“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 Chronicles 7:14

When the virus first hit, there was a cluster of lies circulating in a Facebook post about COVID-19. Someone was blaming God for the Coronavirus.

Here’s the post:

In three short months, just like He did with the plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship. God said, “You want to worship athletes, I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians, I will shut down Civic Centers. You want to worship actors, I will shut down theaters. You want to worship money, I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market. You don’t want to go to church and worship Me, I will make it where you can’t go to church.”

“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 Chronicles 7:14)

Maybe we don’t need a vaccine. Maybe we need to take this time of isolation from the distractions of the world and have a personal revival where we focus on the ONLY thing in the world that really matters. Jesus.

Here are the lies:

1. The entire first paragraph is not in the Bible. It’s made up by someone who wants to put words in God’s mouth to make their own legalistic points. It belittles the Cross and makes God seem as if the blood of Jesus didn’t fully work for Him; as if He’s still mad and Christ didn’t finish anything for us. (See John 19:30, Hebrews 1:3, 9:22, 10:10, 1 John 2:2)
2. God does not send plagues to “take away” athletes, stadiums, musicians, Civic Centers, actors, theaters, money, nor does He collapse the stock market. That would mean He is also taking away schools, churches, charities, missions, and other good things as this virus shut down all gatherings. God is not vindictive, but loving and kind, no longer dealing with humanity on the basis of sins. Why? Because of the Cross. (See Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Hebrews 9:28, John 1:29)
3. The Bible verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 was written to the old nation of Israel, not America—and not even the current State of Israel. This passage is thousands of years old. America was established in the summer of 1776, and Israel, May 14, 1948. This passage does not apply to us. Instead, it’s directed at the Jewish people group who rebelled against God and the Law of Moses. We Americans can know this passage, but it’s not our mail. Context is key. (See Deuteronomy 4:2, 5:2, Ephesians 2:12)
4. The last paragraph says we need a “personal revival” and I fell for this lie for years. We don’t need a revival but our minds renewed to the truth of what Christ has done for us and to us. Revival means “to relive” or “to come back to life,” BUT THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED FOR CHRISTIANS! What do you think occurred the moment we believed in Jesus? We died on the Cross with Him, we were buried in the tomb with Him, and came back to life–WITH HIM! WE DON’T NEED TO KEEP COMING BACK TO LIFE, WE NEED TO LIVE! (See Romans 6:6-10, 12:2, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3-4, 1 Corinthians 6:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17,21)

Here are these lies deciphered in view of the Cross:

1. On this side of the Cross, God does not send plagues. HE IS FOR US, NOT AGAINST US. He sent plagues to Egypt to protect the line of Judah, which came from Israel, in order to protect the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus. After these plagues were sent and Pharaoh released the Hebrew people, God made a Covenant with them through Moses at Mount Sinai. He was the mediator of the Old Covenant, Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant. It was there, at Sinai, the Law was put into place (the Old Covenant). At the Cross, the New replaced the Old, as only one Covenant can be in effect at a time. When Christ came and died a new Covenant replaced the one which came through Moses–the Law–FOR ALL WHO WILL BELIEVE IN HIM. This Covenant happened at the death of Jesus, not His birth, because only blood can bring in a new Covenant and only a perfect Priest can present such blood to God. Jesus did this ONCE unlike the now obsolete priests from the tribe of Levi who presented blood over and over (*side note* all of today’s priests are obsolete as well; fake middlemen, mere humans attempting to replace Jesus as Mediator. They aren’t Jewish. They aren’t from Levi. The temple is gone. The Messiah replaced them). The bottom line is, everything Israel–and all of humanity–would ever do, say, or think sinfully, it was placed on the Cross. Blame Jesus, not me. (See Mark 2:22, Hebrews 3:1-6, all of Hebrews 7, 8:6-13, 9:12-25, 10:10, John 1:17, Romans 8:28-31, 10:14, 1 Timothy 2:5)
2. If God sent the Coronavirus to take everything away from us “to teach us a lesson” then the Cross wasn’t good enough for Him. It would be weak and useless. The truth is, HE DID NOT SEND THIS HERE. We live in a fallen world with death and decay. We did this, Adam and Eve, not God. He created everything perfect including us. We messed this place up. Not Him. HE CREATED THIS PLANET “AND IT WAS GOOD.” Instead, He knew this would happen and devised a rescue mission before Creation. Jesus. Through Him, by grace through faith, His Spirit comforts us during stressful times. He isn’t “sending plagues” on one side of us and then scurrying around to the other side to comfort us. He’s not a psycho. Legalistic people may do this but not God. He’s a good Father, and good fathers would never hand their child a stone when they ask for bread. (See Genesis chapters 1-3, Romans 5:1-9, Revelation 13:8, John 14:26, Matthew 7:9, Ephesians 2:8-9)
3. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is directed at the Jewish people who rebelled against the Law of Moses. They had promised God through Moses, they would do everything written in the Book of the Law–all 613 commandments, not just 10 like we hand-pick today. This was before the Cross, according to the Old Covenant, and it’s a threat to that group whom Moses had led out of Egypt. The temple had just been built and Solomon was dedicating it with thousands of cattle being slaughtered for their blood. On this side of the Cross, through Jesus’ blood, Israel was taken out of the Covenant and a new Covenant was made. Jesus was inserted into their place and ours, we Gentiles (anyone who isn’t Jewish). Now, the Covenant is based on a promise between God and God–Father and Son (who cannot lie, like Israel, or you and me)–the Old Covenant was finished at the Cross. In lieu of Calvary, instead of humanity being “promise keepers” (like Israel before the Cross), we’ve become beneficiaries to their promise to one another. Beneficiaries do nothing except receive by way of a death. Jesus died. Therefore, we can’t apply this verse to us about the virus. God no longer sends plagues, He sent Jesus. Christ was enough. (See Exodus 19:8, John 19:30, James 2:10, Galatians 3:10,18,28, Hebrews 6:16-19, Ephesians 1:7-14, 2 Timothy 2:13)
4. The last paragraph is just some good old-fashioned Christian guilt–which never works. It creates stress or hypocrisy, neither of which are from God. (See Matthew 15:7-9, 11:28-30, Hebrews 4:11, Acts 20:24, Romans 11:6)

I do, however, agree with the part which says, “The only thing that matters is Jesus.” So if the only thing that matters is Jesus, let’s stop lying about what He’s fully done for us at the Cross. That event was a huge success!

So today, my friends, know this: God’s wrath over the sin of humanity was satisfied! He is comforting those who have believed and wooing those who have not (see Romans 2:4, 5:1,9). He’s now working in us and through us at all times, especially during trying seasons. Express Him, love others, be easy on yourself and be confident.

A prayer for you: Heavenly Father, you are so good to us. I hope more people come to understand this truth. If only the world knew how satisfied you are because of Jesus, they’d change their attitudes about you. They’d stop flinching and begging and they’d start thanking and praising. Right now, I lift up all who are reading this, directly to you. Dad, please open up their minds to the truth of the gospel. Reveal what Christ has done! Help them to begin to see Him as He truly is, which in turn will help them begin to see your goodness. In His name I pray, amen.

This devotional is from The Christian Identity, Volume 3. Get your copy here!

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