{"id":1386,"date":"2020-03-15T04:54:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T11:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/?p=1386"},"modified":"2020-03-15T04:54:28","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T11:54:28","slug":"avners-excellent-post-re-the-current-pandemic-and-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/?p=1386","title":{"rendered":"Avner&#8217;s Excellent Post re the current pandemic, and God"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<div class=\"entry-header-text entry-header-text-top text-left\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Coronavirus and you<\/h1>\n<div class=\"entry-divider is-divider small\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-meta uppercase is-xsmall\"><span class=\"posted-on\">POSTED ON <a href=\"https:\/\/davidstent.org\/coronavirus-and-you\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2020-03-14T23:21:09+00:00\">MARCH 14, 2020<\/time><\/a><\/span><span class=\"byline\"> BY <span class=\"meta-author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/davidstent.org\/author\/avner\/\">AVNER BOSKEY<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content single-page\">\n<p>The coronavirus has now become a pandemic \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>a \u201cworldwide spread of a new disease\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/csr\/disease\/swineflu\/frequently_asked_questions\/pandemic\/en\/\">www.who.int\/csr\/disease\/swineflu\/frequently_asked_questions\/pandemic\/en\/<\/a> ). <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>\u201can epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/bulletin\/volumes\/89\/7\/11-088815\/en\/#R2\">www.who.int\/bulletin\/volumes\/89\/7\/11-088815\/en\/#R2<\/a> )<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>\u201cA true \u2026 pandemic occurs when almost simultaneous transmission takes place worldwide\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/bulletin\/volumes\/89\/7\/11-088815\/en\/\">www.who.int\/bulletin\/volumes\/89\/7\/11-088815\/en\/<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>A pandemic does not mean that the situation is the worst possible one. It simply refers to the fact that the virus is spreading widely and quickly<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Facts, spin, denial and omniscience<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>People respond to this pandemic in very human ways. Usually, people acknowledge the verifiable events. Immediately after that, fierce arguments break out as to the real meaning of these events. The following points may be helpful here:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>There is <u>a difference between the amount of people tested and the amount of people who have the virus<\/u>. Some educated guesses suggest that 20-27 times more people have the virus than will ever be tested<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>The <u>news media usually zoom in on the number<\/u> of people infected, but less often tell us how many people have recovered<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em><u>Most people (over 90%) who test positive for the virus are recovering\/ will recover<\/u><\/em><em> with no long-term problems<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em><u>Some people will die<\/u><\/em><em> from the virus. The percentages will depend on advanced age, preexisting immunity system issues and available medical treatment. Numbers thrown around are based on averaging things out \u2013 0.7% South Korea; 4.9% Wuhan region of China; 5% Iran<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em>The stark realities of this pandemic are unsettling for many people. Reactions include declaring that huge conspiracies are at work, blaming supposedly deliberate plots by China, the CIA or Israel\u2019s Mossad for the spread of the virus. Others deny that the pandemic is even a problem, and assert that the whole thing is a manipulative ruse by politicians attempting to shore up their own rule.<\/p>\n<p>Only an omniscient God knows exactly how many people will be touched by this virus and to what extent. The Bible\u2019s perspective is stunningly reflected in the <em>Rosh Hashana<\/em> and <em>Yom Kippur<\/em> (Day of Atonement) rabbinic prayer \u2018<em>Unetana tokef<\/em>\u2019 (<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Unetanneh_Tokef\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Unetanneh_Tokef<\/a><\/em>) which declares that God is both good and sovereign in all these events:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>It is true that You alone are the One Who judges, proves, knows, and bears witness; Who writes and seals, Who counts and Who calculates \u2026 All mankind will pass before You like a flock of sheep. Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living. And You shall apportion the destinies of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict . . . \u2013 how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; <u>who will live and who will die<\/u>; who will die after a long life\u00a0and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine and who by thirst, <u>who by upheaval\u00a0and who by plague<\/u>, who by strangling and who by stoning.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This Yom Kippur confession is powerfully true. And that same truth also applies regarding the ultimate destiny of each one of us. It\u2019s worth remembering\u00a0 the reality that God \u201chas appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained\u201d (<em>Acts 17:31<\/em>). In light of that, we ruefully confess: \u201cIf You, O\u00a0YHVH, should mark iniquities \u2013 O YHVH, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You might be feared!\u201d (<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esv.org\/Ps.%20130%3A4\/\">Ps. 130:4<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>Messiah Yeshua\u2019s soon return to Jerusalem will establish the fallen Tent of David over Israel and the nations. All His promises will be established for the Jewish people. His judgments on all the peoples of this planet will also be actualized: \u201c But when\u00a0the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then\u00a0He will sit on His glorious throne.\u00a0All the nations will be\u00a0gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another,\u00a0as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats\u201d (<em>Matthew 25:31-32<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Casting the first stone <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When bad things happen, we want to know why. Who is guilty? Against whom do we point the finger? Two thoughts here:<\/p>\n<p>Shi\u2019ite Iraqi Islamic scholar Hadi Al-Modarresi, based in Qom, Iran, said on February 28, 2020 that the spread of coronavirus is undoubtedly an act of Allah\u2019s divine punishment against China for their disrespect towards Muslims and Islam:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cIt is obvious that the spread of this virus is an act of Allah. How do we know this? The spread of the coronavirus began in China, an ancient and vast country, the population of which makes up one seventh of humanity . . . The authorities in that country . . . laid siege to more than a million Muslims . . . Allah sent a disease upon them and this disease laid siege to 40 million [Chinese] . . . And there you have it, this disease spread . . . and it has scared humanity in its entirety\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.memri.org\/tv\/qom-iraqi-scholar-hadi-modarresi-coronavirus-divine-punishment-chinese-mock-islam\">www.memri.org\/tv\/qom-iraqi-scholar-hadi-modarresi-coronavirus-divine-punishment-chinese-mock-islam<\/a>). <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In early March, online sources reported that Hadi Al-Modarresi contracted coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>Messiah Yeshua raised the issue of individual responsibility in one of His comments on the collapse of a building in Jerusalem\u2019s Shiloach neighborhood:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood\u00a0Pilate had\u00a0mixed with their sacrifices.\u00a0And Yeshua said to them,\u00a0\u201cDo you suppose that these Galileans were\u00a0greater\u00a0sinners than all\u00a0other\u00a0Galileans because they suffered this\u00a0fate?\u00a0I tell you, no, but unless you\u00a0repent, you will all likewise perish.\u00a0Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in\u00a0Shiloach fell and killed them were\u00a0worse\u00a0culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?\u00a0 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish\u201d (Luke 13:1-5)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yeshua tells us that we need to avoid haste in ascribing specific guilt to people who suffer tragedies. The fact is that all of us have fallen short of the glory of God. None of us is righteous (see <em>Psalm 14:1-3<\/em>),\u00a0 and all of us are in need of repentance. The accurate reason for tragedies and judgments may not be available to us in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>God\u2019s wake-up weapons of discipline <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though many believers are not aware of it, the Bible does not mince words regarding God\u2019s ability to bring judgment to a nation or even an entire planet (think Noah). Jeremiah, Ezekiel and John the Revelator refer to four weapons in YHVH\u2019s hands \u2013 famine, wild beasts, the sword of war, and plagues \u2013 that He has used, does use and will use to speak to a deaf and rebellious world (see also <em>2 Samuel 24:13; 2 Kings 8:1; 2 Chronicles 20:9; Psalm 105:16; Jeremiah 5:12; 14:12, 15; 15:2; 21:7; 24:10; 27:8; 29:17-18; 34:17; 44:12-13;\u00a0 Ezekiel 5:12, 17; Revelation 6:8<\/em>).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Then <\/em><em>the word of YHVH came to me saying, \u201cSon of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast . . . Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live, declares YHVH God, they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness. For thus says YHVH God, How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it\u201d (Ezekiel 14:12-21)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A pandemic touches all the nations of this world. Whether it is specific sins that are the fulcrum, or simply the general attitude of the world that ignores God, His values and guidelines \u2013 we may not clearly know at this point. But there is no question that, like King David in 2 Samuel 24, we need to cry out to YHVH the God of Israel and ask Him to stay His hand, grant repentance and hold the plague back from people (<em>2 Samuel 24:21<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>David purchased the threshing floor of Jerusalem\u2019s\u00a0 Jebusite mayor (the Ara\u2019unah) \u201c\u2018in order to build an altar to YHVH,\u00a0that the plague may be held back from the people.\u2019\u00a0. . .\u00a0 So\u00a0David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.\u00a0\u00a0David built there an altar to YHVH\u00a0and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.\u00a0Thus YHVH\u00a0was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel\u201d (<em>2 Samuel 24:21-25<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>The voice of King David echoes down through the pages of history to us, and it should become ours as well. As 70,000 Jewish men, women and children were perishing, he cried out to YHVH and asked \u201cBut\u00a0these sheep, what have they done?\u201d\u00a0(<em>2 Samuel 24:15-17<\/em>).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Intercession for the sins of our nations is of great urgency right now!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Racing against the chariots of fire (<em>2 Kings 6:17<\/em>)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Prophet Isaiah tells us that people respond to God\u2019s judgments in two diametrically opposed ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cFor when the earth experiences Your judgments, the\u00a0inhabitants\u00a0of the world learn righteousness. Though\u00a0the wicked is shown favor, he does not\u00a0learn righteousness\u201d (Isaiah 26:9-10). <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The present pandemic challenges us to seek the face of God, to learn righteousness and to call out to Him for international mercy.<\/p>\n<p>Some of us may feel that it is hard to keep up with all that is happening. Be encouraged that the God of Jacob is calling us to press onward to our upward calling in Messiah Yeshua (<em>Philippians 3:12-14<\/em>). Jeremiah\u2019s challenge is ours as well: \u201cIf you have\u00a0run\u00a0with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with\u00a0horses?\u201d (<em>Jeremiah 12:5<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>How should we then pray?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Pray for God to have mercy on your nation and to reveal the areas of needful repentance<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Pray for the saving of many lives and the healing of many who are sick<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Pray for gifts of healing to increase on the earth through praying believers<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel\u2019s prophetic Jewish army<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.<\/p>\n<p>In Messiah Yeshua,<\/p>\n<p>Avner Boskey<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coronavirus and you POSTED ON MARCH 14, 2020 BY AVNER BOSKEY The coronavirus has now become a pandemic \u2013 a \u201cworldwide spread of a new disease\u201d (www.who.int\/csr\/disease\/swineflu\/frequently_asked_questions\/pandemic\/en\/ ). \u201can epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/?p=1386\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1386"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1387,"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions\/1387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ez3728.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}