The Coronavirus and the End Times

By David Ettinger

A Thoughtful Question
The other day, based on the Coronavirus, a dear sister in the Lord – whose website is Life Saving Prayers – wrote a blog called: “Do you ever wonder if we are in the ‘End Times’?”

She began by quoting Revelation 6:2-8, which are the four seals which will begin the final seven years of this era of human history (also known as “The 70^th Week of the Book of Daniel”). She ended with verse 8: “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

She then asked: “Is this [corona]virus the plague referred to in this passage? I know only time will tell because the Bible also states, ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’” (Matthew 24:36).

This is an appropriate and thoughtful question, and I want to briefly respond to it.

What We Know
First, regarding the idea of no one knowing the day or the hour, of course this is true, as it was the Lord Jesus Himself who said it. However, there will be quite a few signs and occurrences both on Earth and in the skies to tell us that the time is drawing very near.

So yes, we will not know the EXACT moment of the return of our Lord, but we will have a very, very good idea as to how close we are to that return. (For more on this, read my blog, “Will Jesus Really Come at Any Time?”)

Second, regarding the four “seal” judgments of Revelation 6:2-8, note that there is a sequence of events. The “plague” is contained in the fourth seal, meaning three seals must precede it.

Verse 2, the first seal, reads: “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” This is a clear reference to the Antichrist who will one day rule most of the world in the Last Days. Note that he held a bow, but no arrow! This indicates that he will come to power through peaceful means.

What It Means
What this basically means is that the official beginning of the Last Days (the final seven years), will not occur until the Antichrist comes to power. How will we recognize the Antichrist? There may be several ways, but one sure way will be when he – a non-Jewish man – will make a seven-year covenant with the nation of Israel. This will be the sure sign that the Antichrist has arrived. (Read my blog: “The Next Major Event on the Prophetic Timeclock.”)

So, back to the original question my friend posed in her blog: “Is this [corona]virus the plague referred to in this passage?” The answer is “no.” The Coronavirus – as deadly as it might become – is not part of the four seals of Revelation, is not the plague referred to in Revelation 6:8, and is not part of the Last Days epidemic which will bring widespread death to the earth.

I do believe, however, that we are in the end-times, and that we are only a matter of a few decades or less away from the dawning of the Last Days – the final seven years of this era of human history.

Regarding the Coronavirus, I would call it a preview of things to come. As believers, let us see this recently-proclaimed pandemic as an opportunity to tell unbelievers in our lives about the One who came to Earth to save them from their sins!

Read my blog: “The Coronavirus and the Last Days”

Tagged: Coronavirus, End-Times Prophecy, prophecy, The Book of Revelation, The End of the Age, The End Times, The Last Days

Posted in: Bible study, Bible teaching, Christian Behavior, Christian Ethics, Christianity, Commentary, Editorial/Blog, End Times, End-Times Catastrophe, End-Times Judgment, New Testament, prophecy, Sharing the Gospel, The Antichrist, The End of the Age, the end-times, The Last Days, The Return of Christ