Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic
A major lesson we learned in the COVID-19 pandemic is that in times of crisis people struggle about whom to turn to for authoritative information. We have also learned that an elite few make decisions concerning what is to be considered authoritative information for the masses. We have seen that this elite few are increasingly willing either to amplify or to limit access to information they have determined to be accurate.
Among the most fascinating discussions during the time of the pandemic were those carried on by the scientific community.
For an example, listen to the language used in a one-minute television spot announcement released by Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began:
At a time when things are most uncertain, we turn to the most certain thing there is: science. Science can overcome diseases, create cures, and yes, beat pandemics. It has before; it will again. Because when it's faced with a new opponent, it doesn't back down, it revs up, asking questions till it finds what it's looking for. That's the power of science. So we're taking our science and unleashing it—our research, experts, and resources—all in an effort to advance potential therapies and vaccines. Other companies and academic institutions are doing the same. The entire global scientific community is working together to beat this thing. And we're using science to help make it happen, because when science wins, we all win.
The music crescendoed, and a picture of a person in scrubs and a head-engulfing mask was seen on the screen.
A caption appeared over the picture: "We thank all the scientists working relentlessly in both our labs and labs around the world to end this global health crisis."
The message is crystal clear. Science has the answer for the entire world. We need to listen to science, the most credible and thus authoritative form of information.
It was trust in science that led many of the world's governments to lock down their economies, because, they were told, if they did not, millions of their citizens would die.
In America, the leaders of various states and cities took such action, telling protesters that they would be swayed by science, not politics. Later, the data that led to these actions was called into some question. "Fake science" cried Elon Musk, the world-renowned visionary behind Tesla cars and a new line of rockets. Others agreed, and a war of words began that continues to this day.
Again, this was all about who should be trusted, what should be our source of authority in this time of crisis.
Is this an important discussion? Does it matter in whom we put our trust?
A research study led by Dr. Clint Jenkin, vice president of research for Barna Group, compared the data collected from Barna's wider study of Millennials with a survey done specifically on Adventist Millennials. Jenkin outlines six grievances that Millennials tend to harbor against "the church" as a cultural institution. One of these is that the church is "anti-science in its beliefs."¹
With this in mind, the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy seem especially apropos: "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called" (1 Tim. 6:20).²
The word here translated as "science" in the King James Version is gnōsis, which means knowledge. In the New Testament, not surprisingly, gnōsis is used mostly for knowledge about God and things relating to God. Almost all translations today render it here as "knowledge." Even so, the King James translation of this verse invites us to think a bit about science, which is certainly one area of knowledge. Paul is not saying (and neither are we) that there is no science, or that it should never be listened to. He is saying that science (knowledge) can be true or false, and that Timothy is to know the difference.
Is this a new discussion?
According to Ellen G. White, the debate concerning what is true knowledge versus what is invalid is not a new one. Consider these statements:
In Heaven
• False science is one of the agencies that Satan used in the heavenly courts, and it is used by him today. The false assertions that he made to the angels, his subtle, scientific theories, led many of them from their loyalty.³
On earth in Eden
• Having lost their place in heaven, they [the fallen angels] prepared temptations for our first parents. Adam and Eve yielded to the enemy, and by their disobedience, humanity was estranged from God, and the earth was separated from heaven.⁴
• The fallen foe deals in his science today as verily and in the same way as when he deceived Adam and Eve.⁵
On earth during the time of Noah
• The preacher of righteousness was proclaimed to be an ignorant fanatic who had no knowledge of the laws of nature. The wise men of that time . . . reasoned from scientific principles, that the world could not be destroyed, and that no attention should be paid to the predictions of Noah. This philosophy, or science falsely so called, exalted the law above the Lawgiver, and things created above the Creator.⁶
Noah is the first of several Bible characters whom Scripture (KJV) or the writings of Ellen G. White associate with the word "science." We can find lessons in their experiences that will help us to know how to relate to knowledge—true and false—as we navigate life today in a culture that rarely acknowledges, much less honors, God. Notice some lessons we can learn from Noah:
He followed both God's moral and health laws (Gen. 6:22).
He took a strong stand against culture in regard to marriage. Noah and his three sons and their wives were monogamous and heterosexual. The antediluvians, on the other hand, "would not leave off their sins, but continued in polygamy."⁷ The Bible's stance against polygamy stems from the Genesis directive that male and female join to become one flesh (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:3-9). This also precludes homosexual relationships, as they are not following the male-female formula.
Noah lived out his faith by speaking out his faith. He preached for 120 years, and eventually eight people decided to get into the ark.
Noah lived out his faith by building and getting into the ark.
Noah understood and embraced the gospel. He found grace (Gen. 6:8) and rest in the Lord. His name (in Noach) literally means rest.
Luke indicates that Noah's life will have its counterpart in the last days in those who will be saved, while others will be lost: "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:26, 27, NKJV). Eventually Jesus, the Son of Man, will be seen by all, "coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27). This is the same Son of Man that is seen in the book of Daniel. "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him" (Dan. 7:13).
In the book of Daniel, there was a showdown over science.
Daniel was known for his "understanding" of "science" (the Hebrew word, like the Greek, means "knowledge") and the "learning" and "tongue of the Chaldeans" (Dan. 1:4). While he lived in Babylon, Daniel demonstrated superior learning, without compromising his biblical convictions:
The Chaldean magicians were placed where they had to acknowledge the inefficiency of their scientific power, so that God could show the superior wisdom possessed by those who worship Him. He sought to lead princes and people from broken cisterns to the living fountain, by revealing the divine science of eternity.⁸
What lessons can we learn from Daniel?
He, like Noah, believed in all of God's commandments and lived in accordance with them. Evidence of this can be found in the fact that he would not defile himself with the king's food (Dan. 1). Further, his contemporaries, who did not want him to rule over the whole realm, could find nothing to accuse him of and had to resort to setting up the laws of the state to conflict with the laws of God so that they could convict him of wrongdoing (Dan. 6).
The stand against the culture of Babylon that Daniel and his friends took regarding diet and drink resulted in a scientific showdown, with the four Hebrew captives serving as the representatives of God's diet. After ten days, their diet was shown superior physically, and after three years it was shown to be connected with superior mental intelligence (Dan. 1:11-20). It is perhaps the first scientific study known to mankind.
Daniel uplifted monogamous marriage by his negative depiction of the debauchery of Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, as recorded in Daniel 5:1-4.
Daniel wrote of his faith when he recorded instances of his prayer life and even of his direct dialogue with angels and with God (Dan. 2, 6, 9, 10).
He listened carefully to the voice of prophecy (Dan. 9:1, 2; Jer. 29:10, 11).
He understood, embraced, and preached the gospel that it is through faith in God's righteousness and mercy that we are saved (see Dan. 9:7-9, 18).
According to Jesus, Daniel's life and prophecy provide a pattern for all to study and follow (Matt. 24:15).
Now we will fast-forward to the time of Timothy. In Paul's letters to Timothy, he gives the younger man instructions which we may assume that Timothy took to heart and conveyed to others, since Paul commended Timothy and his labors without reproof. So these letters give us a window into Timothy's beliefs and teachings.
Lessons from Timothy
Timothy stood for all of God's commandments, which are embodied and summarized in 1 Timothy 1:4-10.
Timothy took a stand against the culture of his day specifically as it related to dress and adornment (1 Tim. 2:9, 10), sexuality (2 Tim. 3:6), marriage (1 Tim. 3:2, 12), and diet (1 Tim. 4:3, 4).
Timothy rooted his teaching and practice in the directives of God, as given in the book of Genesis (1 Tim. 2:13-15).
Though a young man, Timothy lived out his faith, even while surrounded by a corrupt Roman culture (1 Tim. 4:12).
Timothy understood, embraced, and preached the gospel (1 Tim. 1:11), warning specifically, as we have seen, about "science falsely so called" (1 Tim. 6:20).
Paul's instruction to Timothy was the same as what Paul taught in all the churches (1 Cor. 4:17), and so provides a pattern of doctrine and discipleship for all churches to follow, even today.
What about the debate between true and false science and the time of the end?
Consider these statements from Ellen G. White:
• I want to tell you that every conceivable thing is coming in that the devil can bring in. All his science in the name of science, and hypnotism, and various things.⁹
• He will make people sick, and then he will bring them out of the sickness, and they will say, This miracle is worked by the power of God. Now, it is the power of the devil that will work mightily.... If it is possible he would deceive the very elect.¹⁰
• Thus the false science of the present day, which undermines faith in the Bible, will prove as successful in preparing the way for the acceptance of the papacy, with its pleasing forms, as did the withholding of knowledge in opening the way for its aggrandizement in the Dark Ages.¹¹
Ellen White aptly summarized some end-time dangers:
Seducing spirits are coming in. If God has ever spoken by me, you will hear before long of a wonderful science—a science of the devil. Its aim will be to make of no account God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. Some will exalt this false science, and through them Satan will seek to make void the law of God. Great miracles will be performed in the sight of men in behalf of this wonderful science.¹²
So, what can protect us? What can help us discern what is true versus what is false in terms of science?
Maintaining a love-based connection with the God of Scripture, one that manifests itself in knowing and obeying His commandments and health laws, through His power. Regarding COVID-19 specifically, you may recall that at the beginning, suspicion for its origin pointed at a meat market that sold bats for human consumption. If people had stayed away from unclean meats as enumerated in Scripture (see Lev. 11:3, 9, 13-20, especially v. 19), perhaps this entire pandemic could have been prevented.
Accepting science that is congruent with divinely inspired revelation, where revelation has spoken. During the COVID-19 crisis, the validity of the Adventist health message has been demonstrated in amazing ways. Some have used the NEWSTART™ acronym to summarize this message. The letters stand for:
N - nutrition
E - exercise
W - water
S - sunlight
T - temperance
A - fresh air
R - proper rest
T - trust in God. If one follows the original plan of Scripture concerning each of these areas, the immune system is enhanced, and longevity and productivity are advanced.
Living out and sharing the gospel in real time just as Noah, Daniel and Timothy did. During the COVID-19 crisis, opportunities to share the wonderful gospel-focused Adventist message were greatly enhanced. Millions were made aware of how Adventists navigated the so-called Spanish flu of 1918 and of the use and effectiveness of natural remedies such as thermal hydrotherapy, etc. Many were thus introduced to the truths for this time and were led to accept Christ and the gospel. Ellen White indicates that this should always be the focus of our scientific endeavors. "The highest of all sciences is the science of soul saving. The greatest work to which human beings can aspire is the work of winning men from sin to holiness."¹³
As this becomes our focus, it saves others and also provides protection for us. "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Tim. 4:16, NKJV).
The most powerful thing that we can share is our personal testimony concerning what God has done and is doing for us. Revelation 12:11 speaks of this power: "They [believers throughout all time] overcame him [Satan and his false science] by the blood of the Lamb [Jesus' redemptive sacrifice] and by the word of their testimony [their own personal testimony], and they did not love their lives to the death [they were totally committed]" (Rev. 12:11, NKJV).
Notice how Ellen G. White underscores the power of testimony:
Our confession [our testimony] of His faithfulness is Heaven's chosen agency for revealing Christ to the world. We are to acknowledge His grace as made known through the holy men of old; but that which will be most effectual is the testimony of our own experience. . . . These precious acknowledgments to the praise of the glory of His grace, when supported by a Christlike life, have an irresistible power that works for the salvation of souls.¹⁴
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us not only of the gifts of knowledge and understanding that we have as a people, but also that we must live this knowledge and share it with a fearful, vulnerable world.
As millions have died, and millions of others live in vulnerability and fear, what better time for us to commit to Christ, who is the resurrection and the life.
In closing, I am reminded of my mother, who succumbed to COVID-19 this past year. She was a faithful Adventist nurse, whose life and example God used to support not only me, but many others. Just days ago, I got an email from the pastor of the church where she lived most of her retirement years. During those years, though in her 80s, she continued to hold cooking schools and to care for the sick. Though she didn't get to see it, a number of those attending her last cooking schools have since come to faith. I remember her praying for these souls, crying out to God for their salvation, especially as the COVID-19 virus circled the globe. She believed that science would win, but it wasn't secular science she had in mind, it was the science of soul winning. She realized what these final quotes underscore. As you read them, I pray that you will join me in recommitting to the science that will really protect and save, eternally.
"One soul saved, to live throughout the ages of eternity, to praise God and the Lamb, is of more value than millions in money."¹⁵
"One soul is worth more than all the gold and silver that could be heaped up on this earth."¹⁶
"One soul for whom Christ has died is worth more than the whole world."¹⁷
"One soul saved in the kingdom of God is worth more than ten thousand worlds like this."¹⁸
"One soul is of infinite value."¹⁹
Endnotes
¹ Clint Jenkin and A. Allan Martin, "Engaging Adventist Millennials: a Church that Embraces Relationships," Ministry, May, 2014, pp. 6-9.
² Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
³ "Beware of Fanciful Doctrines," Review and Herald, January 14, 1904, par. 7.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ [Content for footnote 5 was not provided in the source images.]
⁶ Manuscript 30, 1906, par. 34.
⁷ "Marrying and Giving in Marriage," Review and Herald, September 25, 1888, par. 1.
⁸ Ellen G. White Letter 151, 1904, par. 5.
⁹ Manuscript 191, 1905, par. 27.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ The Great Controversy, p. 572.
¹² Manuscript 97, 1906, par. 52.
¹³ The Ministry of Healing, p. 398.
¹⁴ The Ministry of Healing, p. 100, emphasis supplied.
¹⁵ Testimonies for the Church, 2:246, emphasis supplied.
¹⁶ Manuscript 16, 1886, par. 7, emphasis supplied.
¹⁷ Letter 6, 1893, par. 19, emphasis supplied.
¹⁸ "Missionary Address," Review and Herald, April 1, 1880, par. 1, emphasis supplied.
¹⁹ "The Necessity of Labor," Review and Herald, March 13, 1888, par. 9, emphasis supplied.