The coronavirus invaded our world mid-March and shut the countries down. As the pandemic circled the globe, closures and suspensions followed. The entire sports world came to a halt as spring training and games got cancelled or pushed back. School closings occurred with parents and teachers scrambling to figure out ways to complete the school year and allow graduation ceremonies. Stores and businesses locked their doors affecting the livelihoods of workers and business owners. The entertainment arena faced challenges of how to continue with the various events and shows.

Businesses deemed essential, such as the grocery stores and medical facilities, remained opened. However, they struggled to function “as normal.” Even churches closed their doors as the virus swept through the land putting our lives on hold. March 20th will be a day I remember because my shoulder surgery got pushed up to that day before all elective surgeries shut-down.

Sure, some things are slowly making a comeback, especially in certain countries. But it will take a while before this nation and the entire world to get back on track… back to what they looked like “Before Covid" or “BC”. This reminded me of what it looked like “Before Christ”… and I found a lot of similarities.

What did it look like “Before Christ?” The nations pushed God out of everything. The rulers pursued their own gods or thought themselves to be gods. They became slaves to idols. Sin and evil ran rampant across the land and everyone “did what was right in their own eyes.” Social injustice between the “have and have nots,” political unrests between the kings and rulers of the nations, racial strife and discrimination between the Jews and Gentiles prevailed. The nations sunk into a moral abyss, leaving them spiritually hungry. Sound familiar?

This is what it looked like before Covid hit. The nations pushed God out of everything…no prayers in school and no biblical perspectives in government. Presidents thought themselves to be God and started changing God’s laws on what constitutes life, marriage, family, and gender.

See it’s one thing to decide to obey or disobey God’s laws and face the consequences of your disobedience. God gives us that choice. But when we actually change His laws, this crosses the line and invites the wrath of God. THIS WORLD BELONGS TO HIM… HIS LAWS!

We became slaves to idols. Sin and evil ran rampant across the land and everyone “did what was right in their own eyes.” Social barriers, ethnic barriers, gender barriers and all types of discrimination prevailed. Our world started diving into a moral abyss, leaving it spiritually hungry. Sound familiar?

The real question is what will this world look like “After Covid?” Will you and I learn anything from this experience? Did we learn anything from 9-11? Well, what does the world look like “After Christ?” Sadly, not a whole lot changed…in fact, I dare say things got worse.

Based on the spiritual condition of the nations, God acted. God always acts at just the right time. Christ came to deliver us from sin and death, give us freedom to worship the one true God and to teach us how to live together in love. Yet, His sacrifice constantly falls on deaf ears. Social, ethnic, and gender differences remain real, but with Jesus, these differences no longer make a difference in how we should relate to people. The amount of money a person makes, the social status one occupies, the color of a person’s skin, or whether one is male or female should neither be an advantage or disadvantage in our treatment and service to that individual.

We still find many “doing what is right in their own eyes.” Sin and evil continue to run rampant. We see a big divide in social injustice. Political unrest exists with foolish leaders and rulers making foolish non-biblical decisions. Racial strife prevails among the different ethnicities, and discrimination of all kind permeates the land.

Based on the spiritual condition of our world today, God acted again. So will the world change after Covid? I wish I could believe that the eyes and hearts of this world will change dramatically. The fact that selfish people refuse to do something as simple as wear a mask proves my belief. The past keeps repeating itself.

The question becomes what will it take for us to learn the true lesson—God is sovereign and He does what He wills. It’s His world and His laws and we need to abide by them if we truly want to be “a nation(s) under God” and receive His healing, protection, and blessings. If not, we will remain nations under chaos.

God gave His people the way out. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 says, “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, and My people who are called by My name, humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

As we watch the nations refuse to bow down and accept God as the supreme ruler, God will still answer if His people act. He stills calls out like He did in Sodom and Gomorrah’s time for ten faithful who recognized His lordship. He promised to hear, forgive and bring healing. It begins with you and me. Are you one of His people called by His name? Are you part of the body of Christ? Then you know what to do.

If we refuse to respond His way, gird up your loins and get ready for the ride because there will be more plagues to come. I hope the time spent at home cause many to think about how they live their lives; for Jesus or for the world and themselves.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the elbow bumps and virtual hugs. I long for the full body human embraces from my family and friends. My time spent at home caused me to spend more time in His word and draw closer to Him as I faced a lot of challenges during this period. But I know for me, I am called by His name. I will humbly bow and pray; seek His face, turn from any evil ways and serve the LORD. Even though this pandemic brought a lot of tragedy, whenever Covid subsides, my time spent with Him will prove epic for my soul. Why? Simply…

BC to AC