed this more than our human attempt to understand Covid-19. Scientists, politicians, religious leaders, as well as the pedestrian on the street are all desperately in search of answers as to the source and cause of this unprecedented global pandemic. This has been catalysed by our inherent nature to not only be inquisitive, but also appear knowledgeable – because information is power. The former is what drove Eve to the forbidden tree, and the latter was the motivation of the serpent in the Garden of Eden drama.

These traits – curiosity to know and appearance to be in the know – resides within every one of us. That is why interpretation of uncertain events tends to be more a function of power than of truth. The knowledgeable tend to rule and direct the lives of the curious – often in a manipulative manner. They speak with confidence, often spicing real facts with half-truths and/or outright falsehood, but with convincing authority.

As most of the world remains under lockdown, individuals have come up with interesting theories about the source and cause of the Covid-19. The claims have ranged from near factual to the totally absurd. They have included claims that the virus was created in either China or USA as a biological weapon, but which has backfired on them. Scientifically oriented theorists have targeted the new 5G mobile network as the cause of the disease. An in depth fact check reveals otherwise. However, from my corner, the greatest anxiety has been caused by doomsday theorists – those claiming that this could be the beginning of the end of life on planet earth.

Prevalent in these end-time theories are such claims as: the introduction of a new world order with its attendant formation of a one-world government, the revealing of the antichrist or the beast, and the introduction of a common global currency. At the centre of this theory is a proposed mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus that will come with a digital implant, but which will eventually serve as the Mark of the Beast. Some theorists have gone as far as identifying key global personalities as the Antichrist, the Beast, or facilitators of the New World Order.

Eschatology – the study of the End Times – is a critical subject in biblical theology, which was once the preoccupation of the Church. Unfortunately, it ceded much ground to the prosperity gospel as the Church became preoccupied with the life of here and now. The consequence is that many people are today almost completely illiterate on the foundational teachings of the End Times. This has rendered many vulnerable to the teachings of those who appear to be in the know. C S Lewis observed that, “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” Sadly, many of us are standing on the heap of ignorance.

The truth, however, is that there are fundamental principles of understanding and interpreting End Time events. When applied to some of the claims, they readily fail the test. Unfortunately, space does not allow us to explore these in any detail. But suffice it to say that any person who mentions dates, times, or individuals, is most certainly on a slippery path. Jesus made it clear that no one knows the day or the time. He however gave us clear pointers. Among them are wars, rumours of war, plagues, pestilences, etc. But then He cautioned, “but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Covid-19 is certainly not the end of the world. But it is definitely a sign of the last days. God must be drawing our attention from all our godless preoccupations to focus on serious matters of life – rest, family, love, worship, etc. He sent Israel into a seventy-year exile because they had ignored the Sabbath rule to allow the land to rest every seventh year. We too need to reflect. Unfortunately, our curiosity and desire to appear knowledgeable could easily rob us of this opportunity.  John Clarke suggested that, “He that pryeth into every cloud may be struck with a thunderbolt”. Whereas ignorance is never an option, the conspiracy theories around Covid-19 could turn out to be a thunderbolt worse than the coronavirus itself. Let’s beware!

The writer is the presiding bishop of Christ is the Answer Ministries. [email protected]