Its been a while since I have written anything. But seeing that life has slowed down I figured I’d pen something really quick. That’s a funny expression, pen something, seeing that we rarely use pens, we use a tool that looks like a pen called a stylus. But that’s beside the point.
So I’ve heard that we are in the Last Days, and that Covid-19 is proof of the deadly pestilence that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, here’s what Jesus spoke
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Pestilence is highlighted amongst a list of other indicators or signs. I just want to point out some observations from an article regarding emergence of new diseases. Some scientists believe that there has been an increase in disease due to the upheaval of natural habitats, and increased disruption of the environment.
“In fact, continued inadvertent human activities like land use changes, population growth, increased contacts with wild animal reservoirs and the degradation of health care resources has increased the opportunity for various pathogenic agents including some deadly viruses to pass from the wild
and domestic animals to human beings causing emergence of new diseases”
In the same article it states that in the last hundred years there have been large epidemics but they emphasize the point that today’s epidemics are unique in how quickly the spread.
Even more worrying is the fact that emerging and re-emerging viral diseases have had a tendency to spread more quickly and more widely during the last
decade, invading whole countries and continents. (Ahmed, Jamal & Rahim, Muhammad & Uddin, Khwaja. (2017). Emerging Viral Diseases.
Our current economic and social systems have placed demands and pressures on the environment that have created new opportunities for new diseases to spread, and mutate in relatively short time periods. However does this mean we are are in the last days? Well not quite, this is just one of a list of other descriptors regarding the world that Jesus would come back to at his return.
When Jesus was speaking to his disciples, he was painting a picture of a world in chaos. A world full of hate, division, fighting and destruction, both natural and interpersonal. He’s showing that man who was charged with tending the earth and creating a world of harmony by following the rules he created has utterly failed at that task to the point that everything is in chaos.
The world has only produced false hopes and cures for the ills of mankind. Neither science, technology, nor political systems, nor false religions, nor new knowledge can rid man of the curse of sin. So Jesus promises he will come to make things all new and to save mankind, not just spiritually but to redeem all of creation from the curse of sin, part of that includes redemption from the scourge of disease.
Diseases are just a fruit of the deeper problem of transgressing God’s law. So are we in the last days? Yes, but we have been in the last days for over 2000 years. A quick purview of Acts will show that the apostles believed they were in the last days 2000 years ago. We’ll save that talk for later, but lets return back to the issue of COVID-19.
Until Christ returns we will have new diseases and outbreaks. Thanks to research, medicine, and technological innovation we will find temporary cures and solutions to specific diseases and hopefully soon one for COVID-19. New diseases will continue to emerge and cause havoc and death to the population as they have since creation but with greater force and speed. Nature has a way of humbling us all, but the goal of the humbling is to find our need for God.Lets hear the words of Jesus who says
28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Don’t fear dying. Fear dying without the Lord. I want to echo for believers we should not fear. God is bigger than the virus. He will provide for us should we lose jobs, or even our health. The Lord cares for us and knows the hairs on our head. We can control somethings in our lives; our hygiene, social distancing, our diet and our conditioning, but there are things that are outside of our control as well. Our books are already written.
We are fallible, and we need a savior. We need a redeemer. We need to preach Christ, we need to care for the sick, and pray for our medical professionals who are treating folks on the front line. Lets remember for every body that dies, there is a soul that potentially dies as well without Christ. We all need the Great Physician, who came not for the healthy but for the sick. Jesus is still healing the sick, both in body, mind and soul. If you do not have Christ you are sick; your soul is dead and a greater and more sinister fate awaits. If you are not walking with God, call out to him because he is able to treat your soul’s hardened heart, and heal your scarred mind and ways.
We will get through Covid-19. Society will change and adjust. Know that there will be other future outbreaks but we cannot be paralyzed in fear. We must not panic, but live our lives and live boldly with passion hope and thanksgiving for every day and for the days to come. I pray that we will enjoy and make the most of our times with or families, and evaluate those things which are important in life, the most important being a relationship with our creator and our loved ones.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
A voice in the wilderness 