(COVID-19 image courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA)

By Spencer D Gear PhD

There are devastating warnings in Italy:

Bologna: Coronavirus victims in Italy could be left to die if they are aged 80 or more, or in poor health, under draft plans drawn up for the next phase of the crisis….

“Should it become impossible to provide all patients with intensive care services, it will be necessary to apply criteria for access to intensive treatment, which depends on the limited resources available.”

One doctor said: “[Who lives and who dies] is decided by age and by the [patient’s] health conditions. This is how it is in a war.”[1]

At the time of writing this article, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that not everyone had been tested so it’s impossible to know how many people are infected.

WHO has announced that COVID-19 is a pandemic. [2]

Currently, Australia does not have widespread community transmission of COVID-19. To help slow the spread, the Australian Government has advised, effective from Monday 16 March, organised, non-essential gatherings should be limited to 500 people.

Death can strike at any time. ‘As at 10:30 hrs on 15 March 2020, there were 249 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), including 3 deaths, in Australia…. Across the world, there have been more than 154,480 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 5,700 reported deaths’ (Coronavirus COVID-19: Health Alert, Australian Government, Department of Health).

Are alarm bells ringing: Are you ready for death?

What does it take to cause Aussies to realise death could be around the corner for them? Are you ready to meet the Lord God Almighty?

He has stated in Scripture what awaits you and me:

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (Heb 9:27-28 NLT).

Steps to obtain eternal salvation

1. You must admit you are a sinner who has broken God’s laws (Rom 3:23).
2. You can’t receive salvation through your own effort. It is because of God’s grace and faith extended to you (Eph 2:8-9).
3. God has already reached out to you through creation and your conscience to demonstrate his existence (Rom 1:18-20; 2:15-16).
4. Receive God’s gift of salvation through repentance and faith (Acts 2:38).

Now join a Bible believing church that will support you as a new believer and help you to grow as a Christian. Sadly, there are some churches that do not believe the Bible and do what they can to undermine Scripture.

This COVID-19 should be enough to wake you from your slumber of where you’ll be 1 minute after your last breath.

Notes

[1] Andrea Vogt and Erica Di Blasi 2020. The Sydney Morning Herald (online), Italy may abandon over-80s to their fate as crisis grows, 15 March. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/italy-may-abandon-over-80s-to-their-fate-as-crisis-grows-20200315-p54a75.html (Accessed 16 March 2020).

[2] A pandemic is ‘an occurrence of a disease that affects many people across a whole country or the whole world’ (Macmillan Dictionary 2020. s.v. pandemic).

 

Copyright © 2020 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 16 March 2020.