What is God’s Message Concerning Ebola?

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth (Rev. 6:8)

With what is considered to be the beginnings of a possible outbreak of Ebola worldwide, Christians are asking if Ebola is predicted in the Bible or merely a part of nature. Some have jumped to the conclusion that this virus is the fourth rider of the Apocalypse.

The “pale” horse is actually “Ashen” from the Greek word which the English word, “chlorophyll” comes, describing an ashen-green, pallor characteristic of the decomposition of a corpse.  Some suggest that this may be a passage that predicts the outbreak of Ebola, since the word “pestilence” is used.

The word “pestilence” is the Greek word, thanatos, which actually means “death.”  Whatever disease, virus or plague there may be, death will become the sure result.

The rider of the horse is presumably the Antichrist, which the rider’s name is described as death, and which also “Hades” (i.e. hell) followed with him, presumably the victims are mostly unbelievers.

Notice that only a fourth of the world’s population is affected. I say only because there would still be two thirds unaffected.  Let’s say that the world’s population is about five in a half billion. This would mean according to this passage that about 1.5 billion people are affected.

Over in Luke 21:10-11, Jesus predicted the same thing. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. 

Here the word “pestilence” is referring to plagues. Unlike in Revelation 6, Jesus uses the word in the plural indicating more than one, perhaps a series of deadly plaques all unleashed at the same time.

We must remember that Ebola is never mentioned in the Bible.

The Ebola virus will only intensify. Even if it doesn’t create an outbreak around the world and in America, the mere thought of it becoming an outbreak is a real possibility.

The Rise of the Ebola virus should be a warning to the world that we are entering into a phase of biblical prophetic events. It is a sign that God is about to make himself known and wrath is about to fall on Earth. The sobering thing is that this virus represents a sign of worse things to come. It will be a precursor that The Seven Year Tribulation (predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and in Rev. 6-18) is right around the corner!

What we are witnessing is not the end, but the beginning of sorrows that will befall on this Earth.  We can hear the hooves of the Fourth Rider Approaching in the distance as a sign that the Day of the Lord (the day of God’s judgment and the outpouring of His wrath) is approaching.

The message for our times is clear:  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9).