Dear brethren and co-workers,
What a difference a few months make. As late as February or the beginning of March, things were going along as usual with no major interruptions in our daily lives; yet all that has changed now since the outbreak of and the reactions to the Coronavirus.
Draconian measures have been implemented by most governments worldwide, including restrictions on travel and individual movements. In some areas, violations to these restrictions and the mandatory requirement to stay home can be punishable by fines and even imprisonment if not adhered to.
In some areas they are not so strict, allowing people to go outside for relaxation, as long as social distancing is maintained, or to work in essential jobs or buy essential goods.
It’s really amazing to consider as to how everyone’s lives have changed so quickly and drastically. It makes one wonder if we are observing the beginning of the very end of the Satanic rule over this earth.
Some major areas to watch for are the sacrifices starting in Jerusalem on the temple mount in conjunction with the building of the third temple; the rise of the false prophet and the beast, following the emergence of ten unified nations or groups of nations in Europe; the downfall of the USA and the UK, as well as countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand; and the occurrence of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and other natural disasters, increasing in magnitude and frequency.
Even though some of these events may seem a distance away, if you look at how things have changed so rapidly worldwide in just a few short months, you can visualize prophetic events finding their fulfillment pretty fast.
We are admonished by Christ to pray that we would be protected from the coming calamity which is going to affect the whole world; yet our priority should not be on saving our skins but rather on finishing the Work given to us by Christ of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness and of feeding and taking care of the flock.
If we are faithful in doing this, then God will protect us, as He has promised.
As a church, we have to stay the course and be focused on our assigned task for as long as we can and are not prevented to by governments of this world, since they could shut us down anytime, if God were to allow it. We may only look at the restrictions of gathering together for religious services which are currently in place in many countries, to see how quickly God’s people can be negatively affected.
Individually, we cannot let down on the important aspects of prayer, Bible study, fasting and meditation, to keep us in a close relationship with God. The closer we are to God, the faster He might respond to our physical and spiritual needs. Failure to fulfill our part could result in devastating consequences for us, both collectively and individually, by having us go through the great tribulation in order for God to stir us up and to renew our zeal for Him and His Law.
It will be much easier to do now what is required from us, rather than in the tribulation when self-preservation and survival become a priority.
The Sardis attitude is one of having fallen asleep, falsely thinking that one is alive spiritually, and the Laodicean attitude is one of self-sufficiency without the recognized need to change or get zealous. All of that leads to chastisement from God since God wants to minimize His losses. Being corrected is not very pleasant yet a requirement for some in order to be saved both bodily and spiritually.
Even though things will get progressively worse as we go from the beginning of sorrows to the time of the tribulation and beyond, we have the sure promise of God’s protection if we are faithfully committed to finishing the important Work given to us as a church and individually of doing our part in the advancement of the gospel message. We also need to grow and stay close to God since our reward is beyond our imagination. Just as a woman forgets about her labor pains once the baby is born, we will no longer dwell on our present trials and tests once we are in the Kingdom of God, ruling under Christ.
Let’s keep our eyes on the goal ahead and not be distracted by the things in this world which are only temporary and about to vanish. Instead, let us focus on our reward which shall never corrode or vanish away.
In Christian love,
Rene Messier (Canada)
