…nor shall any plague touch thy dwelling
Prophetic aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic
In these days when the whole world has felt the threat of COVID-19, many people of faith have had their convictions confronted by the fear that their life will suffer the same fate as one who does not have the conviction in an Almighty God.
What should we believe? Can God keep us from all plagues? Can COVID-19 affect a man of faith? Can we perish?
There are many questions circulating in the community, and although they are not expressed in a religious-type forum, uncertainty has overwhelmed more than one person of faith, and this can be seen in the ultra-observation of the recommendations that health agencies have established as protection protocols.
What is the Coronavirus, and why is it present in the whole world? Can it affect both unbelievers and believers?
The Coronavirus is a plague, and regardless of whether there was human manipulation in its creation, or if it was formed as a result of the genetic deformation that man causes with the alteration of animal-type foods, its presence on the planet is by the disposition of God who has determined that it be spread everywhere to remind us that man is not the product of the evolution of species, that man is due to God for being his Creator, and because he carries within himself the image of His Nature, and this for both believers and unbelievers.
The ten plagues of God sent on Pharaoh and on Egypt during the time of Israel’s slavery shows us that the Coronavirus is a plague sent to bring down the arrogance of man, because of his stubborn heart of not wanting to have God in his knowledge.
For I will at this time send all my plagues (מַגֵּפֹתַי) upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. Exodus 9:14
Man has been warned by God on countless occasions through His prophets, but man has increased his rebellion by resisting God head on, even with the stubbornness of forming gods according to his whim, that’s why God intervenes to bring down with plagues the hardness of man’s heart, hence the prophet Isaiah prophesied about situations that break the arrogance of man.
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Isaiah 45:23 (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10–11)
The plagues are sent by God to show man that his gods do not save him from the evils he fears; the plagues are sent to remind the man/woman of faith that their God is the Almighty Creator of all things that exist,
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Exodus 12:12
God’s tenth plague upon Egypt shows us that the plagues may touch unbelievers as well as Believers, but it also shows us that in the Grace of the operation of His exaltation, He leaves provision for those who hope in Him to be saved from the judgment which comes upon the earth,
For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. Exodus 12:23
The prophet Ezekiel confirms the Truth of this salvation by describing in his writings that in times of plagues, God puts a mark on the foreheads of those who call upon His provision,
4 and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof… 6 slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. Ezekiel 9:4–6
All times have had a specific provision of salvation; in Noah’s time the provision was an ark, in Moses’ time the provision was the blood of a lamb painted on the porches and lintels of the houses; what is God’s provision for the time of the Coronavirus?
In our time, the provision is Jesus, particularly, the conviction in Revelation that He has spoken to His people about what the Coronavirus means. God is no stranger to what is currently happening on the planet, nor has Satan taken more freedom than the Almighty allows him. God has shown His prophets the purpose of this plague,
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
The provision of salvation consists of understanding that this plague has been sent by Him, by God, to establish an order of Kingdom on the face of the earth. Man has lived and built atheistic and agnostic societies, with structures of law and order completely alien to God; God no longer tolerates this human discretion, and demands a change, and has come down to provoke it; those who understand this will be saved, those who do not will perish.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Acts 17:30
The provision of salvation for the time of the Coronavirus consists of understanding that this is happening from God, and that therefore it is absurd to rebuke it; he who rebukes the Coronavirus opposes the Will of God. Something similar happened in the time of the prophet Jeremiah, and many did not understand it. Jeremiah proclaimed from God that Nebuchadnezzar had been sent from Him,
6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him… 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: Jeremiah 27:6–9
The Coronavirus comes from God and fulfills a prophetic purpose of Kingdom establishment. Nothing will happen to those who understand that God is establishing the Kingdom on the face of the earth, and that this establishes a divine order on the face of the earth. Let me introduce it to you in the following lines.
The Sovereignty of God is established by the prophetic character of all human events announced before they occur. The prophet Isaiah states in his writings that it is the nature of God to discover what will happen about things before men become aware of the possibility of them,
Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. Isaiah 45:11
The prophet Isaiah prophesied from God about Cyrus hundreds of years before he was born, before his nation was even known;
that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Isaiah 44:28
Similarly, these times of Coronavirus are prophesied in the writings of the Law of Moses, and also described why it has attacked the entire planet. To understand this, it is necessary to first study and understand the prophetic value of the captivity of Judah to Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied from God that Judah would go into captivity to Babylon and would be out for a period of seventy years,
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. Jeremiah 25:11–12
and a little later, the Word is confirmed again,
For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. Jeremiah 29:10
Why seventy years of captivity? Why leave the land uninhabited? The answer is found in the writings of the Law of Moses,
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. … 43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. Leviticus 26:34–43
The word had its fulfillment, and it is the writer of the book of Chronicles who certifies it, and also explains the reason why seventy years,
to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. 2 Chronicles 36:21
Why seventy years of captivity and desolation of the land? The people were taken captive by the very arrogance of the people, by their stubborn heart not wanting to have God in their knowledge, the people served other gods and forgot the laws that God had given them; the land was desolate and left in neglect because the people did not observe the Sabbath day for four hundred and ninety years (seventy periods of seven, according to the celebration of the Shemitáh years), and God enforced it over the stubbornness of the people to establish that not one jot or tittle shall perish from the law, until all things are done.
The prophecy about these times of Coronavirus is inserted in the prophecy about the desolation of the earth, as we have read in the writings of Leviticus, Chronicles and the book of the prophet Jeremiah. Everywhere in the world governments made the decision to establish quarantines on all cities, in some cases, the quarantines are accompanied by curfews and the partial closure of shops. So far, all countries of the world have agreed that the duration of the quarantines will be extended from March 15 to 31, a total of 17 days on average, with the possibility of extending the days if there is no control of the pandemic within that period.
If you compare the activity in all of our cities these days with the instruction given to the people of Israel around the Sabbath, you will see that the activity has been reduced to the slightest expression; many people are literally taking refuge in their houses and apartments. Let us look at this in more detail in the following texts,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: Exodus 20:10
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Leviticus 23:3
What do you observe? These days of quarantine are exactly, literally, days of rest, as they were established and demanded by the Lord in the Law that He gave to His people. All the cities of the world, without exception, have been taken literally to observe Sabbaths. Can this come from Satan?
Similarly, as it happened with the seventy years of Judah’s desolation, in order for the land to fulfill its Sabbath days — Shemitáh years — in our days God has demanded the fulfillment of all that time that men have forgotten to repose and rest in their Creator.
Why this demand of God for our days? Because man has built up material gods and become a slave to them, forgetting that God delivered them from slavery,
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:15
The Sabbath is not a religious concept, it is a provision of salvation to find in God a provision of prosperity, wisdom and wealth,
But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18
The following texts are even more forceful, showing how God through the Coronavirus made people submit to His Word even above their own wills,
How is the population of the world today?
It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever. Leviticus 16:31
They are “afflicted”, as the very instruction to observe the Sabbath day demanded. God is humbling man, and forcing him to acknowledge His Sovereignty.
What is the provision of salvation for a man/woman of faith in the face of the Coronavirus?
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Exodus 31:15
Salvation from the Coronavirus consists in understanding that behind this plague is the hand of God; this that is happening right now is the finger of God. Whoever can see this Revelation of God and submit to it will not die; but the man/woman of God who does not see God working in the midst of this situation, and with arrogance wants to rebuke it, trusting in the sanitary protocols rather than in the provision of God, will certainly die, and we will have testimony.
God’s provision consists of the Revelation of the Spirit by His Word.
God has brought the Coronavirus to establish Kingdom on the face of the earth. God is enforcing His Word, and just as it happened with the seventy years of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah, until the earth had enjoyed its Sabbaths, so in our time Jehovah-God, the Almighty, has brought the Coronavirus to complete two full weeks, and those that the Lord wants to add, so that man may understand that outside of Him there is no other.
Where, Oh man of God, is your trust? Why, if by believing and proclaiming an Almighty God you behave as if your God had been taken by surprise by the Coronavirus?
It is time for us to return in friendship with God and review our foundations of faith, many of which are foundations of human doctrines, not foundations of the Word. We need to return to the Word, not interpret the Word to fit our claims; we need to understand what Revelation, Righteousness and Judgment means; we need to awaken the Spirit of prophecy and be led by the Spirit of Truth.
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. Revelation 10:11
I conclude by stating what the Spirit says to His people,
there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Psalm 91:10
Share it, it is necessary to uproot the apostasy of our faith communities
The biblical quotations are taken from the Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
Pastor Pedro Montoya
