Modern Interpretations: Apocalyptic Plagues
Treatise of the Plague
The plague, they claimed, is sent direct from God. It is the Hand of God, they said , and it is His arrows which He sends direct, and sometimes, they said , He sends it via His angels: therefore it does not come from infection or from other natural secondary causes. Beza countered this claim by saying that in the same book 6, verse 8 the pale horse, on whom death the rider sitteth, receiveth power to kill with the sword, famine and pestilence, and with sending of wild beasts: here then is an angel, Beza claims, using second causes, so there is no reason why God should not be acting out His anger through a natural secondary cause such as infection.
Their restoration to perfect human nature, as well as that of the world in general, will be a gradual work, requiring all of the Millennial age to accomplish it fully. During that thousand years reign of Christ, Adamic death will be gradually swallowed up or destroyed. Its various stages sickness, pain and weakness, as well as the tomb will yield obedience to the Great Restorers power, until at the end of that age the great pyramid of our chart will be complete.
Late Great Planet Earth
Why Does God Allow Coronavirus And Other Catastrophes
The world is broken. We are sinful. Because Adam sinned, we are in mortal bodies. Death is inevitable. But we need not fear. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:21:
For since by a man that death came , it is also by a Man that the resurrection of the dead has come. AMP
We live in a fallen world. If we know Christ, we can have hope and joy.
Lets look at seven reasons God sends disease and trouble in the Bible:
There Are Physical Causes And There Are Spiritual Causes For Sickness
There is something else which we must appreciate. Scripture speaks of both physical and spiritual causes for sickness. Sometimes a person is ill for merely physical reasons while at other times there are spiritual factors that are the cause for the sickness.
Thus, when we examine the Bible we find that sickness can have a natural origin or a supernatural one. It is not always natural, neither is the origin of sickness always supernatural. It is essential that we understand this important truth.
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There Were Also Ailments Sent To Individuals
We find, at times, that the Lord judged certain individuals by means of various ailments. We can list a few examples.
Miriam Was Judged with Leprosy
Miriam, the sister of Moses was struck with leprosy for her disobedience to the Lord. We read the following account in Exodus.
So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper .
This episode shows us that God, at times, will judge His own people with sickness.
The Servant of Elisha Was Struck with Leprosy for Disobedience
In another episode, Gehazi, the servant of the prophet Elisha, was struck down with leprosy for his disobedience to the command of the prophet as well as lying to him. Elisha said his judgment would be follows.
Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you, and to your descendants forever. So he left his presence leprous, as white as snow .
Again, we find that leprosy was used as a tool of judgment.
Herod Agrippa
The Lord struck down the evil king Herod Agrippa for not giving glory to the Lord. The Book of Acts records what happened in this manner.
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died .
This judgment for this godless king was death. This was Gods righteous judgment for his sin.
Matthew 2: 36 I Was Naked And You Clothed Me I Was Sick And You Visited Me I Was In Prison And You Came To Me
When Jesus commanded the church to be the Body of Christ, He fully intended that we walk in the works that God has foreordained long ago for us to do , and so when we seek the poorly clothed, we can help them. When others are sick, we can visit them. If there are others in prison, we can go to them. Thats what our little church does. We might not be able to heal the sick, but we can at least visit them. As far as Jesus is concerned, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me .
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Man Jailed For Pretending To Administer A Fake Covid
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Coronavirus has infected more than 218.2 million people and killed more than 4.52 million as of September 2. Entire countries went under lockdown to stop the virus from spreading but experts fear thousands of people could still become infected in the coming weeks to months.
Finding Hope In Jesus
As we think about the momentous times we live in, remember that Jesus is always by our side. He will walk with us no matter what. The Bible says I will never leave you nor forsake you .
Before Jesus was crucified He gave this promise to the disciples and by extension to us. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world . We can have peace in Jesus our Savior who is with us.
In John 14:27, Jesus again tells us to not be troubled or afraid, because he is with us no matter the situation or circumstances. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. God repeats Himself in several Bible verses because He knows that as humans we need constant assurance of His care for us.
So in these trying times of COVID-19, pray and ask God to remove your fear and anxiety to surround you with His Presence then take a deep breath and relax, knowing that your life is in the hands of God who created you.
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Bible Verses About Sickness
Matthew 4:23: went throughout the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the Kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity among the people.
Meaning: Jesus miracles demonstrated on a small scale what Gods Kingdom will soon do for all humankind.
Sickness Can Be The Result Of Sin
While sickness is not sin, it is possible for sickness to be the result of sin. Paul emphasized that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. He wrote the following to the Corinthians.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body .
Sometimes sickness results for a very simple reason people do not take care of themselves. People do not heed Gods commands and overindulge in food, alcohol or work. They let their body run down to the place where it is susceptible to illness. Doing this is sinful and thus sickness can be the result of sin.
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Is Coronavirus A Biblical Plague From In The Book Of Revelation
So, is COVID-19 one of the seven plagues mentioned in Revelation 16-17? While it might be tempting to try and identify this virus with one of those plagues, I believe there are a couple of reasons not to. The first reason is that these seven plagues are identified as the completion of Gods wrath, and the plagues seem directed solely towards those who belong to the kingdom of the Antichrist. But this virus is not as discriminating. There seems to be no one who is immune to it. Saint and skeptic alike are affected by it.
A second reason to doubt that it is one of the plagues of Revelation is that we know the source of this virus. As many of the coronaviruses do, it jumped from an animal to a human and spread from there. COVID-19 is simply more contagious than most, as well as generally more deadly.
To all appearances, COVID-19 seems to be just a natural event rather than a supernatural action of God. It is an event that is not unique in history but is, apart from its severity, rather common. It is even something that our infectious disease experts have been anticipating, and warning us about, for many years.
Uplifting Bible Verses About God In The Midst Of Plagues
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
When diseases or natural disasters ravage our world, it can be confusing and scary. It can also be hard to understand where God and your faith fits in the midst of grief and uncertainty. You might find yourself wondering if you are experiencing the types of plagues described in the Bible and unsure if this just happened because the world is imperfect. Or you might hear people saying that its a form of punishment and find yourself uncertain what to believe. The truth is, we dont know why these tragic things happen. But we do know that while God allows them, He is a God of comfort, and the plagues found in the Bible are only a small piece of a larger storya redemptive rescue mission that culminates with Jesus and the gospel. We can take great comfort that we are not alone in any hardships we may face. The Bible is full of reassurances of Gods love, sovereignty, faithfulness, and protection. These are just a small handful of the verses about who God is amidst uncertainty and be sure to take a look at our Bible verses about change, Bible verses about worry, and Bible verses about fear.
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To Defend His Holiness
The Philistines captured the Ark and sent it to Ashdod instead of returning it to Israel. God taught them a lesson by sending them rats and hemorrhoids! .
But Jesus reconciled us to God by His death on the cross. He has made us holy:
Colossians 1:20-22Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
Summary Question 16 According To The Bible Why Do People Get Sick
The Bible is the ultimate authority on all matters of belief and practice. Indeed, there is no higher authority. Whatever it says on any topic is the final word on the matter. This being the case, we need to know what it has to say about the questions as to why people get sick. What does it have to tell us about this very important subject?
First, it admits that sickness is a reality. Indeed, there is no denying its existence. Sickness is real and it will continue to be real as long as we are in these bodies. Scripture consistently teaches this from beginning to end.
The Bible also tells us where sickness originated. It came from the original sin of the first couple, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. Sickness, dying, and death were the results of their sin. They were warned that this would take place.
We also discover that sickness may have either natural or supernatural causes. Natural causes for sickness include not obeying the laws which God has given concerning health. There are also times when God sent sickness, disease and death as a divine judgment.
Consequently we should not assume that the reasons for our sicknesses are in every case supernatural or in every instance natural. It may be one or the other.
However, the Bible does not say that sickness is sin. Sickness, however, can be the result of sin yet sickness itself is not sin. Indeed, no one was ever told to ask for forgiveness for being sick. We do not confess our illnesses!
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Plagues The End Times And Trusting In God’s Protection: ‘you Will Hear Us And Rescue Us’
ANALYSIS
The term “apocalypse” is being tossed around these days in connection with the coronavirus pandemic as people seek the right words to express the trauma we’re feeling on a global scale. There’s a ton of fear in our world right now for obvious reasons since this COVID-19 virus is quite contagious, leading to concerns that it could overwhelm our medical system with deadly force. So this question seems to be floating in the air: Is the coronavirus some sort of sign that the end is getting closer? The Bible has quite a bit to say about all this.
Just to start with a little historical perspective, I have a hunch that people enduring the Bubonic Plagues or Hitler’s Nazi death machine were facing some intense evidence that the end of the world might be getting near. Yet, we’re all still here centuries after those plagues and many decades after WWII. To be clear, I’m not belittling our current predicament or what it tells us about the End Times. In fact, when the entire world is literally facing a lockdown, people are dying around the globe, and economies are being undermined, I think that’s some serious evidence that God wants us to pay close attention to His Word.
In Luke 21:9-11, Jesus explains that before the end of time, we will see escalations in all types of calamities in our world, including plagues:
The other phrase that caught my eye was “do not be terrified.” Throughout scripture, God tells us “do not be afraid.” You can find much more about that HERE.
Bible Verses About Diseases
And He said, If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians for I, the Lord, am your healer.
When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed.And the whole city had gathered at the door.And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed In his illness, You restore him to health.
Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away,Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,And they drew near to the gates of death.
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What Does The Bible Say About Coronavirus And Covid
Although the coronavirus is not mentioned by name in the Bible, some Christians have claimed online there are prophetic passages and messages that can be linked to the pandemic.
A commonly mentioned passage is Matthew 24.
The scripture reads: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
“All these are the beginnings of sorrows.”
The passage is attributed to Jesus Christ who told his followers what to expect before his second coming.
History is replete with plagues, wars, and natural disasters
Ed Jarrett, Christianity.com
A similar account of Jesus’ teaching is found in Luke 21.
The passage reads: “Then he said unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: Abd great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
“But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.”
A passage in 2 Chronicles 7 also warns of plague: “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people
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