In just a few short months it has enveloped the earth and has brought the nations of the world to a screeching halt.  Within this window of time there is no precedent for this rapidly spreading event.  What does the Bible tell us to do in the face of this pestilence?  Is this Coronavirus or Covid-19 virus connected to Bible prophecy?

“…Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by….” (Isaiah 26:20)

In most modern translations it is either “perilous” or “deadly” but in the King James Version, it is known as a “noisome pestilence” found in Psalm 91.  In the Hebrew “noisome” is havvah (Strongs H#1942) which translates as “eagerly coveting or rushing upon, ruin, calamity, perverse, very wickedness.” More aptly put in modern English, it is a “rapidly engulfing and deadly pestilence” which describes the Coronavirus virus quite accurately.  “Pestilence” is deber (Strongs H#1698) meaning “destroying pestilence or plague.”

The common reference point used is the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918. In actuality, it was a two-year pandemic aided greatly by World War I field hospitals and poor treatment practices conducted around the world as it spread.  As of this writing I believe only four nations have not reported Coronavirus cases within the span of three months, a pandemic lethality that cannot yet be numbered.  But truly it is rapid and engulfing.

There is much fear and panic in the world today surrounding the Coronavirus.  Many are consumed by this event, fear is at the door and their faith is being tested.  Where do you stand in facing this advancing pestilence?  To be sure, we know that almighty God is sovereign and in control of all things, He knows “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10) and that He holds each of His children in His hands and nothing happens to them without His allowing it.  Thus, the real question becomes “where are we in our faith?”

In that regard, the entirety of Psalm 91 is filled with the goodness and power of God.  It reminds us that He faithfully works on behalf of those who love Him.  Three times it names pestilences or plagues.  You might be encouraged to pray this psalm over you and your family and others, but not as ‘magical words’ or an ‘enchantment.’  But if you choose to pray it, pray it out loud that it is heard in the spiritual realm as well.  In fact, I encourage you to speak the word of God publicly every day at home and elsewhere.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

First, it says he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.  When it’s storming outside many seek shelter in a safe building or structure.  As Christians now facing a virus storm, do we seek the shelter, comfort and protection of our Lord, or do we look elsewhere?  Is He truly our mighty fortress?

³ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous (“noisome”) pestilence.

⁴ He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
¹⁰ No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;” (Psalm 91: 1-6; 9-10 emphasis added)

But, do we really mean it if we proclaim it?  Are we just speaking words, or do we believe it in our hearts?  Do we truly rest in Him to be a mighty and strong fortress that we can run into and find peace and protection?  In turning our lives over to Him we must surrender it all in humility and trust, and do not fear!  He is in absolute control no matter what happens.

Almighty God is with those who make Him their refuge and strength.  We must live a life of holiness in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him with all our heart, mind and soul.  He will be with us every step of the way no matter what mountain we face, or whatever outcome we have in His perfect will for us.  He has promised never to leave us or forsake us!

God promises to be with us in everything, in every storm, every turmoil, every circumstance, if we will but trust Him in all things.  He is in absolute control no matter what happens, and nothing will happen to you unless He allows it.  As Peter Marshall put it, “God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty.”

Think on this just for a moment:

⁶ “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7)

It says that He numbers even the hairs on our head.  That’s how much He loves and cares for those that are His.

“The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)

Be still and know that He is God and there is no other.  He loves us and says the angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him and He will deliver them.  Is that you?

Is there a reason for this viral pandemic? 

God has allowed this virus to speed through the earth like no other and the world has now changed.  With its sudden impact on the global economy, the virus has most likely already maneuvered the world into a recession to be verified in future economic reports.   This virus did not take the Lord by surprise and our confidence is knowing that He holds the future in His hands, thus the future of our individual lives as well.

Some ask if this is connected to Bible prophecy?

The world is on lock-down. The full impact hasn’t hit the US just yet, but the daily headlines clearly tells us the reality of the pandemic as it sinks in.  It’s not a very deadly virus (i.e. ebola)–although all of us know people in the most vulnerable demographic, and we are concerned for their well being. But the uncertainty surrounding the virus, and the breakneck speed with which it spreads, has sent people’s emotions, sense of security, and the stock market into a tailspin.  The global shock wave is like no other.  So sudden, we have not been able to put it in proper context.

Many of us are familiar with 2^nd Chronicles 7:14. I had an interesting conversation a couple of days ago with my good friend and former pastor who reminded me of what preceded.  He asked, “do you recall verse 13?

“¹³ When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people…”

Given the context of our discussion, his salient point made is startling to consider, it is the template he referenced.  A drought has impacted many nations this past year, one cannot help but recall images of the Australian continent on fire for almost six months.  Then, a couple of months ago, several articles around the globe spoke of “10 plagues” that were all impacting different nations of the world.  Emphasized were the locust invasions, greater than any have seen in over a century, that swept through Africa, the Middle East and as far east as China, Pakistan and India, consuming at times whole fields inside of 30 seconds.  Last week the Times of Israel reported that breeding of the locusts was creating a massive second wave moving towards the same nations.  And then, with little warning, the Coronavirus exploded on the world in the first 90 days of 2020.

“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows (labor pains). (Matthew 24:7-8 emphasis added) In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus told the disciples that troubles throughout the world would increase in intensity before His return much like labor pains on a woman giving birth.

I believe what we are witnessing with Coronavirus is very definitely evidence of the increasing birth pains that Jesus described, all the more with the earthquakes, locust plagues, droughts, Australian wildfires and the lawless spirit that is being witnessed throughout the world.  In fact, this virus is a strong labor pain.

But, the Bible does seem to assure that the world will recover from this pandemic based on what Jesus spoke, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark.” (Matthew 24:37-38)  Right now this is not happening. But these verses seem to infer that at His return, life on earth will be normal if not prosperous, that eating, drinking and weddings will continue as they always have.  Thus, a recovery from this unprecedented event almost surely will follow.  But, to further the point, Jesus later said that the “Son of Man will return at a time you think not.” (Luke 12:40)

It is the strongest labor pain thus far and it has been felt by the entire world.  As the nations have been forced to suddenly shut down in a hushed panic ….do you not hear Him saying to the populations of the earth, “Do you know what time it is?”

We will never know the day or the hour nor should we attempt to predict it.  But, it is the season of His promised return.

“May we not ignore the signs that are right before our eyes.  May we not be slow of heart to believe!”- Amir Tsarfati

Awaken Church.

Often the solution to a mystery is not resolved until a key or subtle discovery is made.  Frequently, it can be the most obvious thing and is maybe why it had been overlooked.  A key to understanding the Bible is the fact that Jesus and the majority of His disciples were Galilean, except for Judas.  But what mystery does that resolve?

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46)

What did Nathanael mean by that?

Galileans stood out from the rest of Israel, they didn’t blend in well. The region was viewed as remote, away from the center of Judaism in Jerusalem, not known for any form of cultural sophistication.  As one author wrote,“The province [of Galilee] is spoken of as having been, at that period, one of the most obscure and despised of the Roman empire; and Nazareth has the misfortune of being represented as then an insignificant village, whose inhabitants were ignorant and even immoral.” (Galilee in the time of Christ, Selah Merrill, 1885)

In the eyes of the more educated and urban Jews, the Galileans would have been judged as ignorant at best and perhaps as simple-minded sinners at worst. But Jesus of Nazareth spoke to the disciples in the Galilean vernacular, using their cultural idioms.

One of the most prominent of Galilean customs and used most consistently throughout His ministry was the Galilean wedding which differed notably from the standard Jewish wedding at that time.  The Galilean nuances spoke volumes to the early Church, they understood what Jesus spoke, but over the span of 2,000 years these key understandings have been lost to so many of the pulpits today.

The three “C’s” of Bible weddings were: Contract, Consummation and Celebration.  We see these reflected in Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah in Genesis 24 and in Jacob’s marriage to Leah and then to Rachel in Genesis 29.

The ancient Jewish Wedding practice began with the Marriage Covenant or Contract.  It was known as the “Ketubbah.”  When a young man desired to marry a young woman in ancient Israel, the first step would be the establishment of a marriage contract that would be paid by the father of the groom. The groom would present the contract to the young woman and her father at the young woman’s home and described the terms under which he would propose marriage.  The most important part of the contract was the bride price, that is the price that the young man was willing to pay to marry the young woman.  The payment was to be made to the young woman’s father in exchange for his permission to marry.

But in ancient Galilee there was a unique practice that concluded the contract: The Cup.  If the bride price was agreeable to the young woman’s father, the young man would pour a glass of wine for the young woman.  If the young woman drank the wine, it would indicate her acceptance of the proposal.  At this point the young man and young woman would be betrothed. (note Paul’s verb in 2^nd Corinthians 11:2) The marriage was official, the only difference was that the marriage was not yet consummated.  A typical betrothal period was 1-2 years and during this time the bride and bridegroom would each be preparing for the wedding and would not see each other.

Jesus fulfilled this Galilean bridegroom practice at the Last Supper.  As Jesus poured wine for His disciples His words described the significance of the cup in representing the bride price for the marriage contract: “The He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:28-29) The disciples drank of the cup, thus accepting the contract.

At Communion, as we drink the cup and eat of the bread, we reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and look forward to His return.  We remember the price He paid for the forgiveness of our sins and guarantee of our eternal life through Him.  The price He paid, giving His life for us, can also be seen as the bride price.  The cup signifies the acceptance of His terms as bridegroom.

Prior to the wedding and still a practice for many Jewish women today, the bride would partake in a Mikveh, or cleansing bath.  Mikveh is the same Hebrew word used for baptism.  After His ascension, the Mikveh, or baptism that Jesus provides for His bride is baptism of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father has promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4)

Another Galilean practice was for the bridegroom to send special gifts to the bride during the long betrothal period reminding her of his love and appreciation for her.  The gifts that Jesus gave us are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus described this gift in John 14:26: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you and will remind you of everything I had said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Stage Two of the Jewish wedding was the Consummation of the marriage, known as “The Chuppah.”   Once the ketubbah was signed, the couple did not have sex until the groom fulfilled his financial obligations to the father of the bride.  When the father consented to the groom and the bridal price was paid, he was allowed to come to the home of the bride and consummate the marriage in her own house.  The groom would set a date for the chuppah, notifying the bride in order that she could prepare their wedding room.  Afterwards, he would lead her in a ceremonial procession to a wedding feast at his house. But the Galilean custom was quite different!

In Galilean ruins (i.e. Korazim) what we find are insulas – clusters of buildings where extended families lived together. In Jesus’ time, families usually lived in clusters of buildings called insulas. These clusters were built around a central courtyard. Grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts all lived and interacted together in the insula.

As sons married, they added to the insula. After asking a girl to marry him, the son would return to his village and build new rooms onto his father’s home. The son, anxious to be married, waited for the day when his father declared that the building was complete. Then he could finally marry his bride and bring her to their new home.

Just as a bridegroom would have told his bride that he would go to prepare a place for her, so Jesus told His disciples: “…In my Father’s house are many rooms or mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 13:1-3)  In ancient Galilee, the bridegroom could get his bride only after his father approved the date.  Similarly, Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on guard!  Be alert!  You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33)

In Galilean custom, while the bridegroom was preparing the wedding chamber, the bride was considered to be consecrated, set apart or “bought with a price.”  If she went out, she would wear a veil so other would know she was betrothed.  During this time, she prepared herself for the marriage.  She didn’t know when the groom would come for her and it was normal that she would station members of her family or her bridesmaids to be looking out for the groom’s approach.  Since bridegrooms typically came for their brides in the middle of the night, to “steal them away” (the groom would often come like a ‘thief in the night’, often around the midnight hour), the bride would have to have her lamp and her belongings ready at all times.  Her sisters and bridesmaids would also be waiting, keeping their lamps trimmed in anticipation of the late night festivities and the approach of the bridegroom.

When the Galilean bridegroom’s father deemed the wedding chamber ready, he would tell his son that all was ready and to go and fetch his bride.  The bridegroom would abduct his bride secretly, like a thief in the night and take her to the wedding chamber.  As the bridegroom and his best friends approached the bride’s home, he would shout and blow the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) so that she had some warning to gather her belongings to take into the wedding chamber.  Inside the bride’s house it was electric and exhilarating, a moment of jubilant joy as the house awakened for the day of fulfillment had arrived.  The bridegroom and his friends would come into the bride’s house and get the bride and her bridesmaids and take them to the groom’s father’s house.

Just as the bridegroom would come for the bride in the middle of the night, with a shout and the sound of the shofar, so the Lord will come for us.  “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore, encourage each other with these words.  Now, brothers, about time and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1^st Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Upon returning to his father’s house or property, the bridegroom would take his bride to the wedding chamber where they would spend seven days.  Interestingly, on that first night the bridegroom’s friend would wait outside the door of the wedding chamber.  When the marriage was consummated, the bridegroom would tell his friend through the door, and the friend would announce it to the assembled guests announcing the Celebration.  The guests and family would celebrate for seven days until the bride and bridegroom emerged from the wedding chamber.  At that time the groom would bring his wife out and introduce her to the community.

The Galilean wedding model is the template that Jesus uses to describe the Rapture of the Church.  The seven days symbolize the 7 Year Tribulation in which the Church as the Bride of Christ is in heaven.  It is a pre-millennial, pre-tribulation Rapture, and the early Church, understanding the Galilean vernacular, knew this.  But by the 3^rd century A.D. different prophetic interpretations began to develop that have filtered forward to this day.

The Galilean key has been lost to many pulpits today and sadly, it is reflected in recent polling data obtained from 1,000 Protestant pastors in the United States.  Lifeway Research has found that approximately 30% of the Church does not even believe in a literal Rapture, which is stunning.  The phrase “blessed hope” that Paul wrote about extensively does not even register for many Christians today.  If you would like to review their polling data, click HERE.

As most of us would observe, we live in fast and heady times.  If ever there was a time to rediscover our “Galilean roots” it would be today.

 

Sources: Ray Vander Laan, Dr. Chuck Missler, Steve Rudd, Brent Miller, Jr.

 

 

It is the only miracle of Jesus which is recorded in all four Gospels.  In many ways it was the climax of His ministry of miracles, for shortly thereafter Jesus began the journey to Jerusalem.  It was designed to produce faith in His disciples.

Upon hearing where they were located a multitude came and Jesus had compassion for them and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God and healed many.  “When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late;  send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” (Mark 6:35-37)

“And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes….” (Luke 9:13).  In this account, Jesus is getting the disciples to acknowledge the impossibility of provision by human means alone.  “For they were about five thousand men” (verse 14a) and while not counting women and children the total number may have exceeded 10,000.

“And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company” (v. 14b) You know the rest of the story, but with hardly any food to serve can you only imagine what the disciples were thinking upon hearing these instructions?

I am reminded of such a daunting task when, in 1996,  Sons of Thunder Ministries first purchased the 10,000 acre farm in Zambia that founder Jerry Beall was commissioned by the Holy Spirit to use the land as a basis to “feed Africa physically and spiritually.”  And he has never forgotten the Lord’s instruction to him.

If you have not heard, the sub-Saharan region of Africa has been subjected to a brutal two-year drought that is reversing years of progress for almost 250 million affected.  Hunger is increasing at an alarming rate throughout the area and exceeding local government capacities.

Successive crop failures and poor harvests in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa are taking a toll on agricultural production, and food prices are soaring.  As you can see in the January 2020 SPEI Drought Monitor map, Zambia is in the heart of this drought-stricken region.  In southern Africa, Zambia and South Africa traditionally provide 70% of the region’s maize production and due to the drought and below-average yields, 41 million are now suffering from “food insecurity.”  Maize is the staple crop for “nshima” a thick porridge made from corn meal (mealie meal) which is eaten daily.

Sons of Thunder Farm is located in southern Zambia and these consuming drought conditions are on its door step each day.  Fortunately, God has blessed Sons of Thunder greatly and the ministry adopted Farming God’s Way© non-till agricultural techniques years ago and is now complimented by water irrigation systems sourced by several drilled wells.  Recent harvests have been bountiful.  And this past summer SOT constructed the first of three aquaponic fish ponds to provide a source of additional protein.  (You can read more about this in prior blog posts dated July 17, 2019; June 12,2019 and December 12, 2018)

“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25)

The SOT ministry has always held out a generous hand to its surrounding villages not only for feeding the hungry, but in providing medical and maternity services as well a renowned school for 400 children.  There are four churches located on the Farm and no one visits without hearing or experiencing the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  As a result, many hundreds of people are streaming daily to the Sons of Thunder Farm in the midst of this horrible drought seeking humanitarian food and aid.

In the United States we have soup kitchens but early this year Sons of Thunder built an “Nshima Kitchen” on its compound for the same purposes.  A building was under construction and it was felt that God wanted to use it as a facility to feed the hungry. Today it is not uncommon that Zambians will walk 2-3 days to the Farm in order to obtain a meal at the Nshima Kitchen.  The first meal served was fish, nshima, and green beans.  In the first week alone 240 Zambians were served.  One woman walked with her children for two days having not eaten in three days.  The gratitude expressed only moves you to tears.

At left are photos from the first week of the “Nshima Kitchen.”

Sons of Thunder Farm is now attempting to use its technology to sustain food crops over a larger portion of the calendar year to help meet these needs and continues to use its facilities to host regional training seminars to educate on Farming Gods Way© techniques.

Needless to say, sustaining the Nshima Kitchen and feeding what is becoming thousands of people places a tremendous financial strain on Sons of Thunder Ministries.   It is for this reason I am asking you to consider making a donation to Sons of Thunder in the midst of this humanitarian crisis.

I am reminded in John’s account of the feeding of 5,000 that the very next day Jesus preached a sermon on the “bread of life” and received Him as they had the bread itself. (John 6:22-59)  Likewise, you can be assured that the gospel of Jesus Christ is extended each day to the hungry streaming into the Farm asking for food.  Having spent cherished time in recent years ministering at Sons of Thunder I can assure you that our Lord and Savior is exalted every day in its operation and the conduct of its leadership.  It is the support of people like you who can and will make a difference in the lives of many.  If you would like to learn more,you can click here to go to the Sons of Thunder website and make a donation.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.”  (Jeremiah 17:7-8)