Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks you have seen, heard, and read about the coronavirus that is disrupting life world wide. And it is quite likely that it has had a direct impact on you, even if you have not yet become sick from it.
Social distancing is a new by-word. The banning of large gatherings, including churches, and the closing of schools and many establishments where people gather are common. Empty shelves at the grocery store are a normal sight. We are learning to live without essential services and there is the expectation that things will get worse before they begin to improve.
To make matters even more desperate, there is a tendency for many people to automatically look to connect any large-scale disaster to the the Bible-concluding Revelation and see in it a sign of the beginning of the end. But should we? I admit to giving the prospect some passing thought as well...Can't help it!
There seems to be a lot of confusion about this virus, starting with its name. Coronavirus is a family of viruses that include common colds, seasonal flu, MERS, and SARS. The World Health Organization has given this particular coronavirus the acronym COVID-19 for “coronavirus disease 2019”. Its actual name is SARS-CoV-2, although that is seldom used by the press.
This coronavirus originated in China and seems related to the wildlife trade there. It is highly infectious and seems to have a mortality rate of around 3-4%, although that is still not known for sure. At the time of this writing, it has spread through most of the world. The impact though is forecast to continue to increase for the next few months, maybe beyond, with potentially millions of people dying from it and millions more becoming absolutely destitute, morally and financially.
This coronavirus originated in China and seems related to the wildlife trade there. It is highly infectious and seems to have a mortality rate of around 3-4%, although that is still not known for sure. At the time of this writing, it has spread through most of the world. The impact though is forecast to continue to increase for the next few months, maybe beyond, with potentially millions of people dying from it and millions more becoming absolutely destitute, morally and financially.
Many senior citizens like me may never see a total recovery from this pandemic go-round and that may be a blessing in disguise. What I can say is that it will certainly be the end of the free-ride good life as we have come to know and expect it.
As our economy takes a record nose dive resulting in business closures and mass unemployment, I cannot help but wonder where the billions of dollars in government bail-out funding aid is coming from, considering federal and provincial budgets are already running heavy deficit balances year after year. Where will all of this end? I have no idea...I can only offer negative speculation and I chose not to go there in this post.
And what about our over-taxed health care system and the unanticipated shortage of adequate safety equipment for nurses, doctors and aids; not to mention conditions in nursing homes where the deadly virus is running rampant among the most vulnerable...O my God!
There has to be a time of reconciliation, however. In spite of public demand, as a nation we cannot keep spending money we don't have...That's a mistake many of us have made in our private lives. Sadly, there will be those who fall by the wayside.
And what about our over-taxed health care system and the unanticipated shortage of adequate safety equipment for nurses, doctors and aids; not to mention conditions in nursing homes where the deadly virus is running rampant among the most vulnerable...O my God!
There has to be a time of reconciliation, however. In spite of public demand, as a nation we cannot keep spending money we don't have...That's a mistake many of us have made in our private lives. Sadly, there will be those who fall by the wayside.
I worry too about the long range implications of social distancing and its affect on personal relations and interactions. How will we act and react to fellow man in the future? I hate to even think about what to expect next before things start to get better.
So, is COVID-19 one of the seven plagues mentioned in Revelation 16-17? While it might be tempting to try and identify this virus with one of those plagues, I believe there are a couple of reasons not to. The first reason is that these seven plagues are identified as the completion of God’s wrath, and the plagues seem directed solely towards those who belong to the kingdom of the Antichrist. But this virus is not as discriminating. There seems to be no one who is immune to it. Saint and skeptic alike are affected by it.
A second reason for doubt that it is one of the plagues of Revelation is that we know the source of this virus. As many of the coronaviruses do, it jumped from an animal to a human and spread from there. COVID-19 is simply more contagious than most, as well as generally more deadly.
To all appearances, COVID-19 seems to be a natural event rather than a supernatural action of God. It is an event that is not unique in history but is, apart from its severity, rather common. It is even something that our infectious disease experts have been anticipating, and warning us about, for many years.
But again, if not one of the seven plagues of God’s wrath, could it be a sign of the end times? Again, I do not believe so. In the 14th century, the Black Plague killed 30-60% of the population of Europe. In 1918 the Spanish Flu, another coronavirus, killed 50-100 million people worldwide. Joseph Stalin is credited with killing 20 million people. Mao Zedong is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of up to 45 million people. Estimates are around 20 million deaths in WW1 and 75 million in WW2.
While the death toll for COVID-19 could potentially approach that of the Spanish Flu, there is no reason to suspect that it is heralding the end either. Ultimately, we do not know when the end will come. In Matthew 24 Jesus warns us that there will be many signs that will appear to point to the end. But they are just looking forward to the end, not the end itself.
“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:4-8).
While Jesus did not specifically mention viruses here, I believe it is safe to include them since they are just as devastating as those events he did mention. History is replete with plagues, wars, and natural disasters that kill large numbers of people. But none of these has been a sign of the end.
Considering COVID-19 is likely not one of the seven last plagues of Revelation, nor a sign of the end times, it is still very real and devastating with life altering ramifications. And as Christians, we need to respond appropriately to it on an individual basis.
The first thing that we should do is believe the warnings of science and follow the directions of our government and medical experts. Keep hands clean. Avoid crowds. Keep your distance from other people -- all necessary measures that will help "level the curve".
But, as Christians, there is more that we can do. Take the time you have while off from school or work to strengthen your faith. Pray, read and study the Bible, and practice spiritual disciplines. Reach out to neighbors. Even while taking all of the appropriate precautions, you can still be in contact with your friends and family, letting them know you care and are available to help them. And be a quiet calming influence on those you connect with online. There is much fear-mongering and fake news circulating about this virus. Rather than fuel the anxiety that is going around, be a conciliator and voice of reason.
Remember that this will be behind us someday. And, when it is over, your response to this virus and social disruption will continue to bear testimony to goodness and love. It will be a virtual and sobering memory for the current generation of a way of life that was so easily taken for granted. Suddenly we are not so super human as we ideally begin a period of resolve.
Indeed things may well never be the same again. Out of necessity, expectations of life will have to change, but it will by no means be the end. Live in the moment my friends -- the NOW, as I suggested in a Wrights Lane post last week. Forget about that past and future stuff!
There, I'm glad that's off my chest...Now back to the Canadian Quotations piece that I was working on before I became distracted.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the fifth edition of my Canadian Legends series that has been relegated to a back burner. Good thing that I've got nothing but time on my hands these days.
So, is COVID-19 one of the seven plagues mentioned in Revelation 16-17? While it might be tempting to try and identify this virus with one of those plagues, I believe there are a couple of reasons not to. The first reason is that these seven plagues are identified as the completion of God’s wrath, and the plagues seem directed solely towards those who belong to the kingdom of the Antichrist. But this virus is not as discriminating. There seems to be no one who is immune to it. Saint and skeptic alike are affected by it.
A second reason for doubt that it is one of the plagues of Revelation is that we know the source of this virus. As many of the coronaviruses do, it jumped from an animal to a human and spread from there. COVID-19 is simply more contagious than most, as well as generally more deadly.
To all appearances, COVID-19 seems to be a natural event rather than a supernatural action of God. It is an event that is not unique in history but is, apart from its severity, rather common. It is even something that our infectious disease experts have been anticipating, and warning us about, for many years.
But again, if not one of the seven plagues of God’s wrath, could it be a sign of the end times? Again, I do not believe so. In the 14th century, the Black Plague killed 30-60% of the population of Europe. In 1918 the Spanish Flu, another coronavirus, killed 50-100 million people worldwide. Joseph Stalin is credited with killing 20 million people. Mao Zedong is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of up to 45 million people. Estimates are around 20 million deaths in WW1 and 75 million in WW2.
While the death toll for COVID-19 could potentially approach that of the Spanish Flu, there is no reason to suspect that it is heralding the end either. Ultimately, we do not know when the end will come. In Matthew 24 Jesus warns us that there will be many signs that will appear to point to the end. But they are just looking forward to the end, not the end itself.
“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:4-8).
While Jesus did not specifically mention viruses here, I believe it is safe to include them since they are just as devastating as those events he did mention. History is replete with plagues, wars, and natural disasters that kill large numbers of people. But none of these has been a sign of the end.
Considering COVID-19 is likely not one of the seven last plagues of Revelation, nor a sign of the end times, it is still very real and devastating with life altering ramifications. And as Christians, we need to respond appropriately to it on an individual basis.
The first thing that we should do is believe the warnings of science and follow the directions of our government and medical experts. Keep hands clean. Avoid crowds. Keep your distance from other people -- all necessary measures that will help "level the curve".
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| God bless the front-line workers |
Remember that this will be behind us someday. And, when it is over, your response to this virus and social disruption will continue to bear testimony to goodness and love. It will be a virtual and sobering memory for the current generation of a way of life that was so easily taken for granted. Suddenly we are not so super human as we ideally begin a period of resolve.
Indeed things may well never be the same again. Out of necessity, expectations of life will have to change, but it will by no means be the end. Live in the moment my friends -- the NOW, as I suggested in a Wrights Lane post last week. Forget about that past and future stuff!
There, I'm glad that's off my chest...Now back to the Canadian Quotations piece that I was working on before I became distracted.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the fifth edition of my Canadian Legends series that has been relegated to a back burner. Good thing that I've got nothing but time on my hands these days.
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