Photo: Courtesy.
It is concerning how many Christians want to jump to the “day of wrath” (Rom. 2:5), and assume that God is behind a virus. Just because plagues and viruses are predicted in Scripture does not mean they are from God, nor does it mean that we are in the last days of the last days. Jesus called such things “the beginning of sorrows.”
The gospel is not about afflicting humanity with judgments and sicknesses. God is not judging regions and nations. He told us to go into all the world and preach the Good News. He is not trying to kill everyone before we get there.
The heart of God for humanity has not changed. Consider the following:
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
For the Father judges no one . . . (John 5:22)
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:19)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)
The list of verses about the heart of God toward mankind could go on and on. God is not the thief! He does not come to steal, kill and destroy. Those who say so are preaching a false gospel. God is not imputing sin in this “acceptable year of the Lord.” He is not judging.
When the “day of wrath” begins at His return, you will know it. He will take vengeance on His enemies. But we are not in that time. As the church, we should be about the ministry of Jesus.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8b)
A virus is not the work of God. There is a devil, he has works, they are worthy of destruction, and Jesus came to destroy them. We are His body on this earth, and we should have the same focus and purpose as Jesus did when He healed all who came to Him.
The writer is a Dean of Instructors at Charis Bible College in Colorado. He reserves all rights to this publication.
