Pandemonium

Luke 21:26
… men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth …

The COVID-19 Pandemic, caused by the out of control spread of the virus properly known as SARS Coronavirus 2, is causing global pandemonium.

As far as pandemics go historically, Covid-19 is still a relatively small event in terms of its impact on the global population, if we just use the number of deaths as a share of the global population. Out of our population of 7.8 billion, there are less than 20,000 deaths today as I write this.

Just to help us understand scale, a century ago the 1918 Spanish Flu killed an estimated 50-100 million people out of a world population of 1.8 billion. If you like data for comparison, the Bubonic Plague in the mid-1300 killed about 200 million people, nearly halving the global population, and reducing that of Europe by 60%.

COVID-19 is big for recent times because the first SARS only took 770 lives in 2003, and Ebola 11,300 between 2014 and 2016. We quickly forget though that recently, 2009-2010, Swine Flu took about 200,000 lives.

A big differentiator that drives the present pandemic quickly to panic and pandemonium is the internet and the social media that it enables. Social media empowers us to fight the spread of a disease because of how quickly information could be shared so that we could respond appropriately. Equally, in the hands of sinful men, the same social media is a tool for fearmongering with fake news.

In the face of pandemic pandemonium, the pulpit is required to be a place where preaching brings people to ‘the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” [and that] “will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

This, though, means that contemporary preaching must go back to being rooted in sound doctrine and away from New Age philosophy and dogma.

For example, New Age philosophers have persuaded many a preacher that a good God would not allow bad things to happen. This philosophy has resulted in the branding of the pandemic as the work of the devil, and in prayer that the pandemic would stop dead in its tracks.

Few have considered that this could be the work of God and that it wouldn’t stop until God’s purpose is accomplished. We should not allow New Age reinventions of God to take over our understanding and appreciation of who God is and what he does.

Two things are important here, one of history and the other of prophecy. In terms of history, God often used sickness, disease, and epidemics to accomplish His purposes in the lives of people and in the earth. For reason of space let’s just take one story. “So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”” Exodus 9:8, 9

In terms of prophecy, Jesus Himself, and His apostles after Him, clearly outlined for us the cataclysmic nature of the events that would grip the world before Jesus comes. If we still believe that Jesus is coming, then we must be wary of being uncomfortable and fearful as the birth pains continue.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about this, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labour pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3

The apostle Peter has a very frightening prophetic vision of where we’re headed that is more vivid than Paul’s telling and that is worse than the corona virus-induced pandemic, “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10

Jesus Himself prophesied pandemonium, except that the pandemonium was to be found in the hearts of those who have rejected Him, we, however, are to “look up and lift up [our] heads, because [our] redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28

This COVID-19 Pandemic, and the pandemonium that it has caused, has led some to declare that truly these are the last of the last days. It’s interesting that in every generation there is an event that causes some to say that. It was preached during the first world war and then preached again at the second. It was preached during the Black Death and during the smallpox outbreak, and during the cholera outbreak, and during the yellow fever outbreak, and during the Spanish Flu, and on and on.

No one knows the date or the hour and, this is not the end of the world. This pandemic is, however, a tool in the hand of God who remains committed to His promises in Christ. While we must pray, let us not pray amiss. We must face the fact that when we pray and ask God to do something we do so because we believe and have the faith that He could do as we have asked. But we also believe, just as firmly, that God’s sovereign will trumps our requests.

Think on these things:

1. Do you have a clear biblical worldview through which you are able to process world events?
2. Does your church regularly teach and preach about the coming of Christ so that you can understand how you could ‘hasten” His return?
3. Do you feel completely at home with your life here on earth at this time or do you ever long for being away from here and present with God?

Prayer focus:

Let us pray today that despite all that is happening we would not fear but continue to hope in God.