The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the release of opinions on an interesting side of this pandemic, biblical prophecy fulfillment.
In reaction to claims about nearness of the “Last Days”, this series was born to dwell on the events predicted to happen before “The coming of the Son of Man”, another predicted event in the Bible.
One of the many reactions generated whenever this topic is mentioned is fear so great emphasis is given that this article is intended to give Biblical information; not to scare or offend anyone
True, the Bible have negative, scary, dreary and intimidating tales but they are also full of promising, wonderful, inspiring, and uplifting ones.
It is in the “exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference” as provided by The Philippine Constitution that this article was made.
The contents of this series are to inform or remind narrations of best seller book ever written and distributed and are never intended to be shoved into one’s throat.
If you find them scary, intimidating or offensive, please feel free to take them with a grain of salt and regard them like a badly written movie script.
Also, the correlation of current events to biblical prophecy fulfillment is more an observation than a conclusion.
Focus is on what we can do
This is the main thought of this series.
The Bible is clear about this predicted event: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24: 36, 44, English Standard Version.
Regardless if you believe there is a correlation between COVID-19 and biblical prophecy or not, the bible also teaches one to perform desirable acts.
It may not be harmful at all if one follows these advices.
The COVID-19, Is it one of the signs of the “Last Days” series also cites some of these suggested virtues and gestures.
COVID-19: Supposed to be a plague/pestilence, a famine and a difficulty
In the COVID-19, Is it one of the signs of the “Last Days” series, the narrative was focused on the connection of COVID-19 to the “pestilence and famine” prophecies from the Gospel of Matthew, Luke and Mark and the the plaque brought by the “Pale Horseman” in the Armageddon prophecy of John in the Book of Revelation. The virus itself is projected as a “wild beast of the earth” being mention in Chapter 6 of this book.
Lastly, another connection made was that of being a part of the “difficulty” mentioned in 2nd Timothy.
The occurrence of COVID-19 doesn’t necessarily mean an event to signal to the happening of the supposed Second Coming of Christ has been fulfilled.
Still, it is difficult to ignore that COVID-19 is a disease that is occurring and is causing famine in various places nowadays.
Click the link provided above for the full series on COVID-19 as a possible fulfillment of one of the signs of the “Last Days”.
Other signs could also be happening for all we know
The amount of attention by a great majority of different governments around the world to COVID-19 and the response they are doing is overshadowing happening of other events that possibly have association with Second Coming.
Read on to see more of the other observations from some Christians and Christian groups that support the supposed imminence of Jesus’ second coming and what we can do about it bible perspective:
May 17, 2020 update:
What can we do, Part 3: Believing in the supernatural
One aspect brought about by difficulties like COVID-19 is one’s mortality. Along this aspect naturally comes the afterlife and supernatural part. Like what happens next if one dies; does God exists; or is there a “god”?
The Bible is full of supernatural stories. Two of the many verses which cover a few of these are Chapter 3 of Daniel which tells a story of humans dancing on fire and Mark 1 which mentioned some of the beings with supernatural characteristics and abilities:
“He [King Nebuchadnezzar] ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. He [King Nebuchadnezzar]said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Daniel 3: 19-21, 23, 25, New International Version
“And He [referring to Jesus] was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him.” Mark 1:13 English Standard Version
A lot of us mortals were told Santa Claus doesn’t really enter houses’ chimneys every Christmas or the Avengers and Justice League exist only in movies.
How about God, Jesus, Satan, angels, demons, and other beings who possess some characteristics and abilities that can’t be explained by our science?
Believing in the supernatural is kind of hard to do when there is no proof in one’s personal experiences that confirms their existence.
Well, obviously majority of Christians do believe they are real and this part of the series is not for these kind.
For the Doubting Thomases, maybe now‘s a good time to put to test whether they’re real or not. The results would definitely change one’s perspective of biblical contents.
Here’s Jeremiah on how to do it: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 ESV
Other signs hinting nearness of the “Last Days”, Part 3 (Kingdom against kingdom and rumors of wars)
Another of the highlighted signs hinting nearness of the “Last Days” by many other writings recently are these prophesized incidents and they maybe are spot on:
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed…Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Matthew 24:6-7, New International Version
It would be easy to see why many would bring out these signs as conflicts continue to pour in during the height the COVID-19 infections.
Fact is it’s a wonder the word “war” is overused these days in events or incidents that doesn’t involve armed conflicts in its traditional sense.
Let’s push one of these hypothetical wars to the end of the line right away: this COVID-19 pandemic has been labeled as a “fight” against “an enemy that cannot be seen” by many.
Now on to the armed conflicts and rumors of armed conflicts:
The COVID-19 pandemic is instigating rumors about wars itself.
Although the probability is low and unlikely, some opinions of current events analysts put COVID-19 and the depression it continues to bring as trigger for another war on a global scale. They did, however, mention that the pandemic will likely promote peace instead.
It was also COVID-19 which became the reason why United States President Donald Trump expressed refusal to talk to China President Xi Jinping and possibly cutting ties with China.
COVID-19 is the same reason why he earlier defunded the World Health Organization.
This is coming on the heels of a conflict against Iran earlier this year due to the killing of Qasem Soleimani.
On the Philippine end, the dispute involving the country along with six others in different area disputes in the South China Sea were once again highlighted with other countries like the United States expressing views on the supposed “bullying” by China.
In this regard, the Philippines has to file two diplomatic protests against China despite President Rodgrigo Durterte turning out to be the friendliest Philippine president relative to the country’s relations with China.
These are just a few of the conflicts that cropped out during the second half last year up to date.
Then there are wars started earlier that are still looking for an end of the tunnel like Afghanistan against the Taliban, Saudi Arabia and the Yemen crisis, the Syrian Civil War, Mexican Drug War, Kurdish-Turkish conflict, Mexican Drug War, and War on Terror, among many others;
On Philippine soil, the war between the CPP-NPA and the government was not dampened by the pandemic. Filipinos by now have heard more than enough of President Duterte’s “war on drugs”.
The Marawi siege is still felt to this day as it seen the end results that are still under rehabilitation as of today.
May 10, 2020 update:
What can we do, Part 2: “The Ten Commandments”
Here’s Daniel saying something about the Law of Moses: “Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth” Daniel 9:13, New International Version
Deuteronomy (5:6-21), and the more common Exodus 20:3-17 gives the Bible’s version of the Ten Commandments:
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”, Exodus 20:3-17, New International Version
Other signs hinting nearness of the “Last Days”, Part 2 (Earthquakes in diverse places)
Another specific event mentioned by many in relation to COVID-19 are tremors and earthquakes in many places.
Interestingly, it is indeed a sign specifically stated in the “Second Coming” prophesy, the occurrence of earthquakes in diverse places:
“There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places…”, Luke 21:11, New International version.
A 5.4 tremor with epicenter at Lubang (Occidental Mindoro) felt by Metro Manila and nearby provinces on May 10 adds to the wonder how many earthquakes are happening and where are they occurring simultaneously with COVID-19.
On the local front, there are 19 “strong” earthquakes in the Philippines, measuring intensity 5 or higher, in 2020 as registered by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) as of May 10, 2020. Three of these are “classified as “very strong” being measured intensity 6 or higher.
As of May 7, 2020, there are 518 total quakes registered worldwide that measured over intensity five 5 or stronger as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), 477 of them belonging in the 5-5.9 range, 38 in the 6-6.9 range and 3 in the 7-7.9 range.
The frequency of quakes are generally lower than the average of the last 20 years based on USGS data: around 193 lower in the 5-5.9 range, around 20 lower in the 6-6.9 range and around 3 short in the 7-7.9 range.
The earthquakes appeared to have occurred in various places as to location distribution.
The Philippine earthquake epicenters are located in Batanes, Catanduanes, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Leyte, Occidental Mindoro, Surigao Del Sur, and Zambales making the locations are scattered all over the country from the northern tip to the southern ends.
Two of them have epicenters in Batanes, one with intensity 6 on April 11 in Basco, while six occurred in Sarangani, one with intensity 6.1 in Glan on March 26.
Another intensity 6.1 quake happened on February 6 in Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental, which incidentally experienced the highest number of occurrences this year so far.
It should be noted, though, that the Philippines belongs to the “Pacific Ring of Fire” making the country no stranger to experiencing earthquakes at a regular rate.
Here’s where “significant” earthquakes occurred in the United States as recorded by the USGS:
California (9 times), Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah (5 times).
Here’s where “significant” earthquakes occurred in the rest of the World and how strong are they as recorded by the USSG:
Burma; Cayman Islands, China (2 times), Crotia, Greece, Honduras; Indonesia (3 times), Jamaica, Japan (3 times), Kermades Islands, Mexico (2 times), Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Russia (3 times), Solomon Islands, and Turkey (4 times).
Notes on earthquake terminologies:
(1) Intensity 5 and 6 as described by the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS):
V: Earthquakes belonging to this category is considered “Strong”. They are generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. Many sleeping people are awakened. Some are frightened, some run outdoors. Strong shaking and rocking felt throughout buildings. Hanging objects swing violently. Dining utensils clatter and clink; some are broken. Small, light and unstable objects may fall or overturn. Liquids spills may occur from filled open containers. Standing vehicles rock noticeably and shaking of leaves and twigs of trees are noticeable.
VI Earthquakes belonging to this category is considered “Very Strong”. Many people are frightened, many run outdoors. Some people lose their balance. Motorists feel like driving in flat tires. Heavy objects or furniture move or may be shifted. Small church bells may ring. Wall plaster may crack. Very old or poorly built houses and man-made structures are slightly damaged though well-built structures are not affected. Limited rockfalls and rolling boulders occur in hilly to mountainous areas and escarpments. Trees are noticeably shaken.
(2) “Significant earthquakes” according to USGS:
The determination of an earthquake being “significant” is determined by a combination of magnitude, number of Did You Feel It responses, and PAGER alert level.
May 01, 2020 update:
What can we do, Part 1: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”
Here’s one portion of John’s Gospel that is very reassuring among Christians:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:1-6, New King James Version.
Other events hinting nearness of the “Last Days”, Part 1: (Locust swarms causing famine in various places)
Many noticed that COVID-19 isn’t the only factor causing famine in many places, locusts swarms also are, placing them as possible fulfillment of this part of biblical prophecy.
The condition that the pandemic is affecting almost all countries of the world is overshadowing the situation that locust swarms also are causing crop destruction and food shortages in many places.
It is really interesting that the World Health Organization is not the only multi-nation group which has their hands full these days. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is also another.
The locust invasions started occurring sometime last June, 2019, with the main hit of the first wave coming in January, 2020. The outbreak is said to be the worst in 70 years in Kenya and the worst in 25 years in Ethiopia, Somalia and India.
The outbreak started in the desert of the Arabian Gulf and has affected Afghanistan, Bahrain, India, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda earlier this year.
Combined with the COVID-19 ourbreak, efforts to control the locusts are being hampered by ongoing restrictions in travel and shipping.
Personnel who had to fly them in to Africa have to comply with the 14-day quarantine period and experts are limited by the social distancing measures to conduct mass trainings, instructional demos, and delays in the application of these anti-locust chemicals.
The restrictions prevented the attack to cool down and instead allowed the females to reproduce and form a second wave, described to be about 20 times the size of the first wave, that seriously threatens food supply in those regions.
The second wave is expected to do damage in June and July.
In an unrelated incident, reports from Australia also confirmed that locust swarm infestations being Locust plague begins to strike farms in western New South Wales on the third week of April. Australian authorities hope to contain the invasion at their end.
Another interesting aspect is the unavailability of a time-tested method that could prevent the infestation or lessen the impact of the attacks.
It was a widespread practice during the olden times for communities to address swarming locusts by turning them into human or animal food.
This old strategy is probably no longer an option because things have changed.
Outbreaks are currently managed by using chemical insecticides or an insect fungus. This would make the locusts toxic.
It is argued that the risks associated with eating these locusts outweigh their benefits.
Conditions these days make implementation of ways to stop the spread of these farm and harvest destroying insects scarce, difficult, and almost improbable.
It is no wonder that some observers are looking at these seemingly unstoppable locust invasions as another sign of biblical famine prophecy and the locusts as as a “wild beast of the earth” being fulfilled.
Side note: Some thoughts about locus and their destructive potential according to wired.com, except when indicated otherwise:
- A swarm of locust covering one square kilometer can eat as much food in a day as 35,000 humans;
- Around 20 species of the 7,000 known grasshopper varieties transform into what’s known as a gregarious phenotype, which means their bodies actually change as they socialize into swarms;
- An individual locust can travel over 90 miles in a day, consuming its own weight in plant matter. Imagine their need to find food and load up on protein;
- The life span of a locust extends to at most eight (8) weeks; (This one comes from animals.mom.me)
- There is an exponential increase of about 20-fold is expected of each locust generation. Each generation lasts about three months. By logic, if the female of a locust pair in the first generation lay eggs, it will result to about 40 new ones in three months. If those will be allowed to create another generation, the size after six months would be around 800 individual locusts. If you’re not keeping count, that’s a locust pair of one male and one female to 800 locusts in only half year.
- Once a pesticide operation against the locusts begins, people occupying infected lands have to vacate for 24 hours until the chemicals break down. And if the pesticides aren’t sprayed precisely, other insects in the environment become collateral damage.
- The killer fungus Metarhizium acridum , which only torments locusts and grasshoppers, can be used as an alternative to fight the swarms.
- The locust menace is only to grow stronger because locusts will likely be winners on a warming planet. They need a lot of vegetation to fuel their swarms that requires rain.
- The highly active cyclone seasons the past few years doesn’t bode well for humans in the locust swarm fight. Warmer seas spawn more cyclones, and more cyclones, especially sequential ones that give locusts wet soils to breed in as they march across the landscape, could essentially mean more locusts.
- On the climatic flip side, locusts are highly adapted to a life of heat and drought. The Global Locust Initiative’s experiments have shown that Australian plague locusts can survive up to a month without water. So while other species struggle to adapt to a rapidly-warming planet, the locusts will have an advantage both in their heat-tolerant physiology and potentially from a decrease in competition from less fortunate insects.
Source, except when indicated: (https://www.wired.com/story/the-terrifying-science-behind-the-locust-plagues-of-africa/)
Oh, scientists have measured global temperatures for over a hundred years and confirmed that the earth is indeed getting hotter, according to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
By: Armando M. Bolislis
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