As of 19:00 (GMT+1) on 23rd April 2020, the number of confirmed worldwide cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection stands at 2,695,418 with 188,804 deaths (Worldometer). The pandemic which originated in Wuhan, China, is causing unprecedented harm to life with a third of the global population on lockdown. In light of this, religious publishers including Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) are reporting a dramatic increase in sales of the Holy Bible as more people turn to God's Word for hope and encouragement in this time of crisis and uncertainty. What hope is there in the Bible and how can we find it?

The Bible is a collection of 66 books from Genesis to Revelation that is written by 35 people covering a period of 6000 years. Its four main contents are history, instruction, prophecy and fulfilment. Prophecy refers to the promise of events that will take place in the future, and fulfilment refers to the actual fulfilment (physical reality) of that promise. For example, when a loved one promises to do something in advance, it is only when he or she actually does so that the promise is then fulfilled. 

God's 6000-year history recorded in the Bible is filled with prophecy and fulfilment. God promised Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land, but after 400 years would come out with great possessions (Gen15). Exactly 430 years later, to the very day, Abraham's descendants (the Israelites) all left Egypt for the Promised Land of Canaan under the leadership of Moses (Ex12). Hundreds of years later, God promised through Moses, King David (Psalms) and all 17 Old Testament prophets from Isaiah-Malachi about a future Saviour. 600 years later, Jesus Christ came according to this promise.

At the first coming, Jesus bore the cross to atone for sin. But before he did so, he made several promises which he said would be fulfilled as signs marking his return (his second coming) in Matthew 24. He also spoke about heaven. He spoke all this in parables (figurative language). This is all recorded in the four Gospels (Matthew-John). After Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to Apostle John on the island of Patmos AD95, and according to a vision Jesus showed him, John wrote the book of Revelation, which is a book of prophecy (promise) about future events, also recorded in parables. These events have already begun to be fulfilled.

Because prophecy is recorded in parables, the prophecy can only be understood when the fulfilment appears. For example, the Old Testament prophets all spoke in parables when predicting the coming of a Saviour, but it was only when Jesus came as the fulfilment of that promise that people could perceive that he was the one prophesied about (Lk 24:27,44). As mentioned, Jesus spoke about the secrets of the kingdom of heaven in parables which can be understood only when their fulfilment appears. The reason we are told in advance about what will happen is so that we can believe when the fulfilment appears (Jn 14:29). And the reason why the secrets of heaven had to be spoken in parables was to hide it from the enemy, who is the devil or Satan, so that God's will and purpose will come to pass. What is God's will and purpose?

In Revelation 21:3-4, God promises to dwell with His people in a world without death, mourning, crying or pain. This can be hard to believe, particularly given the current climate in the world today, but when we understand the promises Jesus made in the four Gospels and Revelation we can understand how this will happen. Whatever God promises, He will certainly fulfil. This is why the book of Revelation is so hopeful. Who will make this known? In Matthew 24, Jesus promised to send a faithful and wise servant to give food at the proper time, and in Revelation 22:8 and 16 Jesus promises to send one messenger who has seen and heard the fulfilment of the promises in Revelation to make them known to the churches. Who is this servant and what is this food at the proper time? Who will listen?

Reference
'A Longing to Connect with God': Bible Sales on the Rise as More People Turn to God's Word for Comfort, Guidance (8th April 2020)
⇨https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2020/april/a-longing-to-connect-with-god-bible-sales-on-the-rise-as-more-people-turn-to-gods-word-for-comfort-guidance