The Bible, our ultimate guide, tells us everything that will happen in the world. Things that have happened and things we are currently facing as well as things that are to come. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Science has called it COVID-19, the Bible calls it PLAGUE.

Like in a science fiction movie filled with tension about what’s to come, we are now living at a time where there is incredulity about what we hear and see on our screens, it fills us up with anxiety and worry for what’s to happen next. We see our neighbors going thru difficulties that won’t end when the movie is over, it’s real life, we are under some much stress and we don’t know who will be the next one to fall sick. Many have seen their loved ones die suddenly without anyone to help them.

Matthew 24:6-7 (NIV) says: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
We’ve experienced wars and have heard rumors of war but why would Nation rise against Nation?
In a very extreme situation each leader will try to protect the citizens they have under their charge and will keep their borders safe from danger, all the while trying to keep the country afloat. Every country will try to protect itself from running out of the basic needs of the population, but what about those countries that depend on others to fulfill their basic needs?
We don’t have to go very far to see these things happening, because of COVID-19 we are facing the closure of many boarders around the world, closures that could bring conflict between world leaders trying to protect the interests of their citizens.
The global economy its being hit hard and we don’t know how long every nation will be able to bear it.
In the past we’ve seen viruses that have been eradicated and a vaccine for their prevention has been invented, but not before a lot of people have died because of them such as was the case with the Flu. The reach of the present virus is greater than any we’ve seen so far and it doesn’t discriminate. The way it comes into the body is very subtle, most people don’t show symptoms until way after the time of contagion. We’ve never heard of the closure of boarders to contain a pandemic, as the experts call it, yet the Bible tells us: Such things must happen, but the end is still to come”

We’ve been witnesses to disasters around the world, earthquakes, tsunamis, viruses (plagues) that have been eradicated, etc.; but each of them has had terrible consequences for the most vulnerable, which usually suffer the most in these circumstances, if they don’t die from such disasters they probably will from another related cause.

People’s finances are also affected with disasters, that of the rich and the poor. There are people who decide to invest their money hoping to receive more than what they had, however events like these make earnings from investments go down which can also cause health problems due to stress and worry.
Some of them are people who have retired after working hard all their lives, and who could answer them if they faces loses? who is to blame for the losses we’ll suffer due to the pandemic?
The poorest will suffer directly from it, there will be loss of jobs which brings with it the inability to sustain their families, food is the main concern. If this situation were to last long, there won’t be money to supply the basic needs, everyone will suffer at a different scale.

While watching the news one day I saw a doctor from Spain being interviewed, he was moved to tears from the impotence he felt of not knowing how to save people’s lives, he was begging people to stay home to avoid becoming infected with the virus and slow down the spread as soon as possible. Seeing him moved me and motivated me to share this with you.

No one knows what’s to come or who’s next, we are used to seeing things from afar but this virus is now among us, anyone of us, or even our loved ones could be next.

The question is, are we ready?
More than being ready with the material things we need to combat the virus, we must prepare spiritually for what’s to come and remember it’s God’s will.
We don’t know when we’ll leave this world or what will be the cause, let the times we are living in be a call of attention, to prepare ourselves while our time comes.

We are very fragile and in need of protection, in every situation God’s protection is the only one we need, there is no other.
Everyone who has faced the virus and has overcome it has to realize it wasn’t good luck that help them, but God’s grace because it was written. It’s an opportunity to recognize that God is real and he is a God of second chances, a second chance to live according to His will. He is always waiting for us to turn to him and stop our bad way of living. He is waiting for us to stop taking things for granted, living as if we govern ourselves and ignoring there is a God who can do it all and whom we must honor with the way we live.

The best is yet to come, when we come face to face with God and we are judged for our actions, I believe it will be like staring at a giant screen and seeing our whole lives, the good and the bad for which we’ll be accountable.
While we are here and now we still have a chance to reconsider and change our bad way of living and to encourage others to do the same, that way we’ll have no regrets.

The calling is for everyone to turn to God with a humble heart, recognizing we have failed him and asking for his mercy for us.