#Lockdown: Clergyman, Yusuf JS Speaks on its Spiritual Implications on Christians

By Victor Oroyi

Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, authorities in Nigeria are battling to contain the spread of the virus using the World Health Organization, WHO Covid-19 Safety Protocol. Some of the preventive measures in the safety protocol includes lockdown, isolation and maintaining physical distance which has been implemented in some part of the world where the virus broke out.

According to authorities, this will reduce the transmission of the virus from person to person saying the respiratory-related disease spreads faster when exposed surfaces. Therefore, the restrictions of social and religion gathering is aimed at forestalling the easy transmission of the deadly virus in the country.

With all these measures are in place, Nigerians have a divided opinion on the lockdown of gathering especially religious gathering. Nigeria is a highly religious country with three religions namely Christianity, Islam and traditionalists, the call for lockdown will come with some ripple effect on people and their religious beliefs system.

The enforcement of the lockdown taking a greater dimension since after President Buhari’s broadcast on March 29, like they say, necessity is the mother of invention; several church leaders have taken to various digital platform to reach their members. For the last three weeks, members of various religious bodies especially churches have developed systems for virtual worship where pastors conduct services and their members watch from home.

As the close down enters its fourth week, our correspondent spoke with the founder of the Touch for Recovery Outreach International, TROI, Dr. Yusuf JS to share his thoughts as a clergyman on the implications of the lockdown on Christians.

Dr. Yusuf said there is nothing bigger than God; ultimately, there is nothing God cannot handle saying that he is not in total support of the closing down of churches but some people that are unbeliever, who their faith cannot carry the fact that they can withstand the virus and overcome it.

He said, “The implication is this, within this short period that the churches have been closed, it has caused a lot of damage in the body of Christ, and the world, some people will lose their faith, some will be addicted to irrelevant and insignificant issues that will affect their faith at the end of it.

“A lot of people at home are engaged in all manner of things that are not good, when they are used to that kind of life it will be difficult to bring them back, and there are a whole lot of issues but I pray that it will over soon while government will have a rethink on their policy”, he said.

Speaking further the clergy explained that what is happening is a rehearse of the anti-christ, the shutdown of the country and the world is a rehearse for the anti-christ explaining that the bible says, a time will come that without the mark, you cannot sell or buy.

He alleged that in a particular country, if a person doesn’t have a ventilator certificate, the person is not qualified to board a bus because you are not sure of your health status saying he has seen on the internet where chips are brought from other places that contains biometrics details of an individual which can used to access health and financial facilities.

The preacher noted that If these things are already in place in some countries, and it is been given out voluntarily in order to get jobs, he notes that it means that they are already shutting down people if you don’t get the chip, you cannot get a job in that kind of place.

He therefore call on Christians to get ready because the world is gradually moving to the rapture state of life emphasizing that the setting that is required for rapture to take place is exactly what is happening at the moment.

Dr. Yusuf said, the implication is that Christian should prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus because the trumpet shall sound at any time.

“They are rehearsing, trying to test the process, how it will look like because the world is shut down. It looks as if it is working, the one that they will use finally will come which is stronger than Covid-19.

For the coming virus, if you don’t take the vaccine, immediately you die and the mystery is that you have the 666 mark with it. When Christ come, you will not be one of the candidate that will go with him because you have already made your chose”, he warns.