THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS

ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the youth desk of the All African
Conference of Churches (AACC-CETA), Kenya, organized a seminar, dubbed
“Youth Engagement on COVID-19” to engage the youth of the continent in a
discussion on the Pandemic. Three resource persons made presentations from the
perspectives of Medicine and Psychology, Theology and Sociology. This paper
sums up the presentation from the perspective of Theology

April 09, 2020

Authored and Presented by:

Jehoshaphat Calys-Tagoe
1.0 Introduction

In December 2019, health officials in the Wuhan city of China reported a disease outbreak
with symptoms resembling pneumonia. By March, 2020 more than 127,000 persons have been
infected worldwide, with more than 4,700 deaths. This forced the World Health Organisation
(WHO) to declare the outbreak a global Pandemic (Deutsche Welle 2020). Since then, news items
all over the world have carried reports on the disease outbreak which has become known as
COVID-19. As a measure to stop the spread of this disease a world-wide ban on hand shaking was
initiated while schools, churches and markets were closed in most affected countries. Several cities
have also been locked down restricting the movement of over forty six million people world-wide.

In the wake of these uncomfortable phenomena, conspiracy theorists have not stopped
pushing one story after the other; from religion, through technology to medicine and politics these
theories cover almost every topic that matters. This has caused lots of confusion and anxiety among
the general public. If we are to make any significant contribution as youth of Africa, or the world
at large, it is important that we separate the facts from fiction so that we can channel our resources
where they matter most. Therefore, sharing the theological perspectives of the COVID-19
pandemic is necessary.

This paper addressed three main issues that characterise most of the COVID-19 theories
that have a bearing on religion and theology. These are COVID-19 as punishment from God,
COVID-19 as a precursor or sign to the end of the world and COVID-19 as a tool of the Anti-
Christ. To make arguments for each, biblical passages and historical narratives were employed to
examine these issues and provide relevant suggestions for action.

2.0 The Issues

2.1 COVID-19 as a punishment from God

Some of the messages on social media suggest that for the many sins of the world God has
sent down this pandemic as punishment for disobedience (Kettley 2020). Such messages appeal to
Biblical texts and passages such as is recorded in Deuteronomy 28:15ff. Some preachers have

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also preached such messages from the pulpit. Though their messages validate the biblical texts the
proponents of these messages certainly miss the bigger picture of scriptures. It is factual that before
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, human kind had to make right with God through the Law of Moses
or suffer the consequences. However the death and resurrection of Jesus became the ‘propitiation’
of our sins (1 John 2:1). Scriptures do not say that Jesus died for the sins of Christians alone but
the whole world. This puts all humanity, Christians and non-Christians alike, under the ‘Grace’ of
God (Romans 5:20). It follows that one does not need to believe in Jesus for the ‘Grace’ afforded
by the atoning sacrifice on The Cross to work (1 Timothy 1:12-17). It is already working and
waiting for sinners to come to repentance of their sins (1 Peter 3:9). Therefore, Jesus did not go to
the cross to pay for the punishment of our sins and hereafter punish us for same sins. This, however,
does not mean that God will not punish sin; definitely sin will be punished on the final judgment
day but not in this life time. (2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:11-15).

This disposition to associate any affliction to the sins of humankind is not new to our time.
In John 9 a case of such disposition was presented when the boy born blind from birth was brought
to Jesus for healing. It was evident that at the sight of the plight of the boy the disciples of Jesus
had already concluded that sin was to blame for the boy’s predicament. Contrary to the
expectations of the disciples Jesus’ pointed out that sin was not to blame for the boy’s predicament.
This did not mean that the boy or his parents were without sin else it will make foolish the part of
scripture that says “all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23). Certainly they were with sin but their sins
were not to blame for the boy’s predicament.

The world today has so many behaviors and characters that contradict the demands of
scripture ; yet none of these can bring the wrath of God on us in this life time (Romans 8:31-39).
If it were truth that COVID-19 is a punishment from God, then scriptures would be a fallacy of
time and God would be as inconsistent as His creation; but we know that cannot be true so
definitely COVID-19 is not a punishment from God. COVID-19 may be the consequence of our
actions as it was from the beginning in the Garden of Eden.

2.2 COVID-19 as a precursor or sign of the end time

Another content of the messages that flood our social media during this time is that Covid-19
is the sign of the ‘end time’ (Mwangi 2020) (Johnston 2020). The proponents of these messages

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draw their opinion from Biblical texts like Mathew 24 (and its parallels in Mark and Luke) and
Revelations 16-18. In these passages are lists of number of events whose occurrences point to the
end of time. Listed among these events is the outbreak of disease and pestilence. Most of these
messages, on social media, do not just isolate the pestilence part but expound the biblical texts to
bring to perspective other occurrences in the world today such as earthquakes, famine and wars,
that give credence to the prophecies of the end time.

Undoubtedly, these are signs that point to the end time. However, there is no reason to
believe that these events, as predicted by the Bible, fit into any unique time space. This is because
most of the events predicted by the Bible as signs of the end time have been recurring throughout
all history. Wars, pestilence and natural disasters are not unique to our time. In fact the much
referenced signs predicted in Mathew 24 took place barely thirty to forty years after Jesus made
the predictions (Padfield 2019), thus, bringing much meaning to the text of Mathew 24:34 that
says “truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have
happened”. Whiles violent earthquakes ravaged cities like Crete, Rome, Laodicea and Campania,
famines and pestilence were reported to have devastated various cities in the region (Bible Study
Tools 2019). In AD 68 a “mortal plague” was reported to have raged Rome killing over thirty
thousand1 people (Tacitus 2018). So devastating was this epidemic that Tacitus, the Roman
historian and senator, remarked that

"the houses were filled with lifeless forms and the streets with funerals. Neither age nor
sex was exempt from peril. Slaves and the free-born populace alike were suddenly cut off,
amid the wailings of wives and children, who were often consumed on the very funeral pile
of their friends by whom they had been sitting and shedding tears." (Tacitus 2018)

Years after the destruction of the Temple, the world continues to experience random
occurrences of famine, war, natural disasters and pestilence. The Black Death pandemic of the 14th
century was recorded to have claimed over twenty million lives in Europe (History.com Editors
2020). Likewise, the Spanish flu of 1918 also claimed about fifty million lives world-wide (CDC
2018). These are only a few with high statistics. Interestingly, the reactions of Christians remain
the same over the different times of these occurrences. It seems the much desire to know the end

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It is most likely that these numbers represent those from noble houses and elite classes. Certainly there could be
more recorded among peasants and the poor.

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makes Christians forget that the one who is to bring the end of the world does not even know
when that is going to happen (Mathew 24:36, cf Acts 1:7). In any case, is there any good to derive
if indeed COVID-19 is truly a sign of the end of time? Can the Christian or the world escape death
and judgment by the possession of this knowledge? The world shall remain helpless in whatever
the turn out except we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it does not matter if indeed COVID-19 is a precursor to the end time!

2.3 COVID-19 as a tool of the Antichrist

Combining conspiracy theories from medicine, technology and politics, among many
others messages of this nature purport that COVID-19 is part of an elaborate scheme of the Biblical
Antichrist to suppress Christianity, exert world dominance and usher humankind into the “New
World Order” (Wikipedia 2020). Proponents of these messages draw from Biblical texts like
‘Revelations 13’ and thus believe that the Antichrist is revealed among us and is already at work.
Some proponents opine that COVID-19 is man-made with the specific agenda of creating a world
that is primarily driven by artificial intelligence in the space of virtual reality. For this reason the
measures imposed by Governments to control the outbreak are “deliberate attempts to put persons
into virtual boxes” for the purpose of advancing the agenda of the ‘New World Order’ (Okechukwu
2020). Proponents further opine that vaccines intended to curb the infection also aim at putting the
“mark of the beast”, in the form of “micro RF devices” on recipients of the vaccines. By this
“mark” people will be able to move freely and transact business under the control of the Antichrist
(Oyakhilome 2020).

In as much as the concerns raised by these theories are legitimate most are, all the
same, problematic in that they draw conclusions from untested facts. First of all the language of
Revelations 13 is highly symbolic and to interpret any of it literally will have misleading effects.
Further, putting the text of scripture into historical perspective one will observe that practices that
come close to the description of the ‘mark of the beast’ have existed since time immemorial. One
of such is the edict of Emperor Decius (AD 249–251) in AD 2502, requiring all especially
Christians to carry a “libellus” in order to move or transact business within the province. These

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Considering an earlier date for the writing of the book of Revelations this event took place barely 150 years after
the authoring of the book of Revelations

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“libelli” were certificates that show that the bearer has performed the necessary “pagan sacrifices”
to demonstrate loyalty to Roman authority (Wikipedia 2020).

For centuries people have been looking for the mark of the beast and the Antichrist in
several regimes and technological innovations. Persons like Napoleon Bonaparte (Pesenson 2006),
Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, among many others have not escaped this scrutiny. The most
recent was the Obama Health Bill which was purported to have required American Citizens to
have micro RFID chips embedded under their skins in order to access health care (Akukwe 2018).
Is it not surprising how decade after decade seems to have gotten so close to finding this Antichrist
only to relinquish our chase for another?

“What is so unique about COVID-19 that makes people believe that this time we are right
about the Antichrist?” It is not out of place to engage in discourse about the policies governments
intend to implement but going into such discourses with prejudice seems almost like preempting
the outcome of such discourse and that is not a healthy thing. There are talks against clinical tests
of vaccines against COVID-19 primarily arising from these theories and many more (Oyakhilome
2020).

Probably, the Antichrist could already be with us or yet to come. Therefore, these
occurrences could be the works of the Antichrist or not. In any case if they are what power do we
possess to stop the prophecies of scripture?

3.0 Suggestions for action

This section is very important because it suggests the way forward to deal with the current
situation. First of all Prayer is key. There is no problem in the history of the church that was solved
without prayer. From the Acts of the Apostles through the persecutions of Christians and the
complications of the reformation prayer has been the bedrock of the church. Prayer still works
today and it is the only means of obtaining answers and directions from the divine. The lockdowns
and restrictions only present challenges to our communal prayers but it does not stop us from
praying. So let us not throw our hands in the air as though we have been stripped of our most
valuable weapon.

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 Secondly scriptures make us understand that every government is established by the
authority of God (Romans 13:1). It is worth noting that when the Apostle Paul made this remark
the government of his time, led by Nero (AD 54 - 68) was anti-Christian. Thus it is our Christian
duty to obey the government and at best make our concerns diplomatically known through
appropriate channels. Rebelling and violating health protocols because of some belief in a
conspiracy theory is very unchristian. The church has survived worse times than this and will
certainly survive this one because it is built by Jesus himself to withstand the attacks of hell
(Mathew 16:18).

Furthermore, investigate every information that is in circulation. In the current

dispensation, the youth hold the power of the internet; control the dissemination of information on
social media. Therefore, taking time to investigate every information in circulation will do the
world a great humanitarian service by stopping the spread of fear and panic, a disease worse than
COVID-19. The fact that a message bears the heading “urgent” or “untold truth” is the more
reason for one to delay the circulation of that message until proper verification has been done.

Finally knowledge of the end time is to lead the propagation of the message of hope not
fear (I Thessalonians 4:18). The church grew from a minority religion to the world’s biggest
religion of today through its response in times like this. Already there is lot of confusion out there.
Compounding them with these theories helps no one. Rather showing great love and concern for
the vulnerable and the afflicted will aid a quick recovery from this crisis.

4.0 Conclusion

This paper showcased historical and biblical facts to support the ideas that COVID-19 is not
punishment from God. There is no verifiable fact to prove that COVID-19 is or is not a sign of the
end time and a tool of the anti-Christ. Nevertheless, we can be rest assured that it is not the worse
the world has experienced. Therefore, ability to survive this outbreak depends primarily on the
actions we take as concerned citizens of the world. We must not relent prayer, submit to the health
guidelines and protocols (channeling our concerns through the appropriate media), investigate
every information before circulating and show much love for the afflicted.

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5.0 References

Akukwe, Obinna. 2018. Obama's Health Chips and the MArk of the Beast (666). August 4. Accessed April
7, 2020. https://www.modernghana.com/news/479646/obamas-health-chips-and-the-mark-of-
the-beast.html.

Bible Study Tools. 2019. The Destruction of Jerusalem foretold. November 16. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/the-fourfold-gospel/by-sections/destruction-
of-jerusalem-foretold.html.

CDC. 2018. History of 1918 flu Pandemic. March 21. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-
history.htm.

Deutsche Welle. 2020. Coronavirus: Timeline of the global spread of COVID-19. April 8. Accessed April 8,
2020. https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirustimeline-.

History.com Editors. 2020. Black Death. March 30. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death.

Johnston, John. 2020. Twitter Post. April 6. Accessed April 7, 2020.

https://twitter.com/john112657/status/1247163970030616577.

Kettley, Sebastian. 2020. Coronavirus in the Bible: Bizarre claim virus is punishment for Christian
persecution. March 22. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1258745/Coronavirus-Bible-virus-punishment-God-
Christian-persecution-COVID-19.

Mwangi, Lydiah. 2020. Twitter. March 12. Accessed April 7, 2020.

https://twitter.com/lydiahm48389947/status/1238157834673627136.

Okechukwu, Joseph. 2020. Corona Virus Disease a.ka. #COVID-19: What Are The Hiding? (YouTube
Video). March 19. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzGbbUMnIfw&feature=youtu.be.

Oyakhilome, Chris. 2020. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome explains relationship between Coronavirus, 5G,
Antichrist's plan (YouTube Video). April 5. Accessed April 7, 020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeBF-b6xwF4&t=170s.

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—. 2020. The Mark of the Beast - Pastor Chris Teaching (YouTube Video). April 1. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGNGPBKKP8s.

Padfield, David. 2019. The Destruction of Jerusalem. March 1. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://www.padfield.com/1998/matthew-24-and-jerusalem.html.

Pesenson, Michael A. 2006. "Napoleon Bonaparte and Apocalyptic Discourse in Early Nineteenth-
Century Russia." The Russian Review 65 (3): 373-392.

Tacitus. 2018. "Book XVI." In The Annals, by Tacitus, 13. Musaicum Books.

Wikipedia. 2020. Libellus. February 2020. Accessed April 7, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libellus.

—. 2020. New World Order (conspiracy theory). March 24. Accessed April 7, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory).