Is COVID-19 a Sign of the End-Times?
We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. It would not be surprising if people saw this as an indication that we are about to experience the end of the world. We get such predictions when everything is fine, so this time of pandemic is ripe for such claims.
See Coronavirus is bringing a plague of dangerous doomsday predictions.
This makes sense as the book of Revelation mentions the word “plague” thirteen times. In fact, that book is the only book of the New Testament to mention plagues.
It is commonly assumed that Pestilence is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, although that is not quite accurate. But Death and Hades are given the power to kill, including by plague.
Should we quit our jobs and sell our homes since we are obviously at the end? Probably not.
The truth is that there have been many plagues throughout history. Check out 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history.
To be honest, the current pandemic doesn’t point to the end any more than any other pandemic in history. I’m sure people who lived through those plague thought they were at the end.
Having said that, the New Testament tells us to always be ready for the return of Jesus. Whether there is a plague or not, a major war or not, we should always be ready. Live out the Christian life at all times, not just when worldwide events frighten us.
It probably is a bad idea to start making predictions about the return of Jesus just because we are in the midst of a pandemic. Let’s focus on the positive we can do as followers of Jesus.
I’m always bemused by the claims of Christians about the “end times”. They always get it wrong and have done so for a couple of thousand years. They also don’t seem to read their prediction of those days either, since it has this god forcing humans to work with Satan for this god’s plan to come about (Rev 17) and then this god intentionally allowing Satan loose to corrupt Christians since this god killed everyone else (Rev 19-21).
Interestingly, scientists too have often predicted the end of the world.