Epic Disasters: The Worst Outbreaks of Disease

With recent worries about Swine Flu, it is important to put the outbreak into proper perspective and review the historical record on epidemic and pandemic diseases. It is impossible, however, to know exactly how many how many died in many of these pandemics.

The Asiatic (Russian) Flu: 1889 - 1890. First reported in Russia in May of 1889, it hit North America in December. By February 1890, it had travelled to South America. Later, it hit India and Australia. The flu had a very high mortality rate, killing at least 250,000 in Western Europe.

The First Cholera Pandemic: 1817 - 1823. The outbreak began in Calcutta and quickly spread to the rest of the subcontinent, eventually extending as far as the Middle Eastern southern Russia and China. There is absolutely no way to know how many died, because records were not kept. However, the British Army recorded 100,000 deaths among its native and European troops, so the mortality must have been staggering.

The Black Death: 1300s - 1400s, with further outbreaks into the 1700s. The Black Death is the name commonly given to the epidemic outbreaks of bubonic plague that killed nearly a third of the population of Europe—as many as 34 million people. It is said to have killed similar numbers in China and India. The Middle East also was hit hard. Although no totals are known, a 1348 - 1349 outbreak may have killed 400,000 in Syria. Similar numbers for Africa are reasonable. So, the total killed worldwide almost certainly reaches close to 100 million. The reason this is not considered the worst, however, is that the Black Death killed those 100 million over a period of 200 years. The Great Influenza killed that number in six months.

The Plague of Justinian 541 AD: Most likely a bubonic plague, this one killed one quarter of the population surrounding the Mediterranean. At its height, it killed 10,000 a day in Constantinople.

The Antonine Plague 165 - 180 AD: A suspected smallpox outbreak, it may have killed as many as five million. 5,000 a day were dying in Rome.

Various other Epidemics:

Typhus: Typhus is transmitted by body lice, and has been responsible for untold deaths. During Napoleon's retreat from Russia, more of his soldiers died from typhus than were killed by the Russians. During World War I, typhus outbreaks are said to have killed as many as nine million (civilians included).

Polio: The 1952 polio outbreak killed 3,000 in the United States. A 1916 US epidemic killed 6,000. Although it has virtually disappeared in the US since the 1955 invention of the vaccine, it still appears around the world.

As you can see, epidemics and pandemics are usually associated with the spread of deadly diseases that reach beyond national and global boundaries and kills huge parts of the population. So you are right in thinking that epidemics and pandemics are usually associated with something really bad, like the spread of deadly diseases. However, I want to talk to you today about the positive effects of what I call:

"A Global Pandemic of Hope".

This might seem to be a contradiction in terms if you look at the state of the world today. There are on-going conflicts in the Middle East, wars with the Taliban and Islamic Extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, etc. And what about the very recent genocides in Serbia and African continents, including the murder of scores of people in various conflicts like those in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). So how can I say or even claim there is "A Global Pandemic of Hope"? I can claim this because all is not what it seems! If you focus on the various conflicts and wars across the globe, it is very easy to adopt a negative, despairing cynical view of things. However, we as God's people do not and should not adopt a worldly view of things. God's Word teaches that we should be people of "spiritual sight and insights" instead of being "worldly

Definition: hope

 Hope is the belief that a positive outcome lies ahead. Hope is a way of thinking, feeling and acting that may help you find ways to live with and through difficult situations.

The opposite of hope is "hopelessness". Having no belief that something positive lies ahead. Hopelessness is having no positive outlook for the future.

Definitions of hopelessness on the Web:

·           the despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success

·           hopeless - without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success; "in an agony of hopeless grief"

·           hopeless - certain to fail; "the situation is hopeless"

·           hopeless - Destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing; promising nothing desirable; not hopeful but desperate

Therefore, you can immediately see the positive benefits of hope. Those who are "hopeful" usually have a positive outlook on life and in the future. Those who are "hopeless" usually have a negative outlook on life and in the future. As we saw earlier, hopelessness develops despair. Therefore, God has given us something wonderful when he provided us with hope! In the Book of Psalms, we see King David expressing his sure hope in God in this way:

Psalm 130:6-8  

⁶My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, yes more than watchmen wait for the morning. ⁷ O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. ⁸ He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Here David told all of Israel to put their hope in the Lord, due to his unfailing love and promise of redemption. The prophet Isaiah made this expression of hope in God even more clear for us, by prophesying that Jesus would fulfil the hopes of the nations.

Matthew 12:15-22 

¹⁵Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, ¹⁶warning them not to tell who he was. ¹⁷This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁸"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. ²¹In his name the nations will put their hope."

Notice: "²¹In his name the nations will put their hope."

Here we see Jesus being the One is whose Name the nations will put their hope. Even the Apostle Paul mentioned Isaiah's prophecy about Jesus being our hope.

Romans 15:12 

¹²And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.

Here Paul makes another important statement. Before Jesus came, the Gentiles could not hope in salvation unless they become proselyte Jews and embraced the Old Testament Law. But now we see Jesus as being the hope of the Gentiles (the non-Jews) as well. So hope has come through Jesus to the nations of the world. But not just any kind of hope. When we were baptised into our Lord and became God's people, we were given a new kind of hope! The Apostle Peter explains it like this.

1 Peter 1:3-5 

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Notice what Peter tells us here: Through the mercy of God ... we were given new birth ... into a living hope ... through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Notice: This is not just basic hope, but a LIVING HOPE! Isaiah again makes mention of the positive benefits of hope in God.

Isaiah 40:30-31 

³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The Apostle Paul tells us that hope in God will never disappoint us.

Romans 5:5

¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Notice what benefits we derive from our hope in God:

·         Joy and rejoicing - "We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God"

·         Even in the face of trials or suffering, we can still rejoice "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings"

Why? You see, hope in Christ shouldn't diminish when trials or suffering come our way. Contrary to what the world believes, our hope should not decrease or fade away when we face various struggles or trials. In fact, it should INCREASE! "... because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope." So instead of killing or reducing our hope, suffering produces more perseverance, more character and more hope! So we defeat the devil's plans to disrupt our hope by bringing trials against us. We live in a sure hope that one day, we will be glorified as the sons and daughters of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. So despite suffering now, we can look forward to a new life as glorified sons and daughters of God, free from evil and sin.

Romans 8:18-25

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

So what should the results of this hope be in us? Notice what the Apostle Paul tells us should result from the hope we have in Christ.

Romans 12:8-13 

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer! Also, our brother Paul tells us this:

Romans 15:12-14 

¹²And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."  ¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul calls our Heavenly Father here "The God of hope, who will fill us with all joy and peace, so we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Paul even tells us that God's Word itself, the Holy Scriptures, is intended to give us hope.

Romans 15:4 

⁴For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

I want you to notice what Paul tells us what our "state" was like before we came to Christ.

Ephesians 2:11-13

¹¹Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) - ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Before we came to Christ, we were without hope and without God. In other words, we were hopeless and Godless! And we saw what the negative results of hopelessness are: Having no belief that something positive lies ahead. Hopelessness is having no positive outlook for the future. Despair and destitute of hope. But now as God's people, we have a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!

Getting back to my initial comment regarding "A Global Pandemic of Hope", what did I mean by this? This living hope in Jesus Christ the Son of God has come to ALL nations of the world. This living hope has spread like a pandemic across the globe. A good pandemic! A pandemic of hope that brings life and not death as with the spread of diseases across the world. A Global Pandemic of Hope! For the Gospel message is for all, not just those who live in Israel, or the UK or the USA. For God's people across the globe, it is a message of hope in the face of trials, hopefulness in the face of despair, and comfort in a bright new future. As Christians, it tells us that although we deserve death, we will inherit eternal life instead. We have a sure living hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This means because Jesus rose from the dead, we too will be raised from the dead. Our Lord is the "first-fruits" of the resurrection, and we will follow him too. This is covered in detail in Paul's 2^nd letter to the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 15:12-28

 ¹²But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 

²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³But each in his own turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Notice: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."

That is why we have a living hope! For through our Lord, we will be resurrected from the dead and inherit eternal life. I want to conclude by sharing with you the Apostle Peter's wonderful statement of our "standing" now in Christ.

1 Peter 1

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.