I’m sure you’ve had this experience recently. Your computer screen flashes on, you click the news link, and there it pops up, front-and-center amid the headlines, “CORONAVIRUS.” Every news page seems to be giving special coverage to this latest, nearly global, virus. A scare this big hasn’t hit our planet since Ebola, SARS, and Swine Flu sent waves around the world in recent decades. And now, this latest scare will also go down in history and people’s imaginations as a plague. I can’t claim to know all the risks, forecasts, and details of this virus’ development, but we can as Christians know that events like these should be expected. The world is convulsing as the chaotic last movements of earth’s history are taking place. Luke 21:25, 26 says, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Even though this description may sound terrifying, we can take heart and look up with hopeful joy because along with the earth’s end comes a glorious new beginning for God’s people. Jesus is coming soon to take us with him to mansions of glory! Verse 27 then says, “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Jesus predicted political uprisings, natural disasters, and military conflicts will increase as His coming approaches. But he concludes this distressing picture with a promise that all these crises ultimately point to. In John 14:1-3, he says, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Please don’t misunderstand me, I believe we should take recommended precautions and not flippantly dismiss crises like these. And I’m also certainly not saying we should panic or become alarmists either. But we can be comforted and informed by looking at these events in the context of prophecy and God’s promises. We can wait patiently on God, trusting His will since He has foretold end-time troubles and also promised us a future solution. He has promised to come and take us home. We know the end of the story and we can settle our future on His plans, not ours.