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Saturday, March 21, 2020

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: 3.21.20 - several articles


Coronavirus: The Good News - By Tré Goins-Phillips -
 
Have I washed my hands enough today? Am I carrying the coronavirus right now and I just don't know it? Have I crossed paths with someone who's infected? What about my job? How bad will the economy get? Life in the middle of a pandemic can be a little jarring - especially with all the negative news and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus.
 
While there is now - and always will be - plenty to be concerned about, I've quickly found out it's really important, perhaps now more than ever, to find and savor the things worth celebrating. As it turns out, not all of the news is bad news.
 
So here's a list of 13 good news stories relating to the novel coronavirus:
 
1. Wuhan, which was the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic, has closed the last of its 16 temporary coronavirus hospitals because there aren't enough patients to keep them open.
 
2. Dutch researchers have discovered a human antibody they believe "offers potential for prevention and treatment of COVID-19." The lead researcher, Berend-Jan Bosch, made clear, though, it is "still too soon" to know when it might be workable on people.
 
3. A 103-year-old woman in Wuhan has become the oldest person to beat the novel coronavirus. She recovered only six days after being admitted to the hospital.
 
American in Spain Talks About National Lockdown During Coronavirus Pandemic: 'Everything Is Just Deserted'
 
4. All the Apple stores in China have reopened after being closed for one month amid the height of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
 
5. The Cleveland Clinic has developed a drive-through coronavirus test that can give patients results in one day.
 
6. South Korea is finally seeing a decline in the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus, though it should be noted they have seen an emerging cluster in Seoul.
 
7. Experts observing the heartbreaking situation in Italy are surmising that the catastrophic number of critical cases is due, at least in part, to the country's aging population.
 
8. Israeli researchers are close to announcing the development of a coronavirus vaccine. However, a lengthy process of pre-clinical and clinical trials will have to come before it's available to the public.
 
9. Over the weekend, the governor of Maryland announced the first three people in the state to have confirmed cases of coronavirus have recovered.
 
10. A group of scientists in Canada have successfully isolated and grown copies of the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolating the virus, researchers said, will help in developing vaccines and treatment regimens.
 
Amazon Sees Spike in Shopping, Warns Customers of Delays and Shortages
 
11. A biotech company in San Diego says it has identified a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Arcturus Therapeutics is working with Duke University and the National University of Singapore to develop the vaccination.
 
12. The health department in Oklahoma has said the first identified patient in Tulsa, a man who had traveled to Italy, has recovered from the coronavirus. The patient has had two negative tests, indicating a total recovery.
 
13. Scientists are finding it may be possible to use the plasma from recently recovered coronavirus patients to treat those who have become severely ill as a result of COVID-19 infections.
 
I hope these stories have been as encouraging to you as they have been to me. We will get through this pandemic. That's not to discount the suffering that will - and already has - come. But in the midst of such a scary and uncertain time, it's important to cling to the good stuff.
 
In the meantime, please continue to pray for our leaders, our medical personnel, those who are suffering from COVID-19 around the world, and remember to extend grace to one another, because we're all learning about this at the same time.

Prophetic implications of Coronavirus-Part II - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
 
There are several aspects of the China coronavirus pandemic that have prophetic underpinnings. It certainly is a type and shadow of an end time pestilence, which could result in a great famine, as prophesied by Christ in Matthew 24:7, "...and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places." Since this coronavirus has been on the radar, there have been some 33 earthquakes in California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, the Carolinas, New York and Maine. But when we are talking about the specifics of prophecy, it is not about America. It is about Israel. We need to remember that. Yes, prophecy affects America and vice versa, and you and I, but it is centered on Israel and the return of Christ.
 
Unpacking coronavirus prophetically takes a discerning heart. Let's look at when coronavirus began accelerating from its origin in China, and the events that were impacting Israel at the time. My friend, White House Correspondent Bill Koenig has kept track of events facilitated by the US that impact Israel for decades. In his book "Eye to Eye-Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel," Bill has mapped out every recent president's attempts at divvying up Israel to foster peace in the Middle East. He has found a pattern. Within 48 hours of a president initiating a peace plan that divides Israel, a natural, economic or political disaster hits the US. President Trump's "Deal of the Century" is no different. When it was announced, Bill and I wondered what event would be triggered.
 
Remember when George W Bush and Ariel Sharon forced Israelis from their homes in Gaza? Katrina formed up in the ocean. Bill Koenig has now documented: Coronavirus begins to spread in China-December 31; Trump-China trade deal signed at White House--January 15; Trump-Deal of the Century presented with map at White House--January 28; Forty minutes after President Trump posts his "deal of the century" map on Twitter for his 71.8 million followers, the Miami Fl., financial district was rocked with a 7.7 earthquake--January 28; The coronavirus expansion begins worldwide--January 28; CDC confirms first human-to-human transmission of coronavirus in US--CNBC- January 31. This is not intended to criticize the President. He is doing a good job. These are just the facts-examples of how prophecy and humans interact.
 
There are a lot of conspiracy theories, fake news, and just plain lies being circulated in cyberspace that foment fear, paranoia, and anxiety. Isn't it enough to look at this global issue from the facts? Yes, this is a prophetic event. It is showing us just how fast your freedom can be shackled. It demonstrates how quickly the world can be locked down in response to a crisis. This China coronavirus is no less than a type and shadow of things to come, and only time and events will tell if it is more than that.
 
My advice: Watch carefully for leaders arising out of the Middle East, especially from Turkey and Iran. Study Daniel 8, Ezekiel 38-39, and Matthew 24. Don't get caught up in the wild-eyed claims and conspiracy theories-they are only there to deceive. Be wise. Take care. Show the love of Christ as your testimony. Remember, you are still here and you will be until the Lord decides to remove you. As Christ said in Matthew 24:13, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." You are washed in the blood of the Lamb. Do not fear!
 
 
 
The coronavirus is dominating the news, but it is difficult to know what to believe.
 
Some think the danger is understated, and others think it is overstated.
 
I am 80 years old with respiratory issues, and I would really like to know the truth.
 
Dr. Ben Carson, a member of Pres. Trump's Coronavirus Task Force, said it "has the potential to be severe."
 
The key word is "potential."
 
I take that to mean the threat is not great, but the threat could become great.
 
So, it is a tough call, God is in control, and we are in his hands.
 
The development of the Coronavirus is disputed, but I believe this to be true: the Coronavirus has spread from China to 80 or more nations, from no reported cases to more than 114,000 confirmed cases, and from one death to more than 4,000 confirmed deaths.
 
The deception is great, and there is good reason to question the accuracy of these statistics.
 
But who could have imagined the business district of some of the world's largest cities suddenly turned into ghost towns with empty streets and no pedestrian traffic; hundreds of planes, trains and busses with very few passengers almost overnight; thousands of prisoners being released from jail for their own protection; businesses with a "no mask, no service" policy; a two-package limit on how much toilet tissue a customer can buy; Israel banning tour groups and asking tourists to leave; restaurants and hotels facing bankruptcy in just a matter of days, etc.?
 
As incredible as it sounds, these things are happening in various parts of the world today.
 
They world has changed a great deal almost overnight.
 
On Mar. 2, 2020, the White House released a photo of Vice Pres. Mike Pence bowing his head in prayer at a coronavirus task force team meeting.
 
Pence was strongly criticized for praying, and some called it useless.
 
Who can blame God for letting the coronavirus spread among people that criticize prayer and think it is worthless?
 
Rev. Franklin Graham thanked Vice Pres. Pence and asked others to join them in prayer.
 
The U.S. needs prayer; and if enough of God's people will pray, a solution can be found for this crisis.
 
God can bring good out of all things, and good can come from this crisis (Rom. 8:28).
 
It has been reported that 80% of the medicine and 97% or more of the antibiotics that are used in the U.S. are made in China.
 
It has also been reported that China has said if the U.S. boycotts products made in China, the Chinese will stop the sale of medicines, antibiotics, masks, etc. to the U.S.
 
The fact that most of America's antibiotics are made in China and that nation is willing to stop the shipment of those medicines to the U.S. during a crisis means the U.S. is in trouble.
 
This is one result of outsourcing our jobs and globalism.
 
It is blackmail, a threat to our way of life and something our nation badly needs to reverse.
 
On Mar. 2, 2020. Pres. Trump said the U.S. needs to manufacture the medicines and supplies that are used in the U.S. in our own nation.
 
He said the U.S. started working on this about a year ago and because of some of the policies he has already implemented, some companies have already started working on manufacturing our medicines in our own country; but we need to carry through on that.
 
Perhaps God is blessing America and we didn't know it.
 
Finally, globalists, China, the U.S. Federal Reserve and others have started using the fact that the coronavirus can live for several days on paper money to promote a cashless society.
 
Some banks are sanitizing money before it is distributed to help prevent the spread of the virus.
 
There have even been reports that China burned paper money to destroy the virus.
 
Some are urging people to use digital money whenever possible.
 
Many Bible prophecy teachers believe the Antichrist and False Prophet will promote a cashless society to track all buying and selling.
 
If the coronavirus becomes severe, it will still be a little crisis compared to the dangers of a cashless society.
 
The cashless society will wind up killing more than the coronavirus.
Perhaps, God is using this to get the world's attention.
 
He most surely wants people to truly accept Jesus before they die.
 
Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
 
 
Iran's Coronavirus Cover-up - by Majid Rafizadeh - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15744/iran-coronavirus-coverup
 
The Iranian regime continues to decline taking appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that is not only threatening the Iranian population but also people across the region.
 
During a meeting with Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House, President Donald J. Trump offered to help the Iranian authorities fight the coronavirus, but Iranian authorities rejected the offer as "hypocritical" and "repulsive". "We do not need American doctors," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
 
Iran, in its interactions with China, has apparently become a global center for the virus. The head of one hospital in Tehran's Yaftabad said on March 1:
 
"If we had limited the travel of people in Qom, since the epicenter of the illness is in Qom, the spread would not have been so extensive... our mistake was that when we discovered that the contamination is in the city of Qom, we should have quarantined the people there and prevented its spread. If we had done so, the virus would not have spread."
 
Nahid Khodakarami, head of the Health Commission of the Tehran City Council, said recently:
 
"Two weeks ago, I told Dr. Iraj Harirchi and even Dr. Nobakht [head of the parliamentary Health Committee] that Qom must be quarantined, but they did not listen. There must be restrictions placed on Qom... If we had not given priority to the concerns of the clerics, we would have been in a much better situation."
 
Massoud Pezeshkian, an Iranian reformist politician, pointed out:
 
"We should have quarantined Qom from day one. ... This disease is not a joke, which is the way we are dealing with it... The economy and everything will be ruined; it is no joke. What would have happened if they shut down the country for 15 days? If we had done so on the first day, it would not have spread...."
 
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) have taken charge of dealing with the coronavirus by cracking down on any individual or institution that attempts to reveal accurate information about the origins of the virus or how Iran has become an epicenter of the virus which spreads to other nations.
 
Agents of the IRGC and MOIS are reportedly present at hospitals, attending meeting among medical staff, and informing them what they are allowed to reveal and what they are banned from disclosing to the public, the media and the international community.
 
The head of the Health Commission of the Tehran City Council, for example, Nahid Khoda Karami, recently disclosed how she was approached by the IRGC:
 
"Yesterday, I said that in Tehran it is possible that 10,000 people have been infected with coronavirus. The IRGC intelligence unit called me and complained. They asked, why did you provide this number? I said, sir, how long are you going to cover this up? These numbers are being talked about in society and my saying it calms the situation. Let's be transparent with the people. We shouldn't make this disease a security matter. You don't need to call me and ask me why I divulge some figures. I merely provided some experts' opinions. The IRGC intelligence official told me that I should refer the matter to the Health Ministry. I said, OK, we should increase the pressure on the Health Ministry to be more transparent and to openly express themselves and tell people the facts; otherwise our reputation in the world will be eroded."
 
The regime has also threatened to imprison people who provide news about the actual scope of the crisis. Hassan Nowrouzi, the Speaker of the Judiciary Committee of the Parliament, said on February 26 that those who "disseminate fake news regarding coronavirus" will be sentenced from one to three years of imprisonment, and lashes.
 
Even some of Iran's newspapers surprisingly pointed to the restrictions that have been imposed on them concerning what they can report on the virus and what they cannot. The state-run daily Ressalat, for instance, wrote:
 
"With regards to the number of infected nurses, we cannot release any figures. The statistics are completely security related and cannot be revealed. Even the heads of hospitals might not know the number of coronavirus victims. Even if a victim goes to the hospital, the statistics are not given to the hospital supervisor. There is a special private channel and no one but the Health Ministry officials are aware of the numbers."
 
Meanwhile, according to reports, for the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, which begins on March 20, Iran has "temporarily freed" 70,000 prisoners who are said to have tested negative for the virus. Some "wrongfully detained" prisoners, such as activists and journalists, who according to Human Rights Watch, "should not have been in prison in the first place," were released; others, who may or may not have contracted the virus, have not. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is also a British citizen, has said she contracted the virus in Evin Prison, but apparently has not been tested.
 
With their incompetence and attempts to cover up the truth about the coronavirus in Iran, the ruling mullahs have been posing a threat wider than to just its own citizens. Pakistan, for example, which initially left open its nearly 600-mile border with Iran to avoid further damage to its economy, is now trying, among other problems, to track down nearly 8,000 pilgrims who recently returned home from Iran.
 
On March 15, according to Asharq al Awsat, officials at Iran's Health Ministry announced the latest death toll as 724, with the number of people tested positive at 13,938. Satellite images are reportedly showing coronavirus victims' mass graves, large enough to be seen from space.
 
Rabbi Warns Vatican: Return Temple Vessels or Corona-Virus in Rome Worsens - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - www.breakingisraelnews.com
 
"All this, O king, Araunah gives to Your Majesty. And may Hashem your God," Araunah added, "respond to you with favor!" II Samuel 24:23 (The Israel Bible�)
 
As the COVID-19 crisis worsens worldwide, the Nation of Israel requests that the Vatican immediately return to Jerusalem the Temple vessels that have been stored in Rome for nearly 2000 years.
 
Rabbi Levi Sudri, an award-winning Bible expert, noted that a divine message must surely be contained within the coronavirus.
 
"It is clear to everyone that we are living in powerful times," Rabbi Sudri said. "It is our responsibility to understand what God wants from us. We have no prophets today, so we need to do our best to understand."
 
Rabbi Sudri pointed out that the coronavirus began in China and very quickly took hold of Italy in a counter-intuitive manner.
 
"What is the connection between China and Italy?" Rabbi Sudri asked. "They are geographically distant from each other. That is true but they have a spiritual connection in that they are both centers of two different types of idolatry."
 
Italy is, in fact, the country with the second-largest outbreak of coronavirus outside of China with over 21,000 cases reported and over 1,400 deaths. The country's healthcare system has been overwhelmed by the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases, despite a week-long lockdown of the entire nation in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
 
"In Daniel's vision, he spoke of the feet of the idol which is Rome" Rabbi Sudri explained, noting that the distinctive boot shape of Italy hints at this Biblical reference and is referred to in Hebrew as ארץ המגף (eretz hamagaf; land of the boot). Rabbi Sudri noted that the word מגף (magaf; boot) shares the same root as the word מגיפה (magefa; epidemic).
 
"The word 'corona' means crown and that is precisely the issue," Rabbi Sudri said. "Rome stole the crown from Israel, the utensils from the Temple, so they are being struck by the crown virus."
 
Josephus Flavius, a first-century Roman-Jewish scholar of priestly descent, reported that the Temple artifacts were indeed taken to Rome and placed in Vespasian's Temple of Peace, completed in 75 CE.
 
Since that time, there have been several unverified sightings of the Menorah in the Vatican, but most are second-hand or anecdotal claims that point fingers without providing actual proof. In the second half of the 12th century, a Spanish Jew known as Benjamin of Tudela made a tour of the known world, traveling as far east as Mesopotamia. He claims in his journal that the Jews of Rome knew that the Temple vessels were hidden in a cave in the Vatican.
 
"This is a historic opportunity to bring the world to its rightful state and to stop the Coronavirus from devastating humanity. The response of the global political, medical, and scientific communities in the face of the present pandemic is noble and necessary. We ask the Vatican to enable the Nation of Israel to do its true part, beyond the development of vaccines and the effecting of quarantines in which Israel is already engaged.
 
Restoration of the Temple services will crown the Rock and Redeemer of Israel, thus completing the efforts needed to bring about the historic change that humanity now seeks."
 
Rabbi Sudri also made his request in Italian.
 
"De J�rusalem, En ces jours difficiles de pand�mie mondiale du au Corona, une demande historique a �merg� du peuple d'Israel:
 
"Le peuple demande au Vatican de tenir une audience d'urgence au sujet des instruments du temple de J�rusalem ( d�tenus depuis 2000 ans au Vatican) et de les restituer au peuple d'Israel en Isra�l la terre sainte.
 
"C'est un �v�nement historique! Nous �mettons cette demande car il en va de la paix mondiale. In questi giorni difficili, arriva la richiesta storica: il pubblico israeliano chiede al governo italiano di tenere un'audizione di emergenza sulle navi del Tempio (che � tenuta dal Vaticano) e sul loro ritorno in Israele. Questi sono i momenti storici"
 
Rabbi Sudri noted that the plague is focusing on religious centers.
 
"Italy is, of course, the crown of Catholicism, and has been hit very hard by the coronavirus," Rabbi Sudri noted. "But also Iran, the head of Shia Islam has been hit equally as hard. And in Israel, the focus seems to be Bethlehem, the focus of Christianity."
 
Rabbi Sudri noted an internal reason for the coronavirus to strike Israel.
 
"We are warned in the Bible not to count the Jews lest we bring upon ourselves a plague," Rabbi Sudri said. "Due to excessive elections, we have counted Israel, not once but three times."
 
"In addition, the Jews have to return the crown to Jerusalem," Rabbi Sudri said, noting that Netanyahu made a political decision to deny the right of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. "Instead of the proper crown, a Jewish Temple, there is the Dome of the rock, a modern day larger-than-life replica of the Golden Calf."`
 
It should be noted that on Sunday, the Waqf (Muslim authority) ordered the silver-domed al Aqsa Mosque and the gold-domed Dome of the Rock closed until further notice. Jews are still visiting their holiest site; the Temple Mount.
 
 
 
As we all watch the financial market downturn again try to statistically eclipse the 1929 Crash, it seems appropriate to consider once more whether the vaunted Information Age will be a benefit to modern society or its worst enemy. It's true that when this particular strain of coronavirus jumped to humans, even with Chinese government irresponsibility, it gained international attention far quicker through our global interconnectivity than previous viral threats and as a result viable containment efforts were deployed quicker, probably saving more lives than in previous pandemics.
 
But this event is also the perfect storm exposing a massive weakness in our current Information Age dynamic. When the modern world is faced with an unexpected threat and the path forward is impossible to determine quickly, wisdom is the first victim drowned in a cacophonous sea of contradictions fueled by competing realities.
 
Proverbs 13:3 tells us: "Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin." We are unable to trust each other while walking in the dark, because credibility has been sacrificed on the altar of agenda. Ephesians 5:15-16 urges us to: "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
 
Consider these emerging facts about the virus that argue for walking together more carefully and trying harder to keep perspective:
 
Yes, there is dangerously little human immunity in weak and older populations against COVID-19, which likely has a mortality rate significantly higher than influenza in older populations, but it has yet to be fatal for anyone under 50 in the U.S. According to the CDC, the average age of a fatal COVID-19 victim in the U.S. is currently 80;
 
Unlike influenza, which cannot be contained, community containment of the virus is a viable option to save lives in weaker populations. This was made abundantly clear last week when virtually all organizations took swift steps to curtail gatherings of 250 people or more (lowered to 50 on Sunday) until vaccine efforts, laboratory and hospital capacity, and testing protocols can catch up to prevention efforts;
 
The debilitating consequences of containing the virus on communities are only temporary, as evidenced by the fact that contagion in China's Wuhan Provence is on a sharp downward trend and normal activities are resuming at a fast pace.
 
But no, that's not how we handled it. Instead, wildly unverified mortality rates were bandied about with no contextual explanations, appropriate containment activities were hyped as panic rather than scientific prudence, and worst of all, politicians and journalists used the crisis as a weapon against their enemies at great cost and damage to the very communities they purport to represent.
 
What if during World War II, Nazi and Imperial Japanese propaganda was afforded the same credibility as news reporting on the realities of war? Would FDR or Winston Churchill have been able to hold the trust of their populations on particularly bad days during the course of war? Would the people of the Allied nations have been able to walk in the dark on those bad days and weeks, trusting each other to ride out what they didn't know yet? And where were journalists during those days? Were they part of the solution or part of the problem?
 
The looming national election took yet another dramatic turn downward this week when Joe Biden pivoted quickly to make COVID-19 the center of his attack on the Trump administration, despite the fact that Biden is the only candidate vying for the presidency who has actually been corrected by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy for dangerous misstatements during a pandemic, specifically during the swine flu crisis in 2009.
 
So now the economic damage to working class Americans and minorities, small businesses operating on a shoestring, the travel industry, the sports industry, and other major sectors threatens to outstrip the actual health consequences of this new virus. In gross numbers, weak and vulnerable populations will die from influenza this year at a count exponentially higher than the number of COVID-19 victims, with little or no macroeconomic effect.
 
Did we use our access to an ocean of information responsibly? Did journalism help as it did during its golden age before the internet? Did biblical wisdom prevail?
 
Sadly, we think not.
 
Pandemic! Martial Law! Close the Churches! - By Gary Ritter - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/03/17/pandemic-martial-law-close-the-churches-by-gary-ritter/
 
Just think if Hillary Clinton was president at this moment in time. Can you imagine the response from the Leftist-Socialist-Marxist crowd given this crisis? As Rahm Emmanuel famously said, they should never let a crisis go to waste.
 
President Trump, over these last several years, has been roundly criticized for wanting to close our borders. In the wake of the coronavirus, because it originated in China, he put severe travel restrictions on that nation. That was naturally called racist and xenophobic. Actually, at this stage, the mere mention of China and foreign and virus by Trump in the same sentence is considered highly inflammatory and nationalistic on his part.
 
The Democrats are in high dudgeon against Mr. Trump by declaring that THEY have the answers and wouldn't be as stupid as he in dealing with the situation. Nothing he can do could ever measure up to their response in a crisis. Really?
 
Ten years ago, when the H1N1 swine flu hit this country with President Obama and Vice-president Joe Biden in charge, according to the CDC, some 60 million Americans were infected, with almost 300,000 people hospitalized. From that epidemic, more than 12,000 people died. (https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/estimates_2009_h1n1.htm). As Rush Limbaugh asked, "Does anybody remember that?"
 
The answer is, of course, no. The reason is because of who was in the Oval Office. The media is the Left. Leftists love big government, and Mr. Obama was the personification of all their hopes and dreams. To make a huge stink out of so many people dying at the time would have been to criticize the one they loved, adored, and considered a messianic figure, let alone that the government wasn't truly the answer to the problem. But that was then and this is now.
 
If the Left held the reins of power in this nation right now, what might happen? Already we have major sports leagues postponing parts of their seasons. The NCAA basketball tournament has been cancelled. Universities and many other schools have cancelled classes and are going online. Amusement parks have closed. Although, to date in the United States as I write this, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the official name for the virus, is only 1336 people infected. Of them, 36 have died (https://ncov2019.live/data). That's a tragedy and I don't want to underplay that, but frankly, those are miniscule numbers. Yes, the virus is highly contagious. But the media-induced panic seems somewhat misplaced.
 
Regardless, consider Hillary Clinton in the White House. The Left has been trying for years to change our electoral process, the latest effort being to delegitimize Donald Trump from the 2016 elections.
 
What a perfect scenario this would have been for Ms. Clinton. With the media craze in full bore, I can easily imagine some of the steps she might take. How about a presidential address from the Oval Office similar to that which Mr. Trump did, but quite different?...
 
"My fellow Americans. Because of the dangers of the highly infectious COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, which as we've recently learned, the United States had a hand in propagating, tonight I am declaring Martial Law in our country. Effective midnight tonight, all U.S. Armed Forces will be on high alert to respond as needed to my orders. All National Guard units are being called to the ready. Every police and sheriff's office around this great nation will be placed under federal jurisdiction.
 
"We have determined that churches in this country have proven to be ground zero for virus infection and incubation. Because of this, I am ordering all churches in every state, county, and municipality to close and remain closed indefinitely. By this federal order, and enforced by whatever means necessary, no churches may gather for any reason. Any violation of this order will result in severe penalties.
 
"In addition, I am issuing an Executive Order that all firearms must be surrendered immediately to federal authorities. Under Martial Law it is unconscionable that any individuals would have the means to disrupt the peaceful means by which we are getting this virus under control. When federal agents come to your door asking for your firearms, I expect everyone to comply. This is a critical and well-reasoned step we are taking for the safety of all in this nation. Failure in this effort is not an option. Resistance is futile.
 
"This is all I have to say for now. We'll have many more updates in the days ahead. Just remember, all these actions that we're taking are because I care for you. May whatever god you worship be your guiding light in these dark and troubled days. Thank you all and good night."
 
If this is conceivable, how about some time in the near future when Donald Trump isn't president anymore and the levers of power are in the hands of the Democrats? If we're to believe Bible prophecy-which I certainly do-I think it's inevitable that the party of wickedness that celebrates the shedding of innocent blood through abortion will hold that position at some point soon.
 
Maybe it's not a Hillary Clinton; it almost doesn't matter who from the Left. Given a panic situation, of which there will certainly be more as the days grow darker and lawlessness increases, we'll inevitably have a person of her stripes or worse.
 
Do you think Martial Law is beyond the pale? Do you really believe that these people wouldn't take the first opportunity to shut down Christianity as they know it once they can? Or that they wouldn't take our guns?
 
All this is coming in one form or another. The Bible tells me so.
 
For those of you washed by the blood of Jesus and looking forward to His soon return, isn't that a joyful expectation?
 
 
 
A headline on Rapture Ready News jumped from the monitor screen: "Will Coronavirus Kill the New World Order?"
 
By this, I infer the question implies that the globalists might not get their long-dreamed-of, unified world because the so-called coronavirus pandemic will keep the nations of the world separated out of necessity.
 
This is one question I can answer with absolute certitude. The answer is NO. The coronavirus, nor any other virus or human agency, will destroy the coming "new world order."
 
However, the caveat that must be entered here is predicated upon the supposition that we're talking about destruction of the coming new world order, not changes in it.
 
Those changes are coming-and we must think in terms of profound, unprecedented changes that will likely rearrange modalities of living even in the United States of America.
 
For Americans, this prospect is daunting. We're used to not having our apple carts upset. Concerning our ways of life, the poor among us, the middle class among us, and the wealthy and upper 1 percent of the ultra-rich among our numbers are not easily moved from our routines. God's Word says through prophecy that a new world order is coming. As a matter of fact, two new world orders are on the way.
 
So to predict that the new world order-the first of which isn't even here yet-will not be killed by the coronavirus or anything else is a sure bet.
 
But the changes that will affect the first of these separate and distinctly different world orders are, I'm convinced, upon us right now. These are manifesting in every news cycle. The "pandemic" of the coronavirus is engendering not the destruction of it, but the changes in it that will forever alter life in our nation and around the world.
 
These changes we're witnessing, experiencing, and enduring aren't Bible prophecy being fulfilled, but rather, are setting the stage for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
 
The first of these world orders is the one Antichrist will rule. It will ultimately be created out of the geopolitical turmoil going on at this moment in history. This turbulence-fomented by Satan, with the United States presidency and the American nation at the epicenter-is generating the current economic earthquake.
 
The coronavirus hoopla is being used masterfully by Satan and his minions in high places to try yet again to bring this US president down. This must be done in order to get the globalist juggernaut back on track.
 
This is in no way saying that I take this disease lightly. I agree with my good friend Eric Barger of Take a Stand Ministries, who recently wrote the following:
 
There is no question that COVID-19 is deadly. There is also no question that some in the media are manipulating this story dramatically as they report on it. Objective reporting is hard to find these days but instead of calling out some of the politicians on the left-who've chosen to politicize an epidemic-their allies in the media are choosing to just chime in! Both pundits and political hacks alike apparently just can't wait to attempt scoring the cheapest of points against the president. It is frankly unconscionable, but, as expected, it appears that nothing whatsoever is off limits for these partisans.
 
The old serpent has chosen to create the perception of a worldwide spread of a relatively common virus to bring the peoples of the world together Fear is the ingeniously devilish nucleus around which the globalist cabal has wrapped its plans to get things back to normal, in a perverted model of normalcy. The one-world elitists will do anything and everything within their Lucifer-infused power to restore their internationalist equilibrium, to tear down nation-state sovereignty and dissolve national boundaries.
 
All of that said, however, the coronavirus pandemic is not the pandemic to which I refer as presented in the title of this commentary. That "real" pandemic, as I term it, is far more lethal-far more terrifying.
 
The real pandemic facing the world today is 100 percent fatal-not only to physical life, but to life that follows physical death.
 
It is the virus called sin. Each and every person who has ever been born on this fallen planet with the exception of One, the Lord Jesus Christ, is born with this spiritual virus It will, for the one afflicted, without remedy, end with the person suffering the process of dying forever.
 
This hellish, spiritual virus turns mankind against God. It thus brings about thinking that is upside-down-an insanity that precludes rationality. That's what we've been witnessing for the last four years in particular. The Lord of Heaven has turned the anti-God forces over to a "reprobate mind" (Romans 1:28).
 
There is coming a second new world order. It will be ushered in by King Jesus, who will reign and rule over an Eden-like planet that He will refurbish upon putting an end to Armageddon.
 
Finally, at the end of Christ's reign, there will be no more pandemics that corrupt and destroy God's creation called man. The new heavens and new earth will provide the perfect environment-the utopia the globalists with their climate-change rants proclaim they want. But they will not be around to enjoy it. Sadly, they will have succumbed to the pandemic that is far deadlier than the coronavirus.
 
To avoid being terminally and eternally ill because of this terrible, spiritual virus, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for your sins. Believe then in your spiritual heart that He rose from the dead. Do this and you have God's Word on it. You are now saved. (Romans 10: 9-10)
 
 
 
How the European Union Turned the Coronavirus into a Pandemic - by Con Coughlin -
 
The emergence of Europe as the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic has as much to do with the European Union's inept handling of the crisis as it does with the resilience of the virus itself.
 
When the world first learned about the existence of coronavirus in China at the start of the year, the EU's response, like much of the rest of the world's, was to adopt a wait and see approach as to how it developed.
 
The problem for the EU, though, is that it has maintained this lackadaisical approach long after it became clear that the virus was going to develop into a global, rather than a specifically Chinese, issue. More pertinently, the EU's failure to raise its game, after the rapid spread of the virus resulted in much of Europe coming to a standstill, means that the EU is now trying to play catch-up in terms of asserting a leadership role.
 
After weeks of prevarication, the EU finally imposed measures to ban travelers from outside the bloc for 30 days. The measure is expected to apply to 26 EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The ban will not apply to citizens from the UK and Ireland.
 
"This is good," commented European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she announced the new measures earlier on March 18. "We have a unanimous and united approach [where] the external borders are concerned."
 
That it has taken until now for the EU to act, when so many major European countries such as France, Italy and Spain are already in lockdown, illustrates the inadequacy of the EU's response to the crisis. It also helps to explain why Europe has replaced Asia as the main epicenter of the pandemic.
 
By the time Mrs von der Leyen finally got around to announcing at the start of this week that the EU was planning to impose its travel ban, most member states had already taken matters into their own hands and made their own arrangements to restrict border access.
 
Moreover, by undertaking their own unilateral actions, the decision by some EU member states, such as Austria and the Czech Republic, to specifically ban citizens from other EU states, such as neighboring Italy, represents a flagrant breach of one of the EU's key founding principles, namely the free movement of its citizens across the borders of other member states.
 
Consequently, the EU's failure to address the coronavirus issue earlier has resulted in the Schengen Agreement, which stipulates that the citizens of any EU state can travel freely throughout the union, becoming null and void.
 
The EU's commitment to Schengen was one of the key factors that persuaded U.S. President Donald Trump to impose his initial travel ban on continental Europe, claiming -- correctly -- that the EU was being far too complacent in its response to tackling the virus.
 
Now, thanks to the EU's ineptitude, the union has entered a new era in which the precedent has been established whereby it is the governments of the various constituent member states, and not Brussels, that decide who can, and who cannot, cross their borders.
 
The sudden imposition of new border controls in Europe is already having a serious impact on the trading arrangements between different EU member states. This week, for example, trucks trying to enter Poland from Germany have been subjected to a tailback dozens of kilometers long, as Polish border guards insisted on checking the temperatures, health and documentation of drivers seeking to enter the country.
 
Moreover, the EU's inability to provide effective leadership in terms of responding to the coronavirus challenge has led to an increase in tensions between key member states, tensions that could ultimately threaten the survival of the EU in its current manifestation.
 
Perhaps the most shameful episode concerning inter-EU relations since the start of the coronavirus outbreak was Germany's refusal to allow the export of much-needed face masks and ventilators to Italy after the Italian government made a direct appeal to the rest of the EU for help. Instead of demonstrating the so-called solidarity that is supposed to underpin the EU's founding ethos, the German government issued a ban on the export of the equipment to Italy.
 
It was left to the Chinese government to provide the Italians with 31 tons of urgent medical supplies.
 
The EU's handling of the coronavirus has not just been incompetent. It raises serious questions as to whether it is about to become yet another victim of the deadly pandemic.
 
 
 
 

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