I want to walk through this week’s news slowly and calmly, because there is a lot of it. First up is pestilences in the end times and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 9,735 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths as of October 21. Contagion Live reports that this makes it the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded. It is also moving fast. The 2018 Congo outbreak took about 235 days to pass 1,000 confirmed cases. This one did it in 40. It has spread across eight Congolese provinces, and confirmed cases have turned up in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and France.
The same weekend brought two more stories. Violent thunderstorms hit Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on October 23 and 24. The Watchers reports that state civil protection logged about 100 storm-related incidents in the city, with floodwater sweeping away vehicles and entering a hospital. On Sunday, Al Jazeera reported that thousands of people filled Prague’s Old Town Square to protest a government plan to overhaul public media funding.
A spreading plague. Floodwaters in the streets. Crowds in a European capital. Jesus named all of these when He described the beginning of sorrows.
Viral Velocity: Pestilences in the End Times an What Is Happening in the Congo
The strain driving this outbreak is Bundibugyo, and it is different from the Ebola strain most people know. There is no approved vaccine and no approved treatment for it. Some options are being tested, but doctors on the ground are mostly limited to fluids, supportive care, and strict isolation.
The setting makes everything harder. Eastern Congo has active armed conflict. The CDC lists violence against health workers, limited health infrastructure, shortages of protective equipment, and misinformation among the obstacles. Health workers have become infected while caring for patients. When a deadly virus meets a war zone, the usual safeguards break down.
We have seen the same fragility before. In our recent look at the Russia-Ukraine missile and drone campaigns, we saw how quickly modern systems strain under pressure. A lot of what we depend on every day holds together more loosely than we think.
For balance, the CDC rates the risk to the American public as low. No cases tied to this outbreak have been reported in the United States.
What Scripture Said About Pestilences and Distress
Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, looking out over Jerusalem, and told His disciples what to expect near the end of the age:
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” — Matthew 24:6–8 (KJV)
Luke records it this way:
“And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” — Luke 21:11 (KJV)
A little later in Luke, Jesus speaks of nations under strain:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” — Luke 21:25–26 (KJV)
The Greek word for “pestilences” is loimoi. It means deadly epidemics that move through whole populations. Jesus called these troubles ōdin, the first birth pangs of a woman in labor. Labor pains come closer together, and they grow stronger.
He also spoke of “distress of nations, with perplexity” (synochē ethnōn en aporia). That phrase describes people hemmed in, with no clear way out. It sounds a lot like leaders facing one crisis after another without good answers.
A watchman has to stay level-headed and rooted in Scripture. That means no panic and no date-setting. Still, we can’t pretend we don’t see what is happening. The things Jesus listed keep showing up in the news.
Three Signs in One Weekend
Over the past few days, three kinds of biblical signs have overlapped.
- Pestilences in divers places (Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11). The Congo outbreak has passed 9,700 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths, and it has crossed several borders. Jesus said disease would mark the beginning of sorrows, and here it is moving faster than almost any outbreak we have on record.
- Violent weather and rising water (Luke 21:25). Storms hit Ciudad Juárez on October 23 and 24. At least ten vehicles were swept along the Arroyo de las Víboras, and a family of nine escaped after floodwater pushed their car against a wall. Water also flooded part of a hospital. As we saw in our study of global weather extremes and the birth pangs of Matthew 24, the weather has been breaking records in many places.
- Distress of nations (Luke 21:25–26). In Prague, thousands protested a bill that would end household licence fees for public media and replace them with state funding, cutting budgets by about 15 percent. Critics fear it hands the government control over the news. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says it’s about transparency. Public media staff plan to strike on November 3, with support from unions, university rectors, and churches. This fits a wider pattern of unrest across Europe that we have been following, including the cost-of-living revolt that spread across five countries.
Plague spreads, floodwater rises, and people take to the streets, all in one weekend. I don’t call that coincidence. These are the kinds of things Jesus said would come together, and they point to a world that is running short on answers.
How We Stand: Calm, Watchful, and Hopeful in Christ
When you read about a deadly virus with no approved cure crossing borders, a hospital taking on floodwater, and crowds filling the squares of Europe, it is natural to feel anxious. The world around us feels shaken because it trusts in health systems, treaties, and a predictable economy.
So, friends, take a deep breath, maybe even grab a sandwich, and remember who holds tomorrow. None of this troubles my heart, because I know who my King is. Jesus did not give us the Olivet Discourse to frighten His Church. He gave it to steady us in His rule over all things. He looked His disciples in the eye and said, “see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass.” God is not scrambling to keep up with the news. He is leading history toward the redemption He promised. The throne of heaven is not empty. Jesus Christ sits in majesty at the right hand of the Father. He is coming back to judge the nations, end all disease, quiet the storms, and set up His everlasting Kingdom of righteousness and peace.
As watchmen in this hour, here is how I believe we are called to respond:
- Pray for those who are suffering. Lift up the doctors, nurses, and families across the Congo and its neighbors who are facing Ebola. Ask God to protect them and to bring the outbreak under control. Pray for the families in Ciudad Juárez who are cleaning up after the floods, and for the people across Europe who feel unheard and worried about what comes next.
- Stay grounded in Scripture. Guard your heart against internet hype, conspiracy panic, and date-setting. As we shared in our foundational study on fulfilled prophecy and discernment, real watchfulness looks like clear doctrine, a steady heart, and quiet faithfulness in your everyday walk with God.
- Share the Gospel while it is still day. Every spreading virus, every rising flood, and every crowd in the street reminds us that life on this earth is short and fragile. Tomorrow is promised to no one. The one true refuge from the troubles of this world and from eternal judgment is the cross of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 says, “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” If your heart is heavy with fear today, I invite you to discover the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and rest your eternity in the Prince of Peace.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light, and stay faithful until our Lord returns.
Sources
- CDC — “Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation”
- Contagion Live — “Ebola Update: DRC Outbreak Reaches 9735 Cases, Second Largest on Record”
- The Watchers — “Flash floods sweep away vehicles and prompt rescues in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico”
- Al Jazeera — “Thousands protest in Prague against public media funding reforms”
- SamuelClark.com — Russia-Ukraine missile and drone campaigns
- SamuelClark.com — Global weather extremes and the birth pangs of Matthew 24
- SamuelClark.com — Europe’s cost-of-living revolt
- SamuelClark.com — Fulfilled prophecy and discernment
- SamuelClark.com — The Gift of Salvation
