By Ezekiel Kimosop
I came across the following template message on social media titled: "QUARANTINE IS IN THE BIBLE. Isaiah 26: Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past."
Does this Scripture support quarantine measures on COVID 19 virus? Does it imply that this epidemic targets the wicked?
Several "prophets" have lately emerged who claim to have heard directly from God on the epidemic. They teach that the disease is intended to annihilate the wicked and that God would preserve the righteous from harm.
Should we believe these people?
My view is that the above Scripture does not provide authority for the quarantine requirements under the present Corona virus epidemic. It has been quoted out of its passage context.
Here's why...
Isaiah 26:20 lies in the short passage of Isaiah 26:20-21 which speaks of refuge from God's judgment that will fall on the wicked.
Here is what it says in full:
"Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood."
Notice that Isaiah 26:21 says that God will come out to punish the (wicked) inhabitants of the earth for their inquity.
We learn from other sections of the Bible that God spares the righteous whenever He pours His divine wrath on the wicked. He spared Lot, Abraham's nephew before raining sulphur and brimstone on the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:12-29).
Earlier in Genesis 7, God spared Noah and his immediate family members from the 40 days of deluge that wiped out the wicked from the face of the Earth.
PASSAGE CONTEXT
What exactly is the prophet proclaiming in Isaiah 26:20-21?
Does this passage teach that God is using the current COVID 19 epidemic to destroy the wicked and preserve the righteous?
If we look at the preceding passage of Isaiah 26:1-19, we notice that the prophet is speaking about the salvation of God's righteous in the future. In fact Isaiah 26:1 speaks of the last days when the song will be sung in the land of Judah.
This was possibly in reference to the coming judgment and subsequent redemption from the captivity that the prophet had earlier proclaimed. It is instructive that Isaiah spoke nearly 200 years before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Isaiah 26 is largely a Messianic passage that speaks of God's works in the days when the anointed of God, the Messiah, Christ, will bring hope to His people (26:1-3).
The writer then exhorts his readers on the benefit of trusting God. He says that God upholds the righteous and brings down the wicked (Isaiah 26:4-9).
The Bible mocks the wicked, saying that they can neither judge rightly nor discern the ways of God. God's judgment will finally fall upon them (Isaiah 26:10-11).
Isaiah 26:12-19 extols the greatness of God in preserving the righteous even in difficult circumstances, especially when the heathen (captors) rule over them.
We can summarize this passage with the following statement: God's faithfulness abides with His covenant people in all generations irrespective of their prevailing circumstances.
CONCLUSION
There's therefore no conclusive evidence that Isaiah 26:20 directly speaks to the quarantine efforts under COVID 19 epidemic in the manner contemplated by the author of the above template article.
This virus does not discriminate between the righteous and the wicked. It does not specifically target the wicked. It is possible that most of the victims who have been infected so far are Christians.
Yes, we can drawn important lessons on precautions to be employed during disasters of the type we currently face. Staying indoors may be a safe approach but the wicked and ungodly will take similar precautions as well and escape the infection!
If COVID 19 virus was part of God's judgment of the wicked on earth, then there would be no escape for those that God seeks to punish. No one can ever hide from God. Adam couldn't hide from God after his disobedience and fall (Genesis 3). Cain killed his brother but could not hide from God either (Genesis 4).
The Psalmist asks in Psalm 139:7-12, "Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You."
There's therefore nothing we can do to escape God's presence or His divine wrath. His eyes can see even the tiniest molecule that can only be identified through a microscope lense!
If anything, God's judgment is not limited to COVID 19. The divine instruments at God's disposal are infinite. He can literally flush the Earth of its content!
The greatest "epidemic" that a man can face under the sun 🌞is to ignore the gospel message of Christ and ultimately appear before the great white throne of God in judgment. At that point, there will be no escape from God's divine wrath.
The Bible says that the Beast and the False Prophet and all those whose names shall not be found in the Lamb's Book of Life shall be thrown into the lack of 🔥 fire where the fire 🔥 is never quenched (Read Rev. 20:7-15).
The only refuge we have at our disposal is to hide, not in our homes with doors securely locked, but in Jesus Christ the hope of glory. He alone is the secure fortress, our refuge, our blessed hope (Titus 2:14).
Do not be deceived. The COVID 19 epidemic is child's play compared to what awaits those who reject God's grace in Christ.
Once the window of God's grace is shut, Christ shall appear to snatch away His Church. Those who shall be left behind shall gnash their teeth as God's wrath is served on the wicked.
There will be bowls and seals of God's fury raining upon the the wicked on earth (read Rev. 6-9).
Why wait until it is too little too late? Think about that...
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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