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Plagues In the Bible


We are now living in unprecedented times. Never before in history was a global pandemic that could bring the whole world to a standstill, shutting down entire nations and economies for a prolonged duration!

There are many questions in our hearts and minds as we try to navigate our daily life through this crisis. What does the Bible say about plagues? Is it an act of God or an act of man or other unseen beings? If it is the Lord who sends the plague or allows it to happen, why does He do that? And if it is so, how should the people of God respond?

Amazingly from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, there are numerous scriptural references regarding plagues that provide answers to some of these questions. Therein we can learn many valuable lessons as we journey through this tumultuous time in life.

Genesis 12:17
But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Exodus 7:14-12:30
The Ten Plagues in Egypt

Because Pharaoh refused to end the slavery of God's people and let them go free, the LORD punished him by sending ten plagues into the land of Egypt:

1. Waters Become Blood (Exodus 7:14–25)
2. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
3. Lice (Exodus 8:16-19)
4. Flies (Exodus 8:20-32)
5. Livestock Diseased (Exodus 9:1-7)
6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
7. Hail (Exodus 9:13-35)
8. Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29)
10. Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 12:29-30)

Exodus 30:12
When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.

Exodus 32:35
So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

Leviticus 13:47-59
The Law Concerning Leprous Garments (Self-Isolation For 2 Weeks)

47 “Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment,
48 whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather,
49 and if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a leprous plague and shall be shown to the priest.
50 The priest shall examine the plague and isolate that which has the plague seven days.
51 And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean.
52 He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire.
53 “But if the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather,
54 then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the plague; and he shall isolate it another seven days.
55 Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed; and indeed if the plague has not changed its color, though the plague has not spread, it is unclean, and you shall burn it in the fire; it continues eating away, whether the damage is outside or inside.
56 If the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has faded after washing it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather.
57 But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire that in which is the plague.
58 And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or whatever is made of leather, if the plague has disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean.
59 “This is the law of the leprous plague in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.”

Leviticus 14:1-32
The Ritual for Cleansing Healed Lepers (Procedures For Those Infected & Healed)

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest.
3 And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper,
4 then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water.
6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water.
7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.
8 He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days.
9 But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows—all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.
10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil.
11 Then the priest who makes him clean shall present the man who is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
12 And the priest shall take one male lamb and offer it as a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
13 Then he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the burnt offering, in a holy place; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy.
14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.
16 Then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.
17 And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering.
18 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD.
19 “Then the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.
20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford it, then he shall take one male lamb as a trespass offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, a log of oil,
22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford: one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23 He shall bring them to the priest on the eighth day for his cleansing, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, before the LORD.
24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25 Then he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand.
27 Then the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD.
28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering.
29 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.
30 And he shall offer one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, such as he can afford—
31 such as he is able to afford, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, with the grain offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before the LORD.
32 This is the law for one who had a leprous sore, who cannot afford the usual cleansing.”

Leviticus 14:33-57
The Law Concerning Leprous Houses (Cleaning Procedures For The House)

33 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
34 “When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I put the leprous plague in a house in the land of your possession,
35 and he who owns the house comes and tells the priest, saying, ‘It seems to me that there is some plague in the house,’
36 then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goes into it to examine the plague, that all that is in the house may not be made unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to examine the house.
37 And he shall examine the plague; and indeed if the plague is on the walls of the house with ingrained streaks, greenish or reddish, which appear to be deep in the wall,
38 then the priest shall go out of the house, to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.
39 And the priest shall come again on the seventh day and look; and indeed if the plague has spread on the walls of the house,
40 then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which is the plague, and they shall cast them into an unclean place outside the city.
41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped inside, all around, and the dust that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city.
42 Then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other mortar and plaster the house.
43 “Now if the plague comes back and breaks out in the house, after he has taken away the stones, after he has scraped the house, and after it is plastered,
44 then the priest shall come and look; and indeed if the plague has spread in the house, it is an active leprosy in the house. It is unclean.
45 And he shall break down the house, its stones, its timber, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them outside the city to an unclean place.
46 Moreover he who goes into the house at all while it is shut up shall be unclean until evening.
47 And he who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
48 “But if the priest comes in and examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
49 And he shall take, to cleanse the house, two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
50 Then he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water;
51 and he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and the running water and the living bird, with the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet.
53 Then he shall let the living bird loose outside the city in the open field, and make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.
54 “This is the law for any leprous sore and scale,
55 for the leprosy of a garment and of a house,
56 for a swelling and a scab and a bright spot,
57 to teach when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy.”

Leviticus 26:21
‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.

Numbers 8:19
And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

Numbers 11:33
But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.

Numbers 14:37
those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

Numbers 16:46
So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun.

Numbers 16:47
Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people.

Numbers 16:48
And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.

Numbers 16:49
Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident.

Numbers 16:50
So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

Numbers 25:8
and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.

Numbers 25:9
And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Numbers 25:18
for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.”

Numbers 26:1
The Second Census of Israel
And it came to pass, after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying:

Numbers 31:16
Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 28:21
The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess.

Deuteronomy 28:58-59
58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD,
59 then the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses.

Deuteronomy 28:61
Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed.

Deuteronomy 29:22
so that the coming generation of your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, would say, when they see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses which the LORD has laid on it:

Joshua 22:17
Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

Joshua 24:5
Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.

1 Samuel 4:8
Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

1 Samuel 6:4
Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.

2 Samuel 24:13
So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

2 Samuel 24:15
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.

2 Samuel 24:21
Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”

2 Samuel 24:25
And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

1 Kings 8:37-38
37 “When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is;
38 whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple:

1 Chronicles 21:12
either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the LORD—the plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

1 Chronicles 21:14
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.

1 Chronicles 21:17
And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”

1 Chronicles 21:22
Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the LORD. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”

2 Chronicles 6:28
“When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is;

Psalm 38:11
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my relatives stand afar off.

Psalm 39:10
Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.

Psalm 73:5
They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men.

Psalm 73:14

For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.

Psalm 78:50
He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the plague,

Psalm 89:23
I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him.

Psalm 91:10
No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

Psalm 106:29
Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them.

Psalm 106:30
Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped.

Jeremiah 19:8
I will make this city desolate and a hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues.

Jeremiah 49:17
“Edom also shall be an astonishment; everyone who goes by it will be astonished and will hiss at all its plagues.

Jeremiah 50:13
Because of the wrath of the LORD she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified and hiss at all her plagues.

Hosea 13:14
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes.”

Joel 1:1-4
The Locust Plague in Judah (Wave After Wave)
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, you elders,
And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!
Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell your children about it,
Let your children tell their children,
And their children another generation.
4 What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

Amos 4:10
I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the LORD.

Zechariah 14:12
And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

Zechariah 14:15
Such also shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.

Zechariah 14:18
If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Acts 24:5
For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Revelation 9:18
By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

Revelation 9:20
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

Revelation 11:6
These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

Revelation 15:1
Prelude to the Bowl Judgments

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

Revelation 15:6
And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.

Revelation 15:8
The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Revelation 16:9
And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

Revelation 16:21
And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

Revelation 18:8
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

Revelation 21:9
The New Jerusalem

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

Revelation 22:18
A Warning

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

Today, there are many false prophets and teachers abounding inside the churches. Many of them have taught that we no longer need to obey the commandments of the Lord. In doing so, many practice lawlessness. Yes, doing what is right in their own eyes! Some of them are infected with the coronavirus, but they still do not want to wear protection masks, observe self-isolation and quarantine procedures, and keep safe distancing from others!

Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

These lawless people also teach others to wage spiritual warfare in the heavenlies, fighting against forces of evil and darkness in high places. A lot of them have propagated many conspiracy theories that have eventually become fake news and false information spreading across many churches! Those Christians following these false teachers, prophets and apostles will soon have to pay a costly price for their foolish ways and presumptuous sins.

In the Ten Plagues in Egypt, Pharaoh called the wise men, the sorcerers and the magicians of Egypt to do something with their enchantments and prayers. But they could not do anything effective!

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah proclaimed a drought in Israel, and there was no rain for more than 3 years! As the people of God wavered between two opinions to follow God or Baal, there was eventually a direct confrontation with the false prophets at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Elijah stood alone against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, but he gained victory as God showed His people who His true prophet was! After that, it began to rain!

When the people of God walk contrary to Him, and are not willing to obey Him, the Lord says that He will send plagues upon them, according to their sins. In 2 Samuel 24:15, God sent a plague that killed 70,000 Israelites because King David had presumptuously conducted a census that was not permitted by God! Even a godly man like David could err against God!

Psalm 91 is a great psalm of protection in a time of plague. But it begins with this : "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Are we living in the shelter of the Most High? Are we abiding in Him? Are we finding rest in the shadow of His wings? Can we truly declare that He alone is our refuge and our place of safety? Is He our God in whom we fully trust?

As of 22 July 2021, there are 191,963,692 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 4,126,555 reported deaths in the world. The death or mortality rate globally is about 2.1%. Most people, especially those who are fully vaccinated, when infected with the coronavirus, will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and are able to recover without any special treatments. In times like these, we need to be thankful to the Lord for watching over us, and giving us His protection and provisions. Thus far, we have survived wondrously because He is forever faithful and just. His mercies continue to flow like a wide river, bringing healing to the nations.

How long will this pandemic last? Nobody knows! But the drought in Israel was three and a half years long (James 5:16-18)! The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, it happened! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain, and the earth began to yield its crops.

How do we respond in this pandemic? We must not blaspheme the name of God as many others have done so because of the plague. He is Sovereign and Almighty, having all power over all plagues and problems. I believe before the Lord answers our prayers, and stops the plague, we must first heed His voice. We must repent from our evil ways, and begin to give Him glory.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

We, who are called by His name, must humble ourselves, and pray. We must seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways! If we do so, the Lord promises that He will hear from heaven. He will also forgive our sins, and heal our land.

Now is the time to intercede on behalf of the nations, standing between the dead and the living. No more declaring, decreeing, and demanding this and that to happen, but humbly praying and pleading before the Lord.

Numbers 16:48
And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.


Written on: 22 July 2021