“46) And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47) And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 49) Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. 50) And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.” (Numbers 16:46-50)
The Lord heard the prayer of Moses and Aaron, for He hears the prayers of a righteous man. “….The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16b)
The Lord did not destroy the whole congregation. However, sin must be judged, and the Lord sent a plague which killed fourteen thousand seven hundred people, much more than those that died in the incident with Korah. If Aaron had not made atonement for the people, the plague would have killed many more.
If God had not made atonement (or reconciliation) for our sins through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we too would be destroyed because “the wages of sin is death.”
“8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:8-11)
“18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (II Corinthians 5:18-21)
~T. J. L. Y.