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Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!
Mike, I like everything you wrote here! But I also believe Nell has a good point regarding shaking and the uniqueness of the situation. How about this verse: "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17 That's sobering . . .
To me the message is pretty clear - Christians (those who are called by My name) repent!
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First, the situation is not that unique. It seems that way to us because we have not seen this kind of thing during our lifetime. Yet there have been much worse events in the past. Just 100 years ago there was the so-called Spanish flu (that seems to have originated in Kansas). Killed proportionately many more than Covid-19 has, though it is likely far from over (definitely not just going to disappear as some are saying).
Yes, the time has come for judgment to begin. And it began all the way back in the first century, as Peter wrote. And he did not need a pandemic to come to this conclusion. And the judgment he wrote about was not some external judgment upon the earth. It was about judgment on the house of God. It was a time of persecution. But he also said that the end was near. (And while the end times may not have been as near as he thought, it was still no more than a few years for anyone alive at the time.) Yes, he rightly pointed to the fact that if there is judgment on the house of God, then it will be much greater on those who do not obey.
But how do we respond to a pandemic? Do we retreat into solitude and prayer? Surely, if we have not been praying enough, we should remedy that. And if we have been in some kind of stupor, we should awaken. But ultimately we should find ourselves living in obedience to God's commands.
And, interestingly, the cycle of wars and pandemics seems to constantly remind us that we are not simply our own. That we are not just citizens of one earthly kingdom or another. We are also citizens of the heavenly kingdom. We have duties as citizens of that kingdom. And if we have forgotten them, then we should be awakened. We do need to pray. But there should be no mystery as to what our reaction should be. We already know what we should do. It has not changed. It just takes a new riding of famine, war, pestilence, and/or death through our midst to awaken us to our condition. Yes we, the church, should repent. But don't just stay mired in sackcloth and ashes. As we repent, we should move toward the actions of obedience. Any judgment on us is not about homosexuals, foreigners, liberals, communists, fascists, gay marriage, abortion, etc. Surely that is not us. But have we turned our judgment and faux righteousness on the world instead of loving them while they are yet sinners?
I doubt that this particular pandemic was sovereignly "sent" to bring the church to its knees. Yet the very action of the cycles of such events should shake us from our stupor. And as Paul wrote, God will use everything to our benefit. He didn't say he would ordain that everything happen so that we would get a benefit. But whatever does happen, he will use it. And in the onward march of time through the fall, (in other words, from Adam until the end) there will be pandemics, wars, disease, and more.
And Revelation seems to be telling us to expect that there will be so-called messiahs who promise much but produce little. And the cycle of evil continues. And the end will come. One way or the other. Our day of reckoning is coming. Today, tomorrow, and a few years. Due to our personal death or the actual end of times. Be ready. Be proactive such that the cycle of pandemics does not shake you. Live as citizens in the kingdom of God no matter the conditions. But expect that the results of the fall will continue, and will wreak havoc on mankind. And if you need a reminder of the frailty of man, just wait. There will be a war. Or a rumor of war. Someone will take action in the form of a protest that will run counter to what you believe to be best.
But the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. Or worldly kingdoms repenting. Or heathen and pagans acting like Christians — without Christ inside. (It is funny that we claim to be unable to be righteous without Christ yet we want the world to do it anyway.) The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace (not fear), and joy (not anger) in the Holy Spirit (not our so-called human spirit).
And for some of us, this particular pandemic has awakened us to our lack of righteousness, peace, and/or joy. SARS didn't do it. Nor the Swine flu. Nor the latest mall, school, or workplace shootings. Nor the collapse of the twin towers (though that one did affect some positively). Bernie didn't do it for those on the right, and Trump didn't do it for those on the left. They just upped the level of angst, joylessness, and unrighteousness. And looking at the responses to the coronavirus, it would seem that there are many who are Christian who still have not gotten the memo. They just want to make a political fight out of it. Keep their sanctuary open and running full force. Demand their "inalienable rights" while dismissing the responsibilities that go with those rights.
They weigh the relative value of an open economy to the value of the death of the citizens. But what is the currency they are using? Just the dollar?
I guess life is cheap.
And I'm not sure that much has "awakened" beyond a sense of increased desire to get what is mine. I hope that any of us that needed spiritual awakening have arisen from slumber. It seems that society has not. And will not.