Beginning of VBS - Armour of God - Ephesians 6:11-18

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What is God doing today during this pandemic? Giving us everything we prayerfully ask for (Mt. 21:22)? No. God is dispensing His Grace, which is exactly what we need [vs. our wants] (Phil. 4:19). We need to be saved and to know His will during this age (1Tim. 2:4): we need spiritual baptism that eternally secured us in Christ (1Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13). We need ultimate hope. We have it-- the Blessed Hope (Tit. 2:12-15). Should we believe modern day prophets, T.V. preachers who say they have the latest word from God? No! Listen to God via His Word, divided right (2Tim. 2:15). We are God's children, joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), by a divine adoption (Eph. 1:5), whose sins are forgiven (Rom. 4:7,8). 

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Could events like COVID-19 be leading up to the tribulation (Psa. 2:5)? It could. Life threatening events have been around for thousands of years (Gen. 12:10), but in the tribulation, they will be extreme. The world's population today is almost 8 billion people. During the seal judgments 1/4 of the earth's population [2 billion people] will die (Rom. 6:3-8); during the trumpet judgments, 1/3 of the population [2.5 billion] will die (Rev. 9:18). In 7-years >1/2 of the earths pop. [>4.5 billion] will die, and no relief agency will be able to deal with such devastation (Rev. 14:19). We cannot avoid the present scourge, but we can miss the coming 7-years of hell on earth by simple faith in Christ's finished work (1Thess.1:10). 

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This might be the worst period [COVID-19] most of us have ever lived through, but it's not the 1st time bad things have happened to God's people (Heb. 11:36-39; 2Cor. 11:23-27). Our faith teaches us to trust Christ (2Cor. 1:8-10) and to learn to be content (Phil. 4:11-13). Weather things are good [a month ago] or bad [now], our position in Christ never changes (Eph. 2:6). As the world constantly changes, our eternal destiny in Christ is unalterable (Rom. 8:38-39). Paul's focus was to fulfill his calling to take salvation 'far hence to the Gentiles (Acts20:24; 2Tim. 4:7). During times like these, what's your focus? For what are you going to be rewarded (1Cor. 3:10-15)?

Why is the media so preoccupied with the number of deaths during COVID-19? Because of the unsaved world's fear of death, this is a daily reminder of their mortality. The world looks to mask and ventilators to save them from this deadly virus, yet many will die virtually unnoticed from M.V.A.'s, heart disease and cancer. Death is a consequence of man's original sin (Rom. 5:12), but Christ defeated Satan's grip on death (Heb. 2:14,15) through the power of His resurrection (1Cor. 15:21,22). As a result, eternal life is offered to all through Christ (Rom. 5:8,9). What's the meaning of life? Christ in life and Christ in death (Phil. 1:21). Death is not optional (Heb. 9:27), eternal life surely is (1Tim. 2:4).