COVID-19: A strategic counterstrike

Is COVID a strategic counter strike from China against the infection of the gospel spread by the West over two centuries ago? Not by the government of China, but the prince of China in the heavenlies (See Daniel 10:13 & 20). The human rulers of China are his puppets. The work done by the London Missionary Society and the likes of Hudson Taylor, Liddell Hart, and Watchman Née slowly undermined the kingdom of darkness that Satan had held the Chinese people in. The people welcomed the gospel. The demonic prince over China in heavenly places, who controls it, wants to destroy all things Western - economies, nations, peoples, societies - not just in revenge, but to regain and strengthen his control. In this war in heavenly places, he is following the strategy of taking the war to the enemy’s homeland.

How is the West doing in the battle against the diabolical princes over the U.S., Canada,  Western European nations, and cultural allies? Even apart from dealing with the effects of COVID, western civilization is sinking under assault from worldly forces such as pride, avarice wrath, lust, envy, gluttony, and sloth. Perhaps, in the conflict of eternity, Satan believes that the rigors of plague-driven hardships will be the final blow needed to destroy the last glimmer of Christian values in the West. He may be right. The Third Reich almost destroyed a culture sinking under the weight of self-centered debauchery. Almost, but not quite. The rigors of economic depression had steeled some in the West to fight naked evil to the death. 

In the sweep of history, European colonialism brought both good (evangelization) and bad (colonialism and economic exploitation) to the entire world. China and Japan fought back in the world’s dimensions, but the ultimate battle will be fought in heavenly realms. The victory will not be decided on physical capabilities (economic or military power) but spiritual character. Because, in the end, the world was created as God’s domain to test the hearts of humankind. The outcome of China’s prince’s strategic counterstrike will be decided based on our response to the invitation of Jesus to follow Him.

Why is it so important to know, love, and obey God?

I get this question from Elementary age kids in Sunday School. Their lives are full  -  playing with friends, going to school, living with their family, playing video games, why should they spend time and effort on God? 

The first answer doesn’t satisfy: God created the universe (and us) and sent Jesus to rescue us from our sin. That’s just not the way they look at the world.

Second try does no better: nothing will ultimately satisfy us in life if it is not from Him and in Him; worldly pleasures, accomplishments, possessions, relationships all amount to nothing and will crumble to dust in the end; only God endures. At age 10, the final outcome isn’t in their conceptual framework.

Third try: there is true joy and happiness found in Him, that is not found in anything else. The challenge here? It is so natural for children to find satisfaction in serving others (except for doing chores) that they don’t connect it to God. They like to please people! 

Number four: the consequences of rebelling against God, doing wrong instead of right, are God’s way of getting our attention. That is an abstraction, possible to see but hidden most of the time.

Five: there is a supernatural joy that comes when we connect God to a situation, in prayer and action that invokes His presence. This comes a little closer - because kids simultaneously see a miracle and experience the glow of a God’s presence.

But the bottom line puzzles me. It almost seems that God has pre-wired some kids (people) to simply love Him without needing persuasion, and others to be oblivious to any and all forms of enticements. But how much are these kids different from adults? We offer the same set of excuses. 

Book review: Christ and the Kingdoms of Men, by David C. Innes

 Book review: Christ and the Kingdoms of Men, by David C. Innes

Subtitle - Foundations of Political Life

What is wrong with our nation? That is the implicit question that the author addresses in describing politics from a Christian perspective. Not to address specific issues, parties, or candidates, but the fundamentals of what is a citizen, what is the purpose of government, and what are the problems of governance. Our politics simply reflect the environment of the people of our nation.

Modern citizenship is deemed the legal right to live in a nation, vote, and receive entitlements. A traditional view is that a citizen lives in a moral realm  and is devoted to the people he lives with, and the good he shares with them. There is tension between being a citizen of the Kingdom of God and a citizen of that earthly realm we dwell in. Short of going to heaven, we are limited in how much we can bring God’s morals to our body politic, but citizens are committed to bringing about what is right. That nations need citizens not subjects is analogous to God wanting sons not slaves.

The Biblical admonition in Romans 13:1-8 is not unlimited. Christians are not told to submit to governments that inflict or promote evil. But recall that Nebuchadnezzar was an absolute despot, yet God compared his kingdom to a head of gold, and a fruitful tree. (Daniel 2:38, 4:20-22)  Rulers and governments that protect the morals of society are to be obeyed. But a good Christian would not have been a good citizen of Nazi Germany. Government is God’s servant for good.

The political problem is government’s built-in tension between power and restraint. It must have power to perform its divinely mandated purposes. It must exercise that power in restraint to enable the free moral actions of its citizens. Jesus said to render unto Caesar.... (Luke 12:25) This illuminates the depth of submission to unjust government, because Jesus  submitted to death on a cross at the hands of Roman rulers. The line is drawn in Acts 5:29 when the rulers ordered the disciples to disobey a direct command of Christ, and their response was that there are things that must be done, out of obedience to God, regardless of the consequences. Civil disobedience.

The modern solution is limited democracy, a government with separation of power, checks and balances.  But other forms of government can also potentially manage this tension. And even democracy goes awry if the body politic embraces immorality.

The root problem is that our political institutions are built deep-down on Christ’s command to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us. (Matthew 5:44) We can discuss our differences and work them out only when we believe that people we disagree with have value and dignity in God’s eyes; that He loves them as much as He loves us. Millennia of human history have amply demonstrated that without this cornerstone, civil discourse quickly disappears, for there is no other possible foundation.

Book Review: The Lost Art of Dying by Lydia S. Dugdale, MD

Dr. Dugdale attempts to revive the ars morendi, a set of medieval practices surrounding the event of death. Dimensions include finitude, community, context, fear, body, spirit, ritual, and life. Death was much different in the Middle Ages, a common event that almost always occurred at home. Plagues were frequent, other conditions untreatable, so society developed an art of dying that considered and included best practices for each of death’s dimensions.  Dr. Dugdale updates these ancient methods to the present, and identifies specific ways in which modern society and medical practice could learn from them.

The author returns repeatedly to a few issues that clearly are important to her. Most frequent is her discussion of the tension between the benefits of using medical technology to resuscitate clinically dead against the implications for what that revived life will be like. This is her area of medical expertise and practice, so she is acutely aware of the downsides of living with intubation and intravenous infusions, trying to keep a frail body from expiring, and the relative shortness of a revived person’s life extension. While some can recover and live a long time in relative health, others last a short time, to then expire again, until revival is completely ineffective. 

Death in a hospital ICU is seldom in the context of family and friends, and offers little to no opportunity for final conversations or religious practices. (And this was written before the COVID-19 crisis excluded even immediate family from hospital visits). Some fear death so greatly that they will do anything, accept any pain or indignity, to extend existence a few more hours or days. In other cases, loved ones do not want their relative to die prematurely, sometimes against the wishes of the terminally ill. 

Dr. Dugdale advocates that whenever possible, those facing death (everyone) develop a plan for their final hours, such as where they want to die (she suggests most prefer home if given the choice) and who they want present as death draws near, and communicate their plan to those who will speak for them in their final hours. There is a fascinating digression about the evolution of hospitals from their origin, of providing basic care for the indigent, to their modern role as the locus of modern, conveyer-belt medical technology for those who can afford it. 

The final chapter points out that the ultimate key to dying well is to live well and have no regrets. While citing the example of Jacob’s last words, she does not speak to the other side of death’s door. Matthew 25:21 & 23 give us the ultimate life goal - to be told by The Lord “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your master.” If one fears the final judgment and is not at peace with God, fear of death is rational. The aphorism, “there are no atheists in foxholes” dating to at least World War II, speaks to the deepest human response to imminent death. How can we be confident in what lies beyond death’s door? Creeds, sacraments, and works as public testimonies of faith all are scriptural. But true confidence comes from a relationship with Jesus that is built on these foundations. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28) The art of dying well must be based on this, or else it is a superficial facade.

Book Review: God and the Pandemic, by N. T. Wright

After writing a short essay for Time Magazine, N.T. Wright set out to write a longer version to express his thoughts. In this 76 page tract, he explains the basis for his rejection of apocalyptic interpretations of the pandemic. History is replete with plagues; historically Christians cared for the afflicted, and proclaimed the gospel by living out their faith, by following the example of Jesus. We cannot claim biblical authority for private interpretations of this plague, such as seeing it as a judgment by God of sin, or claiming special knowledge of what God is doing. Rather, the Biblical response is to lament the events, and rise to the challenge of asking God for directions on whom we are to serve, and how. He cites several New Testament passages in support of the Biblical basis for this response. 

While Wright’s position is strong, he gives only passing comment to the fundamental difference between this and previous pandemics. A rather major feature of this present pandemic is that government at all levels has gone crazy in its response - shutting down the economy (except for casinos and abortion clinics), closing churches as not essential but protecting assembly for violent protest. If any feature of the present circumstances suggests an imminent apocalypse, it is this arrogance of politicians and their public health advisors exercising authority with the wisdom and discretion of the Keystone Kops (reviewer’s comment, not in the book).

The apex of Bishop Wright’s argument is a slightly different reading of Romans 8:28. The standard translation is, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This implies a passive receipt of the benefits of the work God is doing in these circumstances. The author suggests that the use of synergeo is closer to other passages in which Paul was talking about God working with and through His people, acting through human agents, those who are called according to His purpose. So here, Dr. Wright suggests, Paul is calling us to hard work, knowing that God is working through us.  This is the Biblically Christian response to the ‘all things’ of the present.

If nothing else, this book makes clear that the basic imperatives of the Christian life are not changed by circumstances. Locked doors cannot keep Jesus out. He can calm our fears. The gospels describe the signs of God working through Jesus - healings, teachings, service, offering faith and hope to the down and out; and these hallmarks of His presence on earth continue to this day through His people, the church.

COVID-19: A parable for our time.

COVID-19 is like sin. It is deadly. And it is very contagious. 

The coronavirus is often transmitted so subtly, with no visible indications, that the recipient  is unaware of the risk. Because of this, extreme social distancing is the primary defense against contagion. Distancing. Face masks. Avoiding large gatherings. Extreme sanitation - wiping down all common surfaces with disinfectant wipes. Closing establishments that cannot meet these requirements. Would that we worked this hard to avoid infection by sin! 

The social consequences of Coronavirus are reshaping society. The economy is shutting down whole sectors, those that depend on large numbers of people in proximity for their business. Mail order business and virtual events are the new normal. Distancing and avoidance measures are reshaping surviving enterprises. 

Sin is deadly. Sin is very contagious.  We need a vaccine for Coronavirus, and many are working on one. But the vaccine for sin has been around for 2,000 years and only some partake. Believing in Jesus Christ saves us from sin, and we get an added dimension of resistance with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The sad truth is that while many people are in denial about the danger of Coronavirus, more are in denial about sin. A lack of common sense about the cause and effect relationship between sin and disaster perhaps arises from God’s grace. We have been so awash in God’s grace that when He chooses to discipline us, all He does is pull back a part of the grace, to allow cause and effect to bring about consequences. 

To the believer, this is recognized as a warning from God with respect to some aspect of life that He is trying to change. The unbeliever takes this as proof that there is no God, unable to see or appreciate the sea of God’s grace, and consequences become calamity. But before any of this, He warns. He sent prophets to Israel in the Old Testament (they didn’t listen), and He sends evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers to both the world and the church today. Unlike “experts” on Coronavirus who change their story frequently, God’s messengers tirelessly repeat the eternal truths of the Bible. We are tested by our recognition of His working through them (His messengers) and through circumstances. 

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:25-27, NASB)

BLM Iconoclasm: Daniel’s Words to Nebuchadnezzar about Feet of Clay

In their zeal to eradicate symbols of racism, Black Lives Matter supporters are (possibly unintentionally) revealing God’s hatred of idolatry. Even before Moses gave the second commandment (Exodus 20:4-6), God ridiculed the idols of Laban (Genesis 31:19,30-35). Idolatry was a snare to the Israelites throughout their history, up to the deportation to Babylon. Although the New Testament does not record it, the iconoclasm of the Byzantine Empire in later centuries testifies to the enduring temptation.

Do modern statues of historical figures constitute idols that are worshipped? The emotional reaction of those who seek to protect them suggests the truth that the problem is really in their hearts. These “heroes” or role models are more important to them than faith and truth, and closer to their hearts. That is the true danger of idolatry. 

Regrettably, most BLM supporters are not true iconoclasts. Their proposal is simply to replace statues of historical figures with statues of other, ‘acceptable’ people. Idolatry lives on! What few have recognized is that all fallen humans have feet of clay. (Romans 3:23)  When statues of them are erected, their feet of clay lead to their destruction, just as Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 2:33-35).

The verdict seems clear. We must cleanse our hearts of worship of people or false pretenses. Worship and serve the one true God.

The Battle Hymn of the End Times: COVID and Julia Ward Howe

I wonder if the Battle Hymn of the Republic should be considered as a gift from God, through Julia Ward Howe. She wrote it in 1862, having reportedly gotten the lines during a night’s sleep. Although originally inspired by the Civil War, they are timeless, or perhaps suited for the end of the ages.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: 

His truth is marching on.

The first thought is to recognize the terrible events of the Civil War as precursors to the revelation of God’s glory on the earth, specifically the imminent return of Jesus to set things right by ruling over the earth. The glory of His promised kingdom will be realized through His physical presence. 

The grapes of wrath refer to those various biblical passages in which Jesus is symbolically treading in a winepress. Is it God’s wrath or mankind’s wrath that we see in riots and civil unrest? Can they be separated? If it is God’s wrath, what should be our response?

His sword is usually identified as the Word, proceeding out of the mouth of Jesus. But if His sword also slays, might not plague and pestilence be seen as such? Humankind standing before the throne of God for judgment? His word is truth, which marches on in this sense, that He does not play favorites, but reveals the condition of all men’s hearts.

(Chorus)

Glory, Glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.

Glory, the weight of God’s presence, is experienced through the praise of YHWH, the eternal, self-existent, unconditional One. Ultimately, His truth will be revealed, because He marches on relentlessly. He will continue His work, with our participation or despite our rejection.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

His day is marching on.

Whether the campfires of homeless migrants or burning buildings torched by rioters, flames show His presence among humankind. The Holy Spirit anoints with tongues of fire, our God is a consuming fire. But ... just as the  Army of the Potomac in 1862 was ultimately to destroy rebel forces three years later, God will use the oft-misguided efforts of man to carry out His verdict and sentence. 

(Chorus)

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:

"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal";

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,

Since God is marching on.

Although current events point to a forceful and violent judgment, we are cautioned to humility. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) We should remember that the Lord’s Prayer includes the conditional petition “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Matthew 6:12) The end result of the gospel will be the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, when Jesus -  born of woman, born under the Law - finally defeats and destroys the devil and his kingdom. We can worship God in the present circumstances as they are indicators of his continuing work now, before His return in person.

(Chorus)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

The trumpets of the book of Revelation fulfill the trumpets commanded in the feasts of the Law. (Numbers 10:10) They announce the offerings and remind us to look to God. In martial use, they were throughout history used to sound commands in the field for the troops to hear signals of movement. God will never command His kingdom to retreat, although in one case, He will remove His people from the earth to go to be in His presence, as He judges all who remain on  the earth. (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) 

The judgments of God are both often mentioned in Scripture, and in our hearts as we sense His conviction regarding right and wrong. We make a choice to follow or reject them. This is not human tribunals’ version of justice, but the revelation by God through our own circumstances and the condition of our hearts. We are encouraged to respond to Him quickly, when He speaks and acts in our lives, because the final judgment will inexorably come. We should dance with joy at the signs of His imminent return.

(Chorus)

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

Jesus was born in a humble manger, more likely surrounded by hay and straw than the lilies where Moses was placed. But His divinity incarnate is able to transform us. (2 Corinthians 3:18) He died to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin. We are encouraged in this life to free humans, not just from chattel slavery, but from the bondage of sin. Let us do this now, while God is at work in our world, before that final judgment day.

(Chorus)

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,

He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,

So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,

Our God is marching on.

To what shall we compare the glory of the parousia (coming) mentioned at the outset? The sun shining on the ocean. The strong need His wisdom to act wisely, the courageous need His continuing encouragement to faint not in the day of His action. In the end, His kingdom will be established for all eternity on the earth as it is in heaven. We should celebrate that current events are signs of His imminence. 

Glory, hallelujah!

Do bad things have to happen for us to prove we trust God?

Job challenges Psalm 91 more directly than Genesis 32. Job, the archetype of those who trusted and honored God and suffered (Job 1:8), said “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him”.  (Job 13:15) He was sorely tested by his ‘comforters’. The book bearing his name is more about bad theology than God’s ways. Certainly Job’s ‘friends’ did not understand God or His ways. (Job 42:7) In the end, Job’s response to God’s self-revelation in chapters 38-41 is profound. He quotes God twice, then acknowledges he has no answer, and repents.

I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;

Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:2-6)

Job did not see the behind the scenes confrontation between God and Satan in chapters 1 and 2 that we readers are privy to.  In chapters 38-41, God showed him how much more there is in creation than he understood. Our simplistic understanding of eternal realities might be compared to a child’s understanding of an automobile. He sees his parents work the controls, but has no concept of legal, social, or practical implications of driving, much less the complexity of how the engine and transmission work. Driving three blocks in rural Utah is a far cry from driving in downtown LA, much less doing an engine overhaul.

God is love; the Scriptures and creation and the story of redemption all proclaim this. Jesus came to earth to save us because of His love for us. But that is the beginning of the story, not the whole story. We could speak of God’s holiness, of His creative power, and that takes us a few steps down the road. In Job’s case, God knew that Satan’s ravages would, in the end, open Job’s eyes to a whole new realm of revelation about Him, and thought it worth the cost for Job to grow in that dimension. What Satan intended for evil (i.e., Job’s renunciation of faith in God) became the pathway for the transformation of Job’s faith from religious form to living relationship. 

The security of one who trusts in the Lord is anchored to faith in this ultimate truth: He knows best, is omnipotent, and loving when He acts; and we are not capable of comprehending His nature and character.

Celebrating God in the Midst of Plague

Psalm 91 offers thanks to God for the security of those who trust in Him. It promises divine protection to those who live and abide in His shelter and shadow. Verses 3, 6, and 10 specifically mention plague and pestilence, among the woes that we need not fear, if this Psalm applies to us.

But what if it happens despite our abiding faith? What if the child dies, the parents get the divorce, bankruptcy takes all earthly possessions, the land is conquered, or the cupboard is bare? Psalm 91 seems to place a marker that evil befalls the wicked as punishment, but God protects the righteous. If we suffer, does that mean that despite our best efforts, we are still so wicked that God’s punishment is falling on us? Is there more to the story?

In Genesis 32 we have the story of Jacob wrestling with a man. Jacob actually was something of a scoundrel at this point. When he heard that the brother he had swindled was approaching with 400 men, he was rightfully worried. Genesis reports that he wrestled all night with a man (32:24), whom he later identifies as God (verse 30). If we take this as a metaphor for an all night prayer meeting with God, the Lord saw that He could not prevail over Jacob’s natural strength, so He crippled him. But Jacob still would not let go, and held on despite being crippled. God changed his name to Israel – a prince with God.

We can scarcely say that the rest of Jacob’s life went easily. He limped through the trials of having adult children. But we have this, that he is one of the forefathers of the nation that bears his name to this day. He inherited the promises of Abraham. He is in the lineage of Christ. His children and descendants were not perfect, but they were blessed.

And so perhaps we have a hint as to the nature of God’s kingdom. It is not a place where everything goes easily, the harvests are plentiful, there is no sickness, no one sins. Rather it is that place where God’s grace triumphs over the ills of mortal life.  We cling to Him despite being wounded or broken. God shows Himself faithful when we lean on Him. Our ultimate future is controlled by God’s grace, love, and mercy as we faithfully seek Him. We may get sick, lose all our money, or go hungry, but God walks with us and redeems us through everything. The essence of His kingdom is that we celebrate His presence with us in the midst of it all.

The New Normal - Conquering the Plague or Getting Right With God?

Reading Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the minor prophets sobers me. Times of great turmoil present both opportunity and danger. Recent history offers examples:

• World War 1 and the Spanish flu epidemic, followed by the roaring twenties.
• The Great Depression that birthed the Nazi regime in Germany.
• World war 2 laid the foundation for the Pax Americana and the Cold War. But ....
• Sustained prosperity led to the world’s values progressing ever more into the seven deadly sins.
• The fall of the iron curtain changed little, but freed the west to accelerate, until ....
• The events of September 11, 2001 shocked the west with the need for a global war on terror, 
• The economic contraction of 2008 created a bunker mentality for the financial sector.

We could see these events as simply the stuff of history, that perseverance and human ingenuity overcome.

Is the current situation similar to the great historical events, such as the bubonic plague in Europe 1348-1351, or the Babylonian and Assyrian invasions of Judah and Israel? Is life so fundamentally changed that it won’t return to the way things were? How will we respond to the New Crown Virus and the economic catastrophe that ensues? Major options:

• Individually and corporately figure out how to defeat it, medically, socially, economically,  and get back on track.
• Expect the government to intervene and fix everything.
• Repent our wandering hearts, cry out to God, and change our ways.

History and current events support the rejection of the credibility of the first option. It didn’t happen in 1348 or in 1929, and the dysfunction of our current approach suggests it won’t now. The experience of the 1930’s does not bode well for the second. Because the bottom line alternatives are either man’s ways or God’s. There is no mystery here, only pride and free will. Even the outcome is not in doubt (Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15), only our participation and place in it result from our free choice.

Until that event, the new normal likely is based on social distancing, prohibition of large gatherings, wearing personal protective equipment in public; it will take awhile for us to figure out how we relate, work, play, and worship under these new norms. The economy will suffer, at least by the metrics of existing business structures. Some industries may vanish, such as tourism, sit down restaurants, public education, organized sports. 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/new-model-looks-at-what-might-happen-if-sars-cov-2-is-here-to-stay/

Our apparent standard of living will drop. Amidst it all, will we say the following with Habakkuk?

Though the fig tree should not blossom

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Though the yield of the olive should fail

And the fields produce no food,

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will exult in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.

[Habakkuk 3:17-19, NASB]

The Plague, The Crown Virus, Poe’s Red Masque, The End Times, and Where is God in all this?

While the Coronavirus may seem a plague of Biblical proportions, remember that in Moses’ time, the tenth plague killed the firstborn of every Egyptian family in one night. The Bubonic plague in the Middle Ages killed between 25% and 60% of the population of Europe in the 14th century, with a mortality rate between 1% and 90% of those infected. More recently, the Spanish flu killed a significant fraction of the earth’s population (between 1 and 6%) in the early 20th century, with a 3-20% mortality rate. (Between 17 and 100 million died, 500 million infected, total population of approximately 1.8 billion.) Estimates of the mortality rate of the corona virus are unreliable because of the varying reporting standards of various countries, bureaucratic and political gamesmanship, and the limits on testing volumetrics, but seems lower.

Revelation 6:6 describes the ministry of the third horseman of the apocalypse. Following the horse trail of people killing each other, he unleashes famine, but is commanded not to harm the oil or the wine. While Russia and Saudi Arabia are flooding the world with cheap oil, and every grocery store offers at least one full aisle of wine and related alcoholic beverages, stores struggle to stock basic necessities such as toilet paper(?). Are we already to the third seal judgment? The first was war, conquest, which has been a miserable staple of human existence for all of human history. The second, mass killing, is certainly no stranger to humankind. (Whether in war or in random acts of indiscriminate violence isn’t specified, but we have seen both through recorded history.) What comes next? 

[A quick side note: the oil and wine in Rev. 6:6 could be interpreted symbolically as representing the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the Passover Seder wine representing the shed blood of Christ. The admonition in that metaphor would be that the horseman is not to touch believers, consistent with Revelation 9:4. The present abundance of petroleum and cheap wine is then simply the devil’s offering of a worldly counterfeit.]

The fourth horseman will be given power to kill one fourth of the earth’s population, through a variety of mechanisms. We haven’t reached this level of morbidity yet, although yersinia pestis came close in the Middle Ages. 

Edgar Allen Poe offered a literary perspective of response to the plague in The Masque of the Red Death, published in 1842. There are many implicit messages. I believe that the primary is that partying while the world is perishing will be judged with the severest consequence, experiencing without possibility of repentance the disaster befalling a lost world. Poe made no explicit reference to God, but the supernatural poetic justice inflicted on the partiers signals an underlying standard of Biblical roots. Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and so forth. One can scarcely say this describes modern governments’ response. Although many cite chaos and overreaction as the dominant characteristics, only a few political leaders have called for repentance, for fasting and prayer, to acknowledge God as sovereign in our current circumstances. 

The question ought not be ‘where is God’. Rather, His question to us is “Adam, where are you?” The Good News of redemption through Christ ought to elicit a heartfelt reception from us. If we have not received His gift, it is hard to see how we can ask where He is and expect anything other than the horsemen He releases.

A quote from C. S. Lewis’ sermon “Learning in Wartime” drives the point home. Replace references to war with Coronavirus and the point is clear.

But there is no question of death or life for any of us; only a question of this death or of that -- of a machine gun bullet now or a cancer forty years later. What does war do to death? It certainly does not make it more frequent; 100 per cent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased. It puts several deaths earlier; but I hardly suppose that that is what we fear.... Does it decrease our chances of dying at peace with God? I cannot believe it. If active service does not persuade a man to prepare for death, what conceivable concatenation of circumstance would? Yet war does do something to death. It forces us to remember it. The only reason why the cancer at sixty or the paralysis at seventy-five do not bother us is that we forget them. 

The issue we cannot now avoid is our readiness to stand before, or walk with God. He calls us, pleads with us. What is our response?

As The Ruin Falls by C. S. Lewis

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.

I never had a selfless thought since I was born.

I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through:

I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, re-assurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,

I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:

I talk of love --a scholar's parrot may talk Greek--

But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.

Only that now you have taught me (but how late) my lack.

I see the chasm. And everything you are was making

My heart into a bridge by which I might get back

From exile, and grow man. And now the bridge is breaking.

For this I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains

You give me are more precious than all other gains.”

C. S. Lewis, Poems

The Source of Society's Strength

It is well with a kingdom when its great men know how to value its good men, when its governors look upon religion and religious people to be their strength, and consider it their interest to support them, and learn to call godly praying people, and skillful faithful ministers, the chariots and horsemen of Israel, as Joash called Elisha, and not the troublers of the land, as Ahab called Elijah.

-- Matthew Henry commentary on Zechariah 12:5

Truth vs. The Good Place’s nihilism of choosing non-existence

The conclusion of “The Good Place” cannot stand without rebuttal. Previous commentators have pointed out the fundamental errors that result from rejection of Christian basics. (The core problem is that getting to heaven by ethical behavior is impossible, only by receiving the provision of Christ on the cross will we enter in.) The ending, in which the main characters choose non-existence, apparently because of ennui, shows where that error culminates. 

What is missing? There are two fundamental omissions which, if included, transcend boredom of an unending morally perfect life.

• Heaven is defined by the reality of the Presence of God. The author of Ecclesiastes reflected on the vacuity of earthly life without God, and its meaninglessness. God is fundamentally separate from our universe, because of the basic logical construct. Everything in the universe has a cause, so what is the cause of the universe’s beginning? By definition, it was something not subject to the law of cause and effect. Ergo, God is beyond our comprehension. Even Aristotle knew that there had to be an immovable mover. Hence, God being outside of time, His Presence in heaven transcends temporal ennui. Beyond that, our earthly relationship with Him will be consummated, much as the Biblical metaphor of marriage implies. Not only is there the first day and night of togetherness, there is a long-term state of being happily married. Both passion and contentment. We cannot know this with God while on earth. (Exodus 33:18-23)
• The continuation of our earthly walk in heaven will be characterized by continually taking on an increased aspect of God’s character. The Bible, and especially the Incarnation, reveal God’s core attribute of agape - sacrificial love. His passionate agape motivated Him to create the universe, and humankind, as objects of His divine love. Jesus came to earth to redeem mankind, at incomprehensible cost, out of agape. As we take on increasing measures of His character we will find vast opportunities for new agape adventures. We cannot begin to imagine what these adventures will entail. Some on earth have already started down this road (e.g., Mother Teresa), but we are limited by physical bodies with finite lifespans. 

The vital effusion of life and love that flows from God is not an optional bonus, but the central reality of Christian faith. We  can only imagine the power of the transfiguration on the mount that Peter, James, and John experienced. The choices we make now do involve ethics, not as merely a guide to right behavior, but as a manifestation of that power within us on earth. Experiencing that power from within eliminates any misguided concept that non-existence is even an option, despite Solomon’s despairing remark. (Ecclesiastes 4:3)

It would of course be unacceptable in Hollywood to produce entertainment incorporating these truths.  The secular vision of heaven as suburbia sells well and offends few. Heaven is not suburbia, and suburbia is not heaven. But just as the rest of Hollywood’s products are fiction divorced from reality, we must recognize that the Truth Incarnate does not call us to an endless ennui, of philosophical meaninglessness. Rather, He invites us to join Him in an eternal adventure.

C. S. Lewis Missed the Point on Church Music

C. S. Lewis’ essay “On Church Music” (1949)[ published in Christian Reflections, Ed. By Walter Hooper, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967, p. 94-99.] is disappointingly shallow. He focuses on high vs. low church music and edification, which seems to him to be resolved if advocates of both adopt an attitude of intending to glorify God rather than pleasing their own taste. In humility, the ungifted glorify God by silence during trained musical excellence. Equally humbly, the musically gifted glorify God when sacrificing their own desires and provides the ungifted a coarser fare than he or she would wish. 

Unfortunately, Lewis did not deal with issues such as why music appears to be one of the main activities in heaven (Revelation 4:8&11, 5:9-13, 7:12, 15:3-4) , and why it has power to move soul and spirit in church, and why the Scriptures extol it (e.g., Psalm 150:3-5). The missing link is the nature and character of God. In the essay, Lewis nods to this as an afterthought, that God does not need our music in any substantive way, citing Psalm 50:12. But he knew better. It is intrinsic to God that he is both creative and compassionate. His passion for lost humans is so strong that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to save them, and His creative energy such that He created humans to begin with so that they might glorify Him and enjoy fellowship with Him. As Lewis himself wrote in Mere Christianity, regarding joy, power, peace, and eternal life: “They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry.“ Or, as Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38) 

God invested music with the power to directly stimulate man’s soul and spirit in our innermost being. For some, prayer is this channel of connection to God, but music is much more so, that both men and angels enjoy. Because that is the purpose of creation, to enjoy fellowship with God forever. (Sadly, music has such power that the evil one can use it to lead humans astray, but that is not the subject here.) What are we to enjoy? That God’s very essence of self-sacrificial love has been shared with us, both by nature and by redemption, and the fellowship of like-spirited beings is glorious. The melodies, harmonies, rhythms, instrumental sounds,  words, verses, and poetic structures all strike deeply embedded receptors in us, encouraging passionate response. The best music uses these attributes to enhance our response to its propositional content.

The bottom line on Church music is that it succeeds in submission to God’s purposes, and fails otherwise. God’s purposes are both knowable and achievable, if we are willing. Worship is more than music, and not all music is worship, but music of worship brings glory to God through our participation, and its impact on us.

Breaking Generational Curses

The concept of inherited curses goes back to the Mosaic Law, in which the Lord warned that He would visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and fourth generations  (Exodus 20:5, 34:7 et.al.). The natural outworking of children being trained in, or subconsciously adopting, the sins of their parents is undeniable. But the spiritual dimension of these curses reveals that there is a supernatural cause/effect relationship, that opening the door to evil by agreeing with the lies of the devil has an invisible spiritual reality. 

Generational curses are a special case of the more general curses that were articulated by Moses (Deuteronomy 27:15-26) and woes warned by Jesus (Luke 7:24-26).  Unequivocally Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10-13). Hence the primary means of redemption from the generational curses is that any descendant who believes in and receives Jesus as their savior is freed from this law. [Of course, younger generations are free to choose their own sins, not from their ancestors’ heritage - for that they are solely answerable - Ezekiel 18:4.] But what of the spiritual heritage of being insensitive to God’s voice and leading? Besides the humanly modeled parental behaviors such as pride, avarice wrath, lust, envy, gluttony, and spiritual sloth, does the Holy Spirit hold grudges against children? I think this question puts the issue in the wrong stocking. 

C. S. Lewis wrote a short section on being close to God, which a later editor paired with part of Psalm 73:

For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;

You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

That I may tell of all Your works.

 Psalm 73:27-28

C. S. Lewis’ words: “If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?” (Mere Christianity, Book IV, chapter 4))

Other Scriptures reinforce this concept. 

• Jesus told His disciples “ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27)
• Jesus also said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
• The warning, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” (Hebrews 10:25)

The juxtaposition of the themes of the blood of Jesus and intimate, personal relationship with Him seems odd. How can a dead person interact with the living? But that is on a purely natural level. In the spiritual eternity of God, the death of Christ becomes the doorway to connection with God. We remind ourselves and celebrate this supernatural, transcendent reality every time we take communion. 

This is the key to breaking the generational curse. It is not in the words of a prayer invoking the blood of Jesus, nor in the rote recitation of the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper, but in the continuous exercise of a relational interaction with God the Father, as an obedient and affectionate son, made possible through Calvary, that the curse is nullified. The core of the generational curse is the transmission of this lack of relationship. And this applies to all of us, regardless of the number of generations between us and Adam. The cure for all the curses is to remedy this root cause.