Revelation Through Plagues

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm and not in a good way. It has been officially labelled a pandemic, which means that it is acknowledged to be a threat to the entire nation and world at large. The virus has been the cause of much fear, particularly among the sick and elderly, for which it could be deadly. It’s also disrupted work and the daily lives of the populace, and our government and its various officials scramble to stop the spread of the sickness and keep our healthcare system from being overrun. It almost seems like a plague straight out of the Bible given the chaotic and calamitous effects it is having on our world.

Every time such a disease pops up, thoughts among Believers often drift to the end times. There is good reason for that. The book of Revelation mentions much about plagues and their assaults on the world. When the fourth seal is opened Death is released and plagues are one of the tools it will use for killing.

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. - Revelation 6:7-8

Seven plagues were used to mark the end of God’s wrath.

I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. - Revelation 15:1

When Babylon was judged, plagues were part of its punishment.

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues - Revelation 18:4

Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine - Revelation 18:8

It’s easy to see why some would believe that we are nearing the end. While COVID-19 may be the word of the day now, it’s not the first to strike fear across the world. It’s not even the first corona virus to become problematic. Before COVID-19, there was MERS, and before MERS there was SARS, and that’s not even to mention the various flu strains like the swine flu and the avian flu or the more exotic diseases like Ebola that tend to pop up every now and then. It certainly seems like we’re going through a biblical round of plagues.

The problem is that anyone who looks for a sign of the end time can probably convince himself or herself that it is approaching. What is the point of such attempts at prognostication? The Bible tells us that no one will be able to predict the end.

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father - Matthew 24:36

Perhaps the way many are looking at these modern day plagues misses the point. After all, if you read the Bible, sickness was common in the world even back then. Jesus spent quite a bit of his time healing people.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. - Matthew 4:23

Sickness has always been part of the human experience, but it’s something God has always had the ability to defeat. Jesus and his apostles did that in dramatic fashion, sometimes instantly healing many people publicly. Even today, we often hear miraculous stories about people so sick that even the doctors write them off only for their faith to be rewarded with a complete recovery. Faith is the key.

That said, not even the faithful are guaranteed to escape sickness or death. God heals, but he does so for his own reasons and often in a way that brings glory to Him. Yes, Jesus traveled from place to place healing diseases, but he didn’t do it just to keep the populace healthy. He did it to instill faith in the people and to teach them about God.  

That is where our minds should be. These are trying times. How will we navigate them? We’ve already seen examples of selfishness as people do what they want without regard to how it could affect others. We’ve seen people rush to the nearest store to hoard products without giving a care about the people that are actually at risk and need the resources. We’ve seen people attack others solely because they look like they could be Chinese. Is that what we want this modern day plague to reveal about us, or do we want it to reveal our compassion, love, caring, and faith? Jesus encountered all types of problems and crises in his life, but he always met them while letting his light shine. We should do the same. Jesus’s spirit is in everyone who believes. Even if we can’t heal like Jesus, we can still represent God and display our faith the way Jesus instructed. The COVID-19 crisis will end eventually, and it will undoubtedly be replaced by a new crisis. We can’t change that, but we can make sure that everyone knows that at least a couple things remain solid: God’s love and the salvation that comes with it. Up against those things COVID-19 shouldn’t seem so fearsome.

Chris Lawyer

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