Toilet paper and the black horse

Panic buying in a crisis

What do toilet paper, hand sanitizer, rice, milk powder and a black horse all have in common?  Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, rice and milk powder have all been the objects of panic buying in Australia this last week because of the latest scare with the Corona virus.  A couple of days ago, Cathi and I went shopping at a local supermarket and went to the toilet paper aisle to see if there was any toilet paper to buy.  Of course there was hardly any available and a limit had been put on its purchase.  We managed to buy the last two packets and ironically we managed to get one of the packets for free because they had overcharged us.  We are always glad to get a discount but that was highly unusual considering the panic buying of toilet paper and other items this last week. It reminded me of how God can provide wonderfully even in times of panic buying.  He is above all situations.

Even my mum in Perth sent me an urgent text asking me if I had managed to buy toilet paper.  She had bought 60 rolls of toilet paper, long life milk, boxes of food, rice, pasta and powdered milk.  People are funny creatures – they act with a herd mentality.  When one of the herd panics because of a perceived threat even if it is not real, then the whole herd panics likewise and runs even though they don’t know why they are running.  I am sure that many people were simply buying toilet paper because everybody else was – doesn’t matter if the reason is valid or not.  Let’s not worry about how serious the Corona virus is or not.  “Supply and demand” is one of the most basic economic forces in life.  When supply is limited, demand goes up and prices rise – inflation.  When supply is ample, demand goes down and prices fall – deflation.  

The black horse of Revelation

So in comes the proverbial black horse…

What has a black horse got to do with all this talk on inflation, supply and demand, toilet paper and the Bible?  After all, these blogs have a common theme of watching and praying and preparing the church for the imminent return of Jesus Christ for the consummation of the age.  Well Revelation 6:1-8 talks about the four horses which represent the first four seals.  These seals are all opened in the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation, the beginning of birth pains.  The fourth horse is described in Rev. 6:5 as being a black horse with a rider holding a pair of scales.  Therein is the hint.  The pair of scales represents supply and demand – the ever present and underlying force or rule in economics.  Buying and selling are inextricably linked with supply and demand.  One goes down, the other goes up.  At the end during that first 3 ½ year period, there will be a time when there is panic buying.  Maybe it will be toilet paper again, who knows.  But one thing we do know is that it will be basic commodities like wheat and barley resulting in staples like bread that will be highly priced due to inflation.  There is no doubt hyperinflation will occur at this time.  Verse 6 says that a man will have to work for a whole day for a quart of wheat equivalent to about 1 kg of flour.  At the time, this was like a tenfold increase in prices or 1000% inflation rate.  The day’s wage is literally a denarius silver coin in the Greek which was a day’s wage at the time.  Maybe that’s also a hint that we will go back to using gold and silver once again.  But that’s another story.

No need to panic

So what is the application for us today?  I believe we are being prepared slowly and surely for the end.  God is gracious and these virus pandemics and toilet paper panic buying are like shots over the bow to warn us.  The screws are slowly being turned and things are slowly heating up but it is amazing how quickly we adjust.  What should we do?  

We should watch and pray and take note of these signs of the times just like it says in Luke 21:36.  Yes, buy your paper, but consider that we are indeed heading towards a cataclysmic end and as Christians we need to be aware.  Of all peoples we have a heads up.  We don’t need to panic because we have the hope that God can provide for us in all circumstances just like He provided for us with a free packet of toilet paper when we least expected it and when the prices could have been sky high due to the economic principle of supply and demand.  God is the great provider even in times of trouble.  We just need to trust Him and look to Him as being our ever present help in trouble at the end.  No need to worry – He will guide us to the safe place. Listen to God’s great escape plan in Daniel 11:36-45 that talks about the safe place and where it is.