Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

The Greatest Pandemic

The world of 2020 will never be the same and will always be remembered in history as the year the COVID-19 virus swept around the world killing more than one hundred thousand people. It is an incredible tragedy that has fallen upon humanity without respect to age, nationality or gender. Most coronaviruses aren’t dangerous but the strain of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) has become deadly. The impact economically will be felt for decades. There is a certain sense of uncertainty of how the virus will fully impact the world and time will unfold the answers.

There have been many pandemics throughout the history of mankind. Typhoid fever, smallpox, the Cyprian plague, bubonic plague or Black Death, leprosy, measles, cholera, and various strains of the flu like the Spanish flu of 1918 fill the pages of the tragedies fallen upon humanity. The Bible tells of pandemics that impacted the world. When the Lord delivered the Hebrews from the bondage of Egypt, He crippled the nation on every level of their civilization and religion. The water turned to blood; frogs, lice, flies invaded the land; livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts and darkness were the precursors of a final plague.  When the tenth plague descended upon the Egyptian populous, all the firstborn of men and animals lay dead in one night.

The children of Israel would suffer plagues from the Lord because of their disobedience. God’s anger was aroused against the people when they complained of having no meat to eat. He sent the quail to satisfy their carnal appetites but not before sending a great plague among them. After the people refused to enter the promised land and Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, 14,700 people died in a plague, besides those who died when the earth swallowed them alive and fire destroyed 250 men who were offering incense. Seventy thousand men died in a plague during the reign of David.

Disease, suffering, and plagues have a cause. Eternally, they can be traced to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were expelled because of sin. As long as man had access to the tree of life in the midst of the garden, he would not die. God took the tree of life away from man and man faced the reality of sickness, disease, and death. Adam lived 930 years but he still died. All men die. There is no exception. Whether by natural cause or disease or violence, every person will die.

The apostle Paul declares that just as through one man’s death spread to all men, a greater disease and pandemic came as a result of the decisions of Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. COVID-19 is a serious disease that must be met with the greatest of caution and concern. However, because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. The malady of sin has a greater impact than COVID-19 or any other known disease. According to some statistics, 56 million people worldwide die every year. Whatever that number is, the reality of death is always present in the world and millions die every year.

Jesus said the reality of eternity is the majority of the millions of people who die every year have no hope. It is sad that anyone must die from COVID-19 but all the virus does is destroy the body. Sin is the eternal disease that will destroy a soul in eternal condemnation. They are still working on a cure for COVID-19 but the cure for sin came two thousand years ago outside the city of Jerusalem when the Son of God rose from the dead. Sin came to the world by the act of one man but because one person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Jesus died to offer men an eternal hope that will never be taken away.

Death is found in two forms. There is physical death that destroys the body but that is all it can do. Spiritual death destroys the eternal nature of man and its consequence will never end. The cure for COVID-19 will offer relief to the human body but death will still come in another form. Salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to save the eternal soul from destruction. Eternal life means that death has no victory and there is no sting from the cruel hand of sin. God be praised that Jesus died to take away sin.