After thirty years of “End Times” study, I believe we are living in this time. These blogs reveal key markers to help you interpret what’s going on and navigate your life with wisdom rather than fear. The series artwork was designed by Rabbi Michael Washer and Candace Long depicting the final kingdom in power before the Day of the Lord, as described by the Old Testament prophet Daniel .

“Why doesn’t God do something? If He cared about us, He’d make this virus go away!”

Pestilence is nothing new to God.  In fact, the Scriptures contain 169 references to pestilences and plagues.  Especially relevant for today, Jesus said it is one of the signs that we are nearing the time period known as the Kingdom of God when Messiah comes to physically rule on the earth for 1000 years.  Jesus told His disciples, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences…” (Luke 21:10-11)

The Hebrew word for “pestilence” is deber, which means “to destroy.”  It is a verbal appointment of destruction. Whenever a pestilence occurs, in any nation, it should be a matter which causes people to pause, to wonder, to humble ourselves in a proper fear and reverence of the Lord.  The fact that Covid-19 is worldwide is a somber and serious matter indeed.

5 Biblical Insights Why God Brings Plagues on the Earth

(*I encourage you to read these passages with your family)

1. Exodus 5:3:  To Moses, pestilence is a divine consequence of disobedience.
2. Exodus 9:15:  We see that God has power over it.  With it, He is able to cut off people from the earth.  He threatened it with Pharaoh because the Egyptian ruler was keeping His people from doing His will in the earth.
3. Leviticus 26:25:  Pestilence is God’s hand of discipline, punishing people for their sins.
4. Numbers 14:12:  God wields pestilence against His people when they give lip service to Him but refuse to walk in His ways, continually complaining against the leaders God appointed to guide the nation.
5. Deuteronomy 28:21:  Pestilence is one of the curses God said would come upon a people group for their disobedience.

3 Biblical Solutions To Protect Yourself Against It

1. Place yourself and your family under the care of Almighty God.  This is an act of your will.  If you don’t know who God is and how to do this, please reach out to someone whose walk with God you admire and trust.  The Lord is a very personal God who loves you very much and desires to be in relationship with you on a deeply personal level.  (A public forum is not the space for one-on-one dialogue, but feel free to email me directly with questions.)
2. Pray Psalm 91 over you and your family each day.  God offers very specific promises of protection for those who choose to “dwell under the shelter of the Almighty.”  Believe me, He knows where you are and is able to distinguish between cities, neighborhoods and houses.  (Note: This chapter is not a “magic formula;” nor am I implying that all people who are suffering with coronavirus are evil people whom God is punishing.  God’s ways and reasons for allowing certain things to touch our lives are higher than ours.  The Lord is looking for those who humble ourselves before Him, acknowledging all the days He has appointed for us to live on this earth.  He wants us to know Him as a loving Father who shepherds us and promises to be with us even in the valley of the shadow of death.)
3. Give sacrificially toward building the Third Temple.  This principle is especially relevant today because this pandemic is worldwide.  I refer you to I Kings 8:37 and King Solomon’s prayer toward the Temple to specifically protect yourself and your family against the plague.  Such a prayer has everything to do with honoring the Temple as the place where God chose to be worshipped by all the nations of the world.  Other important references are I Chronicles 21 which tells the story of how the Temple first came to be in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount and 2 Chronicles 6 dealing with God’s promise to heal our land when we give sacrificially to rebuild the Temple.

If You Want to Help Rebuild the Temple

Efforts have been underway for decades to rebuild the Third Temple.  Especially relevant to this “End Times Markers” series is the fact that before Messiah comes, the Temple will be rebuilt!  Furthermore, the money will come from Gentile nations to do so!

I recommend either of these well-regarded organizations for your donations:

1. The Temple Institute
2. Temple Mount & Land of Israel Faithful Movement

It is very possible the Lord is using the uncertainty and fears surrounding this pandemic to draw people to repentance and to hasten the rebuilding of the Temple.  Doing so is a tangible way we honor the Lord.  There is much biblical support for the position that for those nations that support the Temple, the plagues will be averted; and those nations who do not will suffer great harm.

May God have mercy on us!