With a worldwide event like the Coronavirus, it’s only natural that Christians turn to the Bible to see where this might fall into scripture. I see most people point to Luke 2:7-11

“They asked Him questions, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be massive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven.”

We sure hear a lot about earthquakes and famines, and have as long as I can remember. Plagues are often also in the news, sicknesses like HIV, West Nile virus, and of course the new world-wide concern, the Coronavirus. Another verse that fits in and is referenced a lot is Matthew 24:3-8 NAS:

“And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”

It’s hard to know how long the birth pains might be before a birth. Birth pains could start as early as 6 weeks into the pregnancy, but are generally not noticed until the 2nd trimester. That is still a lot of time between the birth pains and the actual birth.

While this is all interesting to ponder as we try and fit current events into the framework of scriptural prophesy, another article I saw made me consider a different scripture, Revelation 13:15-18 NAS

“And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

This is the verse I was thinking of when, I see a lot of headlines like CNBC’s: “What people might not be allowed to do if they don't get vaccinated”. So perhaps airlines, summer camps, some restaurants, and more might not let you in if you can’t prove you have been vaccinated. If this turns out to be legal, this could set the stage for similar policies in the future and get people used to restrictions like we see in Revelation 13.

While these are scary times to live in, and scripture says in Luke 18:8:

“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

We know that the Christian presence will continue to decrease and things will likely get worse for us. But we are also to comfort ourselfs with 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words