Fear Not
In the midst of this pandemic the people of the lost tribes of Israel (the Anglo-Saxon and kindred peoples) have been told by the news media to follow their governments and their medical professionals. We are told that these people have the answers we need. The problem is human beings are not just physical and intellectual beings. They are also spiritual beings, and the spiritual needs of people in this time of crisis need to be dealt with. It appears the politicians and medical professionals are not able to deal with the fear that people have, but the Bible can deal with it.
The truth is that some of us reading this article may not be here a year from now. We may be with the Lord. Should we be paralyzed by the fear of what this pandemic can do to us? The answer is in the Bible. “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Romans 14:8-9. I believe our response to this crisis should be that whether God delivers us from death or not, we will remain faithful to him. Christians have nothing to fear. We belong to the Lord and he will be with us in life or death. I did a rough count of the scriptures where the Lord said “fear not” in the Bible, and the number I got was 48. We should not ignore that injunction.
Diseases are called pestilence in the Bible. In most cases it was God that brought the pestilence down on people in judgement. In 1 Chronicles chapter 21 there was a pestilence that was brought down by God but stopped by the leader of the people. King David repented of his sin and sacrificed to God. Are the leaders of our people willing to repent of their sins and worship Jesus Christ? There are only a few in the medical profession, the political realm, and the media, that would give credence to that idea. In any crisis our leaders should be turning to the Lord in prayer and Bible reading and should be pointing the people to Jesus Christ. In the past our people (the Anglo-Saxon and kindred people) have been through very difficult times and kept their faith and continued to go to church and worship the Lord. We are being tested again on how we will respond. I am not saying we should go to church. I will not go to church while the pandemic is raging.
The answer to this pandemic in the Israel nations lies with our leaders. David stopped the pestilence in ancient Israel by his repentance. We need to obey our government leaders in all efforts to stop this pandemic, but our governments have to answer to God for their response to this crisis. “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,” Titus 3:1. We must obey our governments and some government leaders may encourage people to pray to God, but with those prayers there needs to be repentance. “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14.
“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” Psalm 91:5-6. We are not to fear pestilence. God can protect our lives if we have given our lives to him. The righteous have the Holy Spirit within them to take them through the difficult times. John Wesley, in his commentary on this verse, wrote “Arrow – The pestilence, or any such destructive calamity; such are frequently called God’s arrows”. This repeats the idea that God uses pestilence in judgement. I believe God is using this COVID19 pandemic in judgement. This does not mean everyone who suffers from it is cursed by God. The judgement is on nations, but I believe we can claim protection for ourselves and our children and grandchildren by the Blood of Jesus. When God went through Egypt and killed the first born of every Egyptian family the Israelites were spared because they put the blood of the lamb above their doors. We have more protection and honor than the Israelites in Egypt. When the apostle John sent his greeting to the churches he said, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6. We are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ and are completely cleansed of all sin. We can claim protection by His Blood.
Jesus predicted pestilence. “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” Luke 21:11. We have to go through this time of distress. We will not be raptured out of it to live a comfortable life. Some of us may be taken by the Lord, but we can rejoice that in life or death we still belong to the Lord and also that children are mostly being spared from death by this virus. “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” Isaiah 43:1. All of us, as Christians, have put our lives in the Lord’s hands and He will do with us according to His Will. Nothing can take our lives away from us without His permission. He is Lord of all. We must trust Him and believe that He has the best plans for us. Fear is not of God. He will also look after the Israel nations. I believe He is directing what will happen to Canada, the U.S.A., the U.K., Australia, and the other Israel nations as we move toward the final conflict before the return of Christ. We may have a period of peace after this pandemic, but it will be very short lived. I believe the kingdom age is almost here.
