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| PentecostalTheology.com
Popular pastor David Jeremiah weighed in on the question of whether COVID-19 is mentioned in biblical prophecy and stressed that no matter how devastating it gets, “the coronavirus is not a big deal to God.”
“Is there a connection between COVID-19 and the End Times?” Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, began in his Sunday sermon. “Are we living in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ? Is all that is happening to us at this moment a sign that the world is coming to an end? How do we know if the coronavirus is a sign?”
The founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries defined a “biblical sign” as an “event or a symbol or an object or a place, or a person whose existence indicates something important on God’s plan for the future.”
“Jesus said in the future there are going to be signs,” he said, adding that Jesus also said no one knows the “day or hour” of His return.
“If someone tells you they know when Jesus is coming back, you can tell them absolutely that’s not possible,” he said.
Jesus does identify six signs that “let us know if we’re in that time,” Jeremiah said, including deception by false Christs; disputes and warfare among nations; deliverance of believers to tribulation; the defection of false believers; and the declaration of the Gospel to the whole world.
“Is this a sign of the Second Coming of Christ? I cannot say with any sense of certainty that it is. But neither can I say with any certainty that it is not. It could be the early evidence of number three on Jesus’ sign list, the coming of pestilence,” he said.
Jesus refers to what will happen at the end of the age as a “pestilence” (Luke 21:11).
Merriam Webster defines pestilence as a “contagion or infectious epidemic that is virulent and devastating.”
“That’s a pretty good description of what’s going on right now,” Jeremiah said.
“Jesus said this pestilence would arrive like ‘birth pains,’” he continued. “This means that it will increase in frequency and intensity in the time leading up to His return. This means that as the end approaches, we should expect infectious disease outbreaks to occur more frequently, impact more people, and be more deadly. This is what the coronavirus threatens to do.”
There are more than 451,300 diagnosed cases globally of COVID-19, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Some 20,500 have died worldwide and over 112,900 have recovered.
In the U.S., more than 60,100 people have been diagnosed with the virus and 827 people have died as of Wednesday afternoon.
The coronavirus is “probably” not the pestilence Jesus was referring to, Jeremiah clarified, as it does not “perfectly qualify as a prophetic sign.”
“I could not stand here and say to you and have any confidence in saying that this is the fulfillment of number three on Jesus sign list of Matthew 24,” he said. “But it surely is a picture of it, isn’t it? It surely does remind us that such signs exist, and such things will happen.”
However, the virus is none-the-less a sign, he explained, adding, “Not so much perhaps as a sign of the future but a sign for today. A reminder of things we too easily forget.”
The coronavirus teaches us the vulnerability of everyone; the credibility of the Bible; the uncertainty of life; the scarcity of hope; and finally, the sufficiency of Jesus, the bestselling author said.
“Jesus doesn’t just overcome the event. He overcomes the environment where the event happens,” he explained. “In these challenging days, we cannot forget what Jesus told us in 2nd Corinthians 12:9, that His grace is sufficient for us. You will find that out during these days, if you haven’t found it out already. The sufficiency of Jesus Christ for those who have put their trust in Him will be on display everywhere.”
He concluded, “How uncertain and how precious are our days? I hope we can all use some of this required quiet time to reflect on our lives and give thanks for God’s grace.”
In an interview with Megan West of My Faith Votes on Monday, Jeremiah told listeners that amid anxiety and uncertainty, “God is a breath away,” adding, “There aren’t any surprises for God. He didn’t get surprised by any of this.”
Jeremiah also stressed the importance of controlling what goes into one’s mind. “If you want to be depressed, if you want to be overwhelmed, you can do that by spending hours watching the reports,” he said.
While it’s important to be informed, Jeremiah recommended listening to one condensed report a day instead of inundating oneself with negativity.
“This is not the end of the world. Step back, take a deep breath, and get into the Word of God and be reminded that God is in control,” he said.
When tempted to focus on the negative, the pastor recommended focusing instead on blessings. “We can take a moment and count our blessings and ask God to hear our gratitude for all that He does for us,” he said.
“I want to encourage everybody to not let fear become a greater problem than the coronavirus, but trust God,” he concluded. “The coronavirus is not a big deal to God. He’s able to control this and take in, and we’re going to come through this better than we were when we came in. In the meantime, we have to be calm and ask Him to give us peace.”
Varnel Watson
hes a shmuck NO offence- none taken Joe Absher Isara Mo answering questions no one is answering is like kissing your own sister
On a more positive NOTE I am starting to believe the coronavirus IS indeed from GOD A minister long known to cause split within the organization has now testing positive We ALL PRAY that person and their whole family recover timely and be well forever BUT a LESSON well learned here William DeArteaga Ray E Horton
Ray E Horton
Troy Day Irrelevant! Proves nothing! It’s not from God based on scriptural truth that God sends no bad thing under the New Covenant.
Varnel Watson
Ray E Horton what proof were you looking for except that the guy is a shmuk which we knew already
Ray E Horton
Troy Day The fact that this minister that you refer to got coronavirus is irrelevant in determining the source of CV.
Varnel Watson
based on shmuck answers like this NYT has likely CHANGED yesterdays title to
The Religious Right’s Hostility to Science Is Crippling Our Coronavirus Response
Trump’s response to the pandemic has been haunted by the science denialism of his ultraconservative religious allies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/coronavirus-trump-evangelicals.html
Daniel J Hesse
Dake’s Bible.
Varnel Watson
? are you just shooting the breeze now?
Daniel J Hesse
Troy Day did not he prophesy this virus?
Varnel Watson
Daniel J Hesse Peter Vandever ? he may have as well
Daniel J Hesse
Troy Day an angelic revelation.
Varnel Watson
“The virus will not have a chance against us.” President Donald Trump, March 14, 2020,
March 27 the US leads the world with 104,177 cases, more than any nation on earth.
That’s okay, we all know he didn’t mean it.
Jon Sellers
Every leader has to balance fear and concern with optimistic hope. Would you prefer he declared 2 million Americans were going to die from it? That is what a British epidemiologist was saying at the time.
And now the numbers are revised downward.
We can all be Monday morning quarterbacks. But is it helpful?
Daniel J Hesse
Global warming…
Jon Sellers
Of course it is end times prophecy. Jesus said there will be pestilence. There have been many pestilence outbreaks during the entire end times duration since the resurrection.
Should we panic? No.
Should we fear? No. Ps. 91.
Should we follow the guidelines for mitigation? Yes.
George Hartwell
“None of these diseases …”
Varnel Watson
How to interpret Dr. Brown’s politiCostalim? http://www.pentecostaltheology.com/how-to-interpret-dr-browns-politicostalim/
Varnel Watson
OK Jim Price Ricky Grimsley just saying https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vtrcks/about.html
Varnel Watson
YES Peter Cooper Tammy Lindsay
Peter Cooper
Where to begin on this desperate misreading of Scripture – perhaps Covid-19 has affected his brain?
Varnel Watson
Peter Cooper well may be and may be just not it but still an unifying vaccine could be it you know
Varnel Watson
RT Daniel Jennings
Revelation is unfolding and revealing Satan’s agenda that God allows during this time of Grace.
The Bible is true, Christians have the blueprint for eternal life and for end time events. After Jesus recieves His bride the church by way of rapture, everything changes and God’s judgment on earth begins.
Imo.
Laurie Lombard
No, but we do believe in a shaking of God in terms of Haggai 2:7 and Heb 12:26.
We are in this shaking now.
David Allen Stryker
No. It’s a HOAX
Harold Goldman
Like every century had it’s various diseases. Newspaper theology at work here folks
East Sinim
Corona virus is lifetime such as cholera and polio is already spread in surrounding. .
Loreen Bell
Distresses of nations. However the virus seems just like another variation of the flu.
Lawrence Apitz
Luk 21:11 There will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. I would class coronavirus as a pestilence and the locust problem in the middle east right now as the same.
Skip Fraser
Yes!
And, we see the masks everyone is wearing right there in II Opinions 3:23
Allen Deazil
No. But I do believe Jesus mentioned plagues. Though you’d have to fact check me hear.
James C. Morris
no
Alan Kelch
No
Varnel Watson
why not
Alan Kelch
Troy Day There is no scripture that I am aware of that talks directly about this virus.
And there is no prophecy in the Bible that talks about this virus at this time in history.
Alan Yusko
the death rate has been found to be very low.. it is more the process where the wicked are using to setup the coming kingdom of antichrist..
Varnel Watson
millions have died – waiting for 1/3 ?
David King
NO
James Rogers
Count on David Jeremiah to offer some kooky, misplaced, unbiblical, sensationalistic nonsense.
Varnel Watson
seems to be
Tim Pifer
No.
Willard Onellion
no
Duane L Burgess
No
Reece Kehren
Lets be real, the bible are guidlines, it can be applied in many situations but current times more so than any other. We can argue all we want about interpretations but if you don’t LIVE upto the standards of service to others Jesus taught does it really matter how you (we) interpret the bible? The same time if we DO live in service to others does it matter if we misinterpret or get the wrong message in a line or chapter or so every now and then?
Nelson Rhyno
Yep
Perry Hess
Nope
Mitchell Starkey
The problem is when you start quoting passages that are in context describing the events leading to the destruction and righteous judgement of apostate Israel within a single generation, to claim that what we see today are signs for the end of planet earth, you then have the burden of proof to demonstrate how these passages even suggest at a minimum to be the events leading up to the end of humanity.
Vaughn Mancha
Even though this in the Day of the Lord we might be in this now with CD19. Just a complete speculation.
Fadi Frank
https://youtu.be/m1KYlHuSFEw
Varnel Watson
I’d say so THE plague is here
Paul Spencer Elliott
Well scripture talks about a great deception and the cornovirus is a hoax ( research it please). But I don’t thing it is ‘the’ deception.
Varnel Watson
man ppl saying millions have died on TV
Paul Spencer Elliott
Troy Day total number of World deaths has not changed since last year. Figures are fudged. The pcr covid test doesn’t even work
Varnel Watson
Paul Spencer Elliott I dont believe that however We burred recently 4 ministers in zinc coffins I do not know 100% if covid killed them but they were covid positive hence zinc coffins and no funeral service just close family
Paul Spencer Elliott
Troy Day no one has tested positive for covid since the virus has never been isolated the test is a fraud. Papaya fruit has tested positive for covid what died that tell you