Bible Studies

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Faith, Fear, And The Corona Pandemic Part One

If you were looking for something to read that might get your mind off the Corona Pandemic for a moment, you might want to put this article aside, for now. This article will challenge you to face it head on.

On the other hand, if you are the type that wants to hear the unadulterated truth without sugar-coating, you may find this article edifying for the moment and inspirational for the future. 

Dealing with a medical pandemic is a new experience for most of us, but it is not the first and will not be the last pandemic to come upon planet Earth.

Those who see an immanent “end of time” scenario in every world-wide event do so in ignorance of the divine time line that God has revealed to us in Scripture.

There are many time-consuming events in store for the human race. Among them are the rise and the rule of the Antichrist, the *1,000 year Kingdom of Christ (1) that follows, and the final *Satanic led Revolt (2). The amount of years that these events will consume clearly teach that there are, at the very least, more than 1,007 years of future human history to take place before the elements of this present world * (3) melt away in intense heat, and the new Earth spoken of in Rev. 21 comes into the picture. 

This not to say that there have not been and will not be pandemics along the way that will greatly reduce the existing human population on the Earth during the periods of time that each one takes place.

The Bubonic plague wiped out 30-60% of Europe's population, and the 1918 Flu Pandemic claimed the lives of nearly 200,000 Americans.

Keeping things in perspective, note that more than 1,300,000 deaths occur on the highways around the world a result of traffic accidents every year.

Matthew 24: 22 speaks of one coming period of time that will be so horrible that no life on the planet would survive if the dispensation were not cut short (as it will be) by the manifestation of the Second Advent. To what extent the immediate and/or long term consequences that the Corona Pandemic may bring to any one of us as an individual remains to be seen.

Having benefited from my own prayer requests and from the prayer requests on my behalf made by others in the past, I would be the last one to discourage or to dispute the need for or the power of prayer. At the same time, I can speak from personal experience of the challenges one faces when the answer to some prayers is “No.” 

Such tests of faith can be very painful. 

All people of faith will undoubtedly be praying for protection from the Corona virus. 

Nevertheless, during the course of the Corona Pandemic, there will be different answers to these prayers from God. Some will never be infected. Some will be infected, but only suffer mild symptoms and recover. Some of those infected will become critically ill, but recover. Some of those infected will die.

Being omniscient, God knew when this pandemic would begin. He knows when it will end. He knows what impact that it will have on the world, each nation, each family, and on each and every one of us in both the short term and in the long term scenarios.

God is in control!

In the meantime, we as good stewards of all that we have *received (4) have the obligation to do all that we can do with the human resources available to protect ourselves, our families, and others.

It is not unusual for God to use *human input (5) to fulfill His objectives. Some of us will find ourselves in the overt front lines of this conflict, but there is a part for all of us to play. Keep in mind that if we do not choose to be a part of the solution, we automatically become part of the problem.

As disciples, we have the obligation (6) to do all that we can do to protect others by not needlessly becoming carriers, placing ourselves and others in harm's way. If we are out and about when it is not necessary, we are not doing our part. If we are not practicing social distancing and good hygiene when it is necessary to go out and about, we are not doing our part.

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you (Luke 6: 31 NASB).” If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for others. It’s not all about you! Christians are commanded to * love (7) everyone, including our enemies. There are many different definitions for love, but love can best measured by the self-sacrifices we make in the best *interests of others (8).

Even without the statistical spikes that such things as pandemics can generate, secular records tell us that some 150,000 souls depart this world every day, with approximately two thirds of them due to health issues related to older age. Without the impact of a pandemic, this means that one third (50,000) souls depart this planet every day with older age NOT being the primary cause.

Statistically, 50,000 souls who considered themselves healthy when they got up this morning will not be here when the day is done. Their departure may or may not have had anything to do with their health. The point is, that even without the death threats associated with such things as the Corona Pandemic, individual appointments with death take place every day as this is an ongoing part of the human experience. 

 The deathe for the human race is 100%. 

Life after death is not a matter of if, but of WHERE and HOW each one of us WILL experience it.

. . .

The onset and preventative requirements that a potentially fatal pandemic generates will bring the reality of our own inevitable earthly departure to the forefront of our conscious minds. The truth is that it has been there all along. We may have *our plans, but God may have something totally different in mind (9).

I said “potentially fatal” because it appears that most of those who become infected with the Corona virus will survive without even the need to leave home, let alone be in the need for intensive medical care. It’s the unknown level of impact that it may or not have that common sense will have us to take all reasonable precautions to protect ourselves, our families, and everyone that we could otherwise infect.

With or without the input of a pandemic, the Intake Centers of Heaven (210) is open 24/7 and is a busy place. Matt. 7: 13, 14 suggests that the Intake Center of Hades may be even busier!

The threats associated with such things as the Corona Pandemic will motivate many to want to be tested to determine the present status of their physical health and its potential impact on his/her life here on Earth. My prayer is that it will motivate all of us to conduct a 2Cor.13: 5 self-examination to determine the present *status (John 3: 11) of one's spiritual life, and its *impact on his/her future in Eternity (12).

During pandemics  people have a legitimate concern for the quantity, quality, and the availability of daily food for the body. What a better world we could have there was just as much concern for the quantity, quality, and availability for the daily food for the soul.

. . . 

 God's people are taught  not to fear.

“Do not fear, (Why not ?) for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, (Why not?) For I am your God. I will strength you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isa. 41: 10, 11 NASB italics mine).”

How is it that some of God's people manage to do this and experience the benefits (peace/confidence) while many come just as unglued as their unbelieving counterparts?

I believe the answer is found in Matthew 7: 24-27. It is a matter of being prepared BEFORE the storms of life (e.g. the Corona Pandemic) strike, and one's willingness to *apply (13) what he/she has circulating in his/her soul structure when the need presents itself.

Providing that we have obediently grown in the *knowledge of the Lord (14), and are willing to *apply (15) what we have learned, we can confidently respond to the *storms of life (6) with faith and not with fear.

Facing such things as the Corona virus unprepared, we are vulnerable to experience a Matt. 7: 27 type of crash, leaving us shaken and fearful.

Faith and fear are like the two ends of a see-saw. As one goes up, the other automatically goes down.

*Peter (17) found himself on such a see-saw. 

One moment his faith enabled him to step out of a boat in the open water and to walk along the surface. The next moment he nearly drowned when his fear overcame him. It was when Peter took his focus of attention off of Jesus and placed this focus of attention on the threatening circumstances surrounding him that his level of faith went down and his level of fear went up.

To be continued...

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(1) Rev 20: 4, 5. (2) Rev 20: 7-9. (3) 2Pet. 3: 10 (4) Luke 12: 48 (5) Gen. 6: 14/John 19: 11/ Acts 17: 26 (6) Mark 12: 31/Matt. 7: 12 (7) Matt. 5: 44-47 (8) Phil.2:4 (9) Luke. 12: 16-21 (10) 2Corr. 5: 8 (11) John 3: 5, 7, 16, 18 (12). 2Cor. 5: 8/1Cor.3: 15/Rev.20: 15 (13) James 1: 22 (14) 2Pet. 3: 18 (15) James 1: 22 (16) Matt. 7: 24, 25 (17) Matt. 14: 28-31. END OF PART ONE

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