Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Genesis 2:10-14And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Genesis 13:2
Names are important. Have you ever wondered about your own name? Do you wonder why your parents chose that name for you? Do you have an affinity for your name? Does it match you? Do you get upset when people call you by the wrong name? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. Names are indeed important to us. And they matter to God as well.
The Old Testament alone contains over 800 uses of the word “name”. In fact, it ranks in the top 20 most used nouns out of over 111,000 total words. In the New Testament, it is used 231 times. Only 2 behind the word “holy”. Why is the word “name” use so frequently? Is God telling us something?
Many of my readers might be wondering, “What does this have to do with today’s situation and to end-times?” And this is a good question. But I ask you to bear with me and let’s allow ourselves to follow a very interesting trail. I believe that we will find that the trail leads directly to this year’s events…
The Hebrew word for name is שֵׁם (šêm). It is a primitive word that conveys a mark of individuality. The name makes its bearer unique. Its first usage is early in Genesis. In fact, it is our opening passage above. Let’s examine this passage:
Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Genesis 2:10-14
It is interesting that in this passage, we don’t just see the word once, we see it three times. And each occurrence refers to one of the four rivers flowing out of the Eden. Once again, this seems to be a strange study. Why do we care about the word name, and how it was first used to talk about a couple of rivers? While a bit complex, the answer is straightforward. We care because of the underlying nature of this aspect of the creation story. You see, immediately preceding this passage, we find the following:
The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:8-9
So these rivers were formed by God in order to water His beautiful garden, including the trees of life and the knowledge of good and evil. These were life-bringing rivers. And this aspect of His creation was so important to God that these were the very first things called out by their unique names in the entirety of scripture. Let that sink in a little… Selah.
But this is not all! Reading just a few verses brings us to the second major use of the word name…
And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
Genesis 2:18-20
You see, the first man (Adam) was given his very first task – to name each of God’s creatures in order to give it distinction – to make it unique! Every one of God’s creatures was named individually by Adam. This must have been an incredibly special and moving naming ceremony! But you see, the naming didn’t stop there. Only a few verses later, we read:
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
Genesis 2:21-23
And:
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Genesis 3:20
Adam was given the opportunity to name that person most special to him in all of creation – his wife, Eve. And this from two perspectives – he called her kind “woman” (אִשָּׁה [’išâ]) and he called her as a specific individual “Eve” (חַוָּה [ḥawwâ]). But let’s look just a little deeper… God named the life giving rivers and recorded those names first of all His creation. Adam named his wife Eve, which means “life giver”, as she was the mother of all the living. All the living creatures? No; all the living people. People that were made in God’s image. Do you see it? The first unique and special names were reserved for things that give life! This is very important. We should not miss it! Because the enemy of God, Satan certainly understands it, as we will soon see.
Let’s look at another couple of special instances of name and names in the scripture.
Upon bringing Abram out of the land of Ur of the Chaldeans, God promised to make Abram’s name great:
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2
And soon thereafter, God actually changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and his wife’s name (Sarai) to Sarah:
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
Genesis 17:5Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
Genesis 17:15
Does this strike you as amazing? That the ruler of ALL creation would personally change the names of His individual creatures to something more appropriate? To me, this is the greatest of honors! In fact, God even names His son prior to His dominion on the Earth. We read, in the writings of the Prophet Isaiah:
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Jesus was indeed Immanuel – God with us. And He is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. In fact, in addressing the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish body, the apostle Peter said this:
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:8-12
Do you see the power and strength of the Name? There can be no doubt that the Lord holds names as not only important, but as sacred for His purposes. Our Father even has a special name that He uses for Himself:
Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM (הָיָה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה).” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.'” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
Exodus 3:13-15
You see, our God and Creator is unique above all! And He has chosen a name that captures that uniqueness – I AM. In fact, He has given Himself other names as well, in order for us to know Him better. Our God desires for us to know Him! Hallelujah!
And finally, if you are one of God’s children, if you overcome the evil one in these last days, you will receive a special name from the Savior Himself:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.“‘
Revelation 2:17
I greatly desire this stone, and my new name. And I greatly desire the giver of my new name!
However; this post is not about our new names. Nor is it about God’s name, or that of our Savior. In fact, we must now turn a corner and begin to understand our adversary. Because he too understands the power of a name. And those that miss this fact will also misunderstand much of what we see happening around us today.
COVID 19
In December, 2019, a novel coronavirus allegedly originated as a jump from bat to human in a wet market in the large city of Wuhan, the capital city of the Hubei province of China. It is very likely that this story regarding the virus’ origin is false, but we will not address other possibilities, as this is not our primary concern. What is our concern is the nature of the virus – and its name.
While there is much misinformation (and disinformation) being spread regarding the virus, there is much that we believe that we know about it. This virus enters the respiratory system and attacks the cells, causing them to envelop the virus and accept its RNA. Then the virus forces the cell to reproduce more virus cells, and to produce proteins effectively protecting the virus against the body’s defenses against it. Ultimately, if the effect on the body is extreme, the victim will either succumb to the virus’ specific attack through damage to the lungs, or to complications stemming from a greatly weakened immune system or its response. The virus literally hijacks the lungs and denies the body its source of life giving oxygen. Let’s examine the family to which this virus belongs.
When we first heard of Covid-19, it was called by another name: the Wuhan novel corona virus. The name Wuhan, of course, came from the Chinese city where it was first found; novel because it was a new strand, and corona virus because that is the name of this particular viral family. Why Corona? Because of the shape of the virus. The following is a picture of corona virus:
And here is a diagram from https://thebulletin.org/coronavirus/ showing its structure.
Do you see the resemblance to a crown? This is the structure that gives Corona Virus its family name. Corona, comes from a Latin word meaning garland, halo or crown. This is, indeed, the crown virus. In the scripture, the crown is used to symbolize someone that is “set apart”, or holy. In its first use, the crown is designated for use by Aaron in the role that God provided for him in the priesthood:
You shall put the turban on his
head, and put the holy crown on the turban. And you shall take
the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. Then you shall bring
his sons and put tunics on them. And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and
his sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a
perpetual statute. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Exodus 29:6-9
We will return to this thought later.
As mentioned earlier, the virus allegedly originated in Wuhan at a wet market. A Chinese wet market is a place where live animals are sold, killed and butchered. A quick examination of the name Wuhan would appear to lead to some very interesting coincidences. However; the author does not believe in coincidence. All is planned; Including the name of the site chosen as the origin of the Novel Coronavirus.
In Mandarin, Wuhan is a composite name. It is made up of two words, wu and han. Let’s examine the meaning of the name of this city.
- Wu (武) means “martial”, “military”, or “war-like”. It is, itself, a compound word consisting of two pictographs. The first is 止 (zhi), which means “foot”, to walk or to stop. The other pictograph is 戈 (gē) which means “spear”. It could be used to describe a military expedition, or an attempt at just (righteous) war – to “stop the spear”.
- Han (汉) simply means man.
Therefore, we have Wuhan meaning a man of war, or military man. This is contextually incredibly interesting, as Wuhan was historically the site of the 1911 Wuchang uprising which ultimately led to the downfall of the Qing dynasty, and to the establishing of the Communist Republic of China. Please don’t just pass this by. Wuhan was the city from which the Communist Chinese government reputedly originated. The city of the man of war.
The name Wuhan, however, gets even more interesting when examined from another perspective. The language of our most ancient scripture is Hebrew. And from this writer’s perspective, Hebrew is the language by which all others should be measured. If it is possible to read a word from any other language in Hebrew, we should at least take note of its meaning. And this word is no exception.
In Hebrew, the writing is right to left. Also, there are no vowels in Hebrew – just vowel markings added for the reader to be able to appropriately pronounce the word. So Wuhan, when read in Hebrew, would be (in our version, left to right) ‘nhw’. In the Hebrew aleph-beth, the letter with the w shape is actually a “shin” and is pronounced as “sh”. Thus, in Hebrew, it would be written (right to left) as: נָחָשׁ (nahash). This word appears extremely early in scripture. In fact, it is the third word in the third chapter of the first book of the Bible. Genesis 3:1:
Now the serpent was more cunning
than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the
woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the
garden’?”
Genesis 3:1
Do you see it? נָחָשׁ (Nahash) is none other than our adversary, the serpent. Do you see it? Nahash is the same as the man of war, the city of rebellion, and ultimately the originating city of the Chinese Communist government. My friends, this is the height of irony. Yet, it is in our adversary’s character to advertise his will and influence in man’s affairs without us recognizing it. This is something that he takes great pleasure in; as by doing so, he can attempt to mimic the nature of God. And yet, as a created being, he falls well short of his intentions.
One of the most notable theories of origin for the novel coronavirus is that the virus passed from a bat to a pangolin, and then to a human. Many of my readers have likely never heard of a pangolin. This creature exists primarily in Asia and Africa. It is a scaly creature that resembles a large armadillo. It is seen as a delicacy and is used for traditional medicinal purposes in Asia. So we have the following path of viral evolution:
Please see: https://heavy.com/news/2020/04/pangolins-bats-humans-covid19-coronavirus-china/
It is interesting to note that dragons and serpents of lore have wings like bats and scales like pangolins. Is this another way for our adversary to identify himself as the creator of our current pandemic?
In China, the dragon is revered. It is seen as lucky, benevolent and extremely powerful. Ancient Chinese emperors were called sons of dragons. And yet, the Bible gives a very different picture of the dragon. Was God speaking specifically of a dragon when He addressed Job in the book of Job, chapter 41?
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,
Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
Can you put a reed through his nose,
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
Will he make many supplications to you?
Will he speak softly to you?
Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him as a servant forever?
Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you leash him for your maidens?
Will your companions make a banquet of him?
Will they apportion him among the merchants?
Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle—
Never do it again!
Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false;
Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.
Who then is able to stand against Me?
Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him?
Everything under heaven is Mine.
“I will not conceal his limbs,
His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
Who can remove his outer coat?
Who can approach him with a double bridle?
Who can open the doors of his face,
With his terrible teeth all around?
His rows of scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal;
One is so near another
That no air can come between them;
They are joined one to another,
They stick together and cannot be parted.
His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
Out of his mouth go burning lights;
Sparks of fire shoot out.
Smoke goes out of his nostrils,
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes out of his mouth.
Strength dwells in his neck,
And sorrow dances before him.
The folds of his flesh are joined together;
They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
His heart is as hard as stone,
Even as hard as the lower millstone.
When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail;
Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
He regards iron as straw,
And bronze as rotten wood.
The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones become like stubble to him.
Darts are regarded as straw;
He laughs at the threat of javelins.
His undersides are like sharp potsherds;
He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
He makes the deep boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
He leaves a shining wake behind him;
One would think the deep had white hair.
On earth there is nothing like him,
Which is made without fear.
He beholds every high thing;
He is king over all the children of pride.”
Job 41
This description is indeed the stuff of legends. Any of my readers that have seen the movie trilogy “Lord of the Rings” and the Hobbit might immediately visualize the terrifying dragon Smaug while reading this scripture passage. This author knows of no better description of a dragon in any reputable book. But the Bible does not stop there.
While this beast written of in Job a is real physical being, scripture also gives us what appear to be allegorical glimpses of this evil beast:
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
Revelation 12:1-5
This is no benevolent being. Its intention is none other than the destruction of God’s holy Messiah, our precious Savior, Jesus. But does the Bible identify this creature? Indeed, it does:
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:7-9
The dragon described here is our adversary, Satan himself! Therefore, in Wuhan we have the following: Left to right, we have the man of war. Right to left, we have the serpent, Satan in the ancient scriptural language. Could this be a mimicry of the true God/Man Messiah, our Lord Jesus? Selah.
So Corona is a crown and Wuhan is the man of war/serpent entity. What about the word “novel”? Novel simply means new. This is an important concept. On the surface, it makes perfect sense. This was a “new” strand of the virus. But looking deeper, it may actually mean something else entirely.
The word for “new” in Hebrew is חָדָשׁ (ḥâḏâš). Here is the Hebrew definition:
h2319. חָדָשׁ ḥâḏâš; from 2318; new: — fresh, new thing.
And its root:
h2318. חָדַשׁ ḥâḏaš; a
primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild: — renew, repair.
AV (10) – renew 7, repair 3; to be new, renew, repair
The Hebrew word suggests that it describes not just a “new” thing, but a “renewed” thing. Here is the first mention of the word new (חָדָשׁ) in scripture:
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
Exodus 1:8-11
This is quite interesting. The first mention of new, from which all else should be benchmarked, is not a positive passage. Instead, it describes an evil king that did not know God or Israel, but chose to put the holy people in bondage. This was a “new” king, with a “new” plan of subjugation! This thought will play into our discussion a little later…
It is interesting to note that the very next mention of חָדָשׁ occurs in the Levitical Law, where God tells Moses to institute the Feast of Weeks, or what we more commonly know as “Pentecost”. I’ll let my reader research the new thing that happened on Pentecost two thousand years ago! God’s new things are perfect!
So from a basic scriptural Hebrew perspective, the word new (novel) describes a situation where something is changed or made fresh, and its first use was an evil one aimed at persecuting God’s people. But what would happen if we transliterated the word “novel” into Hebrew? What would that mean?
The word novel, when transliterated into Hebrew is נָבֵל (nāḇēl), which means to wither, languish or fade. It describes something wearing out or dying. Do you see it? This is a new thing intent on wearing something out to the death. Further, this is the root for a closely related word: נָבָל (nâḇâl) which means stupid, wicked and foolish. My reader might remember a story in the book of First Samuel, where a man named Nabal dishonored David after David and his companions protected this man’s sheep and goats. The story is found in 1 Samuel 25. If it were not for Nabal’s wise wife, the man’s entire estate would have been destroyed. And what was the meaning of the man’s name? “Fool”!
Thus, novel, when transliterated into Hebrew, describes something that is wicked, evil and foolish which causes a withering, languishing and ultimately death. Does this sound like the Wuhan Coronavirus?
But my reader might be saying, “I thought Hebrew was read right to left. Didn’t we do that with the previous word?” Yes, we did. So it makes sense to do it again. The word novel, when read right to left in Hebrew becomes: לָבָן (lâḇân), which means “white”. While there are some interesting ideas regarding the word “white” when considered in the context of the Coronavirus, I will let my readers ponder that. Instead, I will consider the other scriptural reference to Laban. You see, Laban was a man written of in scripture. He was the father of Leah and Rachel, and made a wedding contract with Jacob (Israel) for the price of marrying his daughters. The story is found in Genesis 29. Why is this interesting? Because Laban tried to plunder Jacob, his son-in-law. Only God kept Laban from taking and keeping what rightly belonged to Israel. Just like God kept David from destroying Nabal (through Nabal’s honorable wife), and just like God rescued Israel from the clutches of the “new” Egyptian king and his offspring. The novel Wuhan Coronavirus just keeps getting more interesting.
In summary of the origin of the Novel Coronavirus, we have:
- The stated city of origin is named after the man of war/serpent,
- The evolution of the virus is believed to have taken on characteristics of a dragon,
- The virus itself is in a family that has a name characteristic of royalty and divinity – the halo and crown,
- And it is described as something wicked and new that causes withering, languishing and death.
But we are not finished. The actual name of our pandemic is COVID 19. How did it get this name, and why was it so highly publicized when it was finally named?
On February 11, 2020, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the name of the current disease pandemic. The announced name was COVID 19. It is very likely that this was the most highly publicized disease name announcement in the history of disease. Why is that? Why would it be so very important to make an international announcement regarding the name of a disease – pandemic or not? The stated reason for the announcement had distinctly political undertones. This is a part of the transcript of the WHO Director General’s speech, dated February 11, 2020:
“Under agreed guidelines between WHO, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, we had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease.
Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing. It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.”
There had to be a name that was not “stigmatizing”. At the time, there was a deep feeling of distrust towards the Communist leadership in China, for many reasons. And likely due to intense pressure from the Chinese government, the WHO was attempting to distance the disease from its origin. Regardless of anyone’s feelings about this decision, it is certainly understandable. So the disease ended up with a very generic name. Again; this is from the official transcript of Tedros’ remarks:
“…we now have a name for the disease: COVID-19. I’ll spell it: C-O-V-I-D hyphen one nine – COVID-19.”
COVID is supposed to stand for “Corona Virus Disease”, and the number 19 designated the year of origin, 2019. A very inconspicuous and truly non-noteworthy name. That is, unless you speak Hebrew.
In Hebrew, the word COVID would be written (again, without vowels) as KVD. In the Hebrew language, it is כֹּבֶד (kōḇeḏ). כֹּבֶד means heavy – a weight, a multitude or a great number. Its root is כָּבַד (ḵâḇaḏ), which can have either good or bad connotations; either heavily burdensome or severe, or on the other hand, highly honored or noble. It can also be used in a prideful sense, to gain glory for oneself. This is very interesting and noteworthy, and we will connect it all a little later.
Here is the first Instance of the root word כָּבַד in scripture:
Abram was very rich (כָּבַד) in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 13:2-4
In this case, the context describes Abram as being “heavy in riches”. This is a positive honor for a man God blessed. But now let us look at a significantly different use of כָּבַד.
Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
But the hand of the LORD was heavy (כָּבַד) on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
1 Samuel 5:1-6
Do you see how this word can relate to a significant heaviness, either good or bad? Covid is a deep and heavy burden, brought about by an evil plan. And yet, in a sense, it is being used to bring honor (כָּבַד) to the evil one. I will let my reader ponder that thought. Selah.
It is interesting to note exactly what Tedros said in his virus naming ceremony. Here it is again:
“…we now have a name for the disease: COVID-19. I’ll spell it: C-O-V-I-D hyphen one nine – COVID-19.”
Did you catch the strange word? When I first published this entry, I had missed it. He said the word “hyphen”. Why would he need to do that? Isn’t it a given, upon publishing it in writing, that the hyphen is there? Why would Tedros feel a need to add that detail to his speech? Truthfully, I suspect that he never gave it a thought. The word just rolled off of his tongue. But that does not mean that it is not important. Does “hyphen” have a meaning in Hebrew?
Once again, disregarding vowels (which are not historically written in Hebrew), there is indeed a Hebrew word that transliterates to hyphen. It is: חֹפֶן (ḥōp̱en). This word means the “hollow of the hand”. It is the part used to slap, or to pick up a “handful”. In fact, the first mention of this word follows
So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls (חֹפֶן) of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
Exodus 9:8
This is a very strange command. Throw a handful of ashes from a furnace toward the heavens… for what? What could possibly be the reason? The Lord answers this question as we expand the context a bit…
So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 9:8-9, NKJV
In other words, it would become a plague on the land. A plague. “Covid-” now becomes כֹּבֶד חֹפֶן – a “heavy hand” that delivers the plague. Selah.
But what about the number 19? Surely that is an innocent and straightforward indication of the year, isn’t it? On the surface, that would certainly be the case. But in the spiritual world, numbers have great meaning. In past blog entries, I have included discussions regarding numerology. There is an extremely important balance to maintain when dealing with the topic of numerology. It is easy to cross the line between spiritual discernment and spiritual mysticism or soothsaying. The former, discernment is very important in understanding what God is willing for us to understand, while the latter moves from God’s will to our own – trying to understand the deeper things of the spiritual world without the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Understanding this, it is my goal to help my reader recognize the adversary’s schemes in order to readily discern the signs of the times, and to receive God’s wisdom regarding our response.
The number 19 is extremely important to those immersed in numerology, including the Jewish Kabballah (spiritual mysticism). There are many reasons for this, beginning with the fact that 19 is a prime number (only divisible by itself and 1). Next, the number itself starts and ends with the first and the last number (1 and 9), and so it communicates the essence of completion. Similarly, adding the digits together results in a value of 10, and doing so again results in a final value of 1, which symbolizes a return to the beginning. So this number, the number 19, is intended to convey the closure of one chapter in order to move to the next – a renewal. A “new” or novel thing.
Do you see it? Regardless of where my reader stands with regard to this symbolism, it is crucial to recognize that the enemy not only promotes these mystical thought processes, but also communicates through them. This is the Serpent’s way of saying that he is starting something new. The author’s personal belief is that he is attempting to close the chapter of the church, to destroy the body of Christ and start his own era.
Do you remember the dragon we read about earlier? The revelation of our Lord is clear that this dragon means no good to the people of God:
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
The Woman Persecuted
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:7-17
And so, our summary of the Covid-19 name follows:
- Covid means:
- A significant heaviness.
- A grievous burdensome weight.
- A high (often self induced) honor.
- A large multitude.
- 19 signifies:
- The power of the prime.
- A close to one chapter in order to open another-
- A new beginning.
Have you noticed that when God names something it brings life, but when Satan names something, it brings death? Our enemy’s intent is to start a new chapter – his chapter, gaining honor through a burdensome weight that he is bringing on God’s creation. But my friends, we have the upper hand. We know that this adversary will NOT prevail!
You see, God has said that He would do a new thing too…
Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
“I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Isaiah 42:5-9 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Revelation 21:1-5
In The Art of War, a timeless classic, the Chinese warrior General and military strategist Sun Tzu writes:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
This is very good strategic advice written by a man of war. What does this have to do with us? Everything. For we are also people of war. And the Bible says that we should not be ignorant of our adversary’s schemes:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:10-20…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Therefore, it is important for us to understand what our Lord is doing, understand who we are and our role as His people, and to understand what the adversary is doing. Not to become overwhelmed by the gravity of it all, but to begin to see our Lord’s strategies – both for His army (and bride) and for ourselves personally.
This author believes that the novel Wuhan Coronavirus, Covid-19 represents a major play by our adversary – one that has far more sinister implications than we have seen globally this year. God’s will is for us to understand the times and to understand the environment in the battle. But it is also God’s will for us to know who we are in the battle, and to be confident of God’s victory and of our role in that victory.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:8-11
Yes – we may suffer a while! And why not? Didn’t our Savior and Lord suffer? Didn’t the martyrs that paved the way for the Gospel before us suffer? But after the suffering comes a strengthening and perfection and a confident comfort. Amen!
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
Philippians 1:29-30My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
James 5:10-11For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
My friends, the time of the end is near! My friends – do not harden your heart during these times, but be vigilant and watchful, resting on God’s Word! Respond to Him in faith while you can – while it is still called “today”!
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.'”Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Hebrews 3:7-15
Our response to these times must be prayer – for the church, for discernment, wisdom and strength. My friends, I urge you to pray fervently for all of these. And pray for an extremely rich final harvest in these last days! Our Lord’s coming is close at hand – “Come Lord Jesus, Maranatha!”
May God richly bless you in your study of His precious Word during these perilous times!
YouJi