CORONAVIRUS AND END TIMES
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CORONAVIRUS AND END TIMES
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The impact of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) has certainly illustrated just how fragile our world is. It has not only affected the health and well-being of thousands of people around the world, but it has also impacted the financial markets, business and industry, and major sports and entertainment events in historic ways. It feels apocalyptic to go into almost every grocery store or big box retailer and find shelves empty of basic essentials. In my community, local police were called to our area Costco to control the masses as people scrambled to find toilet paper and water, to name a few items. Schools are closed, businesses are opting for telecommuting, and large gatherings are cancelled. What in the world is going on? You might be wondering, “Is there a connection between the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the End Times?” The answer to that question is YES and NO. Let me explain.
There are some things that the Bible presents as harbingers or precursors of the End Times—events or activities in the world that precede the actual “End Times” and are indicators that the time is near. Pestilence, or wide-spread disease, is on that list of predictive events. Jesus said this in Luke 21:11—
“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 21:11, NKJV, emphasis added)
But to put things in context, Jesus also made the following statement just two verses earlier—
“… Do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” (Luke 21:9, NKJV)
So while things like earthquakes, famines, and pestilences will come, they are simply indicators that we are drawing near to the End Times but we are not actually in them. It is a taste of things to come. Thus, the connection of COVID-19 with the End Times is both YES and NO. Certainly this virulent virus is a precursor. Clearly it has impacted the entire globe. But again, “these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately” (Luke 21:9).
With all that in mind, it’s sobering to think that as disruptive and deadly as this virus is (although thankfully according to recent statistics 96.5% of people infected will survive it) it is only a precursor of things to come! How dreadful will the Tribulation be when cataclysmic global events will dominate our world! This is just one virus, but think about what the world will look like when Believers have been raptured (removed from the earth) and there will be outbreaks of disease, meteor showers, global famine, fresh water contamination, and economic collapse, to name a few. If you think Coronavirus is bad, it’s miniscule compared to what is coming, which should challenge us in two ways:
1) Don’t be afraid.
Jesus said so in relation to these events. Quoting again from Luke 21:9, Jesus said, “Do not be terrified…” Our hope and help is always in the Lord! We must exercise faith over fear, trust over trepidation. “God is in control” is not just a mantra of the Christian faith, it is the foundation for our everyday lives. Lean on Him and be sensible about simple matters of hygiene during a pandemic like the one we are presently experiencing.
2) Be concerned for unbelievers.
If COVID-19 is just a precursor of things to come, we should be even more motivated to share our faith with unbelievers so that they won’t have to experience the Great Tribulation spoken of in Revelation 6-18. People need Jesus and we are the conduit of the Gospel in our generation. The pandemic we are currently facing is awakening people to their own mortality and it is an open door for us to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Friends, while the world is presently in crisis, let Believers be an example of Christ’s peace in the midst of the storm. Let us trust Jesus. And let us live our lives in such a way that it will cause people to ask us “for the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV). The End Times are coming, but so is Jesus!
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:28, NKJV)
Share the peace of Christ with others with our new prayer guide bookmark that includes an invitation to receive the peace of Christ. Click here to download your copy.
(Gary Hamrick is Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Chapel, a megachurch in Leesburg, Virginia and is Dave and Kris Kubal’s Pastor.)
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I believe in the Bible. There is no verses that say we are raptured away before the tribulation. It is a nice thought; it would be wonderful if it was in the Bible. There are several verses that prove Christians are here during the tribulation.
Yes, that was immensely lovely. Thank you for sharing this.
In all three references of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus says this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. What Jesus prophesied in the Olivet Discourse came about within 40 years. This is further affirmed by Jesus using the pronoun “you” and not “they” indicating that the disciples would experience these events. However, in Matthew 24:30 Jesus switches the pronoun to “they”. He did this because the disciples would not see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. According to Josephus, the people inside Jerusalem when under siege, saw armies in the clouds. Jesus had told the disciples and His followers to get out of Jerusalem when they saw the city surrounded by armies. So the disciples would not see the armies in the clouds, hence Jesus uses the pronoun “they”. Pestilences are not a sign of Jesus’ final return but when we see the whole world turn to Him for Heb. 10:12, 13 but He having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for His feet. Let us pray that God will use this disease to make people aware that this life on earth is temporary so they repent and turn to the truth and build the kingdom on the earth so that His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Abba Father, we humble ourselves and bow down and ask You to halt the plague of the Coronavirus in America and throughout the world. Lord, you wrote in your word: “So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted.” Abba, we lift our prayers (incense) to you and ask you for the precious blood of Jesus (atonement) to be applied to us, our families, our loved ones, our churches, communities, our states, our nation, and nations throughout the uttermost part of the earth. Stand between us and death and destruction. We place our faith in you – not in our own resources or that of our nation. We confess, You are our God! Show yourself strong on our behalf and stand between us and the virus. We ask you, Abba, to turn around what the enemy is using for evil and use it for your honor and glory. May many come to know you as their Lord and Savior. We ask you to give wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, and the knowledge and fear of you to those on the front lines fighting this virus–both in the spirit and in the natural. Specifically, our church leaders; health officials, workers, and researchers; government leaders and workers, and us your people. Stop this pandemonium of fear and greed. Increase our faith. Fill us each with your Holy Spirit. Revive us, renew us, refresh us, and bring us your peace and your presence. Bring glory to your name. May we lift you up and may you draw all men unto you. It is in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen and Amen.
[…] For another message from Pastor Gary Hamrick, click here to read his article on COVID-19 and the end times. […]
I encourage the Body of Christ to anoint with oil all entrances to your dwelling in the sign of the Cross and while praying, similar to how the Israelis were directed to do when the plagues passed through Egypt (Ex. 12). Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah
One more thought for today for the readers- please remember to print some of these articles and mail them to shut-ins who have no access to sources such as these. Our elderly citizens want to pray for our nation but all they hear are the scare tactics from main stream media.
In Psalm 91, it says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’” (NKJV) Later, it says, “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague (any Corona virus) come near your dwelling.” (NKJV)
We have had plagues before and will have them again. But that does not mean we have to operate in fear. I believe the Corona virus is overplayed. More people die each year from the flu, but nobody panics from it. We take necessary precautions, but go on with our daily lives. The same is true here. We should take necessary precautions, but we need to recognize that this, too, shall pass.
This may be a sign of the end times, but it is not the end times. Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matt 24:36-39, NKJV) Our disappearance will be sudden and unexpected to the world. This event (the Corona virus) we know about. Therefore, it is not the end times in that sense.
I encourage the Body of Christ to anoint with oil all entrances to your dwelling in the sign of the Cross and while praying, similar to how the Israelis were directed to do when the plagues passed through Egypt (Ex. 12). Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah
Coll:
Thank you for the response.
David
The word of God tells us to fear not! God has not given us a spirit of fear. We are to stand fast and pray. I almost died from a virus about 18 years ago and God told me exactly what to do and what herbs to take. It left my body and never came back. Also a brother in Christ prayed for me during that time. We overcome by the word of our testimony. The people of God are to demonstrate the love and compassion of God during this time. Thank you God that you are faithful, a Great Physician and Healer. We trust in you.
Pastor Regina
Amen–an excellent message–thank you! The stage is set for the final act of world history leading up to the return of our Lord Jesus but the “actors” are not yet in place and the curtain has not yet opened. May our souls be still and know that the LORD is God…as we join Him in His intercession and invite the lost to join us in joyfully anticipating His coming.
O GOD, thank you that You are in control of everything that happens around us, as well as everything that happens to us. Thank you that Your perfect love casts out all fear, because fear has to do with punishment. Thank you that every Believer’s life is hidden in Christ with You. Thank you that You have forewarned us that, even though in those last days, men’s hearts will melt within them with fear, we can be at peace because You have overcome the world.
Father, forgive us that, instead of bowing humbly before You in prayer for a lost world, we have yet again fallen prey to disputing with one another about our own beliefs. Holy Spirit, bring conviction on the church for failing to walk in unity. Expose the ploy of the enemy that is behind such dispute, and give us hearts that genuinely desire to repent of our folly and sin. Father, cause the prayer of Jesus’ heart in John 17 to become reality, to the praise of Your glory.
We should live each day in His Presence for it is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Like Paul we should run the race forgetting what lies behind and running with Him to receive the prize eternal life. Who can you bring into His kingdom?
Lord give us your words to bring the lost unto your eternal love and salvation.
Seek and you will find. Ask and you will receive. All things are possible with God. Three simple statements of fact with deep and rich promise. Trust and you will KNOW the power of His word and truth will set you free. Lord I pray simply that those who are lost come to themselves. When they see you in the faces of your Believers let them see you coming to meet them and let the party begin with rejoicing for the lost has been found. Bring our judgemental brothers and sisters around to understand that while they have remained faithful it is JOY for the rescue of lost sinners that makes us a whole family.
So that all will know our King is just and true,fill us with Kuliana (a privileged sense of responsibility) to do the work that needs to be done to set a table before our enemies. And as we feast let your truth be revealed. Give us your enduring strength to stand with one another for such a time as this, in unity. Hine ma tov uma naim shevet achim gam yachad. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together … in unity. amen
It has been 75 years since Israel was given a country of their own. This past year President Trump made Jerusalem the capital of Israel again. If anyone has read Jonathan Kahn’s books The Oracle or The Harbinger, it would not be surprising that the Coronavirus has broken out. This may be the precursor of the End times. Those of us that believe may be going Home soon.
We have prayed for years for revival. This may be the very answer to our prayer. We have also prayed for years for America to come together in unity. This may be the answer. As people were in a panic this week and stocking up on supplies, we Christians needed to be stocking up on Bibles and tracts to distribute. This is our time to act as Christians should act- not joining in with the hysterical masses but rather giving out the truth of the gospel. Christians, rise up! Have we even thought about putting tracts on water bottles to hand out at public places, distributing Bibles outside of shopping centers, printing free tracts from online sources to place on car windows, etc…? This is the time to put feet the prayers we have been uttering from our knees.
God bless you for this very needful admonition.
Yes! May we be like the Christians in Wuhan (yellow angels) who were/are ministering to their fellow citizens with free masks and the Gospel!
In Jesus name, O God, let the Church in America rise up and be salt and light. Amen.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2 Timothy 1:7-8 KJV
Amen! We as Christians have this opportunity to exhibit peace while the rest of the world runs scared. “Let them know us by our peace”. And let them ask us why we have peace in uncertain times. And, let each of us “be prepared to answer when asked we have peace.”
MY Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Why do we think Believers are going to be raptured out of the perilous end times?
Where does this come from and how does it really make sense?
Where is the Biblical precedent for God taking His children out of crisis while He’s still writing the story?
The Hebrews were in Egypt while the plagues were happening. He took them THROUGH, He brought them out.
Again and again, He sends Believers INTO the crisis, to warn the people of their wicked ways and shows them mercy by doing so.
His nature is intercessory. Who will be the light in the darkness if all of the saints are gone?
Who will intercede? Who will bear witness in the earth?
Has it ever been His nature to remove every witness from the earth?
He is a Deliverer and His desire is that NONE would perish, but that ALL would come to everlasting life.
I don’t get the rapture us out of here scenario.
However, it does appeal to our carnal nature to escape pain and torment, so…is that where this originated?
I grew up in a Reform church in South Africa and believe in a post-trib rapture.
Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel explains the pre-trib R excellent. He is a Messianic Jew. He refers to the Restrainer leaving and Chist the Groom and His Church the Bride.
Total agreement. He will take us Through as he did the Children of Egypt. Through the fire Through the Waters and Through the valley of the shadow of death. This is the season of Passover and we need to apply the Blood of Jesus to the door posts of our lives and loved ones lives. I too am a Messianic Jew and in total disagreement with the Pre Trib rapture teaching. Does not line up with Gods word! Amen and Amen and 🙏🙏
Amen and Amen🙏
I think one of the worst traps of Satan is to cause us to believe that Christians will avoid all tribulation, wrath yes, tribulation no. But imagine this…Christians believe they will be raptured as soon as things get hard, they stop witnessing for they are going soon so why bother?, they do not hear the Lord’s voice when he says to go underground, they do not use wisdom if He says to join with others to gather supplies, etc. THEY DO NOT WARN THAT JUST BECAUSE THINGS ARE HARD, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT GOD HAS FORGOTTEN US! Very important! Many will lose their faith because of this. “Why am I here? What do I believe? Where is God? My pastor preached we would avoid all this? Am I even saved?”
Prophetically, there are events that must happen first before we are out of here. 2 Thess. 2-4 “not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. 3Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion (falling away) occurs and the man of lawlessness (the son of destruction) is revealed. 4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” The falling away is beginning. But, we have a ways to go before we see the Blessed appearing of our Lord. The focus must be “What would you have me do Lord, as I wait your coming?” All the while not fearing him who can kill the body and not the soul.
Yes totally agree!!
“People need the Lord.”Great words in that song by Greg Nelson and Phill McHugh. When will we realize people need the Lord. Amen. What an opportunity for you and me to speak out the TRUTH and WISDOM of God’s Word. His LOVE LETTER to a lost world. During this worldly trial let us be bold. Let us be strong and very courageous. Sound familiar? God speaking to Moses who than shares with Joshua. I believe our times are in keeping with those days of old. Remember this truth: GOD DOESN’T CHANGE He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So now let us go forth proclaiming the GREAT NEWS of Jesus Christ,in love!Amen.
Speaking of love letter, I’ve been seeking the Father’s heart and ran across this today. It’s the first time I heard this and it is so touching, I thought I’d share. It’s so well put together and speaks well of His deep love for us. Blessings.
https://vimeo.com/81519257
Be Not Afraid…says God who has control of all things.
Bless us Almighty God+
our Faith is in You !