GUEST: STEVE DEACE, host of the “Steve Deace Show” and a columnist for Blaze Media

From the very beginning, the souls of men have been the target of a mostly unseen spiritual war. On one side stands the fallen angel Satan and the legions of demons who followed him in rebellion against God. On the other stands the perfectly holy and good God and His holy angels.

The first glimpse of this war appears in the Garden of Eden. There Satan, appearing as a beautiful serpent, tempted Adam and Eve to reject God. He lied, telling them that eating from the forbidden tree would not lead to death but would make them like God, “knowing good and evil.”

The primary descriptor of Satan is that he is a liar. He relentlessly and maliciously twists the truth to lead men and women astray—and ultimately to destroy them. If he can persuade someone to believe a lie—any lie—that results in their deception and death before they repent and come to saving faith in Christ, that is a victory for him.

Whether the unsaved realize it or not, Satan often works through people—including nice-sounding, well-dressed, educated individuals in prominent positions—to twist the truth and lead others astray. For Christians, the ability to discern between what is true and what is false is critical. Jesus warned that as we near the end times, this discernment will only become more difficult:

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).

A recent period that dramatically illustrated the need for discernment was the COVID pandemic of 2020–2022.

In rapid succession, masking was urged and then mandated for everyone, including children. Later in 2020, a vaccine was released under Emergency Use Authorization as part of “Operation Warp Speed.” Young and old, including pregnant women, were expected—often through intimidation or shame—to receive an injection with no long-term history and very limited testing.

For two years the country took on authoritarian characteristics. Families were barred from visiting loved ones in hospitals and care facilities. Schools, businesses, and churches were ordered closed. Citizens and members of the military lost their jobs for refusing the vaccine. Many reported that loved ones died or were injured after receiving it.

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It was a dark time in America—not only because of the deaths of those vulnerable to the virus, but because large portions of the population accepted and promoted falsehoods. The six-foot social-distancing guideline proved to be arbitrary. Masks were not effective at stopping transmission or contraction of the virus. And the vaccine, along with its many boosters, did not prevent people from getting COVID or spreading it to others.

As the virus moved through the population, one reality became clear: the vast majority of people were not dying from it.

A relatively small minority recognized the fallacies advanced by government officials, political leaders, health authorities, the media, major institutions, and even many Christian organizations, prominent leaders, and churches. They pushed back against the deception.

One of those voices was Steve Deace, a radio host for Blaze Media and best-selling co-author of Faucian Bargain: The Most Powerful and Dangerous Bureaucrat in American History. He joins us this weekend on The Christian Worldview to revisit the COVID era and discuss why Christians must become far more discerning. He will also address the Charlie Kirk trial and the conspiracy theories surrounding Kirk’s assassination as yet another example of why believers need to exercise sharper critical thinking.