Coronavirus, indication of end of age, result of sin- CAN President
The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle on Sunday March 22 said coronavirus, which is currently killing people, halting business and social activities across the world is an indication of the end of age which Jesus spoke about.
He noted as well that it is a consequence of sin and human wickedness.
The cleric made this assertion in his Special sermon on a cable television, New Frontier TV, titled “Looking unto Jesus: I Shall Fear no Evil”.
A statement from Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, his special assistance on media informs.
The president according to the statement took his message from the book of the Numbers 21: 4-9 where he called for a change of heart with a view to seeing the solution to the pandemic.
He identified sin of ingratitude, pride, arrogance and the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ as the reason for the pandemic.
He said, “the arrogance of man against God and lawfully constituted authority led to God’s anger and judgement on the people. People say anything today against God and against the word of God.
“The Holy Scripture’s injunctions which are God’s commands no longer matter to us. We query the validity of the word of God and deliberately act against it. All practices that would make us worship God we reject or abandon under the guise of fundamental human right.
“In some advanced nations, anything about God must not be mentioned in any public event neither can people worship God nor share the gospel with their neighbours. Doing so is an offense. This pride and arrogance against God came because of advancement in technology.
“We feel we can do many things without God and thus become ‘god’ to ourselves. Technological advancement should make us to reference God the more because he is the revealer of knowledge,” he said.
The CAN president noted that the anger of God is being revealed against the wickedness of man by sending Covid-19.
He said, “People are slaughtered or kidnapped to be slaughtered or for ransom. Time will not permit me to talk about the wickedness of ritual killing for money making and fraudulent practices all over our world especially our nation Nigeria. People including believers walk about half dressed like insane people and even dress like that to houses of worship to pollute many. Promiscuity is everywhere. We have sinned against God and he has sent to our midst a fiery serpent!”
He likened the world to the people of Israel who cried unto God during their time of crisis. He noted however that, rather than the world appreciating God, they always cried out and murmured against Moses, the savior that he sent to the children of Israel to lead them to the Promised Land.
He reasoned in the message that people are already kicking against jesus, the savior of the world. “Beloved, are we not provoking God daily for not being able to appreciate his goodness. Don’t we easily forget all the good things he has done for us before when another small problem arises? How grateful are we to God when we have experienced his goodness? We need to stop complaining and murmuring. We need to begin to appreciate him the way we speak and act. It is of the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed,” he said.
According to him, “The second coming of the Lord to take his people home and judge the world of sin is drawing closer than ever before. What is happening now is happening because our Lord Jesus Christ’s predictions about the signs of the end must come to pass. (Matthew 24:7-8). All these things are calling our attention to a focus on Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith so that when he comes we would not be found wanting.”
Ayokunle who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention however assured those who are godly that they have no cause to fear any pandemic. He reminded them of how God used the blood of the lamb to protect His people in Goshen when the angels of destruction were killing the first born of the Egyptians.
He also identified Faith in Jesus as another shield against any pandemic. “Believe today and escape from the pandemic ravaging the world. There is healing balm in Gilead. It is Jesus the Christ.
“For the children of Israel, it was by looking at the serpent on the tree that was hung that they were spared. Those who refused to obey by looking at the hung serpent definitely must have died though they were fellow Israelites like those that looked and were saved.
“Similarly, Jesus Christ our Lord has been hung on the cross where he shed his blood for us so that if we look unto him by faith at this time, call him into our lives and make him the object of our faith, even, if anyone has contacted the virus, in the name of the Lord, that person would be healed. Do you believe in Jesus?,” he said.
He counseled further, “If our prayers would be answered, we need to first repent of our sins of arrogance against God, disobedience to his commands, our wickedness and our ingratitude. God will not only forgive us if we genuinely repent from our sins, he would equally stop the pandemic. After the Israelites repented, Moses sought the face of God for them and God healed those that were beaten by simply telling them to look at the brazen serpent.
“The Lord enjoins us to call upon him in the day of trouble and that he would hear us and show us great and mighty things which we have never seen before in life. I urge all believers and those who know God to call upon him day and night. The church must cry to God for mercy and Coronavirus will be a thing of the past in the name of Jesus. I prophesy healing to all those that were already infected in the name of Jesus. I command the pandemic to stop by the authority of the risen Christ in Jesus’ name. You and I will not be consumed in the name of Jesus.”