If taking rational, precautionary measures during a pandemic makes one "phobic about disease", then obsessing over "the end times" and "the second coming" makes one phobic about reality.
But that's exactly what it is. Be as precautionary as you want, but keep in mind this woman below.
Yesterday, I had a gig fixing someone's printer. I drive to her house, she has a notice on the door. "Please use hand sanitizer. (etc) (etc)" I walk in, I have a job to do. She greets me at the door, gives me a bottle squirt of some white creamy liquid, and I remind myself that I'm similarly being ****ed. Then she demands I wear a mask before entering. This woman has zero hospitality, and zero calm. I tell her I don't have one, and I tell her I have dust issues. I tell her "I'll stay away from you" in the sweetest way possible. She begrudgingly allows me to enter to look at her printer. Her husband is there to the side. I wave "Hi" to him. He doesn't wave back, but sits like a tool on his computer. I enter her room, and rather than staying far away, she hovers. I shrug it off and try to sit down, banging my knee in the process. So far this is going great. Before sitting down (keep in mind that I have touched literally nothing from the time I last got squirted), I get another dose of this white liquid. Her computer turns out to be a Mac, and I stumble through it trying to find the devices. She decides after five minutes "this isn't working," and I walk off. Her tool of a husband doesn't say good bye to me. Neither does she. They were basically paranoid people, which I could forgive right now, but that they were so unwelcoming was not okay.
Whether you are afraid, or think it is a hoax, or somewhere in the middle, some day some guy may knock on your door and ask for a favor. Maybe his car broke down, and he needs a jump start. Maybe he's hungry and all of the stores are closed to people without masks. Maybe he's needing to use a phone. Nope, "Sorry Jesus, I'm scared about getting sick. I don't know you." Basic decency goes a long way, even if you are concerned about your safety. By all means, see to whatever you need to in order to feel like you won't get sick. If you want to welcome people by suiting up in a cleansuit or whatever, that's your lookout. When you fail those who need your hospitality, you've missed what's expected. And Jesus will say, "
For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. Depart from me, I never knew you."
But anyway, if we somehow knew it was the Jesus for real, then he wouldn't be infected, right? Regardless, I would turn his *** back around and say "Get back out there and make yourself useful. Get to curing, boy."
The Second Coming is not about Jesus coming as a wandering healer. The Second Coming is about Jesus coming in power. And when he does, rather than going around handing out free healing, he wants to see if people will welcome him. When it is risky. When people are afraid. He will heal people by reminding them that this physical world is passing away, and such things as disease are only temporary problems, illusions of the physical world. He will preach pure dharma, and to follow the laws of Heaven, not the things of this fading world. Jesus's Second Coming is to find his Bride, not to get crucified again or be human again. This is not a time of healing, it's a time of trial (testing). You want a magical COVID-19 cure? Suck it up, and get yourself healthy. Jesus wants to see if you're someone he wants to marry.
I went out with a copy of my book. I dared not knock on the door of any complete strangers, so I went only to houses of people I wanted to see if would welcome me. I knocked on the door of our next-door neighbor, and handed her one copy. She accepted it gratefully, despite me not wearing a mask, scrubbing my hands down with disgusting sanitizer, or having my temperature taken. The next day she thanked me for giving the book (even though she said she wasn't sure she could understand it all). The other copy, I wanted to give to the ex-friend to see if I could patch things up with her. It turned out that today she had work, so I was like "No worries, I'll knock on her door and see if her siblings or whatever might accept it." I rang the doorbell. No humans ever answered. Instead a pack of about four dogs snarled at me. I waited about five minutes, and then left. Instead, I went to a house that I think belonged to a guy
that she personally thought was a creep, but I realized I didn't have a problem with. I knocked on the door but no answer. He had windows boarded up. But I decided even not being welcomed, and just hanging out with this guy's kitties, I decided this place was a damned sight more welcoming than snarling dogs, so I left a bag with the book in it on the porch and walked away. The guy can take or leave my gift, but I felt like his kitties at least let me pet them a little bit.
Strange. He is God and also son of God. He can come through the door or the wall equally easily. Why does he knock? Furthermore, he knows about the person he wants to meet, whether the person is a Christian or a non-believer in Christianity or one who is apathetic about it or who is an atheist. He will know about the kind of reception he is going to get.
Because he
wants you to let him in. He wants to see if you will, despite things. This is what makes this such a powerful image. He knows that the odds are against a warm reception, or other times (because you're supposed to be a Christian) odds are for it. But he wants to see if you are someone who is better than their reputation or worse. He cares nothing about your religious affiliation as far as I know. He wants to see whether you welcome people. If it's not your choice, there's no point.
I don't see this virus outbreak so supernaturally dangerous that one would think Jesus is about to come. There are so many outbreaks around the world that "jesus is coming" in all parts of the country and he never did/does. If he came to my door, he would be a stranger so I wouldn't let him in. Maybe crack the door to see what he wants but rarely I would. Thank goodness I don't live in a community where people can evangelize or come to your door to say "I'm the one."
If he did come in, masks and sanitation wouldn't be too much of an issue. I'm not big on the asymptomatic thing. No thermometers at the door or anything like that. Though, I'd offer maybe a drink if I knew him a little bit. Unfortunately, I can't get to know him personally so I'd have to say hello and goodbye through the peep hole.
The virus isn't the issue. It's that people on a fundamental level have changed. Some are scared. Some are rude and unwelcoming. Some are outright hostile to people don't follow "the rules" or "the science." But it didn't begin with COVID-19, that's just a symptom of a larger problem.
Social disengagement.
Human beings are social creatures, but they've become antisocial. This is something so unprecedented to the nature of humanity that I wouldn't be surprised if Christ came again. Viruses come and go, but something like this is different.
), and of course I would let Him in. After having spend so much time on RF, would I not be a fool, to let go this chance to get some Real Answers, instead of opinions on RF
