(Proverbs 23-24; 2 Corinthians 5)
The times in which we live are creating multiple schisms. We have the big one of the day being between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. There are many who are working hard to cause this rift to be even greater. They want a bifurcated society, not of haves and have-nots, but of the jabbed and jabbed-not. Those who refuse to take the shot are being marginalized. The proposition is out there that the unvaccinated should be denied basic necessities; some have even declared they should be locked up or simply eliminated.
We also have the split within the church of those who advocate for taking the vaccines, and those who resist with horror. There has long been a falling away in the church from sound doctrine; this fissure is one that threatens unity in Christ.
I am unabashedly against taking these experimental biological agents that pose as vaccines. The dangers they present to God’s marvel of creation, the human body, are extreme. The thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of other adverse reactions are a testament to this. Many people, however, are either unaware of this data or willfully reject the large amount of evidence that has accumulated since the shots began to be administered in December 2020.
To rectify this situation, many medical professionals who became aware of the significant peril in taking these shots began to speak out. Because there has been a larger narrative driving the giving of these vaccines, these brave individuals were shut down in many ways from communicating the knowledge they had. It caused some to lose their jobs or positions at hospitals and certainly tarnished their reputations, which were trashed mercilessly by those who did not want the message of truth brought forth.
There have been others of us fortunate enough not to be in situations where these kinds of pressures can be brought to bear, or that might matter to us. We have nothing to gain by speaking out against the wicked agenda and the tools being used to implement it. But we do so out of obligation. For secular people doing this, they simply have a heart for others and don’t wish to see them injured.
For believers in Christ, this first reason is certainly valid, but our efforts are fueled by what the Lord has given us through the sacrificial gift of His Son, and we want to be faithful and obedient to Him in return. It means we must stand firmly and boldly against what we believe are atrocities perpetrated upon mankind and against God Himself. Knowing what we do, Proverbs 24:10-12 comes alive for us:
“If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?”
This is a day of adversity in many ways. Although our strength – even the reach that we have in communicating to others – may be small, the battle isn’t ours. It is God’s, and we must rely on His strength, not our own. What is being done to mankind through these so-called vaccines is horrendous. People are being deceived and encouraged to take a drug that will either kill them outright or cause deteriorating effects in their bodies, i.e., prompting them to stumble to their slaughter.
We who know the truth, whether medically educated or having learned through study over these past months, have a Godly obligation to speak out. Consider what the Lord says in this Proverb. God knows that we know the facts. If we do nothing, will that not count against us? Most assuredly, it will! For us to have learned these things and refuse to attempt to pull people from the fire is surely a sin of commission – a purposeful, willful negligence that would not go well with us when we stand before God.
Paul spoke of similar things to the church at Corinth. They had obligations to Christ just as we do, and none of us should use the excuse that in being obedient it will cause us harm. Paul expressed this in 2 Corinthians 5:6-10:
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
The important lesson for us in all this is the necessity to walk in courage by faith and not by sight. We see the threats around us, and who knows where that might lead? The powers that be certainly know who we are. Yet, are we faithful to Christ regardless of what might come our way? Does it matter what man might do to us? Or, is it more important that we keep the eternal prospect in mind that we will someday stand before Christ at the Bema Seat of Judgment?
God, give us the strength to stand. Might we rescue others if You allow us to do so. Might we glorify You in all we do!
[Author Note: Briefly, I want to set the stage for you as to the nature of most of my articles in this season. Each year I read the Bible through completely at least once – that has been my practice since I came to the Lord in 2005. I remain astounded at what God has done in my life because of that discipline! Each day I read from both the Old and New Testaments. I choose a verse from one of those passages and write my commentary and reflection based on that. In the title of my article, you’ll see the verse I chose. In addition, you’ll see the reading for that day if you’d like to follow along with greater context.]
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Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and prolific author. His Whirlwind Series comprises three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time. These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus. Gary has been given the Christian Redemptive Fiction award for three novels: The Tattooed Cat, Alien Revelation, and for his collaboration with Terry James in writing The Minion Protocols, the third book in James’ Second Coming Chronicles.
Earlier this year, Gary released a four-volume set of Awaken Bible Study Notes that comment verse-by-verse through Scripture from a Biblical prophetic lens. He is currently editing a sequel to Alien Revelation called Alien Zombie Plague, which he plans to release later in the fall of 2021. Recently, Gary wrote a novella for the new Kindle Vella platform. That story is called Tribulation Rising: Seal Judgments – The Coming Apocalypse. This seven-part short work can be found at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z462WD.
Each day this year, Gary has been writing commentary and reflections based on his reading through the Bible in a year. The intent in all his writings is to bring a strong Christian witness to what people read.
You can see all his books and blog articles and reach him at his website:www.GaryRitter.com or his Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390.
You can also see his older video Bible teachings on his Gary Ritter YouTube channel – look for the fish symbol, and more recently on Rumble on his Awaken Bible Prophecy channel: https://rumble.com/c/c-783217.