Is the Current Pandemic a Sign of the Times? (Part Two)

A few days ago (March 23-26) McLaughlin & Associates conducted a poll which revealed that 44% of Americans believe that the coronavirus is a "wake up call for us to turn back to faith in God" and or "signs of coming judgment". In addition 29% believe that the crisis indicates that "we are living in what the Bible calls the 'last days.'" (Source - Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog - March 31, 2020)

While most Americans still claim a nominal belief in Christianity very few know what the Bible really teaches. Paul S. Williams who is the CEO of the British and Foreign Bible society says: "I don't think we come close to grasping the level of ignorance about Christianity - what the gospel is, what the Bible teaches - in Western societies. My organization did a survey that found that people weren't sure if the nativity story was in the Bible. ...In many ways, Westerners aren't even aware of the God they've rejected." (Quoted in CT, April 2020, p. 66) So true! Consequently, instead of going by SOUND DOCTRINE many professing Christians go by their FEELINGS or mere INTUITION. In contrast biblical FAITH goes by the Word of God!

It is certainly true that DEATH is always a "wake up call" - at least it should be.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 (NKJV)
Better to go to the house of mourning [that is the mortuary] Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart.

Death has a message for humanity, namely "I am coming for you!" We are all facing the reality of DEATH! Unless Jesus comes in our lifetime, we are all going to die. Hebrews 9:27 says, "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment". DEATH is coming - JUDGMENT is coming! Indeed, the reality of DEATH is ever and always a "wake up call". DEATH is terrifying for unbelievers. It is an inescapable TERROR. Hebrews 2:15 speaks of those "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." That is the state of the unbeliever! They are constantly in bondage to the FEAR OF DEATH. The good news is that Christ came to "release" us from this bondage. In Christ, we have forgiveness of sin and eternal life and need not fear DEATH. (I think I sense a RESURRECTION message coming on.) :)

But my point here is that DEATH is consistently a "wake up call" and that is not unique to the current pandemic. It is why we have all the URGENT warnings in Scripture. The bible screams: "BEHOLD, NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME; BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION." (2 Cor. 6:2 - emphasis mine) The Holy Spirit says, "TODAY, if you will hear His voice do not harden your hearts" (Heb. 3:7-8 - emphasis mine). We are not promised tomorrow! The devil says, "put it off" but God says "NOW", God says, "TODAY". Eternity is in the balance; the ultimate and urgent question is what will you do with Jesus? So yes, the current threat of death is a "wake up call" as it always and ever is.

People are always trying to discern whether the "last days" are upon us. But if we listen to the Bible we already know we are in the "last days". Hebrews 1:2 says that God in "these last days spoken to us by His Son". The first coming of Christ officially introduced us to the "last days". Paul says that we are those "upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Cor. 10:11). We know we live at the end of redemptive history; we just don't know how long the process will be. The current pandemic does not give us further "revelation" regarding this point. We already know through God's revealed Word that we are there!

The CHURCH AGE is a time of special GRACE in which God is withholding worldwide judgment (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9)! It is NOT marked by specific signs of judgment! The Church began suddenly and signlessly. Jesus told His disciples it was coming (cf. Acts 1:4-5), but there were no outward indicators of what was about to happen on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Acts 2 bursts on the scene with "SUDDENLY there came a sound from heaven" (Acts 2:2 - emphasis mine). And the Church Age will conclude in the same way without signs and SUDDENLY at the Rapture of the Church as seen in 1 Thessalonians 4. It has not been given to us to know the SPECIFIC "times and seasons" that will usher in the end times finale (cf. Acts 1:7). We are simply to LIVE READY! The Day of the Lord judgment will come upon the world UNEXPECTEDLY without warning as a thief in the night (cf. Mt. 24:43-44; 1 Thess. 5:2).

While there are no SPECIFIC signs given regarding the "last days" in relationship to the Church Age there are trends that you could call the "broad brushed sign" that we are getting closer. Again, it is not specific but general! This general broad brushed "sign" is that of rising APOSTASY. The ONE "sign" (if you want to call it that) is that of abounding APOSTASY. It's not a health crisis or some other phenomenon, rather the Bible depicts the "last days" of the Church as days of growing APOSTASY. That's it! This is the prevailing indicator that we are getting ever closer to the coming of Christ.

In 2 Tim. 3:1 Paul said, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come" and then went on to describe a context of prevailing APOSTASY. Paul is speaking about the "last days" of the Church age in which people will still have a form of godliness but in truth will be "lovers of themselves" and "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God". The whole context in 2 Tim. 3:1-5 describes the end of the present Church Age which will be characterized by defection from the faith. Paul went on to say in 2 Tim. 3:13, "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." If you are looking for a "last days sign" related to the Church Age - this is it! It is ABOUNDING APOSTASY!

1 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV)
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

John the apostle wrote:

1 John 2:18 (NKJV)
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

How do we know it is the "last hour" - by the rising spirit of antichrist. In other words by growing APOSTASY. And we are not left to doubt what John meant because he goes on to say in the next verse:

1 John 2:19 (NKJV)
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

The "last hour" is characterized by growing apostasy in which people defect from the faith and from the community of true believers.

Christ's last message to the "churches" as seen in Revelation 2-3 is largely a call to REPENTANCE. He does not warn of widespread disease or some other end time signs. These follow the Church Age as seen in Rev. 6-18 (in which the Church is never mentioned). However, Christ's message to the representative church at Philadelphia was this:

Revelation 3:10–11 (NKJV)10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

This message applies to all the churches because Rev. 3:13 says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ The true Church that keeps Christ command to persevere will be kept from the hour of judgment that is about to come upon the whole world! Then ALL the specific judgment SIGNS will be fulfilled - not before. The true Church is not looking for SIGNS of judgment but rather for the blessed hope of Christ Christ's coming in the clouds of glory to receive the Church to Himself. Perhaps today! Maranatha! Live ready!

Matthew 24:42–44 (NKJV)
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.