Nowhere in God’s Word does He claim to be the solution to the problems faced by professing Christians.  Nowhere does He tell them that faith, Bible study, prayer, fasting, tithing, smiling, preaching or being active in church (or the combination of all) is the answer to their WHY and WHAT questions when they find themselves facing yet another bad situation.  So how do they determine WHY and WHAT?  Let us go directly to the source of all spiritual Truth and allow its Author tell us why church people find themselves facing the same sicknesses, floods, droughts, wars, financial problems, race problems, etc. that their parents and grandparents faced and what can be done about it.  While studying the Old Testament focal Scriptures let us remember that the New Testament Church was founded on the teachings of the PROPHETS, as well as the apostles (Eph. 2:20), and that the Old Testament was written and preserved to instruct those in the New Testament Church (1 Cor. 10:11) so that we can avoid making the same mistakes as our spiritual ancestors.  THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT IN GOD’S PLAN FOR MANKIND. THE OLD TESTAMENT TOLD US WHAT WOULD HAPPEN; THE NEW TESTAMENT TELLS US HOW IT HAPPENED.  THE ISRAELITES WERE CHOSEN TO BE GOD’S LIGHT TO THE GENTILE (Heb.–goiim–heathen) WORLD.  GENTILES ARE ALLOWED TO BECOME SPIRITUAL ISRALITES (GOD’S LIGHT–HIS CHURCH) ONLY IF  THEY EMBRACE HIM AND OBEY HIM.  GOD’S NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH IS AN ISRAELITE INSTITUTION IN WHICH THERE ARE NO SPIRITUAL GENTILES.  Conversely, man’s church has no spiritual Israelites, which explains why she has continuous problems.  With these Biblical Truths in mind, let us proceed with our quest to determine WHY man is continually cursed and WHAT must be done to end the curses.  Bear in mind that all dealings with God are on an individual basis.  There will be no corporate salvation.

The most direct and straightforward answers to the WHY and WHAT questions are found in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. These two chapters of the Law spell out specifically why man is cursed and what man can do, or not do, about the curses.  Having previously taught extensively on those chapters I will summarize them for this series. For a complete teaching on those chapters see the series titled: The Coronavirus: The Cause Is The Cure.

Simply stated: disobedience to God’s Word is THE CAUSE of man’s problems; obedience to God’s Word is THE SOLUTION to man’s problems.  Without obedience to God a man can pray, have the church pray, read the Bible, witness, preach, tithe, attend church, build churches, have faith and do all manner of good works, then contract the same disease as his blaspheming, child-molesting, lying, cheating, drug-dealing next door neighbor.  They will suffer the same symptoms, go to the same doctor and receive the same medication.  After a period of time they will both be pronounced cured.  Churchman will give God the credit; his neighbor will give science the credit.  Churchman will go back to church; Satan’s man will go back to his supplier.  Then they will wait for the next catastrophe to arrive and the process will be repeated.  This explains the existence of the enormous world-wide, trillions of dollars medical industry.  In Tyler, Texas there is an entire neighborhood–a major segment of the city–dedicated to the treatment of sickness, disease, etc.  There are two hospitals in that neighborhood.

As previously stated: MAN PACKS HIS OWN PARACHUTE. How one packs it determines how one lands–feet first or head first. Preparation is the key. Simply put: if I pack it right I will live. If I do not I will die. The choice is mine. If we obey God’s Instruction Book we will be blessed. If we disobey it we will be cursed.  One’s standing in the church community has no effect on this Law.  The One who blesses and the One who curses is the same entity: Almighty God.  Let us examine what He says about His promised blessings and cursings, what they are and how man earns them.

In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 God is speaking to physical Israel (His church in the physical wilderness of that day) and spiritual Israel (His church in the religious wilderness of this day).  In both cases those involved were called “God’s people.” In the focal chapters He lays out His promises: obey Him and be blessed (the first 13 and 14 verses respectively) or disobey Him and be cursed (the remainder of the chapters).  However, there is an underlying thread of Truth that few people notice.  That thread is God’s formula for the PREVENTION of the curses that repeatedly come upon sinning man.  There is an age-old adage that states: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” which is the underlying message of the focal chapters.  When a man is afflicted with a curse it means that he has failed to obey God’s commanded Truths and therefore must receive His promised punishment.  Having failed to apply the ounce of prevention (obedience), he must endure the pound of cure (endure the curse).  But God is merciful to those who realize that they have failed Him and are determined to do an about face (be converted) and spend the rest of their lives walking in obedience to Him.

God’s answer to the WHAT question works not only individually, but corporately as well as we are told in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray and seek My face (guidance), and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear (their prayers) from heaven and will forgive their SINS  and heal their land”–remove the curse He has placed on them.  However, to those who are called by His name but continue to sin He promises to “… make your heavens as brass” (Lev. 26:19).  Those who do not obey Him find that their prayers are not answered because of the “brass shield” He has symbolically constructed between Himself and them.  This explains why churchman’s prayers go unanswered–GOD DOES NOT HEAR THEM BECAUSE THEIR SINS HAVE FORMED AN IMPREGNABLE BARRIER ABOVE THEM.  No amount of religiosity will remove that barrier.  When the churchite CANNOT get through to God because of his sins, and God WILL NOT get through to him for the same reason, the sinning churchite finds himself facing Satan alone, which makes him easy pickings for God’s premiere enemy.  The sinner’s only face-saving recourse is to go the “sinner saved by grace” route which Satan has laid out for him.

But for those who “walk as Jesus walked” (1 Jn. 2:6), who “purify themselves as He is pure” (1 Jn.2:6), who “… overcome (Satan) even as I (Jesus) have overcome” (Rev. 3:21), their attitude is: “Though a thousand fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand, I will not be moved (Ps. 91:7).  Notice that though they are in the midst of the curse (CODIS-19/war/tornados, etc.), God’s true saint will not be affected.  The solution is prevention. Being religious does not cause the solution to be automatically applied. MAN APPLIES THE SOLUTION BY OBEYING GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS.  L.J.