Is the Swine Flu disease a prophetic sign of a sick church infected with religion's lukewarmness?

The Swine Flu gradually is becoming a problem for the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Reports say we are at the beginning of a new pandemic. A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region. As of right now there are 91 known cases of the Swine Flu with a two year old boy just reported dead in Texas, claiming its first victim on US soil. The CDC released stock piles of the Tamiflu vaccine which slows down the disease because they expect multiple Swine Flu deaths, according to an AP report.

Christians should be encouraged and stand in faith since the Scripture promises that "no plague shall come nigh my dwelling place" (Psalm 91). But does this plague reveal something else about the condition of the church?

Don't Eat the Bacon

Scripture says, "...neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you"( Matthew 7:6). Swines represent uncleanness, corruption, depravity and all they do is devour. They'll destroy anything. The pearls of precious virtues God gave us in the founding of a Christian nation is currently being devoured, much like what the Swine Flu is doing. While the church is getting eaten up by religious compromise from the inside, our American liberties are eroding in culture.

So what is the Swine Flu and how does it apply spiritually? It's a form of influenza mixture of pig, human and bird viruses (Type A/H1N1). Influenza is caused by a virus, a microorganism that is mostly dead but partially alive.

Christ said to the church of Laodicea, "I wish you were hot or cold, but since you are lukewarm I will spew you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Strong words from a loving Savior. Lukewarmness is a condition where you don't stand for anything, you're neutral, lacking conviction, are indifferent. Some churches hold no opinion of the cultural war or politics, they lukewarmly avoid the difficult issues facing our world. They comfortably hide within church walls praying for the great escape, the rapture. But is that what Christ wants from his churches?

Apparently Christ has no tolerance of this attitude. He feels so strongly about a lukewarm church that He says (and I paraphrase), "you make Me want to throw up."  A church affected with the spiritual version of the plague behaves like the Swine Flu's microorganisms, partially dead and alive.

To another church He said, "You have the name that you're alive, but you're really dead" (Revelation 3:1 Paraphrased). Why is Christ saying these things? Because He already warned us of what would happen if we cast our pearls before swines. So if you're in a church that is compromising with lifeless religious form and traditions of men, get out of it.

Here's some more about the Swine Flu: The virus' genetic code is held inside a protein sheath and consists of several helices of (RiboNucleic Acid) RNA. The virus injects its RNA into a healthy cell, which causes the cell to stop its usual work and make more copies of the virus.

Deception always camouflages itself as truth and its carrier is one who fills a prominent position so to infect as many souls as possible with its lies. For example, The gospel of inclusion, gay bishops in Christ's Church performing gay marriages, merchandising prophets stealing from God and His people. These are spots in our feasts of charity (Jude 12 and 2 Peter 2:13-14). Christ wants a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (Ephesians 5:27).

Just like the Swine Flu virus, when we are infected by religious deception healthy cells of the local churches stop their usual work of ministry i.e. the great commission, preaching the Kingdom of God despite persecution, pleasing and obeying God rather than man and so on. Today, we have pastors in our pulpits who won't say that Jesus is the only way to heaven, they're afraid they may offend somebody. The Church is to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. While we cease from doing the work of the Kingdom, deception makes more copies of itself and spreads.

Then this happens, the RNA genes mutate easily; for this reason, each new flu season brings a slightly different form of the disease into the population.

Left unchecked we will see mutated forms of the same problem in our churches and nation -- religious deception. Remember the story of the prodigal son? He forsook the Father's house, scaundering his inheritance in riotious living. The Scripture says, "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine (Recession) in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him" ((Luke 15:14-24).

Could it be possible the church at large is in the same spiritual condition as this young man? The best part of this story is when the Bible says, "And when he came to himself," that means he began to realise his mistakes and how sinful he was. He said, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee." As the story goes, the father had been awaiting his return to receive him again, he called for a celebration and they began to be merry.

Repentance: The Cure

Repentance is the only vaccine that cures the religious Swine Flu disease. It means to confess your sins and return to the Father (God) through Jesus Christ (the Way, the Truth and the Life). I believe God is waiting to heal us and our nation. But just like the prodigal who came to his senses, the church needs to wake up and repent as well. Perhaps it will start with you, the reader?