A World Groaning: Understanding Pestilence in the Light of Scripture

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, it did more than just fill our hospitals and empty our streets. For countless Christians, it opened our Bibles. As news reports spoke of a mysterious and deadly plague, the ancient words of the prophets and the Lord Jesus Himself seemed to leap off the page. Suddenly, verses that once felt distant and symbolic became unnervingly relevant. In the midst of fear and uncertainty, many of us began asking the same questions: Is this a sign of the end times? Is this the kind of pestilence the Bible talks about? How, as believers, are we supposed to understand and respond to such global upheaval?

These are not new questions. Throughout history, the Church has wrestled with how to view pandemics through the lens of faith. The answers aren't always simple, but God’s Word provides wisdom, context, and hope that can anchor our souls in any storm.

The Words of Jesus: "Pestilences in Various Places"

Jesus Himself provides our main guide on this topic in what is known as the Olivet Discourse, recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. His disciples asked Him a direct question: “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).

In His answer, Jesus gives a list of general signs that will precede His return. He speaks of wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes. And right in the middle of that list, He includes the very word we're considering. Luke’s Gospel records it this way: “There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11).

The Greek word for “pestilences” here is loimos, which refers to any deadly infectious disease: a plague or pandemic. Jesus doesn't describe a single, final plague in this passage. Instead, He says they will occur "in various places," suggesting a recurring pattern.

Jesus also gives us a metaphor to understand these events. He calls them “the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8). Any mother knows what this means. Birth pains start with some irregularity and discomfort, but they grow in frequency and intensity as the main event, the birth, draws near. Jesus is telling us that as history moves toward its conclusion, we should expect to see an increase in these kinds of world-shaking troubles. They are not the end itself, but they are signs that the end is approaching.

A Pattern as Old as Exodus

While we often associate plagues with end-times prophecy, they are a recurring theme throughout the entire biblical narrative. The most dramatic example, of course, is the ten plagues God sent upon Egypt to break Pharaoh’s hardened heart and liberate His people (Exodus 7-12). These were not random disasters, but targeted acts of divine judgment against Egypt’s gods. They demonstrated the one true God’s sovereignty over creation, from the water of the Nile to the health of every firstborn son.

This pattern continues throughout the Old Testament. In the covenant God makes with Israel, He warns that disobedience will lead to dire consequences, including “a pestilence that clings to you” and “dreadful plagues” (Deuteronomy 28:21, 59). When King David sinned by taking a census in pride, God gave him a choice of punishments, and David chose to fall into the hands of a merciful God rather than his enemies. The result was a plague that struck down 70,000 people (2 Samuel 24:15).

These stories show a clear biblical principle: God can and does use pestilence as a tool of judgment and a wake-up call for humanity. It is a sobering reminder that sin has real, physical consequences and that God is not indifferent to evil and rebellion.

The Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Revelation

When we turn to the New Testament's great prophetic book, Revelation, the theme of plagues intensifies dramatically. The apostle John’s vision is filled with symbolic and terrifying judgments that fall upon a rebellious world. Pestilence appears explicitly as part of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

When the fourth seal is opened, a pale horse appears, “and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8).

Later, as the trumpet and bowl judgments are poured out, we see other plague-like afflictions: grievous sores and the sea turning to blood. These are catastrophic events on a global scale.

So, how do we interpret these powerful visions? Thoughtful, Bible-believing Christians have held several different views over the centuries:

The Futurist View: Many evangelicals believe that the events of Revelation 6-19 describe a future seven-year period of intense suffering known as the Tribulation, which will occur just before the second coming of Christ. In this view, the plagues described are largely literal events that have not yet happened. The Preterist View: This view holds that most of the prophecies in Revelation were fulfilled in the first century, specifically in the events surrounding the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in A.D. 70. The plagues are seen as symbolic language describing that historical catastrophe. The Historicist View: This interpretation sees Revelation as a panorama of Church history, from the time of John until the return of Christ. The seals, trumpets, and bowls are seen as representing different eras or recurring events throughout the past 2,000 years, such as major wars, famines, and pandemics like the Black Death. The Idealist (or Spiritual) View: This view sees Revelation not as a timeline of specific events, but as a symbolic depiction of the ongoing spiritual struggle between God and Satan, the Church and the world. The plagues represent the timeless reality of suffering and evil in a fallen world.

No matter which interpretive approach one uses, the message is clear: God’s ultimate judgment on unrepentant sin will be severe, and plagues are central to that biblical picture.

Are Today's Pandemics ‘Biblical Plagues’?

This brings us back to our pressing, modern question. When we see a disease like COVID-19, are we seeing the fulfillment of biblical prophecy? The most biblically sound answer is both yes and no.

No, in the sense that we must be very cautious about claiming any single pandemic is the specific plague of the fourth seal or a particular trumpet judgment from Revelation. To make such a claim is to go beyond what Scripture tells us and to engage in the kind of date-setting and speculation that Jesus warned against.

Yes, in the sense that today’s pandemics fit the pattern Jesus described as "the beginning of birth pains." They are a loud, clear symptom of a creation that is "groaning as in the pains of childbirth" (Romans 8:22). They serve as a powerful reminder that the world is broken, that we are not ultimately in control, and that history is heading toward a conclusion foretold in Scripture. A modern pandemic is a signpost, not the final destination. It points to the truth of Jesus’s words and should awaken us to the reality of the age we live in.

The Purpose Behind the Plague

Why does God allow or send pestilence in the biblical narrative? Scripture suggests several overlapping reasons.

First, as we’ve seen, it can be an act of judgment against sin and idolatry. Second, it is an unavoidable consequence of living in a fallen world. Sickness, decay, and death are woven into the fabric of our existence since humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden.

But most importantly, plagues can serve as a merciful call to repentance. They are a form of "severe mercy": a painful wake-up call designed to shake people from their spiritual slumber. It is heartbreaking to read in Revelation, after a series of devastating plagues, that the people “did not repent of the works of their hands” (Revelation 9:20) and that they “cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory” (Revelation 16:9). Clearly, the plagues were meant to give them an opportunity to turn back to God. They were a warning shot, designed to avert a far greater, eternal judgment.

Our Mandate as Believers

So, if we are living in an age of "birth pains," how should we, the people of God, respond when pestilence strikes? The Bible gives us a clear and practical guide that is free from panic and politics.

First, we must not give in to fear. In the very same breath that He warns of these calamities, Jesus says, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). Our hope is not in a trouble-free world, but in the sovereign Lord who has "overcome the world" (John 16:33). Fear is a natural human emotion, but faith in Christ is our supernatural anchor.

Second, we must show compassion and bring healing. History shows that during the great plagues of the Roman Empire, Christians became known for their astonishing courage. While pagan priests and physicians fled the cities, believers stayed behind to care for the sick and dying, often at the cost of their own lives. Their Christ-like love was one of the most powerful evangelistic tools of the early church. We are called to be a people of wisdom, service, and love, demonstrating the hope we have to a world gripped by fear.

Third, we must be watchful and ready. These signs are not meant to fuel obsessive speculation about timelines and charts. They are meant to keep us spiritually awake. They remind us to live each day with eternity in mind, to share the good news of the Gospel with urgency, and to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

In the end, the biblical story of pestilence is not meant to leave us terrified of the future. It is meant to turn our eyes toward the One who holds the future. Plagues are a sobering part of the fallen human story, but they are just one chapter. The final chapter is not about death and disease, but about a King who returns to make all things new. It tells of a day when He will “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until that glorious day, let us live with faith, work with love, and wait with hope.