The Quarantined Life - Part A

So quarantine and social distancing finds himself in the Bible, and once again the_. It is an act of loving your neighbor as yourself.

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He knows everything because he is honest in one of the aspects of his mission that he knows the future in advance and can write about predicting through his prophets in graphic take game out of skip. I think the newly reprinted you can understand the book of Revelation now, including helpful illustrations get your copy when you get a generous gift of $35 or more to help expand the Bible teaching outreach Skip Heitzig just call 892 to 1888 to get to 800 1888 to forgive him but securely connectwithskip.com/offer.com/offer Skip Heitzig in our world looks a little bit different. I mean the public places. The familiar sites.

This week look like this. This is Disneyland, completely vacant of people usually is wall-to-wall with a snack shop. There's a picture of London.

This is Trafalgar Square. Usually every time I'm there. It is all about elbow people just crammed in there. Now it's empty. That's London, here's a Los Angeles Freeway not combined from this area.

Even when I was a young child. The freeways never look like this and honor when this was taken but that's just it's empty. Here's a shot of Paris over by the Louvre.

One of the bridges going over the Seine River again usually wall-to-wall people now empty.

Here's a shot of St. Peter's Square at the Vatican complete almost completely enters a few stragglers out there but you know Italy's out some problems as we know little more than we need to keep in prayer. And here is a shot of Las Vegas.

This is the stripper must take us just a few days ago. It's insane. So I think it's all the pictures we have this in the world. Now, as we know all these places have been designed to accommodate people, groups of people all have the mass meeting in mind, but now were down to groups of five or less, or even two or less.

In some countries, and everybody's talking about quarantining and self quarantining.

So I want to bring a message to you tonight called the quarantined life and I kinda wanted what I want to do in this topical study is give you sort of typical theology of quarantining. Now let me let me say that I know a little bit about quarantining because when I was a teenager, my father actually quarantine me in my room because I did something really bad. I won't even tell you what I did. It's really not germane to the study, but he thought that I needed to be punished and one of the few things he put in the place was a full one month quarantine in my room. I could only go out to go to the restroom had to go back in the room.

All my meals were this box, miracle tray like I was a prisoner but do you think a boy that I want find out what he did. That was pretty bad. It was pretty bad.

What I did what I was quarantine.

I was in lockdown for a whole month. That was during the summer when I was a teenager we discover our world is very different. Everybody all the time says to me this is surreal.

I can't believe this is happening is like reading the sci-fi script and so what this is causing it. Some Christians, that sort of try to figure this out prophetically and and find out where we are we in the book of Revelation's tribulation. I've had people suggest that we are experiencing some of what is predicted in the book of Revelation and last time.

Events like Revelation 13. This is the antichrist about ready to be revealed who can control the whole world. The mark of the beast me to say this is not Revelation 13. This is more like Leviticus 13, which I'm going to explain in a minute but that should lead us to practice first Corinthians 13, which says love does not behave rudely.

Love does not seek its own now. There have been some pretty famous periods of quarantining both in our country the United States as well as Europe and other places. For example, I told you before, in the last few weeks about the bubonic plague during the Middle Ages that that hit Europe. It actually hit Asia, Europe, North Africa, but I talked about in Europe you killed so many people and so what happened is because it is believed that the people were bitten by fleas that came from disease rats hadn't spread this bubonic plague across Europe so that ships arriving from Venice Italy to different seaports in Europe were kept under lock down quarantine for a period of 40 days out of port before disembarkation before they could land and people could go aboard. Then with the United States was first established and states were given much more authority by the federal government.

Even then we enjoy today, and because of that states do not monitor infection rates.

There was an outbreak of disease called yellow fever at the time, forcing the Congress to mandate quarantine laws at a federal level. I was back in 1878, moving a little bit closer to today there was in New York City 1892 at typhoid a typhus fever outbreak that hit the lower East side that spread to the boarding houses and quarantine measures had to be put in place. There was another outbreak of the bubonic plague in San Francisco California in 1900 and an entire 12 blocks section of Chinatown was shut down and quarantined, then probably the most famous pandemic next to this one is what happened in 1918 with the Spanish influence of the Spanish flu but by the way, killed 50 million people in the United States and Europe that's only a century ago. Quarantine laws were put in the place. Schools were closed. Public gatherings were forbidden very similar to what we are experiencing now and then there were famous people that were caught and quarantined Mark Twain is one of them. He was in the Europe and he was visiting Europe in 1860 see when 1866 when a cholera outbreak took place. He was in Italy.

He was on his way to the holy land. It's written about an terrific book by the way that he wrote called innocents abroad. I recommend it to you. If your shutdown. You want to find out what traveling to Israel, the holy land was like during Mark Twain's day read innocents abroad, but he talks about going through Europe on his way there and out because of this outbreak of cholera. He was aboard a ship in Naples Harbor for almost 2 weeks almost a 14 day period where he was quarantine so all of that is a set up to where we are now because this is now our present reality. So what I wanted was much as possible is give to you in the light of that, a biblical perspective because there is a biblical perspective of the Jewish people have a long history of self, isolation, beginning with their own Exodus just celebrated next month and Passover, so goes all the way back to that. And then a little bit later on. Moses acted really is the first public health official along with the priesthood and I want to explain that tonight. Here's why it's all foreign to us as believers as believers fellowship being together is one of our cardinal values. It is so foreign for us not to be together. We were to share life with one another.

So because of that proximity is a necessity.

Did you know in the Bible and the New Testament. The term one another appears over 60 different times so so one another one another one another. It's how we do life, including the love feast where they would get together they would share a common meal and they would break bread of communion fact, the Bible says all the way back in Genesis chapter 2 it is not good that man should be alone. Not good that man should be alone and yet we we find ourselves in the exception to the rule is not good that man should be alone but right now it is good so that's the exception to the rule rule is not good that man should be alone. The exception is below. So there are exceptions to rules. By the way in the Bible is another exception to rule. There's a rule that says it is appointed to every man wants to God, but there are exceptions that there are some people who died twice for instance Lazarus was raised from the dead had to die again gyrus's daughter raised from the dead had to die twice so that's an exception to a rule not good that man should be alone right now it is good in the foreseeable future that we are alone, so I looked up at this in a few different ways. First of all, Dr. quarantine is biblical. Number one, number two, two quarantine is beneficial and number 32 quarantine is practical to show you that from this topical local method for Cymbalta quarantine is biblical next month. As I mentioned is Passover season for us it's Easter but the Jewish people celebrate the Passover there celebrating a great deliverance. The God made hundreds of thousands of are not hundreds of hours with thousands of years ago as the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt and they went to the desert and they were given a new land during that period of time God afflicted their enemies with a number of plagues, including a disease and outbreak on their on their animals on the cattle. These plagues that hit them and Passover. Think about it was a one day mandatory quarantine they had to go inside their house and the Bible says none of you shall go out of the door of his house. If they wanted to be safe from this death plague that was coming to all the firstborn they had to stay inside so was a one night mandatory quarantine then later on, as God gave them laws for managing health and managing doing life together as a community he gave in their health laws. Eight. Quarantine for certain diseases very strict quarantine laws.

Why all based on love your neighbor as your self is one of the dictums even of the Old Testament law. So he gave quarantine laws, Leviticus chapter 13 is where we find that and there is a mandatory get this 14 day quarantine for those who have certain conditions of a certain kind of leprosy. They tested positive in in Leviticus 13 I'm reading from. It goes like this. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, when a man has on the skin of his body is swelling the scab or a bright spot and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore.

Then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of the sons, the priests, the priest shall examine the sore on the skin of his body, and if the hair on the sore is turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body. It is a leprous sore.

Then the priest shall examine him and pronounce him unclean. But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body and does not appear to be deeper than the skin and its hair has not turned white and the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days and the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and indeed, if the sore appears to be as it was in the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days, then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and indeed, if the sore is faded and the sore is not spread on the skin than the priest shall pronounce him clean.

It is only a scab, he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

So if he tested positive. It was a presumptive positive is we like to say today, he was unclean. After this seven and another 714 day test now. Once he was positive he would have to shout out. You got near a crowd of people hit a self isolate kids shot out unclean unclean. So the crowds would see him and go the other way. So the priests in Leviticus 13, became in effect, custodians of public health which is pretty progressive for 1500 years before Christ. You know this is way before what we know of medical sciences is just what God mandated back then.

A little background. If you go to Leviticus 13 and it kinda seems weird to you, it's because we call it leprosy. Does the translation in the English Bible but it is believed that were dealing with a variety of skin diseases in this chapter. Some less serious, and then some more serious the more serious about we would call Hansen's disease or leprosy was called living death that might begin as a little bit of a pain, or sore than an oozing sore. Eventually people lost hands and arms and legs and they just slowly kept away and died away. So that's leprosy in the Old Testament that's quarantining in the Old Testament than the Old Testament laws were sort of expanded upon. Later on in Jewish literature of the Mishnah gave our rules for triaging those with leprosy and sexually transmitted diseases. There were books and chapters written about how to quarantine window quarantine how to confirm a case is positive or negative.

How to declare somebody clean eventually to be integrated back into the community. So that's leprosy that's infectious skin diseases in the Old Testament there was one of the kings of Israel.

They came down with leprosy named king you desire, and it says in second Chronicles 26 verse 21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death and he lived in a separate house being the leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. So he had to be quarantine self quarantine living alone to the day of his death by the time you get to the New Testament. We also see leprosy. We know that our Lord Jesus is very compassionate even on those who suffered this worse fatal disease called leprosy and he was in contact with those who had it, but we find it. Leprosy's in the New Testament also practiced social distancing in Luke chapter 17, Jesus is on his way up to Jerusalem in the 12th verse we are told as he entered a village 10 leprous man stood at a distance and met him.so they met him at a distance they can walk up to give him a hog or a high-fiber holy kiss. They stood at a distance. Jesus healed them and or that and then the two of them were one of them came back to give thanks and the other nine did not so quarantining and social distancing finds itself in the Bible, and once again_it is an act of loving your neighbor as yourself. Let me remind you we were in Leviticus 13 me remind you of first Corinthians chapter 13 that great love chapter he says in verse two, though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but if I have not love, I am nothing.

Though I bestow my bot all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned.

If I have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind love does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, it is not provoked, it thinks no evil does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, it believes all things, it hopes all things, it endures all things.

Love never fails. We find ourselves in unusual circumstances. Were we learn to apply the love chapter of first Corinthians 13 to a situation similar to Leviticus chapter 13 showing love by isolating ourselves so that others don't get this disease and others. Another chapter 13 it's not. Revelation 13 is that it's more akin to Leviticus 13 we talked about first Corinthians 13. But there's another famous 13th chapter that is Romans chapter 13 where the Bible squarely says that God has given to civil authorities, his own authorities so it's is via the authority that exist are appointed by God, was I mean it means that when Christians follow government regulations and medicinal regulations that is not an expression of unbelief. Rather, that is an application of love and obedience to simple equation, the flatter, the rate of viral infection.

The smaller number of people that get killed.

So that's were we come in.

We can help. So the coronavirus once again with let's kinda go to the 13th the Corona by virus is about.

Revelation 13.

It's more like Leviticus 13 so let's act according to first Corinthians 13 until Romans 13 runs its course right.

I kind of is that is the formula for all of us. Romans 13 verse wanted to let everyone be subject to governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

So to quarantine his biblical that's number one number two to quarantine is beneficial. We got more time on her hands were forced to stay home.

Many people, many of us have jobs where the job is close the restaurant has closed the businesses close your wondering about your next paycheck you're wondering about the future you wondering about your retirement. All of those things, but this just think of the short-term, you have more time on your hands, which can be good even if you find yourself alone be explained throughout church history throughout church tradition. There have been what are called spiritual disciplines. Throughout history the last 2000 years verse in the earlier part of the church they they took activities of life and they put them into it a couple of different categories called disciplines. There was one categorical disciplines of engagement is another categorical disciplines of abstinence. So, in disciplines of engagement.

It's things like a prayer, study, service to your fellow believer. Then there's disciplines of abstinence.

So things like fasting, chastity and solitude is one of the early church discipline. So Dallas Willard and his his great book on this as an encoding of all the disciplines of abstinence, solitude is generally the most fundamental in the beginning of the spiritual life and it must be returned to again and again as that life develops me explain what is talking about the very foundation of what we call our quiet time comes from this discipline of solitude we get alone. There's no distraction there's no competition, we isolate ourselves. If you want to use a term we self quarantine that we might hear God's voice and find out how he wants us to live.

So besides medical reasons and social reasons.

Let me give you four benefits of being quarantined. First of all, physical restoration can restore you physically. When we shut down external stimulation, we get renewed physically. You remember when Jesus and his Galilean ministry in his disciples he was going everywhere with them and it says in Mark chapter 6 then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. So when they went away by themselves in the boat they came to a solitary place they were alone. This is to get rest this is physical restoration. You know, I've had to rest lately by force any of you who have followed my life and ministry the last few months I mentioned in the last couple studies with three surgeries and the doctors are saying now go home and rest.

It's very difficult for me to do and in fact there is a verse in Psalm 23 you know the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. You know that you know the job. It says he makes me lie down in green – first came alive to me in the hospital came makes me lie down this message quarantined to let you know about how your generation speed building messages coming. Well, there's no doubt that these are interesting times that we live in, but they can become unnerving and unsettling, especially as we become more and more isolated from one another more than ever we need the truth, and encouragement of God's word to help give us God's perspective when the temptation can be to embrace fear and anxiety more aggressively here at connect with Heights egg.

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Thank you for standing with us this time that you Skip tune into my skin encourages you to set aside the busyness of constant noise and security of this world and to put your trust in God. You said I wish I had more time to man I wish I had more time to pray with my now got the time, so use it so Skip presentation of connection communication through ever-changing time