The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection is growing worldwide. Schools, bars and restaurants have been closed and many are concerned and even afraid.

Fear of the unknown and where this could lead is understandable and because of advances in modern technology and near instant communications we hear of developments in other parts of the world almost instantaneously.

Jesus warned of the events to come and of the resultant widespread fear, as part of the curses for disobeying God: “Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see” (Deuteronomy 28:66-67).

Belief in God and His protection is waning and people are tending to place more and more trust in centralised government. In a Geopolitical Futures column earlier this year, international strategist George Friedman wrote about the reaction to the virus. He made the point that our global world is already fostering trust and reliance on the state. People look to the leader, the party, the system, the government to provide for our needs and protect us from enemies—whether a foreign power or a tiny, invisible virus (“Thoughts on the Coronavirus,” March 3, 2020). Prophecies indicate that in the years ahead, world conditions will get so bad that people will cede sovereignty to a totalitarian system called the Beast, a supranational political, economic and spiritual power promising order and security (Revelation 17:13; Revelation 13:3-4).

Covid-19 and the fallout that has accompanied it has come up like a sudden storm on the world horizon. We don’t yet know how severe or what its economic impact will ultimately be. But Bible believers do know that it is a harbinger of greater and more deadly storms to come.

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also pointed out the difference between those who watch and obey and those who ignore the warning and go about their lives as if nothing will happen or just dissolve into fear while remaining unrepentant. It is the difference between building a foundation on rock and building on sand (Matthew 7:26-27).

For now we have a moment to examine our foundation. Are our lives built on the rock or on sand? This is a time to lift up your head and heart to God and seek Him while He may still be found.