Blog

The Bible warns of terrible and frightening times in the End Times.  Wars, fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, tempests, hail, floods, famines, plagues and pestilence.

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” – 2 Timothy 3:1

“ ‘and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes’ ” – Matthew 24:7

“ ‘When you hear of wars and rumours of wars do not be frightened’ ” – Mark 13:7

“ ‘and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven’ ” – Luke 21:11

“Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before Him, and around Him a tempest rages.” – Psalm 50:3

“ ‘For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now.’ ” – Mark 13:19

******************************************

In His sermon on the Mount of Olives, the Lord Jesus forewarned of pestilence when He described the End Times, Luke 21:11 (see verse above).

Jesus said the pestilence will be like “birth pains” – Matthew 24:8 – meaning it will increase in frequency and intensity in the time leading up to His return.  This means, as the end approaches, we should expect infectious disease outbreaks to occur more frequently, impact more people, and be more deadly.

Then throughout the seven year Tribulation period, pestilence will continue, right up to the Fall of Babylon:

The Two Witnesses: “These have the power … to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.” – Revelation 11:6 – see article: 2 Witnesses – Revelation 11

At the Fourth Seal: “… to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth” – Revelation 6:8

At the Fifth Trumpet: “A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.” – Revelation 9:18

The Seven Angels with the Seven Plagues: “Then I saw another sign of heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.” – Revelation 15:1

The first bowl of God’s wrath: “So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.” – Revelation 16:2

The fourth bowl of God’s wrath: “Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.” – Revelation 16:9

Babylon is Fallen: “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.”- Revelation 18:8

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.” – Revelation 22:18

******************************************

History shows the widespread death and suffering caused by pandemics – plagues – pestilence.

A pandemic is an outbreak of an infectious disease of global proportions.  The word pandemic comes from the Greek pandemos meaning ‘pertaining to all people’.  The Greek word ‘pan’ means “all” and the Greek word ‘demos’ means “people”.

The death toll in a pandemic is generally higher than that in an epidemic.

The following is a short list of some of the past pandemics:

The Black Death, also called the Bubonic Plague, from 1347 to 1351, claimed between 75 to 200 million lives in Europe, Asia and Africa.  It is considered the worst in history.

Before the Black Death, there was the Plague of Justinian, from 541-542, killing between 30 and 50 million people in the Eastern Roman Empire.

The Spanish Flu Pandemic, H1N1 virus, from 1918 to 1920, claimed between 20 to 50 million lives.

The Antonine Plague, in 165 AD, killed over five million people in Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece and Italy.

The Asian Flu (Influenza), H2N2 virus, in 1957, claimed two million.

The Third Cholera Pandemic, from 1852 – 1860, took one million lives.

Also claiming one million lives was the Flu Pandemic in 1968, caused by the H3N2 strain of the Influenza A virus.

There was the 2009 Flu Pandemic, also known as ‘swine flu’, also from the H1N1 virus.  The CDC estimated that up to 575,000 people died worldwide.

HIV/AIDS has grown to pandemic proportions, with an estimated 25 million deaths worldwide.

******************************************

In the Bible, pestilence is a sign of God’s judgment on a nation or people group or individual.

Some examples of God’s wrath of pestilence in the Old Testament due to sin are as follows:

Egypt:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me.  For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.  But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.’  … So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died.” – Exodus 9:1-6.  The plague of pestilence was the fifth of the ten plagues against Egypt.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me.  For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.  For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth.  But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.’ ” – Exodus 9:13-16.  The remaining plagues ensued.

In recounting the plagues of Egypt when the tribe of Israel was enslaved there and Pharaoh refused to let them go, Psalm 78:49-50 states: “… He sent upon them His burning anger, fury and indignation and trouble, a band of destroying angels.  He leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, but gave over their life to the plague …”.

The ten plagues were: water turned to blood; frogs; insects; livestock pestilence; boils; hail; locusts; darkness; death of all firstborn.

David counts his fighting men:

“Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.  So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, ‘Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number.’ ” – 1 Chronicles 21:1-2 – David’s pride of his mighty army

“Joab said, ‘… Why does my lord seek this thing?  Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?’  Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab.” – 1 Chronicles 21:3.  And the number of fighting men were counted.

“God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.  David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing.  But now, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’ … ” – 1 Chronicles 21:7-8

“The Lord sent a pestilence on Israel; 70,000 men of Israel fell.  And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it the Lord saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, ‘It is enough; now relax your hand.’ ” – 1 Chronicles 21:14-15.

Prophet Amos:

“…’Yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the Lord.  ‘I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt … Yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the Lord.” – Amos 4:9-10 – unrepentant Israel in their obstinance to worship false gods and commit other grievous sins

The Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon:

“I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you … I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, do the smiting …they have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all their multitude.  The sword is outside and the plague and the famine are within.  He who is in the field will die by the sword; famine and the plague will also consume those in the city.  Even when their survivors escape … all of them mourning, each over his own iniquity.” – Ezekiel 7-1:16

“For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.” – Psalm 91:3

“For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place.  No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.” – Psalm 91:9-10

If you place your trust in Jesus Christ and accept His sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, you’ll go to heaven.  The Bible says – “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9.  The Bible also states – “For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:13.  The best preparation for the coronavirus is to know where you stand.  Jesus says you are either for Him or against Him – “ ‘He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.’ ” – Matthew 12:30.  There is no in between.  So if you haven’t made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to do so right now.  Do it before it’s too late.  Because – Jesus is coming – soon.

click here for: Salvation Call – the Love of God

click here for detailed article on the seven plagues in the Book of Revelation: Wrath of God

click here for: God is a Consuming Fire

click here for: End Times Prophecy-Plagues, Fires, Floods, etc