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In this Laodicean era we have been drowsy...drifting off in sleep...comfortable with the multitude of blessings showered upon us from our Father on high. We live better than Kings and Queens down through the ages who never had a car, or held a phone, or benefited from electricity, or used running hot and cold water straight out of a tap, or enjoyed reverse cycle air conditioning, or had a computer — not only all of these modern day marvels which we now have become accustomed to and indeed have come to expect, but we also have as many copies and translations of the Holy Bible as we could ever want or choose to own. We are living in a time of having it all if we live in one of the wealthy English speaking countries which God has mightily blessed through the faithfulness of Abraham (Genesis 22:17-18) and we are living in the end time just prior to Christ’s return to earth.
Things are beginning to change around the world with Coronavirus aka COVID-19 spreading its sickly tentacles far and wide infecting many thousands through its insidious formula of non-identifiable carriers. People unwittingly loaded with an infectious “bomb pack” which we cannot see until it is too late. Life as we know it has changed whether one accepts this or not, we need to be alert and able to keep up with what is going on and hopefully outsmart this threat to our health. As the saying goes you can “like it or lump it” — and I’m feeling quite lumpy right now! Don’t want to feel this way but the reality is that there is an obvious domino effect from China shutting down its factories since the Coronavirus spread, because the reality is a lot of the world’s goods are traded and supplied by China who has set their sights on acquiring much of the farming land here in Australia. They recognise the incredible benefits we have and they naturally want a piece of them — a whopping huge slab of it all! Sadly and unwisely people in power are selling off chunks of our most beloved and treasured country rather than just a slice or two here and there.
Watching this come to pass on the news is shocking while the leaders only see the cash they can get their hands on. We are being sold to a country our leaders have repeatedly told us over the years since I was a young child “they are our closest neighbours so the trade between our countries is important”. Yes it is but not at the expense of the people! They love our beef, lamb, milk, cheese, seafoods, wine, and beautifully grown fruit and vegetables from pristine land in Tasmania so much so that they decide to buy them out completely in order to have a reliable source for their vast population. It now seems it wasn’t enough for the Chinese to panic buy and hoard products, then ship them off to relatives back home — meanwhile our citizens could not get tinned baby formula for their own babies! Things have changed slowly but surely. It is like watching fools with power get taken advantage of right before our very eyes (reminds me of 1 Kings 12 where we read of foolish King Rehoboam). We are just waiting for the inevitable takeover and it will come one day. Government representatives can say what they like...that these buyouts are good for us because the Chinese will employ mostly Australians…really! They are already employed before the buyout occurred! They will see that in time when the Chinese get up to speed in their new business, we will see their true colours! Expect things to change radically.
There are plenty of images on the internet and Facebook now showing empty shelves in supermarkets, initially from essentials such as toilet paper. One only has to go to the local shops to see that long stretches of shelving remain bare. Finally after at least 3 weeks of the elusive toilet roll, we see a plastic bag containing the remains of 4 packs of white paper rolls on the floor in the corner, not even placed on the shelves as they are “flying out of the store” to be gone in seconds. Several emails “hot off the press” as it were from various companies including airlines, vehicle hire, and grocery stores, are extolling the virtues of their more thorough cleaning methods, increased supplies to meet demands, and for their customers to be reassured that all is well. Is it? No, it’s not! We are told that from this week onwards other food items will be rationed...people didn’t really like the toilet paper rationing so it will be rather interesting to see how the next phase unfolds...pardon the pun.
Now we are being quarantined at home even though we are healthy. The world has gone mad because the world likes to do what it wants when it wants and nobody can tell it otherwise! Not even God. Sound familiar? People lost their way long before Coronavirus arrived, through refusing to keep God’s quarantine laws when sick...they will still go to work, shopping centres, hairdressing salons, banks, travel across the country and over the seas, to carry on as usual keeping their various appointments. In hindsight I guess the “Keep Calm and Carry On” merchandising effort was most effective! Surely that is what all the cold and flu over-the-counter remedies are for? They have been marketed to fill the niche that appeals to those who want to feel a little better, just enough to be able to work so that they do not lose money, never mind that they are still symptomatic and contagious! Well, actually no! Why are people so selfish? Because people have human nature, our carnal human nature which is heavily influenced by our number one enemy, the devil, sight unseen but he is nevertheless very, very active behind the scenes. Who is going to stop people from mixing with others out and about while sick? Not God...He gives us free will to make decisions. He wants us to make good decisions, wise decisions that line up with His 10 commandments (Exodus 20) which, sadly, have been relegated to an old fashioned thing of the past because they are perceived as too cumbersome and inconvenient. Now we are being curtailed by various authorities in government who say they have our best interests at heart. It is all rather ironic as some are already infected with Coronavirus dictating to others who practice aseptic techniques. Madness!
Having to stay home on the Sabbath is like throwing a thick, black blanket over me — depression quickly envelopes and smothers my senses. After the initial shock wore off where I had a huge battle going on in my mind, and a good night’s sleep gained, the realisation has set in that there is nothing which can be done physically except for earnestly beseeching God in prayer and with fasting — finally peace of mind and relief in contentment has come. The devil may be rubbing his hands in gleeful delight but he will not win by trying to prevent us from congregating together. Our commanded assembly (Hebrews 10:24-25) has been cancelled for at least two weeks, possibly even more. Sabbath keeping is not a “perhaps” or “maybe” event for when we feel like it, but God intends us to be there no matter what, except if we are contagious or disabled. The choice has been taken away and God knows that this is not my choice and He knows the true intentions of our hearts — who wants to be there and who wants to stay home and take it easy. This is a most serious life or death decision for those who have God’s Spirit residing within them. Brethren, God’s elect, we are being tested with God’s test commandment — the Sabbath. We need to show faith. No wonder God asks in Luke 18:8 “...when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Our Lamps Need Good Supplies Of Oil To Remain Lit In Times Of Darkness And Danger
While lamenting and then making the best of a less than ideal situation, my thoughts turned to God’s Word to consider really paying close attention to what God says. The thing is, people, or the vast majority of them, no longer give heed to reading from the precious Word of God, nor do they pay attention to God’s instructions. They have lost the health benefits of quarantine (Leviticus 13, 14, 15); and consuming only clean foods and avoiding unclean foods (Leviticus 11). God’s blessings are very obviously being removed from the English speaking nations, albeit slowly and mercifully. Are we wide awake or have we drifted off to the land of comfy slumber? In Matthew 25:1-13 we see the parable of the 10 virgins — 5 wise and 5 foolish. We need to be “wise as serpents, harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16) awake, alert and paying very close attention to our relationship with God, to world events, and especially to what God says by gathering or increasing our oil (this represents God’s Spirit) to use for times ahead so we will not be left in confused darkness like the vast majority of the nations of this world. Think about this...if disaster occurred suddenly overnight in dramatic circumstances, then people would naturally become more alert, pay closer attention, wake up and ask just what is going on?! Once things settle down again the people go about their business as usual. We must not become like this. We only have to think back to 9/11.
We can fool ourselves into thinking we are wide awake and functioning well when we are actually in a comfortable state of mind. For example, have you ever had anyone make such a loud noise from a huge sneeze next to you, to which you may have felt like you literally jumped “out of your skin” and then responded with “Wow I thought I was awake, but now I know I am!”? Well I have, and quite a few times over the years too. I realised I was not fully alert but thought I was. It was unnerving to experience and not very pleasant at that.
If you are around my age group you may remember Bugs Bunny cartoons featuring the character Foghorn Leghorn in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies from the period known as the Golden Age Of American Animation (1946 - 1964). Foghorn was this towering and overweight rooster with a bombastic character, loudmouth voice, and a somewhat unrefined personality. Referred to here as “Foggy” he was loosely based on a certain Southern Senator replete with a southern accent who had a penchant for mischief. Anyway, he was known for saying phrases such as “Pay atten...I say pay attention son” often immediately before something dire occurred. Just like all of Foghorn’s unwitting victims we can be “foggy” or sleepy too by being comfortable in our surroundings and circumstances then lulled into a false sense of security until it is too late to wake up. And that is exactly what the devil wants...for YOU and ME to relax and enjoy a warm comfortable sleepiness that prevents us from going about our Father’s business with zeal and diligence.
This has become a wake-up lesson for me recently in preparation for the upcoming Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread holy day season. Part of my studies involved an account of the “old prophet who lied” which is found in 1 Kings 13...a story which has intrigued me for many years knowing there was more to it than was revealed until now. The heart of the matter here is that we must not listen to others, even if they say they come in God’s name, may be known to us as one of God’s prophets, are personable and friendly, and offer us hospitality, unless everything lines up with God’s Word. Instead we must closely follow God’s instructions as He has given to us through His Word. We need to exactly and precisely follow what God has told us to do and not to do, paying very close attention to every word without any deviation and especially so on the Sabbath day.
Repetition and reinforcement to gain my focussed attention came in the form of the next test — organising a meal after a Sabbath service, where an opportunity to be together with others to enjoy their company and a meal together is most welcomed. Initially a potluck style arrangement was decided upon which all agreed was a great idea. The following week one person suddenly decided to change this to have a Bar-B-Que instead and others agreed readily because they were easy going and happy to join in with the consensus. They wanted to use the facilities as they had paid for the use of the venue where the barbecue was installed so they perceived it was a good thing to do but hadn’t considered that this would violate God’s law. There were several other problems with this scenario involving allergies, cost, money given over to one person who wanted to buy it all, whether pork casing would be on the sausages, and whether the meat would be suitable...some didn’t even eat certain meats such as red meat. Everyone was encouraged to give a set sum or amount to help pay for the event, but for those on a tight budget this would prove awkward and embarrassing. Some would consume a little, some much more. In contrast, potluck meals are so popular because of how God works with bringing such an array of foods for which the variety is pleasing. Why would anyone want to change from this to working on the Sabbath by cooking on a barbecue unnecessarily? Then we have the issue of time. It would take at least 1-2 hours to complete and some needed to leave the country venue to get home before dark and it is a long drive for some of us. Too many kangaroos and koalas have died this summer from terrifying bushfires, let alone further potential carnage on our roads in the dark or at twilight.
It did sound exciting and fun and initially I let my feelings take over as I was drawn to the image of everyone around the barbie on a relaxed autumn afternoon to then realise this was not such a good idea at all. The only problem and a major one at that, was that this would go directly against our instructions for keeping the Sabbath day holy — there would be much food preparation and cooking involved on the Sabbath. After thinking about what God instructs us to do it was plainly evident that all this work was against God’s instructions. Referring back to the Bible it says to gather and prepare, cook, boil, bake the day before on the Preparation Day enough for the Sabbath and to keep it overnight for that purpose...to enjoy for the Sabbath on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:23). Definitely a theme of rightly dividing God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15), paying precise attention to His instructions, not getting carried away like the man who disobeyed God in 1 Kings 13 and did what the old prophet said to do. Only (major) problem was — that old prophet was lying. This resulted in the death of the one lied to, which was a horrific one at that. Completely avoidable IF we listen to God very carefully with healthy fear (Proverbs 3:7, 14:27; Deuteronomy 5:29, 6:24, 10:12, 17:19, 31:12; Exodus 20:20; Psalm 112:1). It is always better to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29).