A MONSTER HAS BEEN LOSED
Jeremiah cried out, “A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant,” Jer. 4:7 NIV.
The “lion” in that day was the King of Babylon, and the problem was WAR.
Today, Feb. 11, 2020 I read that Hong Kong’s leading public Health epidemiologist, Professor Gabriel Leung is saying that it looks as if the spread of the 2019 Novel Corona Virus is unstoppable. Every infected person passes it to 2.5 more. If unstoppable, he says it will spread over the whole world infecting 60 % to 80% of the entire world population. If my math is correct, and if the death rate is really only 2%, that would mean 84 million people will die from it. As of today, the deaths reported are over 1,000. Infected people over 43,000. That’s a 2.3% death rate, and the REAL death rate is undoubtably MUCH higher.
One article said that teams of reporters went to the crematoriums in Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak (city of eleven million). All the crematoriums were burning bodies 24 hours a day, and only a fraction of them were confirmed to have the virus. Most were “suspected” of having it, died, and were quickly burned. From their research, they concluded the real death rate was somewhere between 11% and 18%.
Psalm 91 has this promise for those who abide in the shadow of the Almighty: “A thousand shall fall at your left hand and ten thousand at your right hand but it won’t come near you,” I was thinking, “That sounds pretty Old Testament.” If we care about the people on our left and right, it will be small comfort to be left standing while they all die.
Jesus, speaking of the end of days before his return said, “Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened,” (Matt. 24:22 NKJV). Now a huge locust plague is ravaging Africa and even Pakistan. Since the affected areas have received more than normal rain, experts say by June these huge locust plagues could be 500 times bigger—-billions and billions eating all the food of whole nations! I got an email from a friend in Uganda, saying the locusts had come—asking for prayer! Whole nations could be plunged into famine, the the cruelest of deaths—starvation.
Jesus said that big crisis events would come closer and closer together like birth pangs as the days of his return draw near. He also said, “Therefore watch and pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man,” (Luke 21:36 NIV). Prayer and repentance is called for. The famous verse, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray….IS PRECEDED BY THE VERSE THAT SAYS “WHEN I SHUT UP HEAVEN AND THERE IS NO RAIN, OR COMMAND THE LOCUSTS TO DEVOUR THE LAND, OR SEND PESTILENCE AMONG MY PEOPLE….if My people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” (2 Chron. 7:13-14 NKJV).
I wonder how a Communist nation that requires atheism is going to overcome something like this pestilence without calling on God to help?
The world, generally speaking, has forgotten God, and attributes all of creation to evolution. Clearly, the world is facing problems that science and the most controlling political systems cannot solve. It will take God to shorten the days, and save his people.
Let us cry out to God for deliverance. I want to see millions saved and come to Christ. I do not want to watch millions die, even if I am delivered. Dead people can’t accept Christ. Intercessors—arise and call on God. A lion has left his lair, and is coming to ravage the world economy, overwhelm the health care systems, shut down the great places of assembly, still the noisy revelers, and test the church to see if it has any divine power.