THE COVID-19 PLAGUE: A REVELATION OF DIVINE WRATH, OR BLIND COINCIDENCE?

I’ve been living continuously in Berekum, Ghana, since September 2019. Considering that I’m retired, I enjoy spending my time here. The weather is warm all year round, the cost of living is low, the citizens are courteous and friendly. Even when the temperature falls from April to September the cooler weather is tolerable. Not long after my arrival here we started hearing news reports about a new plague breaking out in China. Although the exact origin of the virus is still unknown, the first outbreak started in Wuhan, Hubei, China in November 2019. Within a few months, this plague developed into a pandemic and was wreaking havoc worldwide.

• The worldwide case total is 249,110,283, with more than 5 million deaths and more than 6 million recoveries. Over the past seven days, weekly worldwide new cases have slightly (1%) increased for a weekly total of 3.01 million new cases. Of those, nearly 500,000 cases came from the U.S. alone.
• There are cases in 221 countries and territories. Thirty-six countries have more than 1 million cases, with 23 of those having more than 2 million cases each.
• The countries with the most cases after the U.S. (which has 46.6 million cases) are India, Brazil, the U.K. and Russia. India now has 34.32 million cases and Brazil has 21.84 million. The U.K has 9.2 million cases and Russia has 8.67 million cases.
• The list of countries with the highest number of new cases in the past seven days is similar to the list of highest total cases with the U.S. in the lead, followed by Russia, U.K., Turkey and Ukraine.
• The countries with the highest level of deaths over the previous seven days are Russia, U.S., Ukraine, India and Romania. This is the first time since spring 2021 that the U.S. has not led in the most deaths during a seven-day period. Russia had 8,162 deaths (an 8% increase) while the U.S. had a 14% decrease for a total of 7,794 new deaths. (Center For Disease Philanthropy, Covid-19 Coronavirus, November 4, 2021).
• I’m still in Berekum, Ghana, because there have only been a small number of Covid-19 events here. The occurrences are so few that we rarely hear about them or they arent even mentioned at all. I’ve not written any new articles for about one month now. The reason being that I was very sick. When I went to the nearby clinic the attending physician diagnosed me as suffering from Malaria and Bronchitis. Even though I initially confessed to her that I felt that I was suffering from Pneumonia. So much for my medical expertise. The approximate population of this municipality is 117,000. It’s an area out in the country. There is a great deal of greenery, shrubbery and trees. Not many people and a preponderance of the natural world.
• It’s not a secret that Africa has been the continent suffering the least severe impact from the Covid-19 pandemic. There are several existing hypotheses for this state of affairs. First the population groups throughout African countries are younger. For example the median age in sub Saharan Africa is 18. The median age in North and South America, Europe and Asia ranges from 32 to 42.5. There are very few long term care facilities on the African continent. With the exception of South Africa which has a well established long term care industry. There were many Covid-19 fatalities in South Africa, with 33% of the outbreaks during the first wave occurring in nursing/retirement homes. Other mitigating factors in Africa include a swift and effective response from the governments to limit the spread of the virus. Such as the spraying of markets, schools, buses, and the closing of international borders. Europe, Asia, and North America which all have large population groups in excess of 65 years were hardest hit by the Covid-19 Corona virus. (paraphrased from THE CONVERSATION: The Impact of Covid-19 has been lower in Africa, August 17, 2021).
• The very occurence of plagues is first mentioned in scripture. Because of dire economic circumstances and social issues Abraham was forced to make a journey from Canaan down to Egypt. When his caravan arrived there, he begged his wife Sarah, to claim that she was only his sister. Instead of telling the Egyptians the truth. That she was actually his wife. “So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” (Genesis 12:14-16 NKJV). Just as Abraham feared Sarah was recommended to Pharoah’s household. It’s possible that he had heard reports that if the Egyptians knew that Sarah was really married to him then his life would be jeopardised. Very soon the king sent for her and she became a member of the royal harem. Apparently this practise was well established Egyptian custom. Probably initiated by Egypt’s ruling family. Let us not forget that The Lord Almighty is omnipotent. Accordingly, all the circumstances culminating in Abraham’s pilgrimage to Egypt couldn’t possibly have been accidental. They were the outworkings of God’s providence. The biblical patriarch was God’s servant. He ended up in Egypt because The Almighty wanted him there. Would it be unreasonable for us to surmise that God was anxious to defend the immutability of His sacred law? Which not only forbids adultery but also the theft or robbery of other people’s spouses. I doubt that it would be irrational for us to conclude, under the circumstances, that Pharoah was guilty of both.
• The fact that Pharoah never actually slept with Sarah is immaterial. His practise of taking possession of the wives of other men legally or illegally seems to have been entrenched cultural norm. Is this yet another divine trap from distant antiquity? Where Jehovah first ensnares the lawless by their own treachery. Then intervenes in power not only to honor His Covenant but also to deliver His servants. We are instructed: “But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?  Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.” (Genesis 12:17-20 NKJV). These momentous developments highlight another salient fact. That it is immoral to conduct yourself and affairs in such a way that other vulnerable people are afraid to tell you the truth. Let us not miss the main thrust of this presentation. The plagues were sent upon Pharoah’s household because of divine wrath. The displeasure of the Divine Potentate had been aroused because His sacred Law had been violated. Let us also observe that the plagues were discontinued when Pharoah’s behaviour changed. He returned Sarah to her husband and presented them both with gifts in an attempt to atone for his trespass.
• We live in a world where corruption and lawlessness are rampant. Although Venezuela has the highest crime index in the world (83.76), crime is nevertheless present everywhere. The five most corrupt countries worldwide are Iraq, Columbia, Mexico, Brazil and Russia. But that information is far from comforting since we know from experience that corruption anywhere is ineradicable. We are also guilty of many other sins. Powerful countries ignore the rights of weaker states. Right now Taiwan is under threat of a Chinese invasion. The Asian dragon is also trying to seize Indian territory. The Ukraine is being threatened by a Russian invasion. All of these geopolitical problems stem from insatiable greed and unbridled ambition. There is also the issue of slavery and human trafficking in China. Which is being carried out with the knowledge and cooperation of some of the largest and wealthiest companies worldwide.

In March 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published a report Uyghurs for sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang, which identified 83 foreign and Chinese companies as allegedly directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through potentially abusive labour transfer programs. ASPI estimates at least 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang and assigned to factories in a range of supply chains including electronics, textiles, and automotives under a central government policy known as ‘Xinjiang Aid’. The report identified 27 factories in nine Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labour transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. (Business And Human Rights Resource Center, March 1, 2020).

In scripture, because of human proclivity to stray from the straight and narrow, we are reminded: “He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8. NKJV)

It would be futile to attempt to argue that the African Continent is contributing in any significant way to global warming or to the destruction of the environment. The most serious offenders in global warming in order of magnitude are China, the U.S.A., India, The Russian Federation, and Japan. These same countries are also most responsible for the degradation of our environment. Because they pollute the air, water, and soil. Furthermore, they are most responsible for radioactive and noise pollution. In fact, unless we are saved by divine intervention. The human race is destined to become extinct either from environmental destruction or as a consequence of the utilization of weapons of mass destruction, calculatedly or accidentally.

$72.6 billion is how much nine nuclear armed countries spent on their nuclear weapons as the pandemic spread in 2020 and a global treaty banning nuclear weapons took full effect. The report “Complicit: 2020 Global Nuclear Weapons Spending” details the spending of these nine countries on their arsenals, the companies that profited, and the lobbyists hired to keep nuclear weapons in business. The U.S. spent three times more than the next in line- a whopping $37.4 billion. China was the only other country crossing the ten billion mark, spending $10.1 billion.  Russia had the third-highest spending at $8 billion, though the U.K.’s $6.2 billion and the French $5.7 billion weren’t so far behind.  India, Israel, Pakistan also each spent over a billion on their arsenals, while North Korea spent $667 million.

• A close examination of all the above sobering facts. Clearly reveal that the countries that present the greatest existential threat. To the continued survival of the human race on planet earth. Are the very same countries that have suffered the most severe scourge and consequent affliction from the Covid-19 pandemic. Are we to conclude that this catastrophe is merely blind coincidence?