As the disruptions of the COVID-19 event persist, there is a widespread desire to return to previous ways of life. Many feel frustrated by restrictions and are eager to regain some semblance of pre-COVID-19 normalcy, despite varying opinions on the medical risks versus the economic and social impacts of isolation. In some areas, restrictions are lifting, while in others, protests are emerging. Regarding the severity of COVID-19, God's promises encompass both perspectives. If one views COVID-19 as a devastating infectious disease, God's word in Leviticus 26:25 states that He sends pestilence among the rebellious gathered in cities. Additionally, Leviticus 26:16 mentions wasting disease and fever, a primary symptom of viral infections, as part of His response to rebellion. This nation has faced various pestilences like swine flu, bird flu, West Nile virus, SARS, MERS, and the annual flu, alongside historical epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, which highlight a recurring pattern of such afflictions. Conversely, if one believes COVID-19 is an overreaction akin to seasonal flu, driven by irrational fear, God's promises in Leviticus 26:36 speak of instilling faintness in hearts, causing people to flee at the slightest disturbance. Regardless of the perspective, God claims responsibility for these circumstances, urging a national and individual response to recognize His hand rather than engage in disputes. COVID-19 also contributes to economic curses as described in God's word. With millions unemployed and the government creating vast sums of fiat money, long-term economic damage looms. The food supply chain faces disruptions due to outbreaks at processing plants, leading to unsold meat and plowed-under crops, mirroring the curse in verse 31 where livestock and wealth are rendered unusable. Farmers are dumping milk, discarding eggs, and killing chickens due to the inability to sell, reflecting a time of scarcity amid plenty as supply chains fail to deliver food to consumers. These disruptions, by God's design, challenge normalcy and remind the nation of its dependence on Him. Even as restrictions ease, the true threat lies not in the disease or governmental responses, but in ignoring God, who determines the nation's fate. As the nation rejects Him, a decline in quality of life is expected, for He is not obligated to bless a people who deny their need for Him.

The pandemic is a subject that the message approaches by focusing on what it signifies for God's church rather than on origins, mandates, responses, narratives, or treatments. A series of reflections drawn from the Bible presents lessons, principles, and scenarios as lenses through which to view the pandemic. The first reflection illustrates the need to remain circumspect about what one thinks one knows before experiencing the pandemic, since perspective changes after going through the affliction personally. The second reflection addresses the tendency to limit God regarding how He accomplishes His purposes, noting that God claims the pestilence, plague, fever, inflammation, weakness, and wasting while not specifying the means of sending them, and that these align with what God says He will do when His people reject Him. The third reflection considers the possibility that the pandemic serves as a warning because of misalignment with God, as seen in disruptions to commanded assemblies and the need to respond to calamity by examining one's own ways and repenting. The fourth reflection examines the Job scenario in which affliction occurs without sin as the cause, revealing that God does not answer to man and continues perfecting His creation through suffering. The fifth reflection highlights the benefit of affliction in general, which encourages reflection on shortcomings, creates aversion to wrong behavior, and aids in ceasing from sin. The sixth reflection emphasizes the importance of assembling together while also upholding principles of self-quarantine when contagious as an act of love. The seventh reflection observes that the pandemic felt like a perpetual and amplified Day of Atonement through imposed affliction, imposed weakness, and imposed humbling that underscores dependence on God. These reflections serve as a starting point for considering the pandemic without providing a conclusion.

White House advisor Dr. Fauci stated that handshaking needs to stop even when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. Americans will have to come back gradually from this pandemic and will not be able to return to regular lives immediately. The new normal will include compulsive hand-washing. Handshaking should end indefinitely because it is one of the major ways that respiratory illness can be transmitted. Gregory Poland stated that handshaking is an outdated custom. Many cultures greet one another without touching. Shaking another person's hand exposes one to viruses and bacteria because there is no idea where that hand has been. Alternatives include tilting or bowing the head. Bruce Farber agreed and suggested implementing other ways to greet such as a head bob or wave of a hand. These acts maintain proper distance and avoid contact. Peter Pitts stated that shaking hands transmits germs and viruses as swiftly as kissing and hugging. Until a vaccine against COVID-19 is developed the new normal will have to be verbal greetings and long-sleeved elbow bumps. There is evidence that this is a rapidly-spreading virus and that many have died and will die from it. The solutions that men have applied to it have either purposely or foolishly been making matters worse. There is a cascading effect that is weakening immune systems and destroying the economic and social structure worldwide.

The coronavirus is declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The virus had infected more than 4,600 people with 107 deaths since early last month. On February 4 there were 20,526 confirmed cases worldwide and 426 deaths. On February 11 the death toll rose to 1,016 and there were 42,346 confirmed cases worldwide. On February 18 the death toll rose to 1,868 with 72,436 confirmed cases worldwide. The accuracy of these numbers is unknown. The Chinese government hid information about the virus because it escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology during an accident at a Level-4 biohazard laboratory. China had been weaponizing the virus to make it more virulent, more easily spread, faster to mutate, and potentially more lethal. The Chinese government claimed the virus came from an open-air meat market in Wuhan. The government closed the market and implied the situation was under control. Hospitals were jammed. People were ordered to stay at home and limit contact with others. Some were forced to self-quarantine. The city of Wuhan was shut down. The virus spread far beyond the ability to contain it. The Chinese government reported 28,018 cases and 563 deaths as of February 5. Another 3,694 new cases and 73 additional deaths were reported after that date. The government began burning bodies because there were too many to bury. Trucks filled with body bags drove through the city. Crematoria worked nonstop. A pall of smoke hangs over Wuhan. People were silenced by the government for releasing information and photographs. Videos showed people being dragged from their homes by police. Cities such as Shanghai are now silent with empty streets and an empty port. Wuhan is like a ghost city at night with only ghost-like ambulances transporting patients. Industry is shut down. Factories are silent and empty. Commerce is at a standstill. As many as 50,000 people in Wuhan alone have already died. There are 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in China. Cases are reported in the United States, France, Japan, Africa, and other places. The mortality rate will ultimately prove to be anywhere from 35 percent to 65 percent.