Question of the Week: Is the Coronavirus a part of End Time Prophecy?

Yes and no. We want to avoid the easy error called newspaper eschatology. Which is when someone looks at everything and anything wrong with the world and uses it as proof that the End Times are near. We want a biblical approach towards prophecy. We also need to avoid a reactionary one. The truth is that outbreaks of pestilences in increasing intensity and frequency would be one of the signs Jesus told us to look for in order to know the time of His return was drawing near. (Matthew 24:3-7, Luke 21:10-11) However, many pestilences that have broken out and died down after some time over the past decade. This follows the pattern of sorrows, or birthpains, that Jesus told us to look for. That is where our eyes should be. Noticing the pattern and expecting Jesus. If you’re looking for a verbal prediction of a form of SARS that broke out due to the negligence of the Chinese government and popularized by the 24 hour news cycle, you won’t find it. Jesus didn’t tell us these things were coming so we would know when to panic. He told us these things for the same reason He predicted anything about the future.
1. To verify the truthful claims He made about our future with Him.
2. To demonstrate He has a perspective that goes beyond time.
3. To cause us to look up and live like He could take us to be with Him today.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Question of the Week: Could the demonic Prince of Persia mentioned in Daniel have been one of their pagan deities?

Many people reading polytheism and henotheism in the Bible have attempted to put forward this theory. In order to properly respond to it, the context and full statements of each proof text need to be clarified. In making the case that the pagan deities of Persia are actually demons that bear those names, 3 things need to be proven. 1. The pagan deities revealed themselves to their cultures in a moment of history. 2. The Prince of Persia mentioned in Daniel had the identity or traits of one of these pagan deities. And 3. That scripture equates, rather than distincts, pagan deities from demons.
The first issue is the easiest to disprove. From Zoroastrianism to the Epic of Gilgamesh, none of these religions claim that their gods have interacted with this world in ways that could be associated with history. These stories either have to be dated before all of recorded history in order to have a prayer, or were written during the time of Daniel and Esther when the Jewish people had regular interaction with Persian culture. They would never consider their gods interacting with them relevant to their worship until Judaism introduced it to them as their God made it a habit to regularly reveal Himself to His people.
The second issue is answered simply by reading the passage in Daniel. Nothing is mentioned about this Prince of Persia apart from their location and their hostility towards the angel bringing the vision detailed in chapter 9. This would conclude that it was indeed a demonic entity that is further clarified in Ephesians 6:12. Spiritual warfare through prayer and fasting was engaged in by Daniel even when he wasn’t aware of it. We can take many things away from this chapter concerning the spiritual realm and our impact on it. However, the fact that this demon was in Persia and had authority there in no way associated it with Tiamat, Nebo, Shach, or the traits of their other deities.
The final point is fairly straight forward to respond to, but requires very careful reading. Those who support the existence of gods apart from the True and Living God use 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 as their proof-text that the pagan deities are actually demons in disguise. Unfortunately this isn’t what Paul said. The passage reads; “What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.” Notice that Paul doesn’t equate the demons with the pagan idols. He makes a distinction between the two of them. Idols are nothing. But the sacrifices aren’t being made to nothing. They’re being made to a fake god that doesn’t actually exist. The nature of the demonic is always found in deception. Paul’s point is that their worship is a lie, and he goes on to clarify he doesn’t want them to have fellowship with things that capitalize on lying to you about the nature of God. Isaiah 43:10 couldn’t be clearer. The pagan gods of Persia don’t exist. This demonic authority does, but it has nothing to do with the deities its influence has deceived the nation to worshipping instead of the True and Living God.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

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Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on GodTube or YouTube.

Question of the Week: How do you comfort parents who have witnessed the death of their child?

The Bible has a lot to say about comforting those who are suffering under any kind of circumstance. There are good examples like the Apostle Paul. Romans 12:15:
And there are bad examples like Job’s counselors; Job 16:2:
Job’s counselors tried to find the reasons for Job’s suffering. Paul simply encourages weeping with them. As Levi Lusko, who also knows what it is like to lose a child, once observed; “Hurting with Hope still hurts.” Allow them to grieve. Allow them to hurt. Allow them to bring that pain before God. When it comes to the why, Jesus Himself didn’t answer that kind of question. In Luke 13:1-5: He only used the reality of things going wrong in this world to prepare for how we’ll enter the next world. And when people outright accused Him of not caring about the death of a family member, Jesus had one response. John 11:32-35:

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

questionsforhope@gmail.com

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4HFollow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on GodTube or YouTube.