Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
Ezekiel 33: 11
Since my last update the world has changed and we are all trying to adjust to the new reality of a worldwide pandemic, which could potentially rival the 1918 Spanish flu in terms of the number of deaths and the economic impacts. It is the first time in history such a major pandemic has been brought so graphically before our eyes on the media, and this makes it even more scary.
A Jewish astronaut, Jessica Meir, posting pictures of Tel Aviv by night from space, tweeted yesterday saying,
Gazing down at the city in which my father was raised, I take to heart one of his most uttered expressions, “This too shall pass”. Wise words to remember, in both good times and bad.
https://twitter.com/Astro_Jessica
This oft-uttered, typically Israeli expression “This too shall pass” is comforting in times of trouble, but I wonder if it will be true in this case. The virus will pass in time, it is true, but will the world ever be the same? In a way, I hope not. I hope that this catastrophe will wake us all up (me included) and cause us all to examine our lives, reassess our priorities and call upon the Name of the God of Israel, both for ourselves and for our nations and the world as a whole.
Last night I read these words:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17 : 5-8
If nothing else, this pandemic should show us the futility of trusting in man, or in our own puny resources. What is man? He is so fragile that a tiny piece of RNA with a protein coat, so small it cannot even be seen, can bring all of mankind to its knees. I am so glad we have a caring, all-powerful God to trust in, and in Him fear is banished and hope can flourish. I can see that this pandemic is can even be seen as a blessing from God. It is a warning to the nations and an opportunity, perhaps one of the last opportunities, for mankind to repent and turn to Him. Our civilization, and all its trappings, lures us into a false sense of security causing us to trust in man-made things, such as possessions, medicine, and armies. This pandemic is highlighting the futility of such trust. The only sure thing left in the world is our God. In Him we hope.
As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
Psalm 103 : 15-17
You may be wondering how this virus is impacting Israel. As I write (21/03) the tally of those ill with the virus has reached over 883, though there are 12 currently in serious condition. In the last couple of days the numbers have jumped rapidly and we seem to be entering a near exponential rate of increase. Today the first person, a man in his late 80’s and with pre-existing respiratory problems, passed away. There are a number of others in serious condition. I expect the rate of infection to continue to rise in the near future and soon our hospital and medical resources, already at a crash point, will be swamped. Then the death rate will rise.
The whole country is now in lockdown and we are not supposed to leave our homes except for ‘essential’ things such as medical care and the replenishing of food supplies. A lot of people have been ignoring these directives. We were all shocked last week to see on the TV news a video of hundreds of haredi (ultra-orthodox) men dancing together, shoulder to shoulder, at a wedding, and this taking place after meetings of more than 10 were banned. It is not however only the haredim who have ignored government directives. Last Shabbat, Tel Aviv beaches and parks around the country were packed as people swarmed out to enjoy the first sunny Shabbat for a long time. Consequently beaches and parks have now been closed and restrictions have been tightened up. This Shabbat however there are still reports of people flocking to Tel Aviv’s waterfront promenade contrary to government rulings (and in spite of the inclement weather).
Such behavior has resulted in the government taking the very controversial step of using anti-terror technology to monitor people’s movements digitally, using the existing video cameras in public places and also by tracking personal digital phones. This way they can see who comes into contact with people who test positive and can force them into quarantine. Already hundreds of people have been quarantined this way. In addition, the police have now been given the power to enforce the government directives. They can stop anyone on the street and demand why they are moving around, and enforce the closure of shops and other businesses, and break up gatherings of people.
Although most people accept that such drastic measures are necessary in our fight against the virus, there is some concern about the erosion of democracy and civil liberties. The Jerusalem Post newspaper pointed out the danger that the use of such technologies and practices will set a precedent and will continue to erode civil liberties long after the current crisis passes.
The novel coronavirus will, at some time, pass. And when it does, it is essential that the democratic institutions – and indeed our civil liberties – have not been whittled away in the cause of defeating the plague. Emergency regulations enacted during times of crisis have been known throughout the world to outlast the crisis that they were meant to deal with. It is critical this does not happen here (1).
The lockdown in Israel is having a major impact economically. First hit was the tourist industry and the airlines, which have almost totally shut down. Universities, schools, kindergartens and child care centers have all been closed, as have all shops, except for supermarkets and pharmacies. Restaurants and places of entertainment are closed. Other businesses are allowed to continue work but with only 1/3 of their workforce. While some businesses can continue online many others cannot and have closed down or laid off staff and, as a consequence, many have lost their source of income. The National Insurance (our social welfare ministry) estimates that the number of unemployed could rise to as many as 1.5 million, a very large percentage of the workforce. The government has allocated a large sum of money for paying the unemployed, but nevertheless there are many families left without a sufficient income. The self-employed who lose their income are not entitled to unemployment benefits. Of course there is also the impact on the bursa (stock market) in which many of us have our pension funds and private savings. The nation as a whole is in a better situation than most countries and has large reserves of money and goods stockpiled.
All places of worship are closed including synagogues, churches and mosques. Most Messianic congregations are holding prayer and other meetings online. Even my housegroup met this week on a video conferencing platform. That was a first for most of us and it worked quite well. I am glad to say that we are all standing firm and actively encouraging and helping each other. Many in our congregation have lost their jobs and the congregation too is losing its financial support. We still need to pay our rent and other expenses. But God is good and will supply all our need.
No doubt many of us are asking just what is all this about. Is it the end of the world? When you see medical staff in hazmat suits, drones spraying disinfectants in the streets and police stopping anyone seen in public, you might well be reminded of all those post-apocalyptic films you have seen.
Many are quoting the following passage from Matthew 24: 3-8,
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
This description certainly seems to fit the current state of the world, but when has it not? Since the Garden of Eden, there have always been wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, famines, pestilences (epidemics) and earthquakes. It is the post- Fall nature of the world that was subjected to futility because of Adam’s sin in the Garden.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Romans 8:19-22
The current pandemic is but one of the birth pangs which will continue until the tribulation. The passage quoted above from Matthew 24 continues in the next verse (v. 9) saying,
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation …
Note the word, ‘then’. The tribulation comes after the situation outlined in the previous verses. We are not yet in the tribulation period. That is not to say that this current pandemic is not preparing the ground for the end time events prophesied in Revelation.
One of the things prophesied in Revelation is the rise of a one-world government. As we see world governments working together to counter the pandemic, using modern digital technologies, it is not hard to see that a world government could easily arise quite soon. There are some who are saying the pandemic was perhaps orchestrated to bring just this about. I doubt that, but that the Enemy (Satan) and those under his power could use this pandemic to this end is not beyond imagining. A global crisis would naturally call for a global solution and that requires a global government. We are closer to such a scenario than ever before.
Another aspect of the coronavirus crisis is the question of judgment. Throughout the Bible we see God using natural disasters and warfare to judge nations. Is God judging nations today by means of the coronavirus? It seems probable since all nations today are acting contrary to God and doing so with the arrogance of human pride. If we consider the nations that have been so far worst hit, it is tempting to make the conclusion they are especially sinful. China persecutes the church and oppresses its people. Iran is threatening Israel and world peace. Italy and Spain entertain Roman Catholicism which is heresy, and Europe as a whole has turned away from its Christian heritage.
We have however to be careful about pointing fingers – the old adage is true. When you point at someone, then you have 3 fingers pointing back at yourselves. No nation is without serious sin against God today, not even Israel. Someone sent me earlier information about my home country New Zealand which, under cover of the corona scare, has just passed a draconian amendment to its Abortion Law which decriminalizes abortion and thus opens the way for the abortion of babies even up until full term. This amendment even permits euthanasia by neglect of those babies who survive an attempted abortion (2). I fear for New Zealand. Beware the wrath of God.
In the Bible the judgement of God is always coupled with redemption. They are the two sides of the same coin. God does not want any one to die.
Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!
Ezekiel 33: 11
When God judges the nations he does so in the hope that it will force us to reconsider our ways. For this reason I see this current pandemic as an opportunity for us all as I said earlier. It is an opportunity to stop the mad rush of our modern life, reset our priorities and value systems and, above all, to turn to the God of Israel for salvation. It is not too late, but time is running out before the restrainer (the true church of God) is removed and the tribulation begins. Even before that we are also reminded of our mortality. Any one of us could fall ill and die from this virus. We all need to settle our accounts with God.
Some of you may be wondering how I am faring in all of this. I am well and in good spirits. I put myself into voluntary ‘house arrest’ a week ago since I am in a high risk category, being over 60 and having chronic respiratory issues. My school closed last Friday and our administration scrambled to charter a plane and get the kids sent home to the USA, which they managed to do sending them off on Sunday night. It was quite a feat of organization and you can read more in this article:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277334
Tomorrow (21/03) we start lessons again online with our students scattered all over the States and far away. This meant that this week we teachers have all be flat out learning how to teach online. As a chemistry teacher it will be a challenge to teach without my whiteboard. I was blessed however to be able to purchase a small whiteboard at a local shop which was still open (against the directives) the other day, and this will help I hope. I am having some issues getting my account with the online platform sorted, but hope I can get it fixed tonight in time to start lessons tomorrow (I can still start if I don’t, but it will be much more difficult). I am very grateful that I will still have an income for the next two months until our school year finishes, and also that I have something to occupy my mind while I am stuck at home. Since I live alone it is a bit lonesome not being able to get together with friends as I am accustomed, but I thank God we can still talk on the internet. My cat is also some company – although he is not much of a conversationalist. He talks a lot but I don’t understand most of what he says!!!
Now for a little word study. What is the source of the word corona? Corona viruses are so named because they all have protrusions that look like a crown, or rays shining from a sun. Corona derives from the Latin word for crown. But where does the Latin word come from? From the Hebrew, of course. We see it in Exodus 24:39
וַיְהִ֗י בְּרֶ֤דֶת מֹשֶׁה֙ מֵהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּשְׁנֵ֨י לֻחֹ֤ת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּרִדְתּ֖וֹ מִן־הָהָ֑ר וּמֹשֶׁ֣ה לֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּ֥י קָרַ֛ן ע֥וֹר פָּנָ֖יו בְּדַבְּר֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ׃
Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
When Moses came down from Mt Sinai rays of light shone from his face. The word in Hebrew to express this shining forth of light is ‘keren or‘ – literally rays of light, and from this comes coren- or or corona.
By the way keren means ‘ray (of light)’ in Hebrew but it can also mean a horn. An ignorance of this fact led Michaelangelo to depict Moses as having horns in his famous statue.
I want to close with this video. I am aware that all of you are going through trials at this time. I am praying for your protection and comfort. Enjoy this song and be encouraged.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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