Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Chastisement of Love (CV04)

         'Why COVID19 Now?'

Rom 8:17-18  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
    Our Lord told us that the sufferings we must go through is nothing in comparison with the glory He will give us - to sit on His throne as His sons (joint heirs with Christ) to help Him rule all creations.
Rev 3:21  To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

God Loves His Children
Heb 12:6, 11  "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
   God has to chastise and scourge His disobedient children, who are still lusting after the things of the world (1John 2:15-17). All those, who have suffered greatly from the scourging, will cease from sinning, bear fruit of righteousness and do God's will of loving God and men.
I Pet 4:1-2  Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

Titus 2:11-12  For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
   In Christ, all Christians must crucify the depraved, carnal and covetous 'old man', and reveal the 'new transformed man' with love for one another that glorifies Him.

Covid19 for Last Days Christians?
2 Tim 3:1-5  But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
    Since last days pastors, Christians and leaders are wicked, covetous and also abominable with their approval of sodomy. Is it possible that out of His abundant love, God is using Covid19 to chastise these abominable last days Christians to bring them back to Him?

Note - The Jews were wicked and abominable, believed false prophets and killed His prophets resulting to their destruction by the Babylonians.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Mosaic Law of Love (CV03)

         'Why COVID19 Now?'

Exodus 31:18  And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
    God Himself wrote His commandments (Mosaic law) on two stone tablets on Mount Sinai so that the Israelites could read, memorise, understand and keep these commandments during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
    Loving God and men fulfils the law and the prophets. The main purpose of the Mosaic law was for the perfection of the love of the Israelites for God and for men
Mat 22:37-40  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Abiding in the Law
Deu 6:6-7 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
    The Israelites must diligently teach their children the law at all times so that they could keep them.
 as a sign on the hand - all their works (by their hands) must abide in the law
 as frontlets between your eyes - the law must guide all their decisions (as the eye).
 write on the doorsposts - in and out of the house, the Israelites were reminded to keep the law and not to stray from it.  
    If anyone could keep the law, his love would be perfected. God will be pleased and will be delighted with this obedient son and his rewards in heaven will definitely be great (as a king or lord serving the King of kings in His kingdom)
Deu 6:8-9  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Incentives for keeping the Law
I Peter 2:11  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
    Even though we are just pilgrims on earth, yet God gave incentives to all those keeping His law with temporal earthly blessings - riches, power, good health, respect, peace, harmony  and security. Since they must love their neighbours, they must use them to nourish, care and help the poor and needy otherwise they have sin.
    Moses sacrificed the earthly power, treasures and pleasure in Egypt and suffered afflictions as an Israelite for the sake of the unseen eternal reward in the kingdom of heaven.
Heb 11:24-27  By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

Failure of Conscience (CV02)

         'Why COVID19 Now?'

Gen 4:3  And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
    After Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of Eden, they had chosen to be guided by conscience because they had eaten the fruit of knowledge of good and evil.
   They continued to worship the Lord God Almighty and their descendants started to worship Him with sacrifices.

Murder out of Jealousy
Gen 4:8  Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
    Because of jealousy, Cain killed his younger brother Abel and God punished him by cursing the ground so that Cain  could no longer farm. Cain suffered much from fear and insecurity as vagabond (scavenger) on the earth in order to survive.
Gen 4:12-13  "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!"

The Deluge
Gen 6:5  Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
    Men, instead of being guided by the conscience of doing good, became very wicked that God had to destroy them with the deluge.

Noahic Covenant
    God added more commands to that given to Adam and Eve to assist men's conscience to be good and righteous.
Commands to Adam
1. Worship God (no idolatry)
2. Holy matrimony (one husband and one wife)
Additional Commands
1. Clean animals for sacrifice
2. Can eat all meat
3. Cannot eat blood
Gen 9:3-4  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
    Since mankind are the descendants of Noah, men are to keep the above 5 commands and be guided by their conscience to do good.

Failure of Conscience
   Men failed miserably for they rejected His commandments and their conscience of doing good. Instead, again and again they became wicked and were idolators that God had to finally choose the Israelites - the descendants of Jacob to be His people thereby making the rest of mankind as Gentiles as punishment.

Brethren, it is keeping the commandments of Jesus (start by keeping Mat 5-7) that can help us to perfect our love for God and men.
I Tim 1:5  Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

Keeping Mosaic Law
Deu 28:1-2  "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:"
    Out of His great love, God encouraged the Israelites to keep His commandments by giving them all types of temporal earthly rewards as incentives, so that when they could keep His commands and had perfected their love for God and men, they would be greatly rewarded in the kingdom of heaven.
    The Mosaic law is similar to the conscience of doing good in every human being (Gentiles).
Rom 2:14  for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,

Why COVID19 Now? (CV01)

Amos 3:7  Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
    So let's look into the prophetic word of God in the bible for the answer to this dreaded, contagious, disastrous and deadly Covid19.

2 Tim 3:16-17  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
    Since God is the same yesterday, today and forever, by reading the OT we can have a good knowledge and understanding of His will, ways, attributes, judgment and wisdom.
     From historical records we can appreciate God's love, mercy and longsuffering while dealing, teaching, protecting and chastising His people - the Israelites then and the Christians now.
2 Pet 1:21  for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

God the loving Father
Psalms 103:2-4  Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
    Since He created Adam to be His son, He had displayed His Fatherly love, mercy and longsuffering to help man to be saved and then to perfection.

God's Will
I Tim 1:5  Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
    He gave commandments so that all those keeping them will be able to perfect their love for God and for one another.
    Adam and Eve were given the command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which they failed to keep.

God's Plan
I Pet 4:1  Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
     It is God's plan that man will be able to cease from sinning when they had suffered as Christ had suffered for mankind.
    After Eve had sinned, she was cursed with excruciating pain during childbirth (not in the case of animals), so that she will desire and love her husband and submit herself to his rule.
Gen 3:16  To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."

Just like the childbirth pain for Eve, is the dreadful Covid19 the chastisement of God for our correction and salvation?

Acts 17:11  These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
    Just like the Bereans, we need to study His words carefully to check the accuracy so that with the revelation of His truth we will be able to get the correct interpretation.
Note - unfortunately many Christians today, without the word of truth, are making all types of conclusions and as expected many false christs are claiming all types of visions, revelations and prophecies.