Is the Coronavirus God’s Punishment?
Various outbreaks of pandemic diseases, such as the coronavirus,
have prompted many to ask why God allows—or even causes—pandemic diseases and
whether such illnesses are a sign of the end times. The Bible describes numerous occasions when
God brought plagues and diseases on His people and on His enemies to show His
great power. (See Exodus 9:14, 16) He
used plagues on Egypt to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery,
while sparing His people from being affected by them. (See Exodus 12:13; 15:26)
God also warned His people of the consequences of disobedience,
including plagues. (See Leviticus 26:21, 25) On two occasions, God destroyed 14,700 people
and 24,000 people for various acts of disobedience. (See Numbers 16:49 and 25:9)
After giving the Mosaic Law, God
commanded the people to obey it or suffer many evils, including something that
sounds like Ebola, “The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with
fever and inflammation . . . which will plague you until you perish.” (Deuteronomy
28:22) These are just a few examples of the many plagues and diseases God
caused.
It’s sometimes hard to imagine how a loving and merciful God would display such
wrath and anger toward His people. But
God’s punishments always have the goal of repentance and restoration. In 2 Chronicles 7:13–14, God said to Solomon, “When
I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour
the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will
heal their land.” Here we see God
using disaster to draw His people to Himself, to bring about repentance and the
desire to come to Him as their heavenly Father.
In the New Testament, Jesus healed “…every disease and every sickness…”
as well as plagues in the areas He visited. (See Matthew 9:35; 10:1; Mark 3:10)
Just as God chose to use plagues and
disease to show His power to the Israelites, Jesus healed, as an example of His
power, to prove that He was truly the Son of God. God still allows sickness for His own
purposes, but sometimes disease, even worldwide pandemics, are simply the
result of living in a fallen world.
There is no way to determine whether or not a
pandemic has a specific spiritual cause, but we do know that God has sovereign
control over all things (See Romans 11:36), “And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to
his purpose.“ (Romans 8:28)
The spread of sicknesses such as the coronavirus is a preview of pandemics that
will be part of the end times. Jesus
referred to future plagues associated with the last days. (See Luke 21:11) The two witnesses of Revelation 11 will have
power “…to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.”
(Revelation 11:6) Seven angels will
wield seven plagues in a series of final judgments described in Revelation 16.
The appearance of pandemic diseases may or may not be tied to God’s specific
judgment of sin. It could also simply be
the result of living in a fallen world. Since
no one knows the time of Jesus’ return, we must be careful about saying global
pandemics are proof that we are living in the end times.
For those who do not know Jesus Christ as
Savior, disease should be a reminder that life on this earth is tenuous and can
be gone at any moment. As bad as
pandemics are, hell will be worse. The
Christian, however, has the assurance of salvation and the hope of eternity
because of the blood of Christ shed on the cross for us. (See Isaiah 53:5; 2
Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:28)
How should Christians respond to pandemic diseases?
1) Do not panic because God is in control. The phrases, “Fear not” or “Be
not afraid”, occur 103 times in the King James Version of the Bible.
2) Be wise and take reasonable steps to avoid exposure to the disease,
and to protect and provide for your family.
3) Look for opportunities for ministry. Often when people are fearful for their lives,
they are more willing to have conversations about eternity.
Be bold and compassionate in
your sharing of the Gospel, and always speak the truth in love. (See Ephesians
4:15)
