God's Letters to Us in the Age of Coronavirus

By Paul C. Jong

What Should We the Believers in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit Do in the Time of the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Sinners do not know that Jesus Christ will return to this earth. But we the righteous know this very well from the signs of the present age. The world is going through tremendous changes at a dizzying speed. It is, however, still far away from when the enemies will attain complete control over the world. For this to come about, practically every law in this world would have to be turned over.
Living in such unusual times, how should the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit deal with the pandemic?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul C. Jong
• Release date: Jan 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9788965323129

Book preview

God’s Letters to Us in the Age of Coronavirus

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2022 by The New Life Mission

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.

ISBN 978-89-6532-312-9

Table of Contents

1. We Do Not Belong to This World, but to Heaven (Revelation 4)

2. The Word of God Spoken to His People in This Age When the End Is Near (Isaiah 42:10-17)

3. God Reveals His Glory through Us (Isaiah 44:21-23)

4. The Gospel of the Water and the Spirit That the Apostles the Early Church Era Believed in and Preached (Galatians 2:1-6)

5. I Will Not Give My Praise to Carved Images (Isaiah 42:8)

6. Your Faith Is What Can Launch the Reformation of This Era (Galatians 1:1-12)

7. Jesus Christ Has Clothed Us in Glory (Mark 2:1-12)

8. Let Us Live out Our Faith by Standing against God’s Opponents (Ezekiel 28:11-19)

9. The Blessed Life That Abides in God (Ezekiel 47:1-12)

SERMON 1

We Do Not Belong to This

World, but to Heaven

< Revelation 4 >

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this."

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

"Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come!"

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

"You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.

I heard that lately visitors to our website have been downloading many of our dual-language e-books. When we first introduced dual-language books, there were at most a couple of people downloading them, but I am happy to hear that yesterday alone, fourteen people downloaded them. Countries around the world have their own unique languages, and we put together dual-language books so that people can read them while comparing the text between two languages at the same time. As these books are very popular with people from all over the world, I would like us to publish more dual-language books in the days to come. There actually are many people in the world who use two or more languages. There also are many countries where the children and the parents in the same family speak different languages, so I think our dual-language e-books will be very helpful for such families. The more we publish dual-language e-books, the more people around the world will download them, and the more enriched their souls will be thanks to the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. I can’t speak of every case here, but some people have downloaded dozens of e-books, so I have high expectations. After all, what would these people do after downloading our e-books? They will share them with many more people. Those people will then also see their hearts transformed. That is why we work even harder, thanking the Lord for His righteous work.

We just read the entirety of Revelation chapter 4. A while ago, we were blessed to share the message the Apostle John had for the Seven Churches of Asia. The Apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation, is Jesus’ disciple who also wrote the Gospel of John, one of the four canonical gospels, and John 1, 2, and 3 as well.

He was Jesus’ most beloved disciple of all, and toward the end of his life, he was persecuted by the Roman emperor and exiled to the island of Patmos. Because the Apostle John’s homeland, Israel, was ruled by Rome at the time, it was quite common for those who defied the Roman rule to be imprisoned and endure suffering. The Apostle John defied Rome by refusing to participate in emperor worship, and so the Roman officials exiled him to the island of Patmos and held him a prisoner there. But, while exiled in the island of Patmos, the Apostle John was able to share a deep fellowship with Jesus, and so this suffering was a blessing to him, and it is here that he wrote the Book of Revelation. It is on this island that God showed the Apostle John what would happen in the future. Like this, while the righteous also face hardship from time to time, God works in all things to ensure that they are blessed from this hardship.

It is by God’s providence that His revelation shown to the Apostle John has been passed down to us today. When we read the letter of revelation the Apostle John wrote with a clear understanding of his background, we can rest assured knowing how God will lead us. The suffering we endure are what helps us even more to follow the Lord.

I Will Show You Things Which Must Take Place

On the island of Patmos, God showed the Apostle John how this world will be transformed. Weary from his exile, the Apostle John was praying to God, and while praying he was led by the Spirit of God and was able to hear and see the revelation of Heaven. It’s written, I will show you things which must take place after this (Revelation 4:1).

In Revelation 4:1-11, God is speaking of the heavenly dominion that the Apostle John, moved by the Holy Spirit, saw with his eyes and heart. There, he saw the throne of God, twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones with crowns of gold on their heads, and four living creatures with six wings each and full of eyes all around. Day and night, these living creatures were saying without rest:

"Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8). Where the Bible says here, who … is to come, it is speaking of Jesus Christ. It refers to the Savior who came by the water and the Spirit, and who has saved all of us human beings from the sins of this world.

When the entire human race had fallen into the sins of this world and was destined to be perished, the Lord came to this earth and saved mankind from its sins once and for all through the gospel of the water and the blood. This Lord is Jesus Christ. Having completed all this work, Jesus appeared before His disciples after rising from the dead and said, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18). The Lord is the Ruler of heaven and earth. He is not only the Savior of sinners, but He is also the Ruler to reign over Satan and the righteous. It is very important for us to have a clear understanding of the reign of Jesus, and with this understanding live by faith until the day we meet the Lord.

In the ancient days of the Old Testament, prayers were offered only to the Yahweh God, but in New Testament times, we know that our prayers are answered when we pray to Jesus Christ also, who is God Himself. Jesus Christ said that He has given all these blessings to us the believers in the gospel of the water, the blood, and the Spirit.

In Revelation chapter 4, the Lord is showing us how He reigns and rules over everything, from the heavenly dominion to the earthly dominion. All human beings ought to bow their heads before the exaltedness of Jesus Christ and His power, and praise and worship Him. Because we have put on God’s love, we can worship Him by faith.

Jesus Christ is in fact worthy of praise from all His creatures and angels. In the old days, God’s revealed names were several, including Yahweh, which means I am who I am, and Elohim (אֱלהִים), which means God Almighty. Jesus Christ is God Himself who created all things in heaven and on earth, and who reigns and rules over all His creatures. This is what today’s Scripture passage is showing all of us. It is telling us the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus is God Himself worthy of our praise and worship. He lacks nothing for us to worship Him, for He has saved us through the gospel of the water and the blood, and His honor and glory are boundless.

When the Lord returns to this earth, He will take the righteous who are still living in this world to His Kingdom — that is, to the Kingdom of Heaven — while He will judge all those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is the true Ruler and stand against Him instead. These people will be judged fittingly for their acts and unbelief.

Jesus Christ can take us to the Kingdom of Heaven because He has the power to save you and me from all the sins of this world once and for all. Because He bore the sins of the world once and for all through the baptism He received from John the Baptist at the age of 30, and because He paid off the wages of all our sins once and for all by shedding His blood on the Cross, He could make us perfect. He completed His work of salvation, resurrecting all those on this earth who believe in this Truth. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ is sitting on His heavenly throne and waiting for us, having prepared the Kingdom of Heaven for all His people.

Jesus is the Ruler of all things in heaven and on earth, and He is the Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus Christ is not only the Savior of mankind, but He is also the true God Himself who is to receive honor and glory from all the believers.

We must believe that Jesus is our true Ruler. It is only fitting for Jesus Christ to be glorified through us the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, for He has carried out the righteous work of God on this earth for us. In this age and time, all of us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit have become His people, and we are now His servants and His joy. The Lord came to this world looking for sinners, He has saved them through the water and the Spirit, and He loves and blesses all of us who believe in this Truth.

Jesus Christ Has All Authority in Heaven and on Earth

As the end gets nearer, it is absolutely imperative for you and me to have the proper knowledge of Jesus Christ, our true Ruler and God Himself, and to rely on Him and follow Him by faith. All of us should therefore pray to this God. We ought to live in peace, entrusting our everything to Jesus Christ our Ruler. And now, as the end gets nearer, we must exalt Jesus our Ruler and His righteousness even more in our lives.

The Book of Revelation is showing us how we, having been saved by the Lord, will from now on live in glory with God. The righteousness of Jesus Christ has brought true salvation to all of us who now believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and it has blessed us to live with the belief that Jesus Christ is our God. We ought to all realize just how wonderful it is that we have our Ruler in these end times.

Some people may claim to believe in Jesus as their Savior, but in reality, they do not recognize that Jesus Christ is the Ruler of heaven and earth. So, their faith is actually nothing more than just believing in their own minds. Those who believe in Jesus only as a matter of their own religious piety think God the Father is a great God, but they do not know that Jesus Christ is God Himself who is worthy of receiving honor, glory, thanksgiving, and praise from everyone. As a result, they are ignoring the work of Jesus Christ and His reign. This is such a tragedy. On their own they think erroneously that Jesus Christ has neither the same authority as God the Father nor the same power. None of us should ever misunderstand and misbelieve in Jesus Christ, the Ruler of all. We must never allow ourselves to make such a grave mistake.

So, we must recognize that Jesus Christ, who came to us by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, is the true Ruler to all of us, our King, our High Priest, and our true Prophet. It’s a must for us to grasp what it means when the Bible says For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things (Romans 11:36). We must realize that this God who made all things in heaven and on earth has not only saved you and me from all the sins of this world once and for all through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but He is also the true God to us the believers. In other words, Jesus Christ is the Ruler of heaven and earth.

God the Ruler will judge the sins of those who despise His authority, but He will reward those who obey His authority and Truth. In both Testaments, God spoke to us as the Creator who made all things in the universe, and He showed us that the Lord is the Judge and the Ruler who will condemn the sins of the fallen angels. Because the Ruler is righteous and just, God has also shown us that He will judge the sins of those who do not want His mercy. Such a just God has saved us, who are no more than lowly and despicable creatures, from all the sins of the world once and for all, and this is all because of God’s great mercy. That is why those of us who are now leaning on God’s mercy and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit call this God our Savior and our Ruler.

Jesus Christ is the true Ruler and God to all of us. So He wants to receive all glory from us. We ought to live up to His expectations. Jesus Christ is God Himself who is worthy to be glorified by us, for He is the God who has saved us from the sins of the world. This God remains our Ruler in this present age also. We must work tirelessly to manifest God’s mercy to all the sinners who are pining for it until the day we stand in His presence. Like this, it is through faith that those who believe in the justice of the Ruler can glorify Him in their lives.

The God whom we believe does not want to just vanquish the opponents standing against His righteousness, but He wants to overcome them with His merciful love and justice. God wants the sinners to be saved through His mercy.

It is for this reason that the Book of Revelation is showing us that Jesus Christ is worthy to be worshipped by the angels and the elders. It’s written, "The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

‘You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created’" (Revelation 4:10-11).

All of us who now believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit know just how exalted the Lord is, and with this understanding we submit ourselves to Him in obedience. That is because the Most High is not only our true Savior but also our true Ruler.

Who Is the True Ruler?

A long time ago, certain angels challenged God’s authority, but God did not wish to destroy these opponents with His power, and instead wanted to overcome them with His righteousness, mercy, and justice. And the will of God our Ruler was for those of us who believe in His righteousness and love to receive true blessings. The Ruler of mankind wanted to bestow His merciful love not on the angels, but on us human beings.

Jesus Christ our Ruler bestowed His righteousness on the descendants of Adam who, having fallen into Satan’s temptation, stood against God; and Jesus was pleased to reveal this blessing through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, God’s gift. He was pleased to forever save the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit from all their sins of the world. He wanted human beings to be saved from all their sins of disobedience through God’s just love. That is why God has blessed those among His creatures who realize their sins and believe in His righteousness to become His true children.

Even now, many people are standing against the righteousness of God just like the angels who rebelled against Him a long, long time ago. So, the Sovereign God sought to punish the fallen angels for their sin of standing against His will. However, God treated human beings differently from these angels. Instead of punishing them, He was pleased to reveal His true grace of salvation to mankind. This grace of salvation is revealed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus Christ has bestowed on us. Because God has manifested His just love in this gospel, whoever believes in it can see God’s glory.

Now, therefore, we must all believe in the salvation that our merciful God has given us, in accordance with His love and righteousness. All creatures must believe and confess that Jesus Christ alone is the Savior who has delivered us from the sins of the world. Jesus Christ our Ruler has liberated the entire human race from the sins of the world. Had He not done so, we would have all remained as God’s enemies standing against His righteousness.

We must therefore believe in the love of the Ruler who has made us righteous and reach our salvation by this faith. And with this faith we ought to thank the Lord. Our Sovereign God has made us sinless, and we ought to thank our Lord, who is our Master and Savior, for not dealing with us as He dealt with the fallen angels. So, as we carry on with our lives, it is only fitting that we should praise God with our sincere faith. We were made in the likeness of the image of God our Ruler, and this Sovereign God had come to this earth to save us once and for all from all our sins. That is why we must believe in His salvation and trust His rule in our lives. After all, given the fact that our Savior has delivered us from the sins of the world, how could we not be ruled by this God?

Just as the Book of Revelation shows us Jesus Christ sitting on the throne of God, all of us who have now been saved by faith will also live in His Kingdom. All those who believe in what God has done on this earth will also receive the glory of living in Heaven with Jesus. This glorious blessing is God’s blessing bestowed on whoever believes in the mercy of the Ruler. We are the blessed who will sit on the throne of heaven with our Ruler and live forever. Whoever believes in the just love of God, the ruler of the righteous, will live with Him forever in His Kingdom. You should never forget that God has blessed His people to enjoy everlasting riches and glory. So, to God our Savior and Ruler, we give all thanks, honor, and glory. And to do so, we must live out our faith for the Lord.

Through the Ruler of heaven, the Apostle John showed us who would receive the blessings of heaven. He also showed us what blessings await those of us who have been saved by believing in Jesus Christ. We are already grateful that the Lord has