Virus and Sovereign Lord

In the Bible (New International Version), the words 'Sovereign Lord' appeared 289 times.  God is sovereign.  He is in control.

So why did He allow COVID19 virus to wreck havoc on our beautiful blue planet?  Thousands have died.  And thousands more will die.

Although God is sovereign, in this Dispensation of Grace, His answer and His solution is always in Jesus Christ, whom He sent to die for human's sins.

So if humans wrecked havoc and released viruses, God would not stop humans from doing that. The viruses were not released by God who is all-loving.  God simply allows humans to have their way.

Humans must pray to God for help during this topsy turvy period.   "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5.16. (Photo: Blue Planet)

Dispensation of Law vs Grace

The Book of Jeremiah is a beautiful story.

During the Dispensation of Law, when Israelites sinned, God would punish them.  (See my previous blog entry.)

Because the Israelites sinned against God again and again, God punished them.  Jerusalem collapsed in BC 587 and the Israelites were exiled under the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  Jeremiah was the prophet who saw all these events.  He was an emotional man, and had the painful task of warning, instructing and consoling the Israelites during this historical lowest point.

Jer 21:5-7 - God's Punishment.  "I will fight against you with all my might, my anger, my wrath, and my fury...I will let all of you be captured by king Nebuchadnezzar and by your enemies, who want to kill you...will not spare any of you or show mercy or pity to any of you..."

Jer 29:10 - The Restoration.  "When 70 years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place..."

Jer 32:38-42 - The Consolation. "And they shall be My people, and I will be their God;  and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always for their own good... Just as I brought all this calamity on this people, so I am going to bring them all the good that I am promising them..."

The Israelites returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple around 520 BC.

Fortunately we are now in the Dispensation of Grace.  We are lucky.  We do not need to go through this cycle of sin and punishment anymore.  Because, by grace, Christ has borne all our punishment by dying on the cross for us.  Give Thanks (Jer 33:11).

The 7 Dispensations and Rapture

Bible scholars tried to understand His story by dividing it into 7 or 8 Dispensations. We are now in the Dispensation of GRACE, which ends when Rapture takes place.

According to the bible, Rapture is when the people of God are taken away.  It's like, "I tell you, on that night two people on the same bed, one will be taken away, the other left behind." Luke 17:24.

It is important to understand that we are in the Dispensation of Grace and no longer the Dispensation of Law.  It affects how we read the Old Testament and the New Testament.

In this Dispensation, God no longer punish us for our sins  -  because Christ has already died on the cross as punishment for our sins.  Accept Christ.

Here is another Chart on the Seven Dispensations.