Did God send this virus into the world

[JacksBratt]

God uses means to fulfill his eternal plan.

Yep.... HE does.. But He doesn't send virus's to punish and He doesn't control all my actions. I have free will and it is by the desire in my heart that I seek God's will. If I make mistakes, do things wrong.. I don't get hit with an sickness or lose a job... or get burnt by a hot cup of coffee.

That thinking is from the enemy.

 

[JacksBratt]

God forms Christ in believers through their experiences. He increases the sin and punishment through the experiences of the rest.

Actually Dave... if you're living a life without any trials and troubles... you better check your walk with Christ...

This is due to the simple fact that if you are living life without difficulty... Satan has you right where he wants you.

You ever noticed that? Those that seem to have smooth sailing... are just doing what the world expects. Some of the most evil and cruel people seem to have the easiest lives.

Then, those that are on fire for God.. Satan is buffeting and hitting them will both barrels...

Remember, also, Paul had a thorn in his flesh.. God did this to keep him humble and remember who he was.. a mere man.. It was not a punishment at all.

 

[Archivist]

Well said JacksBratt.

 

[PaulCyp1]

The causes of such epidemics - which have occurred ever since humans existed - are fully understood, and they are not supernatural. Why would anyone expect God to cancel the laws of nature every time humans are going to be hurt? Steer tornadoes and tsunamis away from human dwellings? Cancel gravity when a scaffold full of workers collapses? Kill microorganisms that are causing an epidemic? We live in a natural world, and are therefore subject to the laws of nature, just as Jesus was during His years on Earth.

 

[Dave L]

Actually Dave... if you're living a life without any trials and troubles... you better check your walk with Christ...

This is due to the simple fact that if you are living life without difficulty... Satan has you right where he wants you.

You ever noticed that? Those that seem to have smooth sailing... are just doing what the world expects. Some of the most evil and cruel people seem to have the easiest lives.

Then, those that are on fire for God.. Satan is buffeting and hitting them will both barrels...

Remember, also, Paul had a thorn in his flesh.. God did this to keep him humble and remember who he was.. a mere man.. It was not a punishment at all.

I have plenty of trials to mention over the past 50 years. But they are not judgment. How wicked do you think the world is? Do you think it merits COVID 19 according to other Judgements from God in Revelation and bible history?

 

[Dave L]

Yep.... HE does.. But He doesn't send virus's to punish and He doesn't control all my actions. I have free will and it is by the desire in my heart that I seek God's will. If I make mistakes, do things wrong.. I don't get hit with an sickness or lose a job... or get burnt by a hot cup of coffee.

That thinking is from the enemy.

Scripture mentions God's four sore Judgements. They are defined in the book of Revelation. And defined several places in the OT.

“I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill people by war, by starvation, by disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.” Revelation 6:8 (NCV)

If we study all that plagues the human race, it seems all but accidents fall into one of these four categories. And we know God controls accidents too. The wild beasts seem far removed unless we include the transmission of disease from animals to humans. Like bats and rats spreading plagues. War is unending today. Famine hangs in a fragile balance.

 

[Dave L]

Yes they were saved according to Jesus.
Matthew,12:41
Repentance isn't a work, BTW.

“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Matthew 12:41 (KJV 1900)

= Nineveh will make Jerusalem's judgment even worse. But that doesn't mean God saved any of them. They would have needed to join Israel and become Jews to be saved.

 

[Dave L]

You are contradicting what you just said.

How so? Job offered the same sacrifices as Abel who also understood the gospel. God proved he was saved in his dialog with Satan.

 

[Dave L]

But that isn’t what you were addressing in post 186.

Was that where you were avoiding my comment and picking on my spelling instead? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Archivist]

Was that where you were avoiding my comment and picking on my spelling instead? Correct me if I'm wrong.

No, I didn’t know what you were trying to say because you used a meaningless word. Now, can you explain what that post has to do with your claim that God sends pandemics and disasters? You have been asked numerous times. Why can’t you answer?

 

[Dave L]

No, I didn’t know what you were trying to say because you used a meaningless word. Now, can you explain what that post has to do with your claim that God sends pandemics and disasters? You have been asked numerous times. Why can’t you answer?

You think God uses MEANS for miracles as a Lutheran in your use of sacraments. I say he uses means bringing judgments. He placed the ice-berg in the Titanic's path. Had the lookouts forget their binoculars. Had the builders use faulty rivets. And hardened the heart of Bruce Ismay to speed through the icefield ......

 

[Archivist]

You think God uses MEANS for miracles as a Lutheran in your use of sacraments.

Want to explain what you mean by this. Oh, and there is no need to shout.

I say he uses means bringing judgments. He placed the ice-berg in the Titanic's path. Had the lookouts forget their binoculars. Had the builders use faulty rivets. And hardened the heart of Bruce Ismay to speed through the icefield ......

So a loving God purposely killed 166 women and children who went down with the ship, along with 1357 men. No, you are wrong. A living God wouldn’t do that. It was men who drive the ship full speed into an ice flow, not a loving God.

 

[Dave L]

Want to explain what you mean by this. Oh, and there is no need to shout.


So a loving God purposely killed 166 women and children who went down with the ship, along with 1357 men. No, you are wrong. A living God wouldn’t do that. It was men who drive the ship full speed into an ice flow, not a loving God.

You don't agree with scripture. God killed the whole world population in the flood except 8 he paced on the ark. Would God cause mothers to eat their young? Did it a few times. Kill most all Canaanites including women and children? Dit that too, all using MEANS.

 

[Dan1988]

He tried to give men good instructions as to what Kind of creatures to consider as Food and the Chinese ignored him. What is He supposed to do? He is not responsible for what the Chinese did.
Came from men being in contact with "exotic" creatures they were never meant to touch.
Then you have no answer to give to anyone and the god you believe in is simply cruel. It is better to believe that God is who He describes himself to be than the above version. If you stick to the above, you have no answer to anything cruel or Evil that happens in the world because you have already decided God's will decrees that which He hates. Makes no sense but that is not my theology or my Problem. I believe He is sovereign as He describes his sovereignity to be. The above is not it.
It is good to trust God but blind trust is not as good as understanding God.

God does use Evil to good but only for those who
1. love Him according to Him, not us
2. are also called according to His purposes

If a Person does not fulfill that criteria, then He is not working Evil to good for them necessarily. He might but most often does not. They do not fulfill the criteria.

I can assure you that God has revealed His ways and Himself to a greater degree than most experience, especially if they believe God is the author of Evil in the world in some form. There are even more strict requirements on those to whom God reveals Himself in this greater degree. One is not believing He is the author of evil. Anyone who does not believe GOd is good and only does good will not find God show them anything of himself. This lets out a whole branch of Christians who believe God does evil and are OK with that theology.

So if you want my advise or you want to understand God, you will need to drop the idea that He is controlling everything and everyone on the planet. Without dropping that, you will learn nothing of the ways of God. Do you want scripture for this?​

We obviously believe in different gods, the God which I believe in is all powerful, all mighty, sovereign and He does have control over every atom in the universe. And nothing can happen outside of His will, this is what He has revealed about Himself, you can add whatever you like to this but I wouldn't dare add anything.
He hasn't revealed much about Himself, He obviously knows that we're not equipped to receive any more than He has revealed in the Bible.
Christ warned us that false prophets would come after He departs, and they would deceive many.
God has been silent for the past 2000 years, so there were no new revelations given to us after Christ ascended to heaven.
So we only have the same scriptures as they had 2000 years ago.
I don't know why God gave us a limited revelation, but I know He has a perfect reason for it.
I don't know why God created evil, but I know He has a perfect reason for it. It's called faith, we weren't called to interrogate God. Web were commanded to trust and obey, so we should live a quite and peaceable life and let God be God.
It's actually sinful to ever question God's motives, shall the thing created ask the Creator why has Thou made me this way.

 

[Archivist]

You don't agree with scripture. God killed the whole world population in the flood except 8 he paced on the ark. Would God cause mothers to eat their young? Did it a few times. Kill most all Canaanites including women and children? Dit that too, all using MEANS.

Again, you don’t have to shout.

I do agree with Scripture, which tells us that God’s very essence is love, that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that His love is everlasting.

 

[Dave L]

Again, you don’t have to shout.

I do agree with Scripture, which tells us that God’s very essence is love, that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that His love is everlasting.

But sin reveals the rest of his attributes. No sin = no mercy, no wrath, no justice, no sovereignty, no unconditional love, etc., etc.

 

[Dan1988]

God's hatred is righteous. It is always based on the actions and hearts of those He has been stated to hate. They are already opposed to Him and His ways.
To understand why God asked to have entire tribes and people and animals killed... you have to look into who they were and what they were doing. God was preparing a nation, Israel, to bring our savior into the world. The Hebrew nation needed to be pure in it's generations and the people that He asked them to wipe out would have corrupted the Hebrew nation. Look at Haman... this is a good place to start when you want to see what happens when a tiny thread is left for Satan to pull on.. He almost succeeded in wiping out the people of Israel

Everyone hates God, until He regenerates them. The world is currently enjoying God's grace, under the new covenant. But He has promised to withdraw His grace and destroy the world again, this time it will be with fire.
We don't know when Christ will return, as a Man of war and kill hundreds of millions in the final battle.
Our world is more wicked than Sodom and Gomorrah, so it will suffer a greater punishment. The people of those cities didn't have the Gospel, so they're not as guilty.
Too many Christians have a false view of who Jesus is, they think He's meek and mild so they don't fear Him. Many "Christians", will be shocked when they hear the words "depart from Me into the everlasting fire, you workers of unrighteousness. I never knew you".

 

[Dan1988]

You tell the truth: that we allowed this to happen with our own folly and ignorance. Humans created their own demise this time - the Most High has likely been trying to give us warnings and ways to escape - but of course we pride ourselves on agnosticism (even as believers) and ability to be amazed by simplicity.

The Most High didn't have to do anything, nd reall6 neither did the enemy: we allowed all of this through generations of human behavior. We spent as much time as we could ignoring the signs and dismissing the alleged fantastical - until the absolute end. Now, we are trying to understand things...

We were told this would happen (parable of of the 10 virgins and lamp); in order for us to elegantly prepare our demise as we have, we would have to ignore most everything said. Even Nineveh got their stuff together, realized their folly and repented. We think our degeneracy is progress, so we are being bathed in our own "progress" until we wake up and realize how off we are.

I couldn't agree more, and I believe Christians are partly to blame because we didn't stand against up for we we supposedly believe.
As the old saying goes, "evil triumphs, when good men do nothing".
Church houses used to be houses of worship, and now they're entertainment centers where all kinds of sinners are affirmed and encouraged.

 

[renniks]

Nineveh will make Jerusalem's judgment even worse. But that doesn't mean God saved any of them. They would have needed to join Israel and become Jews to be saved.

Not according to scripture. No one has to become a Jew to be saved.

 

[renniks]

How so? Job offered the same sacrifices as Abel who also understood the gospel. God proved he was saved in his dialog with Satan.

There's no indication that job was Jewish.

Job was long before Abraham so long before the
covenant, thus long before the "Hebrews." Job is the oldest book in
the Bible. Archeological discoveries have given light on personal
names of ancient times, and on the basis of the personal names
Albright concludes that the "original story must be dated back to the
second millennium B.C."