Missionary Doctor Who Worked With Samaritan’s Purse Contracts Ebola; Franklin Graham Calls For Prayer
A missionary doctor serving with Serge in the Democratic Republic of Congo has contracted Ebola, prompting Franklin Graham to call for prayer. This event highlights the ongoing pestilence threat in Africa, a sign Jesus warned would precede His return.
Luke 21:11
Prophetic Fulfillment“And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
Why this passage
In Luke 21, Jesus delivers His Olivet Discourse, describing signs that will precede the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age. The Greek word for 'pestilences' (loimoi) refers to deadly epidemics and plagues.
Jesus places these alongside earthquakes, famines, and celestial signs as birth pangs of the coming age.
These are not isolated events but part of a pattern that intensifies as history progresses toward Christ's return. The Ebola outbreak in the DRC, now affecting a missionary doctor, fits this pattern precisely—a deadly pestilence in a specific region, consistent with Jesus' warning that such things would occur 'in various places.'
Historical context, theological significance, application today — denomination-neutral, ~1,000-word walk-through.
Behold, the Lord Jesus warned that 'there will be... pestilences' in various places as signs of the end of the age (Luke 21:11). The Ebola virus continues to claim lives, even among faithful missionaries like Dr.
Peter Stafford who serve in the most dangerous regions.
Yet in this darkness, we see the light of the gospel: Christians risking everything to bring healing and hope. Let us pray for the Staffords, that God would grant recovery and strength, and that this trial would display His glory to the watching world.
Today's Prayer
Pray for Dr. Peter Stafford's complete recovery from Ebola, for his wife Rebekah and their four children, and for the medical teams treating him in the DRC.
Further Scripture
Additional passages that illuminate this event, each grounded in a distinct interpretive lens.
“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
Why this passage
Psalm 91 is a psalm of divine protection, promising that those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High are shielded from various dangers, including pestilence. The Hebrew word for 'pestilence' (dever) refers to deadly epidemics.
The psalmist speaks of thousands falling around the righteous, yet the faithful are preserved.
This is not a blanket promise that believers will never suffer disease—as the case of Dr. Stafford shows—but a principle that God's people are ultimately under His sovereign care, even when they face trials.
The psalm calls for trust in God's protection rather than paralyzing fear.
How it applies
Dr. Stafford's contraction of Ebola does not contradict this psalm; rather, it demonstrates that even faithful servants of God may face pestilence in this fallen world.
The promise is not exemption from all harm but confidence that God's purposes prevail. The Staffords' trust in God amid this trial exemplifies the psalm's call to dwell in God's shelter, even when the arrow strikes.
Related by Scripture
Other events we've interpreted through the same passage or hermeneutical lens.
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Source: harbingersdaily— we link to the original for full context.