Erwin W. Lutzer - Pandemics, Plagues, and Natural Disasters: What is God Saying to Us?

2020 by ERWIN W. LUTZER

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971,1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

All emphasis in Scripture has been added.

Parts of this book were previously published in Where Was God? Answers to Tough Questions about God and Natural Disasters by Erwin W. Lutzer, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois, 2006. Used by permission. In the section titled A Description of the Final Judgment, several paragraphs on the doctrine of hell were adapted from chapter 9 in the authors book The King Is Coming (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 16576. Epilogue: The story of the young mother was taken from Life-Changing Bible Verses You Should Know, copyright 2011 by Erwin and Rebecca Lutzer. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR 97408. www.harvesthousepublishers.com.

Edited by Amanda Cleary Eastep

Interior and cover design: Erik M. Peterson

Cover illustration of circling background copyright 2019 by filo / iStock (1136627236). All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020911246

ISBN: 978-0-8024-2345-0
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8024-9969-1

All websites and phone numbers listed herein are accurate at the time of publication but may change in the future or cease to exist. The listing of website references and resources does not imply publisher endorsement of the sites entire contents. Groups and organizations are listed for informational purposes, and listing does not imply publisher endorsement of their activities.

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In loving memory of Anna DeJong, who was swept away in the DuPage River, which had swollen its banks due to heavy rains. Downstream she was caught by the loving arms of her heavenly Father. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27a)

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C OVID-19 is the pandemic that changed everything. The new normal will not be the same as the old normal. For years to come we will talk about BC (Before COVID) and AC (After COVID). Normal may never come back.

This virus, originating in Wuhan, China, soon spread around the globe. In a matter of months, the United States led the other countries in having the largest number of deaths. In response to the mandates of our political leadership, the nation went into lockdown. Cars lined up for miles at food banks and unemployment numbers skyrocketed.

Every country of the world experienced hardship and panic.

Reports from India described the horrible plight of day workers, now forced to walk back home without food and water, many dying along the way. The jobs that supplied money for their families ended, leaving them destitute, with grinding poverty, and no means of keeping themselves and their families alive. A friend of mine who lives in India reported that what little money some had was spent in liquor stores, which were deemed essential businesses while many other nonessential businesses were in lockdown.

Many countries in Europe suffered greatly. England was effectively shut down, even as the countrys own prime minister contracted the virus and thanked the medical community for saving his life. I have friends in Albania who said that they were not permitted to leave their homes without tapping an app on their smartphones and getting permission. Church members along with other people from the community were delivering whatever available food there was to those who were starving. Yes, at the writing of this, things are changing, restrictions are being relaxed, but slowly.

Name the country, and COVID-19 was wreaking havoc there. All tried to respond as best they could. Throughout the world, each deathwhether of a parent, grandparent, brother, or sisterrepresented a family. Here in the United States, relatives were often denied close contact with the dying; many, especially of the older generation, died alone, unable to say goodbye to their loved ones.

As if there wasnt enough grief in our country, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of tornadoes swept though some of our southern states, destroying neighborhoods, flattening homes, and killing dozens. In some instances, a parent was killed and their children lived; many families suffered losses of one kind or another along with their livelihoods. All the while COVID-19 added to their woes and held entire communities in fear.

As parents throughout the country lost their jobs and desperately began the search for unemployment benefits, they wondered what they should tell their children. Would there be food on the table? Tens of thousands, and eventually millions, were tested to see if they had the virus. Thankfully, most did not, but those who did felt as if COVID-19 was a death sentence. And for some, it was.

Churches transitioned from actual meetings to virtual services online. Giving decreased in some churches, and some Christian ministries havent survived. My greatest heartbreak is for those international gospel preaching ministries that are almost totally dependent on American funds. Fear has caused many Christians to pull back their giving; some because of genuine financial need, others because of our tendency to hoard our assets, keeping more than we need.