The Unseen Hand
Humanity is in the grip of a global pandemic far more devastating than coronavirus. This infection has triggered a worldwide contagion of irrational fear and emotion. Man has lost his mind.
The ramifications of this universal abdication of reason are vast and unknown. Right now, the world is in lockdown: Millions of people are in quarantine, a calamity for countless individuals and businesses; stock markets and economies are in free fall, even as federal governments are racking up unparalleled debt trying to save them; many experts believe the world has entered recession. Meanwhile, national borders are closing, soldiers are being deployed to the streets in cities across the Earth, and countries are enacting wartime laws and measures, equipping many federal governments with authoritarian power.
In aviation, when a pilot becomes disoriented and loses spatial awareness, he can panic and make decisions that send the aircraft into an out-of-control free fall, a fatal moment called the graveyard spiral. Has the panic over coronavirus plunged mankind into a graveyard spiral?
It has not. Let me tell you why.
God’s Timing
The coronavirus fulfills Bible prophecy. Many biblical passages, such as Revelation 6 and Matthew 24, forecast disease pandemics in the time just before Jesus Christ returns. The truth is, as Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry warned in last issue’s cover story, we can “expect diseases like this new Wuhan coronavirus to get worse, and to eventually spread like medieval pandemics and kill millions of people!” (“Coronavirus and Other Modern Plagues in Prophecy”).
But it is crucial to remember: The prophesied death of millions from disease and pestilence does not happen arbitrarily. In fact, none of the biblical prophecies presently being fulfilled occur haphazardly or by chance. Yes, the Bible tells us that a lot of suffering is imminent and that millions will perish. But the suffering and death occur on God’s terms.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” Jesus asked His disciples. “And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:29-30; Revised Standard Version). God knows every person on Earth. He knows you down to the number of hairs on your head.
God is just as aware of humanity in general. King David wrote, “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Psalm 33:13-15; New International Version).
God closely watches world conditions and often intervenes to ensure events unfold according to His plan. “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (verses 8-11; niv).
This isn’t the way most people, even Christians, see God. To most people, God is distant and detached. He takes little interest in humanity. Even to most religious people, God is little more than an idea or perhaps a feeling generated through study or prayer. To them, God isn’t a living, dynamic, active Being who takes a serious interest in human affairs and engages with men, individually and collectively. Sadly, men are ignorant of God’s presence in world events—despite the Bible plainly revealing that He “sees all mankind” and “watches all who live on earth” and “foils the plans of the nations” and “thwarts the purposes of the peoples.”
So what is God doing now? Why hasn’t He saved mankind from coronavirus? God makes the answer clear: He is allowing this crisis as correction for our sins. As Mr. Flurry wrote, “The Wuhan coronavirus and the other diseases breaking out today are only the beginning. [God] is going to let the world see where its evil ways are leading” (ibid). To see how God uses such events to help us recognize our sins and change our behavior, read “You Can Survive the Coronapocalypse.”
God isn’t allowing the coronavirus crisis to unravel indiscriminately. To the contrary, He is carefully monitoring this crisis and its impact on the world, at a national and global level, but also on a family and individual level. The Bible shows that He watches world events far more closely than most people know.
Measured Crises
Mr. Flurry and the Trumpet have focused a lot in recent years on the prophecy of Amos 7. This prophecy outlines key developments to occur in America in the end time, including the emergence of a latter-day type of King Jeroboam ii (fulfilled by United States President Donald Trump). You can study what we have written about this prophecy in our free booklet Great Again.
Consider Amos 7:7-8, where God revealed this prophecy to Amos: “He showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them’” (rsv). God Himself is talking here, focusing our attention on the plumb line in His hand.
A plumb line is a measuring device, an instrument used to guarantee accurate construction. These verses show that God is “measuring the destruction that is to come upon the nations of Israel,” Mr. Flurry writes in Great Again. “This destruction is not random; God is measuring it carefully and precisely. And it will bring about the most wonderful results imaginable.”
Here in Amos 7, God specifically states that He measures the punishments that come upon “Israel,” the term used in prophecy for America predominately, but Britain and the State of Israel, too.
What does this mean, practically? It means that punishment doesn’t come on these nations blindly. The blows that are falling because of the coronavirus crisis are punishment from God, delivered with divine precision.
God takes a personal interest in the coronavirus and its impact on America, Britain and Israel. He is aware of the consequences for President Trump and his administration, and the toll this will take on America’s economy, its institutions and the public. God sees that the radical left is using this crisis to attack the president. Amos 7 shows that God is paying close attention and will ensure events unfold according to His plan.
Amos 7 means we can also state: The coronavirus will not take down President Trump. Neither will the radical left, which has been instrumental in manufacturing this crisis. Amos 7 makes clear that God will bring down Mr. Trump, on His time schedule and on His terms.
What about the world in general? Is God measuring this crisis as it rolls through China, Italy, Iran and all other nations and peoples on this planet?
An enthralling and dramatic prophecy in Zechariah 6 answers: Absolutely! In his book The New Throne of David, Mr. Flurry writes: “The time frame of Zechariah 6 is very sobering. It is about the urgent period of preparation right before the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord!” (emphasis added). The Tribulation and Day of the Lord precede the return of Jesus Christ and are described in Matthew 24, as well as the books of Joel, Zechariah and Malachi. The events depicted in Zechariah 6 begin shortly after the “Jeroboam end” begins, the time period of the events of Amos 7.
Zechariah 6 gives a dramatic account of God’s active, tangible presence in the world right now.
In verses 1-3, Zechariah records the vision: “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.”
Who are these chariots and what do they represent? Verse 5 says, “These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” These “spirits” are angels, which God often uses to accomplish His will on Earth. In Hebrews 1:14, Paul wrote that angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister ….” In 2 Kings 6, God dispatched an entire army of angels to protect Elisha and Israel. God even opened the eyes of one young man so he could actually see this angelic army, which was “full of horses and chariots of fire” (verse 17).
In Zechariah 6, God Himself dictates orders to four powerful, high-ranking angels, then dispatches them to Earth. Each angel has a specific job description and a detailed set of commands from God. “God sends these chariots,” Mr. Flurry recently wrote. “He is preparing, giving specific commands about what these chariots are to do. It is a global effort. God has given these angels of Zechariah 6 instructions, and is dispatching spirits all over the globe, setting up and arranging for these catastrophic events that are already beginning to unfold before our eyes” (Royal Vision, March-April 2020).
These verses show that humanity has not been left alone with the coronavirus. God is not letting mankind accidentally stumble into the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. These terrible times are coming, but they will arrive on God’s terms. Zechariah 6 shows that God Himself—through these four angels and their legions—is carefully orchestrating world events.
Some might think it preposterous to say that God monitors world conditions using angels. Some will find it hard to visualize angels crisscrossing the planet, keeping tabs to ensure events unfold according to Bible prophecy. A few months ago, many of these same people would have thought it preposterous that a disease epidemic would send the entire planet into lockdown. One of the great lessons of the coronavirus crisis is that we need to think the unthinkable more often.
Guiding World Powers
What do these four angels do once given their orders? “The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth” (Zechariah 6:6-7).
God is being extraordinarily calculated; these four angels even have specific territorial assignments. “The black horses here are a representation of violence, famine and pestilence,” Mr. Flurry explained. This angel in particular is closely measuring the spread of contagious diseases. Notice too, the black horses have a special focus on the “north country,” which other biblical prophecies tell us refers to Europe. Is it coincidence that the coronavirus has hit Europe the hardest and has had a major impact on the politics and economies of the Continent? Not if you understand and believe Zechariah 6! Meanwhile, another angel is operating in the south. Perhaps this includes the area controlled by the “king of the south,” or Iran and its radical Islamist allies, prophesied in Daniel 11:40.
Practically, this means God is calculating events in Europe and in Iran, as well as in China and the rest of the planet. Through these angels, He is making sure the coronavirus crisis advances the biblical prophecies about these regions. This means that this crisis is certain to help Europe unite and cause a powerful German strongman to rise and lead his nation and Europe. Perhaps it looks like the coronavirus will destroy Europe politically and financially, and end the notion of European unity. In fact, the angel stationed over the Continent has everything under control: This being is ensuring that this crisis forges Europe’s development into a German-led federal superstate! (article, page 6).
The same is true for Iran, another nation the Trumpet has delivered strong, specific forecasts about for many years. A few months ago, Iran was tormenting the region and the wider international community, very obviously fulfilling the role of the king of the south prophesied in Daniel 11:40-44. Then the coronavirus struck. Since January, some of Iran’s top leaders have been killed, by either coronavirus or U.S. drones. The virus has ravaged the population and is thrashing Iran’s economy. Is Iran still the king of the south and capable of inciting war with Europe, as the Bible prophesies?
Do not doubt it! The angel stationed over this region and responsible for measuring Iran’s power and presence has it under control. Perhaps Iran was a little too powerful; perhaps Tehran was moving too quickly toward accomplishing its prophesied role, and God needed to slow it down to ensure prophecy is fulfilled on His timetable.
Then there is China, patient zero for the coronavirus and the nation that only a few months ago brandished colossal global influence and power. The Trumpet has long forecast that China would be an economic and military superpower that would rival the United States and would one day impose a devastating economic siege on America. Then the Wuhan coronavirus hit, causing China to enter total lockdown, tanking the economy, and sending the nation’s leaders reeling. Is China still a superpower capable of competing with America? Or has the coronavirus knocked China out? Was our prophecy wrong?
You know the answer: The angels of Zechariah 6 have it all under control. The virus’s devastating impact on China will advance the biblical prophecies about this nation, and it is already doing so. Beijing’s relationship with America, which was already erratic, will be even more volatile. This virus also secures Russia as the lead nation in the prophesied Sino-Russian alliance. Economically China will slow down, especially if there is a global recession, but it still has the power to besiege the U.S. Perhaps this crisis will reconfigure the world economically, giving Beijing more freedom to decouple from the U.S. and creating the opportunity for more overt hostility.
What about the global economy, plummeting oil prices and the dramatic events occurring within and between nations all over the Earth, in Russia, in Saudi Arabia, in South America and Africa? God is vigilantly monitoring all these developments through His warrior angels, and He is intervening when necessary in a variety of ways to guarantee that His will is accomplished and His prophecies are fulfilled! (article, page 14).
Assurance and Hope
In The New Throne of David, Mr. Flurry writes that Zechariah 6 “shows how God is diligently preparing for the events of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord—and for the majestic coronation that will follow immediately afterward!” We too must diligently prepare for the future.
We need to be more familiar with these prophecies in Amos 7 and Zechariah 6. The more familiar we are with them, and the deeper our faith in them, the more urgent we will be in our own preparations.
Amos 7 and Zechariah 6 show how urgently and intimately involved God is in world events! There is tremendous reassurance and hope in these prophecies. The world is spiraling toward destruction, and many will suffer. But humanity is not in a graveyard spiral. While it often feels like civilization is spinning out of control—and it is accurate to say that our leaders and experts are fast losing the power to control events—remember one of the great lessons of the prophecy we have looked at: “Zechariah 6 shows that God has a clear plan of action.”
Think on this: The fact that the chaos and destruction are so calculated and measured reveals God’s active presence in human affairs! It shows His love, mercy and compassion.
Remember, too, that God knows the number of hairs on your head. While He is keenly interested in world events, in what is happening in your nation and city, He is also keenly interested in what is happening in your life.
What is happening in your life? Has the surreal state of world conditions these past few months prompted you to deep reflection and contemplation? Are you getting answers to the many questions stimulated by world events? Ultimately, this is why God deploys so many resources to intercede in human affairs: He is giving human beings the opportunity to see Him, learn about His truth, and repent.
Mankind shows no signs of widespread repentance, but “the opportunity is still open for individuals to turn to God in repentance before it is too late.” You can be one of these individuals.