The Covid-19 Coronavirus is on virtually everyone’s mind right now. My oldest son came home from college yesterday telling me it was the conversation in each of his classes. My recent Google searches for generic subjects are returning results randomly including Coronoavirus details. In the midst of this, I want to offer the current data from the World Health Organization as well as a biblical perspective on this outbreak.

As of today, March 10, 2020, the World Health Organization is reporting 113,672 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 4,012 deaths worldwide since October 2019. The countries with the largest number of cases in order are: China(80,924), Italy(9172), South Korea(7513), Iran(7161), and France(1412). As of today the U.S. is reporting 472 cases. The number of infections globally is growing at around 3,000 per day. (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd)

I understand we have not seen the end of the spread of this virus, since there currently is no known vaccine. At the same time I think it’s helpful to recognize that these numbers are incredibly low when compared to influenza for instance. In the United States alone this year there have been an estimated 32,000,000 influenza infections with approximately 18,000 deaths (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm#ILIMap)

Influenza kills approximately 300,000 – 650,000 people worldwide annually (https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=208914).

With the statistics as they are and with such a huge disparity in the number of covid-19 cases verses influenza, why is there such fear associated with covid-19 and why are the health organizations issuing warnings about self quarantines, public event and school closings?

Check out the response to the above question from Otto Yang, M.D., who is one of the infectious disease experts at UCLA, “I think a big part of it is fear of the unknown. The enemy you don’t know is much scarier than the enemy you know.”

(https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-03-05/flu-killed-more-people-coronavirus-covid-19)

 In the same interview Yang said it’s “certainly possible” that the number of infections may actually be ten times higher than the confirmed cases being reported by the WHO. If that is true the fatality rate of Covid-19 could actually be as low as 1%.

So according to Yang, the main reason for the current hysteria is…fear? That’s astounding. And at the same time it’s incredibly prophetic. Let’s consider what Jesus said regarding the end of the age from Matthew 24:6-7:

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”

Jesus told us to make sure that we (believers) are not troubled by these types of events. “Not troubled” equals not being swept up in the fear and hysteria surrounding these things but instead understanding that these things must come to pass before the Lord returns. He told us these things would happen way ahead of time so that we would be alert and aware, without fear. 

Consider again His words in Luke 21:26, “People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming on the world…”

The unsaved respond in fear because they have no other hope, no anchor of their soul. They only have human means to combat the spectre of the unknown. For believers this is not the case, our hope is in Jesus alone. Simply said, fear is not the way we are to respond in times of crisis and hysteria. I believe we are going to see many more “pestilences” and global calamities before the Lord returns. While the world is gripped with fear, there must be a witness from the church of confident love and faith in Jesus’ leadership. 

Jesus called believers to live a life of watchful, prayerful, expectation in light of the events leading up to His return (Mark 13:32-37). This is the hour to give ourselves to prayer, fasting, and intimacy with Jesus. It’s only through having a vibrant heart, burning in love with the Lord, with clarity in the Word, that we’re going to be able to stand firm, without fear and without offense in the times of great crisis that are coming on the earth. Perfect love casts out all fear! I encourage you lean into Jesus and find yourself anchored in love and faith in this hour.

“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" – Jesus