I’ve been having a problem with flies all summer. As I was hanging a new fly strip, I was just tossing words around in my head like shoo fly, pest, flying aggravation, and annoying bug when the word pestilence came to my mind. I know it’s weird having a silent argument with an insect, but I continued to think about the word pestilence.
My curiosity peaked. What is the definition of pest and pestilence?
I found myself looking in the Webster’s Dictionary.
Pest \’pest\ n 1: nuisance 2: plant or animal detrimental to humans or their crops.
Pestilence \’pestələns\ n : plague
A biblical definition of pestilence is a deadly disaster, usually a disease, that affects an entire community. A pestilence is usually a contagious, virulent, and devastating occurrence. As I continue to research about pestilence. I found that famine is considered a form of pestilence. The Bible is full of famines in the Old Testament to the book of Revelation with the signs of the return of our messiah.
We have experienced a pestilence in the coronavirus. The coronavirus is a contagious disease that has killed several millions of people worldwide since 2020. As the coming of the Lord draws nearer, the worst pestilences will inflict the lives of billions, not millions, of people. As the seals in the book of Revelations are being broken, the world will see and suffer the pestilence and destruction and the wrath of God.
King David, in 2 Samuel 24, received a message from a prophet that because of sin, God would punish Israel and was given three options for this punishment. First was a famine for three years, for which David knew that many would die slow, painful deaths. Second was three months of defeated battles with their enemies that would have great consequences for Israel, or third, three days of pestilence on the land. I think King David chose this as the punishment, thinking that it would be a swifter judgment and maybe a smaller death toll than the first two choices. Even in this choice, 70,000 men died.
When the Pharaoh of Egypt, in the book of Exodus, refused to let the Israelites go, God used 10 plagues to show the Pharaoh that God was in control of all things. The Israelites are God’s chosen people. Those who harm and hold captive the chosen people will suffer great disasters and destruction.
As the coming of the Lord draws nearer to us, we will see more pestilences and famines. The fourth horse mentioned in the book of Revelation will kill with famine, pestilence, and war. We are already seeing this all over the world.
And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death and with the beasts of the earth.
Revelation 6:8
How many times in our Christian walk have we sinned and faltered? God, in his mercy, gives us opportunities to return to the altar to ask for forgiveness. He will send us messages and people into our lives to help us see his grace and mercy for us to be his children, to walk in the light and in faith that we will see him in heaven if we put him first and foremost in our lives.
God will judge us for our sins, which will be swift and just on Judgment Day.
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