I want to talk with you about how this coronavirus crisis, as bad as it is, is actually a revelation to the world of how good God is.
I want to explain what I mean by that. As bad as this is, it is a catalyst for the good. Such that this may be meant for evil, as some believe and suggest, but God as only He can, is bringing about good. Namely, the salvation of many who would not have otherwise come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ had this not happened. There are people that are for the first time in their lives thinking about the Lord and His Soon Return.
This is Genesis 50, one of my favourite verses in all the Bible, Joseph has just revealed his identity to his brothers and he says to them:
Genesis 50:20 KJV – “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
I truly believe with all my heart that God, as only He can, is bringing many to Him at this time because of this now.
I am keenly aware that there might be somebody that has just lost their job or maybe their business and you’re just wondering how you’re going to survive. I want to just talk to you for a moment and encouraged you with a message of hope.
Really, I want to lovingly and humbly remind you that as a Christian you are promised that God will provide you with all of your needs (Matthew 6:25-34). God will always provide whatever it is that you need. I want to encourage you because God will reveal Himself to you in ways that you could have never otherwise known, had it not been for something like this happening.
You know, my heart was really breaking this last week as I heard the many
I am watching and hearing the same unemployment figures that you are. We’re talking about millions of people that don’t have jobs anymore to go back to and there’s no more income.
Here’s another one (this one’s really heartbreaking), if you’re a pastor and your church is shattered and you’re a relatively small church and there’s no one coming or tithing at your church and you’re looking at this going ‘how are we going to survive this?’ I really want to encourage you to trust the Lord. God will provide, it may not be the way you think, or at the time you think, but He will provide. In so doing, He’s going to do it in a way that is exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything you could have ever thought or imagined (Eph. 3:20).
I was thinking to myself that the question that really needs to be addressed, the question that’s on everyone’s mind, is something along the lines of: ‘how long is this going to last?’ and ‘will life ever return to normal?’ I don’t know. Only God knows. However, here’s what I do know: That Bible prophecy has just jumped to lightspeed if I can say it that way.
As I step back and inquire of the Lord as to where is this going to go, how does this end, will this end, and what happens if this does end? I see it just going into this light speed mode where it’s going to usher in the Antichrist, a new world order, the one-world government, the one-world currency, and it’s all just perfect. I believe that this is it, and this is exactly where it’s heading.
Dare I say, we’re already seeing God bring about much good during this time because of all that’s happening and you really don’t need to look any further than to social media. I wouldn’t encourage you to do it unless you’ve really spent some time with the Lord praying and just meditating on the Word of God before you go online, but I did this the other day. I did #Coronavirus on Twitter. I knew what I would see, and I was ready for it, I had already asked the Lord to prepare me for it, but once you get past all the foul language, the vulgarity and you read between the lines what you hear people saying is: ‘is this the end of the world?’ ‘I am freaking out here!’ ‘well, what’s going to happen now?’ ‘I just lost my job!’ ‘I just lost my business!’ ‘I can’t go out!’ “I don’t have money for food!” I mean, it just goes on and on!
‘Does the Bible talk about this?’ These are real tweets on Twitter. Try it, do the #Coronavirus search and go down the newsfeed and listen to what people are saying. I tell you, people, now more than ever, I believe, are thinking about the Lord’s Return at a time like this than ever before.
You’ll forgive me for the candour with which I confess this, but my wife and I actually for a number of years now have been praying that God would allow something like this, as a last chance to get people’s attention to wake people up before the Rapture. I had no idea that something like this would happen, this has certainly accomplished exactly that.
Romans chapter 13 the Apostle Paul writing in verses 11 through 14 says (and as I read this listen through the lens of this current coronavirus crisis and pandemic), Paul says:
Romans 13:11-14 KJV – “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
What Paul is saying is that it’s time to wake up! This is a wake-up call. God has people’s attention. I believe that God has prepared us as a church (here locally, as well as online globally) for that which He’s prepared for us. I’ll explain what I mean, we have been poised and positioned for such a time as this. Unique to this ministry being online, we were ready for this.
I’ve shared in recent updates, I truly believe that the opportunity before us, is the likes of which we have never seen before, nor will we ever see again. More people again are thinking about the end of the world than ever before. We were just talking about how on the store shelves, even the shelves that have Bibles are empty. That’s a good thing.
More people are thinking about the Lord and interested in the Lord. I truly believe that the harvest is white and ready, meaning we need only more labourers. Let’s go to Matthew’s Gospel chapter 9 verses 35 to 38 (again look through the lens of this coronavirus):
Matthew 9:35-38 KJV – “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
I grew up in Tekoa Washington, it was a small farm town. Every year at harvest time in the fall when the wheat head was white, it was game on! You only had a small window of opportunity to get that crop harvested because if you didn’t you would lose it! That’s what Jesus is saying here. When the harvest is plentiful, when the wheat head is white, the time is at hand and pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into the harvest! That is our prayer. That is our hope as a church, as an online church.
I really believe that what is happening now may very well be the final warning from a loving God who doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). I really believe this is the last opportunity, the last chance. ‘Oh wow pastor, that’s pretty bold!’ Well, I’ll get bolder and I will say that I truly believe with all my heart that we’re on the cusp of the Lord’s Return and the Rapture is sooner than any of us could possibly imagine.
If it is, I want you to think this through with me, if it is and the time is at hand and that window of opportunity is now, then what does that mean? Well, let me pose this question: let’s just say that this thing passes and everything kind of goes back to a, not necessarily normal, but maybe a new normal and then it’s business as usual? If that happens, you know what will happen? I can say, it’s textbook, I can write the next chapter. It’ll be just like after 9/11 when things started returning to normal. After 9/11 churches were filled (I mean overflowing) and then it wasn’t long until after that church attendance not only went back to where it was prior, it actually from that time to the present we’ve seen this decline in church attendance.
I share that to say this: we have another chance, the time is now. I really believe the Lord’s return is nigh. If there was ever a time for us to reach the lost, while we still have time, it is now.
