It is without question that COVID is a deadly disease. Deadly diseases have affected mankind throughout its history. Deadly diseases have ravaged nations. One could study, list, and share the details of the plagues that have destroyed human beings, their cultures, and their economies.
Mankind, through its ingenuity, hard work, and by God’s grace, has been able to overcome and subdue many illnesses, sicknesses, plagues, and deadly diseases. But, unfortunately, they continue to raise their destructive and deadly effects rendering humanity helpless to its illness unless a cure is found.
I would like to refer you to the following blog site. davidjeremiah.blog. There I found the following teaching entitled ‘What are the 3 Tribulation Plagues?’ The article begins, “Do you want to see a miracle? Are you sure? During the Tribulation, three terrifying miracles–plagues–will warn the world of God’s impending judgment.” I will leave the reading/watching of his teaching to you.
Dr. Jeremiah says the three kinds of plagues during the tribulation are: 1)The plague of death; 2)The plague of drought; 3)The plague of disease.
He, then lists the three reasons for the tribulation plagues. 1)Protection; 2)Preservation; 3)Purpose.
Why do I reference this article? I am not espousing a certain end time eschatology; but I want to draw our attention to the fact that deadly diseases and plagues exist, which I assume is an obvious fact, to all ,if not most of humanity, and that they are also a Divine instrument in the hands of God.
Throughout scripture, God has used plagues to get humanity’s attention, His people’s attention, and has used plagues as instruments of judgment upon nations.
I have been writing about a coming ‘unprecedented unrest’ upon our nation and the nations of the world. I have said that I do not believe that this ‘unrest’ is the tribulation spoken about in Revelation.
However, we are aware that there is a Great Tribulation coming to this world in the timing and purpose of God; and, associated with that Tribulation, is a person, who, is also coming, the anti-christ.
All of this is a precursor to the return of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Himself.
Come Lord Jesus.
But, there is one disease that mankind cannot find a cure for.
It is a deadly disease that plagues all mankind.
It is the disease of sin that is found in the heart of mankind.
Sin is the source of death. Genesis 2:15-3:24, the fall of man, his original sin, and its consequences.
Romans 3:23 (TLV) says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 (TLV) says, “For sin’s payment is death, but God’s gracious gift is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”
John 3:16 (TLV) says “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish may have eternal life.”
Man has attempted many different ways to find a cure for the internal sin that plagues his/her heart; but every attempt by mankind is futile ans impossible to reverse the effects of this universal disease that culminates in an eternal separation from the Living God.
Enter C.O.V.I.D.
What?
Let me explain in an acronym.
Christ’s Obedience Victoriously Incapacitated Death
There is a cure for the disease of sin.
It is the Blood of Christ; it is Christ crucified on the Cross; it is His death, burial and resurrection.
I Corinthians 15:1-8, (TLV), the Apostle Paul writes, “Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the Good News, which I proclaimed to you. You also received it, and you took your stand on it, and by it you are being saved if you hold firm to the word I proclaimed to you–unless you believed without proper consideration. For I also passed on to you first of all what I also received–that Messiah died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Kefa (Peter), then to the Twelve. Then He appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time–most of them are still alive, though some have died. Then He appeared to Jacob (James, His brother), and last of all, as to one untimely born, He also appeared to me.” (inserts mine)
This is the message of the Gospel of Christ.
Have you taken your stand for this message on the solid Rock, who is Christ Jesus our Lord?
I would like to recommend that you read Romans 5:1-21.
This passage explains the source of death, Adam’s disobedience; and the source of the gift of eternal life, Messiah’s (Jesus) obedience. (insert mine)
Ephesians 2:8-9 (TLV) says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this gift is not from yourselves–it is the gift of God. It is not bases on deeds, so that no one may boast.”
Mankind cannot do what needs to be done to become rightly related to their Creator. God, Himself, has provided the means of salvation from sin and its penalty. God, Himself, sent His Son, to be born of a woman; to be clothed in human flesh; and to die on the cross as the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus, Who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God. Without His sacrificial death, there would be no forgiveness of sin. His Blood cleanses us from all sin. His death, burial, and resurrection validates His victory of sin, death, and the Devil. Because Christ lives, we too, shall live. This is our glorious hope.
Therefore…
In the midst of the coming ‘unprecedented unrest’, our safety and security is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is our Solid Rock. He is our ARK in the time of the storm. [see livingwordsofencouragement.com for previous posts]
I do not believe that I am trying to hype the current social and political climate of our nation. If you read the headline news; or if you watch and/or follow the media on line; you will certainly understand that our nation is experiencing tension, worry, anxiety, and stress. We are seeing an uprising in lawlessness. We are witnessing the exposure of political cover ups that have many feeling uneasy about the direction of the nation. We are witnessing the mismanagement of our judicial system that seeks to malign our presidential election process. As I write that post (I remind us) that on March 4, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states could not make the decision to remove a man’s name from their state ballot because they believed that person was in violation of insurrection according to the 14th Amendment. We live in a Constitutional Republic. The Constitution was upheld. This is a victory in which we should be thankful and rejoice; but one in which, we, the Church, should not gloat. Why? Because gloating is not LOVE. Gloating is based on self. It is a fruit of the flesh, not a fruit of the Spirit.
As we progress through the next several months, watching the election cycle unfold, it will become increasingly hostile and irrational verbally; I encourage you to stay focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ. That does not mean that you do not keep an ‘eye’ on what is happening politically; but it does mean that you do not become ‘consumed’ with/by the political process and ‘stress out’.
I exhort you to pray diligently. Ask the Lord how and for whom you vote. When you vote, you should have a clear conscience. Ask the Lord for His wisdom.
Remember, His ways are not our ways; nor are His thoughts our thoughts.
James 1:5-8 (TLV) instructs us, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all without hesitation and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without doubting–for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord–he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
We thank you Father for wisdom during this time of ‘unprecedented unrest’.
We thank you Father for Your wisdom to navigate the political storm and the societal storm that has come and is coming to our nation.
We thank you Father that You are working a mighty work of grace and mercy in our nation and the nations of the world.
Thank you Father for exposing corruption in our nation and bringing deliverance to our nation.
Thank you Father for revival, reformation, and recovery in this nation.
We bless You, Father; and we thank You for Your great work of grace.
a brother in Christ, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 