A part of the evangelical Christians is confident that a preacher had predicted the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic in 1986. Even though there is no evidence backing the claim that David Wilkerson ever spoke or wrote the words, believers have bee quoting him since the start of the pandemic.
Wilkerson was the founding pastor of the Times Square Church and was known for his passionate sermons and many books he published before getting killed in a car accident in 2011. He enjoyed a rise in popularity due to the rumors regarding his predictions.
The Christian-Zionist organization named the Jerusalem Prayer Team quoted the alleged prophecy in a post on Facebook that went viral on the social media platform. "I see a plague coming on the world and the bars and church and government will shut down," Wilkerson is alleged to have stated while having breakfast during a meeting with Dr. Mike Evans in 1986.
Believers Claim Wilkerson Predicted COVID-19 in 1986
"The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world," the post alleged that he said.
YouTuber Paul Begley who believes that the Bible predicted the end of the world and it is going to come soon said, "Well [Wilkerson] was right, the plague has come and it's COVID-19. It hit New York City first and shook that city to its core. Now it's spreading across America and around the world. It came out of Wuhan, China, and it has done exactly that," as reported by the Daily Star.
Despite the widespread stories about the prophecy, there is almost no evidence backing it. Fact-checking organization PolitiFact had checked with the Times Square Church, as it stated that the church is not aware of any writing of the pastor mentioning the lines.
The deadly virus outbreak has created a major stir around the world in recent times infecting more than 24.8 million people globally and claimed the lives of over 837,000 people worldwide in more than 170 nations.
