Covid-19, the End of the World?

Written by Jimmie Burroughs

“Then He [Jesus] said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” – Luke 21:10-11

Could COVID-19 be a sign that the end is in sight? Jesus warned us that near the end of the world there would be an increase in pestilences along with other phenomena. There has been an increase in the last few years in all the things listed in the verse above, pestilences included. AIDS alone, since the start of the epidemic, has infected an estimated 74.9 million people with HIV and 32 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses. Other recent viruses include SARS, Swine Flu, Ebola, Avian Flu, MERS, West Nile virus and now the Coronavirus. Today I read that there is a rare virus spread by Mosquitoes that kills 33% of those infected. It is good to hear that it is rare.

Guido Vanham, a virologist, a microbiologist who studies the rapid spreading of viruses was asked how the Covid-19 virus would end and he replied, “It will probably never end, in the sense that this virus is clearly here to stay unless we eradicate it. And the only way to eradicate such a virus would be with a very effective vaccine that is delivered to every human being. We have done that with smallpox, but that’s the only example – and that has taken many years.” So, the question is, will Covid-19 likely stick around for some time? It most probably will. It belongs to the family of coronaviruses viruses, which has been around for a while. It is yet to be seen if it behaves like the other strains, like for instance the flu.

COVID-19 may be just the beginning of other global pandemics of which some believe the climate change may play a role. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a recent study in the journal Cell, written by medical historian Dr. David Morens: “We have entered a pandemic era.“ The study predicts that, in the future, pandemics will likely become more numerous. Morens told BuzzFeed News, “I don’t have a crystal ball, but what we are seeing looks very much like an acceleration of pandemics,” Mr. Morens believes causes include deforestation, urban crowding and wet markets for wild game.

According to the Bible, these things are signs that the end of the world could be in sight, but there are things that must come to past first. There will be a time, in the future, when suddenly millions of people will vanish from the earth. It will be a time of calamity when airline pilots suddenly vanish to leave the plane to crash, and bus drivers will disappear to leave the bus to spiral out of control; doctors will vanish from the operating room, etc. This will be happening all around the world as the world stands in amazement, wondering what has happened.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 we read, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air: and so shall we ever be with the LORD.” The millions who have believed in the Lord and have died in the past shall be resurrected, and they along with those believers who are still living shall be caught up to meet the Lord. We know not where we shall go with the Lord. It may be that the New Jerusalem, as foretold in Revelation, has descended in space above the earth, and we will go there with the Lord to wait out the 7 years of tribulation that shall come upon the earth that is also described in Revelation.  

Should we be in fear as we see things happening that we have never seen before? That depends on what your relationship to the Lord is. To believers, the end in sight is a glorious sign that Jesus is coming soon; redemption is drawing near. That being true, what should be our response? Should it be fear? I think not because the Bible gives great assurance to those who wait on the Lord’s return:

Psalm 91:5-7 “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”

Psalm 46:1-2, “To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;”

Psalm 91:1-2, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

Matthew 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

The world today, in general, rejects the Lord. Nevertheless, He is the only hope in these uncertain times or any other times. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost,” Romans 15:13.

Are you ready to take the first step in finding hope, joy and peace that comes in believing in Christ? If so, I want to help you by giving you some instructions from the Bible. Just Click Here.

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