The Apostle John said in Revelation 6:8 NLT “I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.”
As a pastor, a
question that I have received from several people over the past several months
of this global pandemic is this. “Matt, do you think that the Coronavirus is a
judgment from God?” In order to properly answer that question, a careful
understanding of Scripture is required. Throughout Scripture, God warns over
and over again that any country that sins against God by rejecting Him or by
being unfaithful to Him will be judged regardless of whether there are
righteous believers among them or not (Lev. 26:14-16; Ezek. 14:12-13; Rev.
6:1-8). These few righteous will ultimately be saved, but they may still
experience some suffering on behalf of the majority.
Therefore, my
simple answer is yes. I do believe that God has allowed our world to experience
the Coronavirus as a means to wake us up before something worse happens. In
fact, this is the very reason why the judgments of the book of Revelation take
place, to get people to repent (Rev. 9:20-21; 16:9-11).
It is important
to note that at times in Scripture even God’s holy people experienced suffering
from God’s judgment upon non-believers (Ex. 8:16-19; 7:17-25; 8:5-15; Acts
14:22; Rev. 1:9). Thus, if you are a devoted Christ follower who has or is
suffering with Covid 19, I am not at all saying that this is God’s judgment on
you. No, not at all!
On the other
hand, God does allow His people to experience suffering in order to test,
refine, and purify them in their walk with Him (2 Cor. 12:6-10; Heb. 12:5-6).
God also allows us to experience suffering in order to enable us to know Him
better as God in the flesh, Jesus Christ suffered greatly for us (Job 42:5;
Phil. 3:10).
Knowing these
things, how should we live this Christmas as the pandemic rages on? There are
three principles that should guide our lives during this time.
First, don't test
the Lord. This is the whole idea, "Don't you
believe that God can keep you safe from the Coronavirus?" Absolutely, but
I am not going to go play around with it either! This is the whole adage, if
you play with fire, eventually you are going to get burned. When Satan tempted
Jesus in the wilderness, one of his attacks was very similar to this. "The
devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the
temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from
here. For it is written: “‘He will command His angels concerning
you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus
answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test"
(Luke 4:9-12).
The Baker New
Testament Commentary explained these verses like this. “Daily life all around
us affords abundant illustrations of false confidence, similar to that which
the devil urged Jesus to exercise. A person will earnestly beseech the Lord to
bestow upon him the blessing of health; however, he neglects to observe the
rules of health. Or, he will ask God to save his soul; however, he neglects to
use the means of grace, such as the study of Scripture, church attendance, the
sacraments, living a life for the benefit of others to the glory of God. Again,
someone will plead with the Lord for the spiritual as well as physical welfare
of his children, but he himself neglects to bring them up in the way of the
Lord. A church member, admonished because at a circus he had eagerly rushed
into a corrupt side show, defended himself by saying, “I cannot deny that I
went there, but while I was there I was constantly praying, ‘Turn away mine
eyes from beholding vanity’” (Ps. 119:37 KJV). “You shall not put the Lord
your God to the test” is the answer to all of this.”
By this point in
time, it is very hard to deny the reality of the Covid 19 virus. It is real;
and a lot of people have died from it; however, praise God most don’t. Yet just
because most people don’t die from it is not a very wise reason to live as
though it does not exist! So what are you saying Matt? I think that taking some
precautions is not a bad thing: washing your hands frequently, if you are sick,
stay home. Don’t look down upon others if they want to wear a mask, etc.
Otherwise, you are just encouraging others to test the Lord, which Scripture
commands against.
The second
principle that should guide us through the global pandemic this Christmas
season is to remember God’s promises, don’t be fearful. Over and over again, the Bible commands us to not be
fearful of anyone or anything other than the Lord. Healing is part of the very
nature of God, and in His grace, He offers it to those who fear Him: “To you
who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His
wings…” (Mal. 4:2 NKJV).
Pastor John Piper
shared the following personal testimony. John said, “I recall being told on
December 21, 2005, that I had prostate cancer. For the next several weeks, all
the talk was about odds. Odds with waiting to see. Odds with medications. Odds
with homeopathic procedures. Odds with radical surgery. My wife, Noël, and I
took these numbers seriously. But in the evening, we would smile at each other
and think, Our hope is not in the odds. Our hope is in God. We did not mean,
“It is 100% certain God will heal me, while doctors can only give me odds.” The
Rock we are talking about is better than that. Yes, better than healing.
Even before the
phone call from the doctor telling me I had cancer, God had already reminded me
in a remarkable way about the Rock under my feet. After my usual annual exam,
the urologist had looked at me and said, “I’d like to do a biopsy.” Really? I
thought. “When?” “Right now, if you have the time.” “I’ll make time.” While he
was going to get the machine, and while I was changing into the typical
unflattering blue gown, there was time for me to ponder what was happening.
So he thinks I
may have cancer. As my future in this world began to change before my eyes, God
brought to my mind something I had read recently in the Bible. Here is what He
said to me in that urologist’s office as I waited for the biopsy that would
confirm that I had cancer. “John Piper, this is not wrath. Live or die, you
will be with Me.” That’s my paraphrase. Here’s what he actually said: “God
has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live
with Him” (1 Thess. 5:9–10). Awake or asleep—that is, live or die—I will be
alive with God. That is very different from playing the odds with cancer—or
with the coronavirus. This is the firm Rock under my feet.”
When you have
Jesus as the Rock under your feet you have nothing to fear. “But now, this
is what the Lord says—He who created you, Jacob, He who
formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by
name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you
walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you
ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your
Savior” (Isa. 43:1-3a).
Thus, I want to
encourage you as a faithful follower of Christ to continue to live your life.
Don’t allow this virus to stop you from living. For example, my family recently
took a trip to Washington D.C. and several places between here and there. We
called ahead, and took the necessary precautions, yet we were not going to
allow a virus to prevent us from living.
Likewise, I want
to encourage you to continue to make the most of the opportunities that God
places before you. So, continue to love and serve others. Just be wise about
it. An illustration of this comes from our recent Community Thanksgiving
Dinner. We as a church delivered meals to people who had the Coronavirus at
that time. They knew that we were coming. We placed things by their door. And
let them know via a text or phone call that it was there, and left. Therefore,
the person delivering was not exposed, and yet God’s love was shared.
The third
principle to guide us through the global pandemic this Christmas season is to
be faithful to the Lord. This goes right
back to where we started. Yes, I believe from Scripture that God has allowed
our world to experience this pandemic in order to bring judgment upon the
world, calling non-believers to repent, and that God is using it to purify His
people, drawing us nearer to Him. The question is though, will we remain
faithful to Him?
Studies have shown that pretty much across the
country, church attendance is down by at least one third, and many places more
than that. Yes, many churches either have gone online, or offer online church
services as a possibility. No doubt for some, that is the best option. Yet are
you truly connected in that? For some the answer is yes. They do virtual
meetings, and communicate frequently by one means or another. Even in that, we
need to be willing to open up and share our burdens with others and to help carry
their burdens as well.
However, for
most, online only creates a consumer mentality Christianity where it is all
about what I can receive rather than what I can give. “For even the Son of
Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for
many” (Mark 10:45). Likewise, it sets us up to not really be involved with
the Bride of Christ, aka, the church. Therefore, “Let us not neglect our
meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now
that the day of His return is drawing near” (Heb. 10:25).
The more a person
walks away from the church the more they begin to live like the world.
Unfortunately, we know from a careful examination of Scripture that just prior
to Jesus’s second coming, there will be a great falling away of God’s people
(Luke 18:8; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-3; 4:3-4; Rev. 11:7-11). However, may we
remain faithful. “Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty
says: 'Return to Me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,'
says the LORD Almighty” (Zech. 1:3). So may we do as Exodus 23:25 states. “Worship
the LORD your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take
away sickness from among you.”
Thus, may these
principles guide us this Christmas and all our days. So may we live wisely, not
foolishly testing the Lord. May we not fear the Coronavirus or anything/anyone.
And may we remain faithful to the Lord
Merry Christmas!
Matt
