Is a Particular Epidemic God’s Judgment on Our Country?
It seems that whenever a bad storm, earthquake or epidemic hits a country, someone will be quick to declare that it is “God’s judgment” on the country. “This is payback for all the unborn babies that were aborted!” “God is judging us for all the sexual immorality that is rampant in the land so that He doesn’t have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!” “This is what we get for turning from God as a nation.” And there is an absolute truckload of Old Testament Scripture that would seem to back up these ideas.
No Old Testament-Style “Woe” Declarations During the Church Age
The problem with all this is that we are under the New Covenant (grace), not the Old Covenant (law). We do not see the New Testament leaders pronouncing woes on countries during the Church Age (after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit). Woes in the book of Revelation will be poured out in profusion, but these are after the Church Age. (At least I believe they are, but if you differ, I won’t pick a fight with you.)
God’s Message Today
God’s message during the Church Age is one of reconciliation through Jesus Christ, not condemnation for breaking His covenant. As spelled out more elsewhere in this book, the Jews repeatedly broke the Old Covenant and paid a big price for it. However, it is impossible to break the New Covenant because it was established between God and Jesus, neither of whom will ever break it. (This subtle point is found in the third chapter of Galatians.) Our message is the good news that Jesus paid for all our sins when God punished Him. His sacrifice purchased forgiveness and right standing with God for us.
You should keep this and the following in mind the next time someone tries to convince you that an epidemic (or other disaster) is divine wrath against your country.
Forgiveness Has Been Purchased
No matter how bad the sins of the country are, Jesus paid for all of them to be forgiven. It would be a mixed message for God to proclaim that He is not holding sins against the people who are being offered eternal life and also to proclaim that He is now making the nation pay for the sins that Jesus already paid for so that He does not have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19:
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Would not an epidemic sent as judgment be proof that God IS imputing the sinners’ trespasses unto them during the Church Age?
Please do not confuse this with the heresy of universalism – if people do not RECEIVE the forgiveness Jesus paid for during their lifetimes, they will suffer forever in the lake of fire. However, that suffering is after this life, not during it.
Are There at Least 10 Righteous People in Your City?
Suppose your city is Sodom the Second. Even by God’s Old Testament standard in Genesis, if there are at least 10 righteous people in a city, God will spare it the destruction that came upon Sodom (Genesis 18:32). So if you can count at least 10 believers in your city, God would have spared your city a Sodom-level extermination event under the Old Covenant! And in the Church Age, under our new and better covenant, God is not looking to destroy ANY cities even if they have NO righteous people yet! He seeks to evangelize such places, not destroy them.
It has never been God’s style to punish the righteous along with the wicked. Even in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the angel who was to destroy them told Lot that he could not do anything until Lot and his family were out of there (Genesis 19:22)!
Is Your Country THAT Bad Compared to Others?
It seems that it is usually the best countries that get the brunt of doom prophecies – ones that are sending out missionaries and helping to evangelize the world. If God were wiping out countries for wickedness, there are far worse countries where He could start – such as ones where they routinely imprison, torture and kill Christians.
The Blood of Jesus Speaks Better Things Than the Blood of Abel
Lest someone think that an epidemic is caused by the blood of murdered unborn babies crying out for judgment (based on Genesis 4:10), consider that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel that cried out for vengeance (Hebrews 12:24). Abel’s blood cried out for JUDGMENT, but Jesus’ blood cries out for MERCY!
Does God Have Bad Aim?
A bad hurricane came near a city in the United States known for a celebration of moral depravity. Some preachers came right out and said that it was God’s wrath being poured out on that city’s sin. But if so, God had bad aim. The worst of the storm did not come to that city but went elsewhere. One would think that God has better aim if He really wants to punish one city in particular. The same would be true concerning an epidemic. The fact that it is worse around one city doesn’t mean that God was judging that city. When God meant business in the Old Testament, everyone would be smitten by the epidemic who hadn’t already been killed by other means.
The Tower of Siloam
When the tower of Siloam fell and killed 18 people, Jesus made it clear that those who died were NOT under special judgment for sins (Luke 13:4). It is sad how quickly people jump to conclusions about a disaster hitting an area being judgment on that area. Remember, even under the Old Covenant standard, God was willing to spare a city with only 10 righteous in it – even if the city was famous for its sin. During the Church Age, the devil, not God, is responsible for any meteorological mayhem.
God’s Response to National Sins
God’s response to national sins under the New Covenant is to demonstrate His goodness that leads men to repentance (Romans 2:4). Here in the United States, God has shown His mercy over and over in the past when the nation started to put God on the shelf.
If you are another Jonah, disappointed that the fiery wrath of God has been put on hold, take heart – your country will get what’s coming to it after the Church Age is over. (Read the book of Revelation.) In the meantime, expect God to demonstrate His grace.