3-15-2020 Weekly Message

Meditation of the week: Psalms 91:1-10

Text: Leviticus 26:14-26

Word Title: Corona Virus: Is it a natural disaster? Or God’s judgment?

         God proclaimed the message of blessing and punishment unto the Israelites. If they do not make idols or engraved images; they do not make standing images: they do not build any stone images on their land: they do not bow to them, and  they keep the Sabbaths of the Lord God and fear His sanctuary, and do and keep His ordinances, then  God promised them that he would bless them.

          But he spoke unto  them, he would punish them many times when they do not listen to God: do not do all the commandments: ignore the rules: or their soul hates the commandments of the Lord:  do not do all the commandments; and break his covenant.

         The first punishment against them is that God would give them  terror, consumption, and burning ague, that consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart; and they shall sow their seed in vain, for their enemies shall eat it.. God also said that God will set his face against them, and they shall be slain before their enemies: they that hate them shall reign over them; and they shall flee when none pursues them.

       And if they will not yet for all this hearken unto him, then he will punish them seven times more for their sins. And he will break their pride of their power; and he will make their heaven as iron, and their earth as brass. And their strength shall be spent in vain: for their land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the tree of the land yield their fruits.

      And if they walk contrary unto him, and will not hearken unto him; he will bring seven times more plagues upon them according to their sins.

He  will also send wild beasts among them, which shall rob them of their children, and destroy their cattle, and make them few in number; and their high ways shall be desolate.

And if they will not be reformed by him by these things, but will walk contrary unto him;

Then will he also walk contrary unto them, and will punish them yet seven times for their sins.

And he will bring a sword upon them, that shall avenge the quarrel of his covenant: and when they are gathered together within their cities, he will send the pestilence among them; and they shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

And when he has broken the staff of their bread, ten women shall bake their bread in one oven, and they shall deliver them their bread again by weight: and they shall eat, and not be satisfied.

       And if they will not for all this hearken unto him, but walk contrary unto him;

Then he will walk contrary unto them also in fury; and he, even he, will chastise them seven times for their sins.

And they shall eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters shall they eat.   And he will destroy their high places, and cut down their images, and cast their carcases upon the carcases of their  idols, and his soul shall abhor them.

And he will make their cities waste, and bring their sanctuaries unto desolation, and he will not smell the savour of their sweet odours.

And he will bring the land into desolation: and their enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

           The Israelites who had received the Word of God not only opposed God to the very end, but their eyes were completely blind, and even by hanging Jesus on the cross and crucifying him, they were nationally punisshed by God and ridiculed in all the nations and lived in discipline.

          While they lived in God’s judgment, God made Christians who believed in the Gospel of Christ for the past two thousand years to be the Church of God, but the Churches of God also went through the same way  as the Israelites. Even though they say, serving God, but nowadays they are serving all kinds of idols, but they not realize themselves as serving idols as Israelite.  Just as the Israelites in the old days worshiped idols, but they thought, they were serving God by offering sacrifices unto God. Nowadays,  churches of God also worship on Sunday thinking themselves worship God is the only way to serving God, while they serve all kinds of idols and mammon. However, in reality, they do not realize that they worship the Devil.

        Through the prophet Isaiah, God gave a warning message to the Israelites as well as church of God who worship God in vain:

” Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

12When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am

weary to bear them.

15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it..” (Isaiah 1:10-20)

         This message is for the apostate churches all over the earth. Churches in Korea are no exception. If they say that they believe in Jesus and do well on Sunday worship, they are mistaken for pleasing God. By joining the WCC and WEA to serve all the idols created by other religions together, if they give offering   just like the old Israelites offered sacrifices, they are making and serving some strong idols and mistake themselves for serving God. Serving Japanese idols under rule of Japan, Korean churches were  not aware that they worshipped idols. They were judged tremendously  by God for their sins through miserable Korean that made the whole country desolate.  Because of the corona virus, many Korean churches had to close their churches only having Sunday service through YouTube offering by credit card. They are still thinking themselves pleasing God with on line services. Unfortunately, they don’t realize why God has brought such kind of pestilence never awaring of Corona virus as plague brought by God expecting their repentance from their sins of  idolatry.

         Korean churches have to come out of the denominations in WCC and WEA, and have to repent seriously to dwell in the secret place of the Most High:Almighty God

“ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.“(Ps. 91:1-6)

           That’s right. God-fearing children who dwell in the truth are surrounded by the angels of the Lord and they deliver them from pestilence (Psalm 34: 7).

Amen! Hallelujah!