Nearly half of the country believes that the sweeping and deadly coronavirus is a “wake-up call” from God, and one-third see it as the “last days” predicted in the Bible, according to a new national survey.
The key finding in the Joshua Fund’s survey, provided exclusively to Secrets, is a feeling in the country that people need to embrace faith and return to religion.
Some 44% said the virus crisis is a “wake-up call for us to turn back to faith in God” and “signs of coming judgment,” said the Joshua Fund, a charitable organization created to mobilize Christians to “bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus.”
Joel C. Rosenberg, a bestselling author who created the fund with his wife, Lynn Rosenberg, told us: “Americans in near full lockdown are anxious, and understandably so. Yet millions are turning to God, the Bible, and Christian sermons for answers, some of them for the first time. That may be the most important silver lining in this crisis so far.”
What does the Bible teach about pestilence, plagues & global pandemics? So many are asking that @TheJoshuaFund and I have published a fact sheet for pastors, ministry leaders, lay people and the media. Feel free to quote and share. (and new poll #s soon) https://t.co/BpttmrazRo
— Joel C. Rosenberg (@JoelCRosenberg) March 29, 2020
In the poll, conducted by the nationally recognized McLaughlin & Associates, one-third of respondents said they fear the end really is near. The Joshua Fund said that “29% said they believe that this crisis indicates that ‘We are living in what the Bible calls the ‘last days.’”
Those who agreed with last days prediction:
- 30% of Jewish Americans
- 30% of Democrats
- 39% of Republicans
- 40% of African Americans
- 50% of Hispanics
The survey also noted that 22% of self-identified non-Christian respondents and 40% of Christians said the crisis has resulted in more interest in God and spiritual matters.
Rosenberg, best known for writing about worst-case scenarios and pandemics, said, “The results are clear: This unprecedented global crisis is causing Americans to start reading the Bible and listen to Bible teaching and Christian sermons online, even though they usually don’t, search online for teaching on Bible prophecy and God’s future for mankind, and/or engage in more spiritual conversations with family and friends.”
