One of the distinguishing hallmarks of real Christians is that they are not easily disheartened by unpleasant things that come their way. In the midst of troubles and worries, real Christians maintain a certain level of composure and serenity in spirit. This is not because they are unaffected by adversities. As people who acknowledge and fear God, in their hearts, they trust that whatever happens, the end result is always for the good of those who love God.
Romans 8:28 (KJV) says,
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
If we genuinely love, fear, revere, and obey God, we should look at everything that happens on the principle that God allowed such things to happen for the good of those who love Him. And who are those who love God?
1 John 5:3 (KJV) says,
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
They who love God are those who obey His commandments. Our obedience to God’s commandments is a manifestation that we love Him because to love God is to keep His commandments. So, if we truly love God — that is, if we obey His commandments and base our faith in the teachings of the Bible — we will not say that bad things happen to us. Bad things happen to those who are disobedient to God.
During the time of the Israelites, God gave them a warning that if they would not observe all of His commandments and statutes, curses, plagues, and pestilences shall come upon them. The intent of the warning was not to inflict them with suffering, but to deter them from doing evil things.
We can say that when unpleasant things like plagues or pestilences happen, God is actually calling the attention of the disobedient and the evildoers so that they could depart from their wicked ways. But if they opt to take His warning for granted, they will surely suffer the consequences of their disobedience. And one of its consequences is the occurrence of plagues.
In Deuteronomy 28:22, God enumerated the curses and plagues that would befall those who are disobedient to Him. **“The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.” (KJV) **
God wants them to be obedient to His commandments so that the above-mentioned curses and plagues would not come upon them.
If we are going to look around us today, we can see that a lot of people have become very disobedient to God. They disregard His words; they do not fear Him. They are indulged, not in spiritual matters but in worldly pleasures — in materialism and in all kinds of vices. Their way of life and preoccupations are practically similar to that of the people during the time of Noah and the people in Sodom and Gomorrah.
During those times, one could hardly find people who are obedient to God; they were very rare. That was why when God sent them destruction, only very few people were saved.
1 Peter 3:20 (KJV) says,
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
During the time of Noah, only eight souls were saved from the flood; in Sodom and Gomorrah, only three were saved from the fire — Lot and his two daughters.
Even during the time of Elias, only one widow was saved from a great famine.
Luke 4:25-27 (KJV) says,
25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Like famine, leprosy is also a kind of plague. During the time of the prophet Eliseus, so many people in Israel suffered from leprosy. But among the many lepers, only Naamon was cleansed while all of the others died of the illness.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Today, the entire world is beleaguered by another plague, a pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus called Covid-19. Each day, the number of Covid-19 positives all over the world keeps growing, and what scares many people is that the vaccine that could fight this virus is yet to be formulated.
In our previous articles, it has been discussed that there are two possible reasons behind the occurrence of plagues. First, they may be sent by God because of man’s rebelliousness and disobedience to Him; or second, they may be caused by the horseman riding the pale horse (Revelation 6:8).
In a revelation given to John two thousand years ago, he saw a horseman riding a pale horse who has been tasked to kill with a sword, with hunger, and with beasts of the earth. The havoc that he will create is of great magnitude as he has been given the power to kill a fourth of the earth.
If this Covid-19 pandemic is caused by the horseman riding the pale horse, Satan is definitely behind him as Satan wants the destruction of all men. However, if this is a result of man’s wickedness and disobedience to God, we can always repent, pray to God, and invoke His forgiveness and mercy.
Actually, if this plague is caused by the horseman riding the pale horse, the more that we should ask for God’s intervention because He has the power to control the deadliest of viruses and the most devastating of plagues. Let us also pray that this is not yet the worst of the plagues that had been prophesied in the Bible.
But whoever and whatever caused this plague, I am definite that this is not going to make all men perish and this is not going to mark the end of this earth yet. It is because the Bible still speaks of a 1,000-year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, and the start of the 1,000- year reign will commence when He returns.
I look at the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth as a grace period for people to repent, have faith, and accept the teachings of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is a great possibility that such will happen because, while the Lord Jesus Christ is reigning, Satan will be incarcerated to prevent him from deceiving more people.
Revelation 20:3 (KJV) says,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, He shall resurrect His holy servants, and they shall reign with Him for 1,000 years. This is called the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:5 (KJV) says,
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
In the first resurrection, not all the dead shall be resurrected but only those who died in Christ. It will only be after the 1,000 years that the rest of the dead shall be resurrected. Those who will be part of the first resurrection are considered blessed and holy because the second death no longer has power over them.
Revelation 20:6 (KJV) says,
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The Covid-19 is not yet the plague that is brought by the horseman riding the pale horse that will kill a fourth part of humanity. The Lord God will still allow humanity to be ruled by Christ and His holy servants for 1,000 years.
The good news is that in the 1,000-year reign of Christ, there will be no more plagues; children will get to live their lives to the fullest because no child will die without reaching one hundred years old.
As it is written in Isaiah 65:20 (KJV),
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
But a sinner, on the other hand, who reaches one hundred years old will be accursed.
The ones who will be included in the first resurrection shall be made kings and priests unto God.
Revelation 1:3-6 (KJV) says,
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
And they shall reign with Christ on earth for 1,000 years.
Revelation 20:4 (KJV) says,
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Let me reiterate that when Christ returns, the earth will not be destroyed yet; it will continue to exist until the 1,000 years are over. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ does not mark the end of the world — what it marks is the first resurrection, or the resurrection of Christ’s faithful servants who will be made kings and priests. And they shall reign here on earth.
Revelation 5:8-10 (KJV) says,
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
This is contrary to the belief of the INC of Manalo that Christ’s reign shall not take place here on earth but in the clouds, because they believe that when Christ returns, this earth will already be destroyed. In their television program, their minister even had the nerve to object sarcastically to my statement that Christ is going to reign here on earth when He returns.
The INC of Manalo believes that this whole world will be burned upon the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is not true! If that were true, over whom will Christ and His saints reign during the 1,000-year period? And what will happen to those who were not included in the first resurrection? Obviously, they know nothing about the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth which will begin when He returns.
It is clearly stated in the Bible that when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, He will resurrect those who died fulfilling the will of God, and they shall reign with Him on earth for 1,000 years.
In the 1,000-year period, Christ and His saints shall reign over the people who are still alive on earth during that time. These are people who have not yet heard of Christ’s teachings, people who do not yet believe in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ — and there are a lot of them. What I am trying to point out is that life on earth continues throughout the duration of the 1,000-year reign of Christ.
If you are going to believe the claim of the INC of Manalo that when Christ returns this world will already be burned, it would mean that those who were not included in the first resurrection will no longer be resurrected; they would all be burned. And Christ and His saints will just be floating in the clouds as they reign for a thousand years. That’s ridiculous!
But I cannot completely blame the ministers of the INC of Manalo for thinking that way because they were just verbalizing the teachings that they’ve received from the founder of their church, Felix Manalo.
“Sa dalawang sunod na lathala tungkol sa paksang ito ay maliwanag na ating natiyak, sa pamamagitan ng mga hula sa Banal na Kasulatan, na si Kapatid na Felix Manalo, ay huling sugo ng Diyos sa wakas ng lupa. Kaya huling sugo, gaya nang ating napag-aralan, ay sapagka't pagkatapos ng gawaing kanyang isinasagawa, samakatuwid baga'y ng pangangaral ng mga dalisay na salita ng Diyos, ay wala nang iba pang sugong darating kundi ang kakila-kilabot ng paghuhukom o ang katapusan ng pag-iral ng sanlibutang ito.”
English Translation: “In the next two publications about this topic, we have clearly assured, through the prophecies of the Holy Scriptures, that Brother Felix Manalo is the last messenger of God on earth. He is the last messenger because, as we have studied, after doing the works which he has done, that is the preaching of the pure words of God, there will be no other messenger who will come but instead the fearful judgement or the end of this world.”
They believe that Felix Manalo is the last messenger and that there would be no other messenger that is to come after him. And according to their official publication, once his preaching is completed, the end of this world or judgment day shall also come. That is a very wrong teaching and it is without any biblical basis.
I repeat, according to the Bible, Christ shall reign on earth for a thousand years, which will begin when He returns. He will reign over billions of people who were not included in what many call as “rapture.”
This 1,000-year period is going to be blissful because, as mentioned earlier, there is no Satan who would interfere and deceive mankind as he will be imprisoned; humanity will enjoy a plague-free life; man will live until he is a hundred years old; and all corrupt governments in the world shall be destroyed.
And most of all, that 1,000 years will give more people a chance to salvation as this also serves as a chance for nonbelievers to know Christ and to have faith in Him through the Gospel which will also be preached everywhere — even in places where the Bible and the preaching of Christianity are prohibited today, like in India, the Middle East, and in some other countries where false gods are being worshipped.
And after the 1,000-year grace period, all of the dead people who have not been included in the first resurrection shall be resurrected to face judgment. After which, the devil and all the enemies of God will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. And it is only after all these that this earth shall be destroyed.
As it is written in Revelation 20:10-12 (KJV),
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
The reason why I am patiently and meticulously explaining all these things is because I want to give hope to people; I want to make people realize that the plagues that humanity experiences would not totally annihilate mankind. Not all men will die yet because the Lord Jesus Christ will still return and He will reign on earth for 1,000 years.
I am explaining all these especially for the sake of those who do not yet believe in Christ. By sharing with them the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, we as Christians are able to extend our love to them, with a hope that one day they would also develop faith in Him.
We have to be instruments in introducing Christ and the Christian faith to them. Or if they get the chance to live much longer, if they would still be alive when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and be amongst the people whom Christ and His saints shall reign over in the coming 1,000 years, we hope that with Christ reigning, they will believe and accept His teachings and be among those who will merit salvation.
While the world’s battle against Covid-19 continues, we should always exercise extra caution; we should always pray for God’s protection because we cannot do anything if God will not protect us. But we also have to do our share in protecting ourselves because in doing so, we are also protecting our loved ones.
But even if this global health crisis persists much longer, let us keep the feeling of hope alive in our hearts. There is hope for us who fear and love God. And no matter what happens, let us hold on to what the Lord said — “All things work together for the good of them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”
In Spanish, “Y sabemos que todas las cosas cooperan juntas para el bien de los que aman a Dios, los que son llamados segun su proposito.”
In Portuguese, “Sabemos que todas as coisas cooperam para o bem daqueles que amam a Deus, daqueles que sao chamados Segundo o seu proposito.”
Whatever is happening in the world today, it is part of our faith to believe that this is for the good of those who fear and love God. AMEN.
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