Is COVID-19 a Sign of the Apocalypse? Probably not.
Introduction
This week’s Wednesday blog post comes by way of an email from Dr. Sam Wood. A retired physician, Dr. Wood currently serves as a Sunday School teacher at Bethany United Methodist Church.
Dr. Wood sent this email to his class in response to multiple inquiries as to his opinion on whether COVID-19 was a sign of the pending apocalypse. I thought his response very applicable in light of current events and my most recent post on eisegesis vs. exegesis (another topic I learned from Dr. Wood). I hope you enjoy it as well.
Is the Apocalypse Upon Us?
I have received several inquiries asking if I thought the Apocalypse was upon us. The short answer is ‘no’. Apocalypse has come to mean the ‘end times’ – a catastrophic and climatic end of the world. That, however, is technically incorrect. In the Greek Apokalupsis means a ‘revelation’ or an ‘unveiling’ of a message or a lesson. The Revelation (or Apocal ypse) of John is probably the most misunderstood and misinterpreted book in the Bible. Unfortunately, the beautiful imagery and esoteric symbolism is used to promote a fear-based theology far beyond its original intent.
A word about eschatology (Greek: eskatos logia) – literally the ‘last word’ – a view of the end of something, the end of an age or era. On a broader scale, it is the study of the ultimate purpose of the world, mankind, and the soul. The end of something implies the beginning of something new. We all have had an eschatological event in our lives: graduating from high school and entering adulthood, marriage (the end of a single life), death of a loved one. It does not mean the end of the world as some would imply from Revelation. Today, with the toilet paper crisis, scatology may be an appropriate substitute for the ‘end times’.
What Does Revelation Say About the Apocalypse?
A short summary: when Domitian became emperor of Rome, he eventually proclaimed himself as a ‘god’. People were required to worship him in the Roman temples. When they did so, they were given a ‘mark’. This allowed them to buy and sell at the going rate. Christians refused the ‘mark’ and were placed at an economic disadvantage. In addition, some historians think tax rates increased for those without the ‘mark’. Many starved or became impoverished. Illness was rampant and death was a common occurrence.
Well, what about 666 and the antichrist? In ancient times, numbers were substituted for letters as a type of shorthand, a system termed Gematria. Neron Caesar in Aramaic becomes 666. An alternative spelling, Nero Caesar, yields 616 and the oldest manuscripts have 616 as the mark of the beast. Why Nero? At that time, many believed that Nero had returned as Domitian – the Nero redivivisis (Nero reborn) belief – reborn and not returned from the dead.
The antichrist is not mentioned in Revelation. The term is mentioned five times in the New Testament (1st John 2:18 – singular and plural, 2:22, 4:3 and 2nd John 1:7). In context, ‘antichrist’ refers to heretical teachers or anyone opposed to the teachings of Jesus the Christ.
Revelation was written ca. 90-95 AD by John of Patmos (not the Apostle John) to encourage and give hope to persecuted Christians in Asia Minor. The persecution lasted about three and a half years until Domitian was assassinated in 96 AD. You do remember the number 31/2, don’t you? The time God allowed evil (Domitian) to hold sway.
It is not a prophecy for the 21st century. Look at the 1st three verses and you will find the words ‘soon’ and ‘near’, indicating prophecy for the people at that time. Remember a prophecy has to occur within a reasonable, observable time for whomever it is intended. I do not consider Revelation a prophetic book for us but I do believe there are lessons in the writings for Christians today.
What Should We Make of COVID-19?
The real question people are asking: is this pandemic a punishment from God? Depending on your theological perspective, the answer is yes and no. The basic theology of the Old Testament was the Deuteronomic Cycle: Sin~Punishment~Repentance~Deliverance. It was primarily a community sin – one person sins and the entire community (family, clan, tribe, nation) gets punished. God sent plagues and other calamities on pagans as well as the Israelites. On occasion, individuals suffered for transgressions. If you believe in Deuteronomic theology, then yes, God is sending a judgment (punishment) on this sinful world.
What Does this Mean for Christians?
Jesus, in the New Testament, teaches a more individualistic theology. You are responsible for your actions; your sins remove you from God and there will be ultimate consequences for your salvation. World calamities, pandemics, storms, etc. are just a part of the natural order. As the German philosopher Leibnitz said, ‘This is the best of all possible worlds’. It cannot be otherwise because, like it or not, this is the world God created for us. Perhaps good will come from our present dark times; perhaps people will turn to God as never before. Let us have hope this will come to pass.
The end-result of either theology directs us to approach God for deliverance. The old hymn strikes a chord for us today – ‘O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come; Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!’ The Scriptures never say bad things won’t happen; they tell us God will be with us no matter what.
We are in the midst of Lent – a holy time in the church year. It is a time of renewal, a time to remember Jesus – to walk with Him in study, prayer, and service to others, to engage in personal and family worship. We may be deprived of a church building but the church is not bricks and mortar. The Church is us, individually and collectively. Pray – pray for yourself, your family, your friends, the Church, and the world.
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