The CORONAVIRUS

Serious Times

Right now we are are literally living in a moment in history. What is happening across the world is unprecedented, and the widespread pandemic is of biblical proportions. There have been terrible atrocities across the world in the course of life, from 911, to World Wars I and II. Even in biblical days, there were the 10-Plagues of Egypt. But a global issue that shuts down the world in a way this Coronavirus has? I can think of little other than the biblical account of Noah’s ark. In those days, mankind began to increase in number and unlike their predecessors, Sarah and Abraham, these people were not inclining neither their ears nor their hearts to know God. Quite the opposite, God said he was not about to deal with the struggle of engaging mankind forever ‘My Spirit will not contend with humans forever’. (Genesis 6:3) You can just picture it, the human population was increasing and ‘taking over the earth’ with ‘great power and authority’ doing exactly what they want without reverence or thought to God and in spite of God grace and mercy they continued in their stubborness of will.

 

Character of God

Right now, we need to remember this – God is a loving God. He created us with love and purpose. We are His children. A loving father cares about his children and God corrects those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6).  So when God sends His Holy Spirit to convict your heart because  you are entertaining wicked thoughts that are contrary to His Word, He is sending His Spirit to correct you and bring you back in alignment with Him.

This is what Jesus was talking about when he said the Advocate was coming to prove the world to be in the wrong about sin (because the world had defined sin in their own terms: sound familiar? “there is no right and wrong as long as long as you do good”) and righteousness (taking away God’s standard and making ‘right’ relevant to man’s standards) and judgment (defining what and who deserves punishment and who shouldn’t on immoral basis) – why?  As the scripture continues ‘because people do not believe in me’ (John 16:8-10).

So God sends his Holy Spirit to guide people into all truth, according to His Word that created and laid the foundations of the very earth we live on (John 16:12).

So what happens when God sends His Spirit to guide people but they just don’t want to listen, but carry on doing what they want? Their consciences become seared i.e. unable to receive or hear anything from God anymore because of the consistent wilful rejection of God and contempt for anything sacred unto God. They refuse and/or abandon the faith and follow other ways of ‘life’ and spirits. (1 Timothy 4:1-4)

 

God’s Will

We humans have been created by God as His masterpiece to fulfil the destiny that He prepared for us a long time ago before the foundations of the world were laid (Ephesians 2:10).  In fulfilling our destiny, we show the world the glory of God as witnesses to His presence and love and greatness.

So when people decide that they don’t want to follow God and decide to reject His Word, His Spirit and show contempt for anything pertaining to God and godliness, that is the point at which they follow the path of seared consciences. If people decide not to adhere to God’s Word and reject Him, then they are effectively rejecting God’s plan and destiny for their lives and thus cannot show forth His glory. They are not fit for the purpose. This is exactly what John The Baptist was referring to when He spoke of in Matthew 3:10

“Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

So let’s go back and reconsider the times of the world in Noah’s days – people were doing their own thing, not God’s thing and showing contempt for anything godly. God knew the wickedness of their hearts and regretted that He made them. Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord – He was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. What a light in a dark world he must have been. So when God decided that He wanted a human race with clean hearts, He decided to wipe the human race from the face of the earth and left only Noah and his immediate family.  What does this illustrate? God is a merciful God and He wants us to fulfil the great destiny He has created for us. But when people incessantly decide not to fulfil the purpose for the life for which they’ve been created, God draws the line. This is not a one-time rejection, or slip-up, this is the wilful determined rejection of God repeatedly. Such was the heart of the people in the world in Noah’s times – they rejected God and wanted to do their own thing, set their own rules and judgments. God said no.

 

God is Supreme

Where else do we see God showing that His purposes will supercede any human authority? Exodus 7 This is where God had a plan and a purpose for His people, and Pharaoh decided that He didn’t want to cooperate with God’s plan. God sent Moses and Aaron to warn Pharaoh to let God’s people go. In these times, Pharaoh was high, mighty and powerful in the great Kingdom of Egypt and had his own gods whom he worshipped and thought brought him great success. So when little Moses comes along [talking about the One True God] Pharaoh shows great contempt for God saying “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Exodus 5:2

 

God is Supreme & The King of Kings and Lord of Lords – There is NO Higher Authority In Heaven or on Earth

Long story short, even though Moses and Aaron demonstrated all the miracles that God had instructed them to Pharaoh, he was not interested in hearing from God. He rejected every warning given, and pursued his own will thinking that He is King.

This is the relevance of what is happening now and then: The time that God had appointed to show forth His authority and power was the First Passover. It is called the Passover because that is the time that God told His people to prepare for a terrible event. Every person who was God’s child was told on the 14th day of the month to put the blood of the lamb on the sides and the tops of the door frames where they ate the lamb.

Exodus 12:12-13

 “That night I will go through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn animals and people in the land of Egypt. I will also punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.  But the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing terrible will hurt you when I punish the land of Egypt.

Verses 14 & 28:

“… always to remember this day and celebrate it with a feast to the Lord. Your descendants are to honor the Lord with this feast from now on.”

“When your children ask you, ‘Why are we doing these things?’  you will say, ‘This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. When we were in Egypt, the Lord passed over the houses of Israel, and when he killed the Egyptians, he saved our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord.  They did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.”

What Has This Got To Do With Coronavirus?

This has everything to do with Coronavirus. We are living in a time when the world and its many leaders are doing things their own way. They are showing contempt for godliness, God’s authority and shun the very power and authority of God. As in the days of Noah, people are increasing across the earth and doing their own thing. God promised that He would never flood the earth again. But God has purposes that must be achieved in these last days. Mankind is destroying the earth in the name of money and power and greed. The heart of mankind is obviously desperately wicked in these days. People and leaders are turning race against race. Divisions are becoming more stark in the name of elitism, control and money. The most vulnerable are being forgotten. Whole communities are being oppressed, mistreated and suffering miscarriages of justice.

                                                 

 

God’s presence is here on earth even in the midst of this awful pandemic. God’s Holy Time – The time of Passover is fast approaching.

 

Lamentations 3:35-36  – To deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve.

 

Quick Fire Points:

Corona = Latin – Crown

April = 8th – 16th April = Passover

8 = Letter ‘Chet’ in Hebrew – it looks like a wall or a fence or even a door frame.

Psalm 27:5 – For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

Job 1:10 – Hedge of protection

The Word Chai is short for Chayim (life) and the letter Chet can be seen to resemble a doorway where the blood of the lamb was put during the First Passover Exodus 12:7.

The lamb of the old testament is Jesus in the New Testament, the Precious Lamb of God who died for our sins so that we could have a relationship with God and live according to His Word and purposes.

God’s Purposes

God is a righteous Judge. We may not understand the whys and reasons of life, but we have to trust that God’s plans are for good and not ever for evil. The times we are living in is a moment in history. This is not just a time to marvel at the moment we are living in, but a time for each man to search his heart and repent for his sins. This is the time to reflect and take communion in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus that was broken and poured at the cross of Calvary. Taking Holy Communion reminds us of Jesus’ suffering but also shows us the amount of love Jesus had for us, even unto death, on a cross.

                                               

The thoughts of God are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9) and we cannot even begin to fathom why the world is suffering the pandemic that it is happening now. Or even the plague of locusts taking over vast land in East Africa. These are matters of biblical and godly significance. Whilst we have the opportunity, let’s get ourselves into alignment with God. We are to judge our own hearts and get them right before God, and remain on that godly path and commit our lives into submission to His Word.

                                                           

 

On A Personal Note

I am acutely aware that people are grieving at this time. Many have lost loved ones, or are bearing witness to loved ones suffering from this coronavirus. I have no explanation for why some are getting it and not others. I do know that we can love and pray for one another, offering strength, love and kindness to our neighbour, because now more than ever people need love – the world needs love, they need to see the face of God in our actions of love. And whilst none of us want to catch the virus, we must not fear. God knows the end from the beginning and whatever plan He has for our lives is for our good – all things work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purposes – Romans 8:28

If we are living with our hearts committed to God’s Word we cannot and should not fear when our lives on this earth come to an end. For to be absent from the body [when we have committed our hearts and lives in to submit and do the will of God and follow His Word] is to be present with the Lord – 2 Corinthians 5:8.

2 Corinthians 5:1 –  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [our body] were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

There is no fear. Perfect love casts out all fear, and God is that perfect love. So do not fear. This is a time for great introspection, not just because of the Coronavirus, but because it is a season appointed by God to turn your attention to Him, for He is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords and the holder of the crowns of life. There is no more urgent time to ensure our lives are submitted and committed into the Lord’s hands, and to continue on that path for the remainder of our days.

 

If you don’t know God and you haven’t accepted Jesus and your personal Lord and Saviour, I invite and urge you to seriously considering doing so now. If you say the following prayer from your heart and mean it, and confess Jesus to be the Lord of your Life, and that you will try with all sincerity of heart to try and obey God’s Word (yes you’ll make mistakes, but God will forgive genuine mistakes and shortcomings, He even forgave David in 2 Samuel 12 for his sins);

Imagine looking up and seeing a crown above your head – imagine that crown is God’s Word. If you want to please God and live as the masterpiece that God created you to be, and have eternal life, stay under that crown, which is His Word. He will help you and will never ever leave you or forsake you.

 

Finally, Common brought out a song a couple of years ago with John Legend entitled ‘GLORY’ and the Lyrics cited  it was America’s moment to come to Jesus.. This is a global Come To Jesus Moment... “COME!” The Lord is beckoning you to have a relationship with Him for the rest of your life!