End-of-Days Delirium

End-of-Days Delirium - Terry James -

https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/

 

Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, is a regular contributor to Fox News and Fox Business channels. The host of one program I regularly listen to on Fox Business is Lou Dobbs. Dr. Jeffress appears on that show weekly.

 

Dobbs, the program host, recently gave a series of catastrophic possibilities that could soon affect us all:

 

The coronavirus, he said, was about to blow up into a pandemic. Already, at the time, more than 1,100 people had died. The numbers of those with the coronavirus was exploding in China and had jumped all boundaries to begin proliferating around the globe. The US had at the time only fifteen cases, with no deaths, but the doctors and scientists he had interviewed during the show I last tuned in to and during other programs painted a possibly disastrous scenario even for the US if they couldn't soon get a handle on how to deal properly with the spread of the disease.

 

Then, there was the matter of fears of climate change. Many, especially among younger Millennials, fear they have but a dozen or fewer years to live on the planet, because the polar ice caps will melt and drown everyone, or worse. The earth, itself, will be depleted of breathable air due to carbon dioxide emissions and other toxic substances.

 

Then there is reportedly an asteroid that is to pass near the earth. It probably has done so by the time this article is posted. One pundit said the asteroid was large enough to be a continent-destroyer-capable of decimating all of North America. It was to pass within a million miles of the planet, but that is considered a near miss, according to scientists in the know. It is said to be but one of a number of such space objects headed our way.

 

Locusts in Africa and other regions are devouring all things edible. They are the largest swarms ever seen in modern history, according to the show's host and his guests, who speculated what could happen if these creatures ever get to the crops on this continent.

 

Then, there is the matter of the wildfires and other disasters in Australia that look to be apocalyptic-like catastrophes.

 

Lou Dobbs then introduced his guest, Dr. Jeffress, by saying, "Pastor, is this the end of days?"

 

Jeffress, in his usual upbeat way, said something like, "No. It is not the end of days," then added, somewhat more seriously, something like, "But these are all signals the Bible says will be occurring at the very end of the age before Christ's return."

 

The pastor went on to speak for a few seconds about what Matthew 24 and Revelation have to say about these sorts of signals. Dobbs then talked about the great fear that seemed on the rise, and asked if we should be afraid.

 

I was very proud of Dr. Jeffress' answer, which went something like: "The way to not be fearful about these coming things is to make sure that you know the One who controls all these end-of-days signs. Make sure you know Jesus Christ as your Savior."

 

I don't know how many heard the Lou Dobbs program that night. His is program has some of the highest numbers of viewers for its time slot. So, several million at a minimum were listening, I presume.

 

Regardless of the number of people who watched the program that night, there is a nation and a world full of people who live daily in fear of things coming on the earth. But a more problematic number of people suffer a state of mind that even more egregiously adds to a world pointing in directions other than the one God has prescribed. That mindset consists of almost complete apathy about anything heading down the pike that looks like the age is coming to an end and God's righteous judgment is on the brink of falling.

 

Both the fear of things such as climate change, etc., and the apathy infecting the fearless combine to constitute what I call the "end-of-days delirium." Those who have no fear, especially of God and His judgment, mostly inhabit the Western world. The American populace in particular falls into this category.

 

The reason? Because of the comfortable, even opulent, lifestyle enjoyed by Americans when compared to the rest of the world.

 

Europe was, for the most part, long ago given over to the delirium of end-of-days apathy. America is now nearing the end of that exponentially spreading malady.

 

The progress of this humanistic disease has been eloquently dealt with by Alexander Tytler, a Scottish history professor (1714-1778) who is generally given credit for chronicling the stages of a democracy's demise. I once filed away its essence as repeated by Kirby Anderson, a radio host and host of Probe Ministries.

 

If we stay on the road to decay, Anderson relates what awaits us:

 

The decline of this nation (just as the decline of every other nation) is due to spiritual factors. The political, economic, and social problems we encounter are the symptoms of the spiritual deterioration of a nation.... Each of the great civilizations in the world passed through a series of stages from their birth to their decline to their death. Historians have listed these in ten stages. (1). The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith. (2). The second from spiritual faith to great courage. (3). The third stage moves from great courage to liberty. (4). The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance. (5.) The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness. (6.) The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency. (7.) The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy. (8.) The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay. (9.) The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence (America with her growing addiction and servitude to the government-Socialism-has entered this stage). (10.) And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.

 

Of course, there is the possibility of an eleventh stage, and that would be (11.) total obliteration-full annihilation or Armageddon.

 

It's easy to discern that this nation could well be in stages 9 and 10 at this point. The septicemia I term end-of-days delirium has set in.

 

The only Rx to begin dealing with this disease that is infinitely more toxic than the much-feared coronavirus is that dispensed by the God of Heaven. His Holy Name is Jesus Christ. He will one day make all things right again.

Look Up!

Look Up! - By Daymond Duck -

https://www.raptureready.com/2020/02/23/look-up-by-daymond-duck/

 

One, concerning plagues and famine, on Feb. 10, 2020, the UN warned that the size and number of Locust plagues in Africa is unprecedented, and if unchecked could put about 2 billion people at risk of famine.

 

The UN is deploying troops, helicopters and sprayers to help fight it.

 

Two, concerning an economic collapse, Pres. Trump said the U.S. national debt and budgets deficits are a threat to America's prosperity.

 

He proposed $4.6 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years, but Congress is not likely to go along.

 

Three, concerning a falling away and persecution, a black pastor was recently invited to offer a prayer before the Virginia House of Delegates.

 

He warned that the wrath of God will fall on people that pass laws to abort babies.

 

Several members of the House of Delegates turned their back on the pastor and walked out.

 

Four, still along the line of a falling away and persecution, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc. (BGEA) signed contracts for Franklin to preach at 7 UK cities.

 

People started calling Franklin a hate preacher, and all of the events were cancelled.

 

The BGEA believes Christians need to start standing up to get the Gospel out.

 

The BGEA will ask the courts to enforce their contracts.

 

Five, concerning the Coronavirus, pray for the people of China, especially the Christians, and pray for God to provide a cure.

 

The number of cases and death is soaring; the fear, suffering and hardship are unimaginable; there are predictions that this will get much worse and possibly go global.

 

Amir Tsarfati suggested that people might want to put Sodium Ascorbate (vitamin C) in water and drink it three times a day to boost their immune system.

 

For whatever it is worth, some believe God may be allowing this to show people what a plague can do and the importance of being ready for the Rapture all the time.

 

Six, most of the things (wine, grain, olive oil, etc.) that were used or offered at the Temple had to be grown, prepared or whatever in a special way.

 

Some lambs were the firstborn; some grain was the first fruit of the harvest, etc.

 

The Passover Lamb was roasted on a stick from a Pomegranate tree; the wood had to be from a tree that was at least 5 years old, etc.

 

Five years ago, knowing that they would need different kinds of wood for burning sacrifices at a rebuilt Temple, the Jewish Sanhedrin started growing the different kind of trees that are needed to provide acceptable wood for the sacrifices.

 

They have been growing Pomegranate trees, Cedar trees, Date Palm trees, Olive trees, Cinnamon trees, etc.

 

On Feb. 10, 2020, it was reported that the trees the Sanhedrin set out 5 years ago can now be used at a rebuilt Temple.

 

Seven, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog, on Feb. 11, 2020, Israel sent a message to Iran.

 

In essence, Israel's message was that Iran does not need to station troops in Syria, and as long as Iran has troops in Syria, Israel will attack them.

 

Israel's message to Iran was probably the result of Russia saying Israel's attacks on Iran in Syria are provocative and very dangerous for the people of Syria, and should a war break out, Russia will take sides against Israel (duhhh, that's Biblical).

 

Two days later, Israel announced that it will establish a new command to deal with threats from Iran.

 

Eight, concerning the tracking of all buying and selling, on Feb. 13, 2020, SpaceX announced that it would launch a rocket to put 60 Satellites in orbit over the coming weekend.

 

This will make 300 satellites that SpaceX has in orbit, the company has approval to put 12,000 more in orbit, and it is seeking permission to add 30,000 to that.

 

It probably won't be long until people will have the ability to track all business, and to see the bodies of the Two Witnesses lying in the street in Jerusalem.

 

Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28).

 

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.

Rapture...What If...? -

Rapture...What If...? - By Terry James -

https://www.raptureready.com/2020/02/28/rapturewhat-if-by-terry-james/

 

Once-in-a while, my writer's cognition takes me into the realm of imagining what would happen if...

 

Now, I am aware of the bromide of precaution: "'If' is for children." Nonetheless, "what if?" is the conduit through which the imaginations of nonfiction writers as well as fictionists have been transported throughout history.

 

With full recognition and acknowledgment of this precautionary heads-up, I want to think a bit on "what if" regarding a prophetic matter most of us are deeply concerned about.

 

We are, after all, "children of God," so, if "what if" is for children," I feel secure in proposing this "what if" to you.

 

As you see, the title is "Rapture...What If...?"

 

While I know this will be read mostly by children of God, I write it with the hope that readers in this category also know they are royal ambassadors of the court of the heavenlies. Therefore, I hope you will share the thoughts herein offered within your spheres of influence as people charged to carry out the Great Commission.

 

Writing about this "what if" is so important to produce and disseminate at this time because history might well be nearing the prophetic moment that instantaneously dooms millions-particularly in America-because all in this nation will have heard the Gospel. Beyond that stupendous event, some will have no chance to be saved from damnation. They will be lost for all eternity.

 

Most every signal of the colossal, world-rending change that is on the very brink of striking the inhabitants of the planet is flashing brilliant red. Within the past few days, I've received a number of emails listing many such ominous signals bombarding this generation. These are almost identical and come from a number of websites, without any of these sites giving attribution to the original source.

 

The best I can tell, they originate with Michael Snyder, a blogger with whom I'm sure many are familiar (http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/10-plagues-that-are-hitting-our-planet-simultaneously).

 

(I must note here that Mr. Snyder does not accept that the Bible teaches a pre-Tribulation Rapture.) The following is a very brief list of some of these signals.

 

1) Locust swarms as large as cities are destroying entire agricultural crops within thirty seconds of alighting.

2) Rampaging weather events are taking place, such as what's going on in Australia. After fires that killed a half-billion animals and many people, rain deluged the area in record amounts. Winds in excess of two hundred miles per hour created dust storms that blotted out the sun. Jackson, Mississippi, received record rainfall and flooding.

3): Major earthquakes are occurring around the globe and increasing in magnitude. Those who keep up with them report that there are too many to record individually at times.

4) Volcanoes are erupting simultaneously around the world. The gargantuan Mount Merapi in Indonesia, for example, sent lava and ashes more than two thousand meters in the air and forced people to stay clear of its zone of devastation.

5) The coronavirus is potentially one of the most devastating diseases the world has experienced. It threatens entire national economies as well as the health of citizenry.

6) African swine fever has wiped out much of the pork sources, which threatens food supplies around the world.

7): The H1N1 swine flu kills people rather than the animals, and has already taken the lives of more people than the coronavirus in China.

8): The H5N1 bird flu, which killed many a few years ago, is said to be recurring and threatens to cause even more deaths than before.

9) The H5N8 bird flu is thought to be more virulent than even H5N1 bird flu. It is appearing all over the world, and experts are surprised by it popping up in Germany recently.

 

My long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Joseph Chambers of Paw Creek Ministries, has weighed in on how near to the Rapture today's flashing-red-light issues and events must surely place this generation.

 

I'm thrilled at the many signs of Christ's soon return. The Rapture is evident, but so are the many great events of the end connected to the Rapture and His return to reign on the earth. Let's look at the times in Scripture where the writers are using the term, "last days." This very term mean, "the last of the last." This is where we certainly have arrived.

 

Let's talk about:

 

• The days of Revelation: Hebrews 1:1-6
• The Day of Great Wealth: James 5:3
• The Day of Great Wickedness: 2 Timothy 3:1-8
• Time of Many Scoffers: 1 Peter 3:3
• The Time of Technological Inventions: Nahum 2:3-6
• The Time of Great Awakening: Acts 2 17-21
• Infectious Diseases: Matthew 24:6-7

 

So, with the explosion of prophetic indicators converging at this time, the thought I intend to present in this commentary revolves around "what if" the people of the earth are now about to be catastrophically jolted by the most calamitous event of all time. Specifically, the likely scenarios of post-Rapture America are most troubling to consider. For the moment, I want us to think on one of the situations that would develop in the United States if the Rapture of the Church should take place at this present hour: What if the Rapture happens right in the middle of this presidential election year?

 

As the days leading up to November 3, 2020, pass, the nation becomes more divided than ever in the view of America's future. Should we continue to go the way of socialism? Should we allow the people into the public treasury, thus buying votes for the give-away society and culture that Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez propose and that the Democrat Party and mainstream media seems to want? Or should the United States embrace getting back to the way the Founding Fathers intended-the Constitutional republic they framed that caused Benjamin Franklin to quip, "We have given you a republic...if you can keep it."

 

By every estimate, it looks as if the president will win the election by, at a minimum, a near landslide. The opposition is so crazed in their abject hatred for the man who occupies the Oval Office that they have gone off track and are headed for a crash. That's the way even James Carville, the Clinton-era Democrat guru who gave us the phrase, "It's the economy, stupid," has described his own party's current condition.

 

But "What if...?"

 

What if, just before the day of the election, the Rapture occurs-catastrophically affecting those who are left behind?

 

More than half of the president's voter base would be gone in that instant. What a thing to consider!

 

There would be no doubt about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election if that scenario played out. The disappearance of most of Trump's supporters would be a dream come true for the "resisters"-the "let's-change-America" masses. It would be an absolute nightmare for those who support bringing America back to the constitutional republic Ben Franklin and the Founding Fathers envisioned.

 

But, the political consequences would be small potatoes compared to the consequences for the individual souls left behind to face the horrors soon to come in America and upon the entire world.

 

And, this is the message I intend to deliver. As I mentioned above, I hope you will convey the message as a real possibility that might come to pass; it is your job as a royal ambassador.

As an ambassador for Jesus Christ, according to all the signals, you are about to be called home. So, it is incumbent on you to proclaim the message while you remain on this fallen planet.

 

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Temple Timing

Temple Timing - By Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/02/21/temple-timing-by-terry-james/

 

Things shaping up in terms of prophetic stage-setting, particularly regarding Israel, should strike us as crucial. By this, I mean things prophesied for the time just before Christ's Second Advent are in precise configuration for the very dénouement of the Church Age.

 

Nothing could be more crucial now than preparation in the Jewish mind and spiritual heart for constructing the Third Temple.

 

Increasing noise of constructing that end-times edifice is coming from that nation's leadership.

 

Consider the following excerpt from an article that originated in that prophetic nation.

 

Israel's defense minister and head of the New Right party, Naftali Bennett, spoke to a Yeshiva (male seminary) in northern Israel on Wednesday criticizing a political rival who Bennett claims doesn't treat Israel's state institutions as playing an integral role in the Redemption process.

 

Bennett then lamented what he sees as a current attitude of lawlessness in Israel saying that the reason that the Second Temple was destroyed was because everyone "followed their own rules."

 

"We need to understand the big picture" Bennett said, adding "today we are in (the era of) the Third Temple."

 

Bennett then reminded the captive audience about the history of the Kingdom of Israel, saying "we have had a state twice where we ruled as a united people. The first time it only lasted 80 years-King David 40, then King Solomon 40. After that, we separated."

 

"The second time, we were sovereign for only 74 years during the Hasmonean dynasty" he added.

 

Bennett, then [touched] on the present, saying "Now we are at 72 years. The Jewish nation has never been able to maintain a united rule for more than 80 years."

 

The Defense Minister concluded saying that he will not let "anyone tear apart the state of Israel." (David Sidman, "Israel's Defense Minister: We Are Now in Era of Third Temple," Breaking Israel News, February 13, 2020)

 

The defense minister's assessment is one I hadn't considered. Israel has never gone more than eighty years with a united leadership-that is, with a connected government. They are but eight years from a record in that regard.

 

What does it mean? I haven't a clue. But the timing of all things is a fascinating exercise in considering Heaven's timeline for bringing a close to this Age of Grace.

 

One of the great Hebrew eschatological scholars of our time wrote a compelling piece on the coming Third Temple some years ago.

 

The significance of Israel's reinstituting the Sanhedrin may be another event that leaves in place the possibility of how the Lord will work out His will with His people. Almost sixty years after a 1900-year absence, the nation of Israel came into existence. Jewish people from the four corners of the world have made aliyah to live in the Land. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has reconstructed the instruments for Jewish Temple worship; Jewish men determined to be descendants of Aaron, known as the Kohanim, are being trained in ritual practices to serve as Temple priests; and now we have the establishment of an authoritative body to speak to the nation of Israel on matters of Jewish religion. This is significant in light of such passages as Zechariah 12:10 and Hosea 5:15, which speak of a time when the people of Israel will be led into the acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah. The existence of a religious authority for the entire nation will facilitate the multitudes coming to faith. (Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries Newsletter, Fall 2004/Winter 2005, p. 4)

 

One of today's foremost scholars in end-times prophecy, Dr. Thomas Ice, concludes the following about the timing of rebuilding the Temple atop Mount Moriah:

 

In spite of contemporary turmoil, Israel's Third Temple will one day be rebuilt.... Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:1-2; 13:14-15. Few observers of world events ever thought Israel would become a nation again, but it did occur in 1948. Yet, there will be a rebuilt temple by the middle of the seven-year tribulation in order to facilitate the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

 

I have often taught that the long-awaited permission for the Jews to rebuild their Temple will likely be part of the covenant between Antichrist and Israel that starts the seven-year tribulation after the rapture. It appears to me that the Temple will be rebuilt and supervised supernaturally by the two witnesses during the first half of the tribulation. Since one of the two witnesses will most likely be Elijah, this would mean that the ministry of Elijah should tell us more about the ministry of the two witnesses. Malachi 4:4-5 says, "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. An he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." Perhaps the ministry of Elijah, where he will help the Jewish people "get right with God," before the return of the Lord will involve their Third Temple, until commandeered by Antichrist.

 

Regardless of how the Lord works out the details, His plan will be brought to pass. In the meantime, many of the current events now taking place in and around Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are setting the stage for what will be a string of events that will usher in the second coming of Christ. Meanwhile, the church is looking for the rapture, where Christ will take us in an instant to be with Himself for all eternity. (Dr. Thomas Ice, "Is It Time for The Temple?" Rapture Ready archives)

The building of the Third Temple is as good as done. God has pronounced its rebuilding, and nothing can stop or inhibit its construction. It's all within His perfect timing.

 

In the days to come, The Mount of Hashem's House Shall stand firm above the mountains And tower above the hills; And all the nations Shall gaze on it with joy. (Isaiah 2: 2)

The push for a Third Temple in Jerusalem is gaining momentum -

 

The push for a Third Temple in Jerusalem is gaining momentum - Ricky Scaparo -

https://endtimeheadlines.org/2020/02/the-push-for-a-third-temple-in-jerusalem-is-gaining-momentum/

 

"Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months." - Revelation 11:1-2

 

The Bible gives an account of both the construction and destruction of both the First and Second Temples and the passage above is believed by many to give credence of a future "third temple" that will be constructed in the end time and will be under control of the gentiles for 42 months. Many in Israel not only believe there will be a third temple in Jerusalem in the near future but have been preparing for it for years! and the following passage is one many will go to as well:

 

"Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth, and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

 

In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she shall be called: the LORD is our righteousness.' For thus says the LORD, 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to prepare sacrifices continually." - Jeremiah 33:14-18, NASB

According to Jewish voice: "This passage speaks about the Messianic Age when all Israel will be saved and restored to the Land of Israel. At that time, a righteous descendant of David, the Messiah, will sit on the throne in Jerusalem, and the Temple will again stand complete with its Levitical priesthood."

 

Since 1987, the Temple Movement has begun preparations for the rebuilding of this Third Temple in Israel and, efforts to see this become a reality in the 21st century have been picking up pace. The Orthodox Jews have revived the Sanhedrin, which is the religious body that supervised the legal issues and responsibilities related to the Temple in the Old Testament and who intend to see it rebuilt in our lifetime.

 

This organization has been ongoing with preparing the Israeli society to accept and promote the rebuilding of the Temple through demonstrations at the Temple site, the construction of a cornerstone for the Third Temple, and the making of various Temple-related utensils. Even the preparation and purpose of the Red Heifer is being prepared for the third temple as described in Numbers 19 as this service depends on the presence of water mixed with Red Heifer ash for the temple and in 2018 the headlines that shook the world of Bible Prophecy enthusiasts came to fruition when the news was reported that a red heifer had been born in Israel for the first time in 2000 years!

 

Since the beginning of 2020 we have seen the further push for this third temple among many in Israel. Dr. Minnes who served in the IDF Intelligence Corps and the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service also known as the Shabak came out recently and claimed that Donald Trump's recent "Deal of the Century" Mideast peace plan echoes that of Persian King Cyrus'' decree that paved the way for the Jews to build the Second Temple almost 2,000 years ago. stating: "The Trump statement is the declaration of Cyrus of our days," and then there was a recent story where a Palestinian expert came forward on a television broadcast in the media claiming that Israel is "Building the Third Temple Under the Aqsa Mosque" and then there was a recent speech at the Kohelet Policy Forum in Israel, by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where a Rabbi reportedly interrupted Netanyahu's speech to remind him of the importance of Building the future Third Temple in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Five years ago, the Sanhedrin in Israel began planting in preparation for the needs of the future third Temple that would be built when they planted 30 pomegranate trees. According to BIN, "The Sanhedrin began planting trees and vineyards five years ago. But, until this day, they were unable to utilize the fruits. For the first three years of their growth, grapevines or fruit trees planted in Israel are categorized as orla (ערלה, literally 'uncircumcised' and it is prohibited to eat the fruit.

 

When the Temple stood, the fruit of the fourth year was considered neat revai (� טע רבעי) and had to be brought to be eaten in Jerusalem. Fruit that is grown in the fifth year was permitted to be eaten in a normal manner. This commandment is still observed in Israel today even though there is no Temple standing in Jerusalem." On Tuesday, the day after the holiday of Tu Beshvat, the fruit from the first trees and grapevines planted by the Sanhedrin will be fit to be used in the Temple."

 

One thing is for certain, it appears that we are seeing prophetic events accelerating like never before and the closer we get to the fulfillment of scripture we will begin to see Israel and Jerusalem become the center focal point of world news and events! The Prophet Zechariah said:

 

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples;" - Zechariah 12

Floods, Coronavirus, Locusts, and Earthquakes: Pre-Purim Wave of Natural Catastrophes Hits Iran

Floods, Coronavirus, Locusts, and Earthquakes: Pre-Purim Wave of Natural Catastrophes Hits Iran - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - www.breakingisraelnews.com

 

King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the mainland and the islands. Esther 10:1 (The Israel Bible™)

 

Authorities warned residents in the western province of Lorestan to evacuate their homes as heavy rainfalls caused flooding in some towns. Some 37 villages were inaccessible and some 100 villages were cut off from the power grid.

 

Iran is entering its rainy season. Record rainfalls at this time last year caused flash flooding, leading to over 77 deaths and almost 800 injured. An estimated $2 billion of damage was reported. The severity of the floods was greatly increased due to the conversion of flood routes and dry river beds for urban development without providing proper drainage infrastructure. Over two million people were affected by the floods.

 

While western Iran is coping with floods, southern Iran is bracing for an infestation of locusts. The swarms are rampaging across Africa, taking on Biblical proportions that have not been seen in several decades. Many populations already suffering from food shortages are being hard hit. The swarm is spreading and is already at the border of China and now threaten Iran as well.

 

According to the official IRNA news agency, Mohammad Reza Dargahi, the head of the Plant Protection Organization of Iran, has also warned that failure in controlling the locusts will jeopardize billions of dollars of Iranian agricultural products.

 

Mohammad Reza Mir, the agricultural expert in the Plant Protection Organization of Iran, acknowledged that an infestation is imminent but denied that it was a significant threat.

 

"We are well equipped and prepared to fight these pests," Mir said, adding that pesticides have been adequately supplied.

 

These natural catastrophes come in the wake of a Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Turkey-Iran border region early Sunday. The earthquake was followed by three aftershocks between magnitude-4.1 and magnitude-4.4 and eleven hours later by an even larger 6.0 aftershock. The earthquake was widely felt in Iran and 51 people were reportedly injured in the quake. Iranian officials haven't reported any deaths yet.

 

Iran and Turkey sit on top of a major fault line between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates and are among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

 

In November 2017 a 7.3-magnitude tremor in the western province of Kermanshah, Iran killed 620 people. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake in southeast Iran decimated the ancient mud-brick city of Bam and killed at least 31,000 people. It did not damage the nearby plant. Iran's deadliest quake was a 7.4-magnitude tremor in 1990 that killed 40,000 people in northern Iran, injured 300,000 and left half a million homeless.

 

Many of these earthquakes are in the Bushehr province in which Iran's nuclear power plant is located, the most recent in January.

 

Iran is the hardest-hit country by the coronavirus outside of China, with the government announcing that 12 people had died from the virus and an additional 61 infections had been diagnosed.

 

The pandemic in Iran has focused on the holy Shia city of Qom. Iranian officials are blaming travelers from China for the spread of the disease.

 

But these data have been questioned. The Guardian and AFP cited the semi-official ILNA news agency that reported the claims of Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, a government official from the city of Qom, as saying that at least 50 people have died in that city alone. Farahani claimed that 250 people are quarantined in the city.

 

Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia have either partially or entirely closed their borders to Iran and at least one crossing point with Kuwait was closed. On Sunday, Pakistan and Turkey closed their borders with Iran due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the Islamic Republic and the unwillingness of Iranian leaders to be clear on the extent of the threat. Iraq had already conducted some border closures and bans on Iranians traveling to the country. Afghanistan and Armenia also closed their borders with Iran.

 

It should be noted that all these woes are appearing as the Jews enter the Hebrew month of Adar in which the holiday of Purim is celebrated. Purim commemorates the victory of the Jews over Haman, an Achaemenid Persian Empire official who was planning to kill all the Jews, as recounted in the Book of Esther. The event is usually dated to the 4th century BCE.

 

A Breaking Israel News report last month described how the U.S. drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani and ten of his cohorts left behind little to identify his body. Soleimani's death was confirmed by the remains of his arm, still wearing a large red ring he never removed. Haman was also noted for wearing the king's signet ring.

 

Thereupon the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the foe of the Yehudim. Esther 3:10

 

The Book of Esther culminates in Haman being hanged along with his ten sons, and the Jews successfully defending themselves against their Persian enemies.

CORONA VIRUS ALERT: 2.29.20 - MANY ARTICLES

Trump furious Americans infected with coronavirus flew back to US without his permission: report

By Marisa Schultz

Published February 22, 2020

Fox News

President Trump was furious that 14 Americans infected with the coronavirus returned to the United States without his permission rather than remain in quarantine overseas, according to a new report.

Trump had been briefed that the healthy U.S. passengers who spent weeks quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan would be allowed to fly home on two chartered planes -- while those who were sick or infected would stay in Japan to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

The president became "furious" with senior advisers after learning the 14 Americans who tested positive had been put on a plane with healthy passengers, according to The Washington Post. One official told the paper that the failure to inform Trump of the decision in advance of the plane's departure was a “big operational mistake.”

CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS LIVES OF 2 DIAMOND PRINCESS PASSENGERS FROM JAPAN, HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY

Trump complained that bringing home the infected Americans could damage the adminstratration's response to the global health outbreak.

While the Americans evacuated from the ship were on buses on the tarmac in Tokyo, U.S. officials got the results back that 14 had tested positive for COVID-19 but had not yet shown symptoms. Officials made the decision to have them fly home anyway, but “isolated” from the other passengers on the plane.

“These individuals were moved in the most expeditious and safe manner to a specialized containment area on the evacuation aircraft to isolate them in accordance with standard protocol,” the State Department and Department of Health and Human Services said in a joint statement Monday.

“After consultation with HHS officials … the State Department made the decision to allow the 14 individuals, who were in isolation, separated from other passengers, and continued to be asymptomatic, to remain on the aircraft to complete the evacuation process.”

The infected passengers were to be isolated for medical care upon arriving back in the United States.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Every precaution to ensure proper isolation and community protection measures are being taken, driven by the most up-to-date risk assessments by U.S. health authorities,” State and HHS officials said.

The viral outbreak that began in China has now spread to nearly 78,000 people globally, including 76,288 in mainland China. Here are the latest figures for the number of people who have contracted COVID-19:

— Mainland China: 2,345 deaths among 76,288 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei

— Hong Kong: 69 cases, 2 deaths

— Macao: 10 cases

— Japan: 754 cases, including 634 from the cruise ship docked in Yokohama, 3 deaths

— South Korea: 433 cases, 2 deaths

— Singapore: 89 cases

— United States: 35 cases; separately, 1 U.S. citizen died in China

— Thailand: 35 cases

— Iran: 28 cases, 5 deaths

— Taiwan: 26 cases, 1 death

— Australia: 23 cases

— Malaysia: 22

— Italy: 19 cases; 1 death

— Vietnam: 16 cases

— Germany: 16

— France: 12 cases, 1 death

— United Arab Emirates: 11 cases

— United Kingdom: 9

— Canada: 9

— Philippines: 3 cases, 1 death

— India: 3 cases

— Russia: 2

— Spain: 2

— Lebanon: 1

— Israel: 1

— Belgium: 1

— Nepal: 1

— Sri Lanka: 1

— Sweden: 1

— Cambodia: 1

— Finland: 1

— Egypt: 1

 

The Coronavirus and Bible Prophecy - By Britt Gillette -

https://www.raptureready.com/2020/02/25/the-coronavirus-and-bible-prophecy-by-britt-gillette/

 

Sometime in late 2019, a mysterious virus emerged in the city of Wuhan, China. Easily transmissible, it spread through the city like wildfire. By late January 2020, local hospitals were overwhelmed with critically ill pneumonia patients. China ordered a quarantine of the entire city - a city of 11 million people. Experts named the virus COVID-19 (a.k.a. "the coronavirus"). The quarantine of Wuhan, which now includes dozens of cities and over 700 million people, is implemented with the hope of ending all spread of the disease. If it fails, a global pandemic will strike the world.

 

This isn't without precedent. One hundred years ago, the world faced a similar enemy - H1N1. Also known as the Spanish Flu, it rose from the trenches of World War I and spread to every corner of the globe in the years 1918 and 1919 - even remote Pacific islands. When the global pandemic finally ended, it had taken more lives than the Great War itself. Estimates say between 50 and 100 million people died - about 3% to 6% of the world population.

 

Will History Repeat Itself?

 

Since the 1918/1919 Spanish Flu, we've avoided a similar pandemic. We've had a number of scares - bird flu, swine flu, Ebola, Zika, and other diseases - but we've avoided a global pandemic. Some of this is because of what we've done. We have better knowledge of how viruses and bacteria spread. We know how to quarantine areas, disinfect treatment centers, and provide more effective medical care. But the number one reason we've avoided a global pandemic is luck. That's right. For the past 100 years, we've just been plain lucky. Unfortunately, our luck is about to end.

 

How can I be so sure? Because what we know indicates the coronavirus is every bit as infectious and deadly as the Spanish Flu, if not more so. For instance, early studies are showing for every person who contracts the coronavirus, they give it to at least three other people. For comparison sake, only 1.8 persons contracted the Spanish Flu for every one person who got it. The coronavirus also has an incubation period as long as up to 24 days, and a person can be contagious throughout that entire period. So far, the case fatality rate (or number of people who die after contracting the coronavirus) is at least 1% and could end up being much higher.

 

Expect a Global Pandemic

 

Unless a sudden mutation makes the coronavirus harmless, expect a global pandemic. Why? Unlike more recent pandemic threats such as Ebola or SARS, the coronavirus spreads even when infected people show no symptoms. And once symptoms do appear, they're similar to the seasonal flu. This means the coronavirus can silently spread through an entire community without raising suspicion. Only when local hospitals see a spike in severe pneumonia cases will it become clear how widespread the infection is.

 

In all likelihood, the silent spread of the coronavirus is already taking place. While government officials try to convince the public the virus is contained, it's not. And they know it. Notice how every new case outside of China merits the official government response, "Don't worry. The risk of wider spread in the community remains low." This isn't necessarily a lie. The key word is "remains." The risk does remain low - until it doesn't.

 

So what is the true risk? Professor Gabriel Leung, the chair of public health medicine at Hong Kong University, is one of the world's leading experts on coronavirus epidemics. He played a key role in containing the 2002/2003 SARS outbreak. According to Leung, if the coronavirus can not be contained, it could infect up to 60% of the world's population. Dr. Robert Redfield, current Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "I think this virus is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year, and I think eventually the virus will find a foothold and we'll get community based transmission and you can start to think about it like seasonal flu. The only difference is we don't understand this virus." Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said, "I think it is likely we'll see a global pandemic. If a pandemic happens, 40% to 70% of people world-wide are likely to be infected in the coming year."

 

A Sign of the Times

 

Hopefully, the coronavirus will die off and won't spread to the entire world. But whether it does or not, what does it have to do with bible prophecy? After all, the Bible doesn't mention COVID-19 or the coronavirus by name. So how can it be related to the end times? While no bible prophecies specifically point to the coronavirus, I believe it's yet another sign the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is near. How can I be sure?

 

When His followers asked Jesus to describe the signs of His coming, one of the signs He told them to look for was "pestilence" (Luke 21:11). What is pestilence? Merriam-Webster defines it as "a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating." Jesus said this pestilence will arrive like "birth pains" (Matthew 24:8), meaning it will increase in frequency and intensity in the time leading up to His return. This means, as the end approaches, we should expect infectious disease outbreaks to occur more frequently, impact more people, and be more deadly. This is exactly what the coronavirus threatens to bring - a global pandemic with the potential to kill tens of millions.

 

Are You Prepared?

 

Regardless of its role in end times bible prophecy, the emergence of the coronavirus should force you to ask this question, "Am I prepared?" Now when I say this, I don't mean are you prepared to go off grid and wait out a global pandemic. I'm talking about something much more important. If the worst case scenario plays out, are you prepared to die? After all, it shouldn't matter whether you die of coronavirus or peacefully in your sleep. Regardless of the circumstance, your odds of dying are quite high. After all, how many people over the age of 100 do you know? Maybe a few. How about people over the age of 150? None, right? They're all dead, and that means you've got a good chance of dying one day too. When you die, do you know where you're going?

 

If you place your trust in Jesus Christ and accept His sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, you'll go to heaven. The Bible says if you confess Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). The Bible says all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). The best preparation for the coronavirus is to know where you stand. Jesus says you're either for Him or against Him (Matthew 12:30). There's no in between. So if you haven't ever made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to do so right now. Do it before it's too late. Because one way or another - Jesus is coming.

Note: This is the fifth of a series of clinical briefs on the coronavirus outbreak. This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and Medscape will provide updated activities as information becomes available.

Clinical Context

The world continues to monitor the outbreak of 2019-nCoV with dread. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Situation Report on 2019-nCoV dated February 10, 2020,^[1] there were 40 554 cases of confirmed 2019-nCoV infection worldwide (with 909 confirmed deaths). Only 319 of these cases have been diagnosed outside China, with 12 cases diagnosed in the United States.

Although highly concerning, these numbers are dwarfed by the number of individuals affected by influenza in the United States alone in the 2019-2020 flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates at least 22 million cases of influenza in the United States this flu season, with 210,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths.^[2] Although this flu season has been remarkable for the predominance of influenza B strain infections, the CDC notes that the rate of infection with influenza A H1N1 has been on the rise over the past several weeks. In addition, whereas the overall rate of hospitalization because of influenza is similar to previous years, this flu season has resulted in higher rates of hospitalization among children and young adults.

According to these numbers, it is currently much more likely to encounter a patient with influenza vs 2019-nCoV in the United States, but how else can clinicians differentiate between 2019-nCoV and influenza?

Synopsis and Perspective

In a sad twist of events, on February 6^th, the New York Times reported that the Chinese doctor, Li Wenliang, who was said to have blown the whistle on the deadly 2019-nCoV, died from the same virus on January 31 2020. According to media reports, on a social media post, Dr Li described his symptoms, which initiated with a cough on January 10 and followed by a fever the following day. There is not much else reported on his symptoms until his pronounced death on January 31.

There is a limited number of studies on the clinical presentation of patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection. What has been garnered in information is primarily from case studies from patients admitted to hospitals in Wunan, China. Most of these are of hospitalized patients with pneumonia, according to the CDC.^[3]

One such study is by Nanshan Chen, MD, et al.^[4] Their retrospective, single-center study on patients recruited from Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan China, who contracted the virus between January 1 and January 20, provides an early look at clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the virus in 99 confirmed cases.

How does the flu differ from 2019-nCoV? One common factor is that both are respiratory illnesses but are caused by different viruses.

Signs and Symptoms

Chen et al identified the following symptoms of 2019-nCoV that were presented in 99 patients on onset^[4]:

• Fever, n= 82 (83%)
• Cough, n= 81 (82%)
• Shortness of breath, n= 31 (31%)
• Muscle ache, n = 11 (11%)

Of the symptoms, the fever course is not fully understood among patients who contracted the 2019-nCoV infection. According to the CDC,^[3] it may be prolonged and intermittent. Serious 2019-nCoV infection can develop into severe pneumonia, pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or multiple organ failure and death, according to Chen and colleagues.^[4]

In another study by Qun Li, MMed, et al,^[5] which analyzed the first 425 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, researchers diagnosed infection as pneumonia if it fulfilled the following criteria:

• Fever (with or without recorded temperature)
• Radiographic evidence of pneumonia
• Low or normal white-cell count
• Low lymphocyte count
• No reduction in symptoms after antimicrobial treatment for 3 days

Pneumonia was confirmed if patients had the first 3 criteria and had an epidemiologic link to the Huanan seafood market or came in contact with patients with similar symptoms.

What are the signs and symptoms of the flu? These are often sudden and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue (tiredness), vomiting, and diarrhea (more common in children), according to the CDC.^[6]

As you can see, the 2019-nCoV symptoms are similar to that of the flu. It is safe to conclude that it is impossible to tell for sure if a patient has the flu according to symptoms alone.

Incubation Period

According to the CDC interim clinical guidance,^[3] the incubation period of 2019-nCoV is said to be approximately 5.2 (95% CI: 4.1, 7) days. Li and colleagues estimated the duration from illness onset to first medical visit for 45 patients with illness onset before January 1 2020 to have a mean of 5.8 (95% CI: 4.3, 7.5) days, which was similar to that for 207 patients with illness onset between January 1 2020 and January 11 2020, with a mean of 4.6 (95% CI: 4.1, 5.1) days.^[5]

Similarly, for the flu, the CDC states that the show of symptoms from time of exposure is about 2 days but can range from about 1 to 4 days.^[6] It is noted that the first 3 to 4 days tend to be the most contagious with persons infected with the flu.^[6] People with weakened immune systems and young children may be able to infect others for an even longer time.^[6]

In this, 2019-nCoV bears similarity to the flu virus as well.

Clinical Course

Among reported cases of 2019-nCoV infection so far, disease severity has varied between asymptomatic infection and mild to severe or fatal illness. Current clinical course is unclear, but according to the CDC, some reports suggest that patients tend to take a turn for the worse during the second week of illness.

According to the study by Li et al, the mean duration from onset to hospital admission was estimated to be 12.5 (95% CI: 10.3, 14.8) days among 44 cases with illness onset before January 1, 2020 which was longer than that among 189 patients with illness onset between January 1, 2020 and 11, 2020 (mean, 9.1 [95% CI: 8.6, 9.7]) days.^[5]

In contrast, for uncomplicated flu infection, signs and symptoms have a shorter course and usually resolves after 3 to 7 days for most people, although cough and malaise may linger, which can persist for >2 weeks for individuals with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly and persons with chronic lung disease, explains the CDC.^[7]

Diagnostic Testing

Several assays are currently under development that detect 2019-nCoV, both in-house and commercially; however, at this time, US diagnostic testing for 2019-nCoV can be conducted only at the CDC.^[8]

For the flu virus, a number of diagnostic tests, such as rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs), are available.^[9] Nasal cultures are the most important test for detecting the flu (ideally performed within the first 4 days of illness).^[9]

Laboratory and Radiographic Findings

In the study of infected patients by Chen et al,^[4] according to imaging examination (chest x-ray and computed tomography [CT]) results, 75% of patients showed bilateral pneumonia, 14% of patients showed multiple mottling and ground-glass opacity, and 1% of patients had pneumothorax; 17% of patients developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, and among them, 11% of patients worsened in a short period of time and died of multiple organ failure.

Laboratory results from patients with 2019-nCoV pneumonia showed increased leucocytes in 24% of patients, increased neutrophils in 38%, and decreased lymphocytes in 35%; platelets increased in 4% of patients.^[4] Blood biochemistry showed decreased albumin in 98% of infected patients and elevated liver function tests: alanine aminotransferase (28%) and aspartate aminotransferase (35%).^[4]

The flu can be complicated by secondary bacterial infections such as pneumonia. Similar to 2019-nCoV, other tests to detect radiographic findings can be performed (ie, chest x-ray or CT scan, sinus x-ray or CT scan). Laboratory findings may show an elevated white count when secondary bacterial infection is present or low white count if a viral infection is present.

Clinical Management and Treatment

The CDC recommends minimizing exposure to 2019-nCoV.^[3] Isolation is recommended for all patients infected with 2019-nCoV as well as implementation of infection control measures.^[3]

Currently, no specific treatment for 2019-nCoV is available.^[3]

According to the study by Chen et al,^[4] 76% of patients infected with the 2019-nCoV received antiviral treatment. This included oseltamivir dosed at 75 mg every 12 hours orally, ganciclovir dosed at 0.25 g every 12 hours intravenously, and lopinavir and ritonavir tablets dosed at 500 mg twice daily orally. Treatment duration ranged from 3 to 14 (median, 3 [interquartile range [IQR], 3-6]) days. Antibiotic treatment was administered to 71% of patients as well (ie, cephalosporins, quinolones, carbapenems, tigecycline against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, linezolid, and antifungal drugs). About 45% were given combination antibiotic treatment. Duration of antibiotic treatment ranged from 3 to 17 (median, 5 [IQR, 3-7]) days. Supportive treatments of steroids (eg, methylprednisolone, dexamethasone) were administered as well, with a duration of 3 to 15 (median, 5 [IQR, 3-7] days).^[4]

For people with influenza infection or who have a high risk for serious complications, the CDC recommends prompt treatment.^[7] Uncomplicated flu has a shorter course and usually resolves after 3 to 7 days for most people.^[7] For more serious flu complications, the CDC indicates that antiviral drugs can lessen symptoms and shorten duration of sickness by 1 or 2 days.^[10] This is especially important in patients with a higher risk for complications, as those drugs can mean the difference in preventing a hospital stay.^[10] Core prevention studies include administration of influenza vaccine, implementation of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, appropriate management of ill healthcare practitioners, adherence to infection control precautions , as well as implementing environmental and engineering infection control measures. ^[10]

In an article published on the World Economic Forum website, Katie Whiting compared coronavirus and the flu.^[11] For the seasonal flu, there is a vaccine to protect against infection.^[11] This cannot be said for 2019-nCoV, for which there is no vaccine.^[11] Research for a vaccine is underway.^[11]

Risk Factors

The risk factors for contracting 2019-nCoV are not yet clear. The CDC estimates that, on average, 8% of the US population gets sick with the flu every year.^[6] This cannot be compared with 2019-nCoV, which is still emerging (12 cases in the United States as of February 10, 2020).^[1] However, healthcare workers are at increased risk for exposure to 2019-nCoV, warns the CDC.^[12]

Older patients and persons with chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness when infected.^[3] Nearly all reported cases of the 2019-nCoV infection have occurred in adults (median age, 59 years).

In the study by Li and colleagues^[5], of 425 patients with pneumonia and confirmed 2019-nCoV, infection was in adults age 60 years or older, and 57% were male. Of reported patients, about one-third to one-half had underlying medical comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Very few of the cases reported have been in children.

Influenza B, which affects young people more severely, has been reported more often this season on a national level, according to the CDC’s most recent flu-surveillance report.^[2] In contrast to the 2019-nCoV, more than half of specimens that tested positive for influenza this season have been in people younger than age 25 years, according to the CDC. They emphasize that anyone can get sick with flu (even healthy people), and serious problems related to flu can happen at any age.^[6] Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.^[6] Some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick (ie, age ≥65 years; people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease; pregnant women and children younger than age 5 years but especially children younger than age 2 years.^[6]

Transmission

In the study by Li et al,^[5] human-to-human transmission was confirmed among close contacts.

With the flu, viruses are spread mainly by droplets through coughing, sneezing, or talking and inhaled into the lungs, according to experts.^[6] People with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Less often, a person might get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.^[6] The CDC recommends following guidelines to prevent the spread of viruses, such as handwashing, disinfecting surfaces, and avoiding contact with persons who have been infected.^[12]

To conclude, according to the WHO,^[13] differentiating the flu from 2019-nCoV can be difficult through clinical symptoms alone because the symptoms are similar, as is the case with infectious respiratory illnesses. Clinicians need to perform a thorough history and physical examination and perform necessary tests to make a proper diagnosis.

**Studies cited had various limitations, including small sample size, exclusion of suspected but undiagnosed cases, and lack of more detailed patient information and clinical outcomes.

Highlights

• Epidemiology and geography have to play critical roles in the differentiation of influenza from 2019-nCoV. Clinicians need to consider that the only area affected by a broad outbreak of 2019-nCoV is Hubei Province in central China, where 29631 cases have been reported.^[1]
• The CDC currently recommends consideration for evaluation for 2019-nCoV only among patients with fever and cough or shortness of breath who traveled from Hubei Province, China, in the past 14 days or who had close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed infection with 2019-nCoV in the past 14 days. They recently expanded the evaluation recommendation to include anyone traveling from mainland China in the past 14 days with symptoms requiring hospitalization.^[14]
• Symptoms are less discriminatory in comparing 2019-nCoV and influenza. Both viral infections cause fever and cough in the majority of patients affected.
• The duration of symptoms may be more important in distinguishing between infection with 2019-nCoV and influenza. The symptoms of uncomplicated influenza usually last about 3 to 7 days, with gradual improvement in symptoms such as cough up to 2 weeks.^[7]
• In contrast, in a study by Chaolin Huang and colleagues of patients infected with 2019-nCoV, more than half of patients developed dyspnea at a mean of 8 days after the onset of symptoms.^[15]
• Although bilateral patchy infiltrates are present in a minority of chest radiographs of patients with influenza, all patients in the case series infected with 2019-nCoV had abnormal findings on CT.^[15]
• What is understood about the clinical course of 2019-nCoV suggests a more severe infection vs influenza. In the case series, nearly one-third of patients with 2019-nCoV were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 15% died.^[15]
• According to the WHO, differentiating the flu from 2019-nCoV can be difficult through clinical symptoms alone because the symptoms are similar, as is the case with infectious respiratory illnesses. Clinicians need to perform a thorough history and physical examination and perform necessary tests to make a proper diagnosis.^[13]

Clinical Implications

• The current epidemiology of influenza in the United States dwarves the number of infections with 2019-nCoV. The CDC estimates 22 million cases of influenza in the US this flu season, with 210,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths.^[2] Only 319 cases of infection with 2019-nCoV have been detected outside of China (12 cases in the United States) since the outbreak began.^[1]
• Initial symptoms of infection may be the weakest way to differentiate infection with the novel coronavirus vs influenza. Instead, epidemiologic and travel clues can be highly informative, and the course of illness of 2019-nCoV is generally more severe than that of the flu.^[15]
• Implications for the Healthcare Team: The healthcare team should be vigilant for cases of 2019-nCoV while promoting best practices to reduce the effect of influenza on public and individual health.

 

Globalists Look To Exploit Coronavirus In Push For Global Government - By Brandon Smith/Activist -

https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3869

 

Once you understand the globalist mindset, almost everything they do becomes rather robotic and predictable. It should not be surprising that the World Health Organization (WHO), a branch of the United Nations, has been so aggressive in cheerleading for the Chinese government and its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

After all, China's communist surveillance state model is a beta test for the type of centralization that the UN wants for the entire planet. They certainly aren't going to point out that it was China's totalitarian system that allowed the outbreak to spread from the very beginning.

 

Even now Xi Jinping is trying to rewrite history, claiming that he had been swift in responding to the crisis more than a month before he actually did. The lie that the coronavirus mutated naturally in a food and animal market in Wuhan continues to be peddled by the mainstream media even though no evidence supporting this claim exists.

 

And China is still releasing rigged death and infection numbers while they have over 600 million people under martial law lockdown and their crematoriums continue pumping out the fumes of the dead 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

 

Brave health workers like Li Wenliang, who was punished by the government for warning about the virus in December, have died in the process of trying to fight against the centralized behemoth just to get vital information to the world, but that never happened, right?

 

It was actually president Xi and the CPC that saved the day. The WHO and the CPC say so. You'll never hear the UN praise the efforts of Li Wenliang; they want his name to disappear down the memory hole as much as the Chinese government does.

 

The developing narrative is a familiar one - Local officials "stifled" the response to the outbreak while the centralized national leadership put things back on track with extreme control measures that have turned the Hubei province into a veritable internment camp.

 

Whatever you do, don't point out that it was the national government's habit of imprisoning health officials that release "false information" that led to the delayed reaction on the coronavirus.

 

Also, don't point out that ground zero for the outbreak is just down the road from the largest Level 4 Biohazard Lab in Asia, because that would make you a "conspiracy theorist".

 

The message being pounded into the public consciousness is clear: "Shut up and accept that Centralization works". Even when it fails miserably, it is still the answer to all our problems. All we have to do is "adjust" the historical record a little bit every time the system breaks and then institute even MORE centralization in response.

 

In other words, if the interdependent and draconian top-down structure of the globalist state leads to crisis, then it is because it was not centralized ENOUGH. Centralization always begets more centralization.

 

The financial fascist system of central banking and corporate oligarchy leads to the socialist welfare state, and the socialist welfare state leads to the surveillance state, the surveillance state leads to the martial law state, and the martial law state leads to full-on global governance; an endless elitist empire.

 

The failings of centralization have caused numerous problems long before it led to a potential pandemic. The pandemic simply clarifies the issue. For example, the breakdown in the global supply chain is becoming a bigger threat by the day. The Baltic Dry Index a measure of shipping rates as well as global demand for goods, has essentially collapsed.

 

This should have been the first warning sign that the supply chain was in trouble, but the mainstream doesn't pay attention to the fundamentals, only stock markets. Enter Apple, one of the largest companies in the world, which has now abandoned its projections for 2020 and finally admitted that the shutdown of Chinese factories may just be a problem.

 

Some mentally challenged people out there are scoffing sarcastically at this issue, saying "Oh no, whatever will we do without iPhones...?". They don't grasp the wider implications. If Apple's production is going down because of the supply chain disruption then this is a signal that multiple companies and most of the economy are also going down because of supply chain disruptions. It's not about iPhones, it's about the bigger picture.

 

Globalism has led to interdependent economies and nation states that no longer have redundancies in production. We have been forced to rely on production centers on the other side of the world for a vast majority of our goods.

 

When China shuts down, the US economy loses almost 20% of its supply chain. When Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam shut down from the virus, you can add another 10% to 15% on top of that. Retailers in the US represent around 70% of GDP. Cut off the supply chain in Asia and retailers lose a vast array of goods to sell. The US economy eventually shuts down also, even if the virus never spreads here.

 

Some people will argue that we don't need all the "cheap plastic crap" from Asia anyway, and this situation is a "good thing". Sorry to break it to you, but America's economy is built on the selling of cheap plastic crap (along with the selling of the fiat dollar as the world reserve currency).

 

Walmart (Chinamart if you discount agricultural products) is the largest employer in the US and the world, after all. Right or wrong, our economic system is so globalized that the fall of the Chinese dominoes will eventually knock down our own dominoes.

 

But when this disaster occurs and numerous national economies suffer from enforced globalist integration, guess what will happen next? The globalists will ride to our "rescue" with even greater centralization. This was their agenda all along.

 

Many people in the liberty movement are now aware of the Event 201 simulation, a war game run by globalists in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Economic Forum on a "theoretical" coronavirus pandemic that kills 65 million people.

 

This simulation took place only a couple of months before the real thing exploded in China in December. But hey, maybe that's all just amazing coincidence.

 

What concerns me even more is the solution that was presented at the end of Event 201 - the creation of a centralized global financial body that would manage the international response to the outbreak.

 

Isn't it amazing how every major catastrophe caused by globalism seems to lead to more globalism? One might start to wonder if some of these events were triggered by incompetence, or if they were deliberately engineered.

 

At the very least, crisis events have been allowed to fester unchecked by organizations like the WHO as they continue to write off the coronavirus as a non-issue that is "well under control" by a Chinese government that caused it to spread in the first place.

 

So here is what is going to happen next:

 

Best case scenario is that the Western world is mostly unscathed by the virus itself but the economic supply chain suffers major setbacks. The global economy, which was already crashing over the past year due to historic levels of corporate and consumer debt, not to mention faltering exports and freight, is finally tipped over the edge.

 

The massive Everything Bubble, fueled by a decade of inflationary central bank stimulus, implodes. Governments respond with totalitarian measures in the name of "protecting the public".

 

Globalist institutions like the IMF step in and suggest that frail national monetary systems come under the management of their Special Drawing Rights basket in order to mitigate the debt crisis. Essentially, this is the first step to global governance.

 

Worst case scenario, the virus spreads throughout the US and Europe and governments respond the same way China's government has; martial law and full-blown concentration camp culture. This would lead to civil war in the US because we are armed and many people will shoot anyone trying to put us into quarantine camps. Europe is mostly screwed.

 

The establishment then suggests that paper money be removed from the system because it is a viral spreader. China is already pushing this solution now. Magically, we find ourselves in a cashless society in a matter of a year or two; which is what the globalists have been demanding for years. Everything goes digital, and thus even local economies become completely centralized as private trade dies.

 

Again, this might be an engineered event, or it might simply be that the globalists are exploiting a natural outbreak. Either way, they are not going to let a good crisis go to waste. Whether or not they succeed is dependent on several factors, but mostly, its dependent on us.

 

How many people will buy into the notion that centralization is the answer to out problems? How many people will realize that centralization is the CAUSE of all our problems? And how many people will fight to prevent ultimate centralization under a psychopathic globalist cult?

 

A viral outbreak is a significant danger to us all, but an even greater threat is the supposed cure. Trading our economic and social freedom in the name of stopping the coronavirus? No matter how deadly the bug, it's just not worth it.

 

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday warned that it expects the novel coronavirus to begin spreading in the U.S. at the community level, and that �disruption to everyday life may be severe.�

CORONAVIRUS FITS CRITERIA FOR 'DISEASE X,' WHO EXPERT SAYS

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the agency�s director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a press briefing on Tuesday that the time for Americans to begin preparing for a potential outbreak of the virus is now, although officials believe the immediate threat to the public remains low.

�As more and more countries experience community spread, successful containment at our borders becomes harder and harder,� Messonnier said. �Ultimately, we expect we will see community spread in this country. It�s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of when this will happen, and how many people in this country will have severe illness.�

IRAN'S CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE HEAD CONTRACTS ILLNESS AS COUNTRY'S DEATH TOLL HITS 15

Citing the recent uptick in cases in countries with confirmed illnesses, Messonnier said health officials recognize that once the virus hits, it moves �quite rapidly," adding that the outbreak is inching closer toward pandemic status. She explained several measures the U.S. is prepared to take should the outbreak become severe, including closing schools and hosting meetings remotely.

"I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe, but these are things people need to start thinking about now," Messonnier said.

Messonnier said that she herself spoke to her family over breakfast on Tuesday and that while she feels the risk of coronavirus at this time is low, she told them they needed to be preparing for "significant disruption" to their lives.

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The U.S. currently has 14 confirmed cases of the virus in people who have traveled to China or been in close contact with someone who has. An additional 39 residents were infected with the virus while onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, but last week the health agency said those cases would be counted separately from the national tally.

'CoronaVirus Won't go Away Until Third Temple Built' Rabbi says - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz -

www.breakingisraelnews.com

 

"And David built there a mizbayach to Hashem and sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. Hashem responded to the plea for the land, and the plague against Yisrael was checked." II Samuel 24:25 (The Israel Bible�)

 

It was reported on the Har-Habait site that Rabbi Aryeh Lipo, a religious studies teacher who ran for the Likud in 2014, gave a special lesson on the Temple Mount last Thursday that suggested a powerful cure for the global pandemic coronavirus.

 

"We are here on the Temple Mount, sending up a prayer for the healing of the entire world," Rabbi Lipo said. "The Temple is the crown, just like tefillin on the head of a Jewish man."

 

He then quoted the Prophet Isaiah who compared the Temple Mount to a crown.

 

In the days to come, The Mount of Hashem's House Shall stand firm above the mountains And tower above the hills; And all the nations Shall gaze on it with joy. Isaiah 2:2

 

"And 'corona' means, in every language, a crown," Rabbi Lipo said. "The disease has come to remind us that the true crown of the world is missing. What will stop the coronavirus was taught to us by King David."

 

And David built there a mizbayach to Hashem and sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. Hashem responded to the plea for the land, and the plague against Yisrael was checked. II Samuel 24:24

 

"May it be God's will that we merit to build a crown and palace for the One King," Rabbi Lipo said. "God willing, this crown will protect the world from the corona."

 

The rabbi related that a Chinese woman had just ascended to the Temple Mount where she joined them in prayer for the building of the Third Temple.

 

"So we are requesting from the Holy One, Blessed be He, to rule from his palace so that he will have a true crown in order to remove the 'crown' of disease that is causing so many to suffer."

 

The rabbi noted that in an inspired act of protest, hundreds of Jews who self-identify as secular donned tefillin in Tel Aviv ten days ago.

 

"Everywhere in Israel, Jews are performing the commandment of putting on the crown of tefillin. But there is one place in Israel, the only place in the world, that it is actually forbidden, against the law, to put tefillin on a Jewish head. This is on the crown of all the mountains; Jerusalem."

 

Rabbi Lipo called out to the government of Israel to enforce the law which requires equality of all religions at Israel's holy sites.

 

"We are assured that returning the crown of tefillin to the Temple Mount will remove the crown of suffering, the coronavirus, from the world."

 

 Coronavirus, cynicism and ignorance - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com

 

Countries around the world are trying to take prevention measures against coronavirus. In the United States, though the White House and the appropriate agencies are taking aggressive action, the stock market is diving. This is reminiscent of the SARS virus, which also began in China in 2002. According to the Mayo Clinic, "SARS is caused by a strain of coronavirus, the same family of viruses that causes the common cold. Previously, these viruses had never been particularly dangerous to humans. Coronaviruses can, however, cause severe disease in animals, and that's why scientists suspected that the SARS virus might have crossed from animals to humans." Similar viruses. China origination. Similar panic.

 

Discover Magazine reported on February 3 that, "Disease-fighting agents from the immune systems of people infected with the coronavirus stopped the infection in a lab, as did those from horses that dealt with SARS. The emerging coronavirus is related to SARS, a disease that reached epidemic proportions in 2002 and 2003. Additionally, it seems the new disease latches onto cells the same way SARS does." Discover cited researchers from China saying that it's possible that vaccines and treatments developed for SARS could be used against this new outbreak. It is interesting to me that this coronavirus outbreak has very similar characteristics to SARS. It began in China. And China researchers are getting money from drug companies to develop a vaccine while the world panics and many people are dying. Something just doesn't seem right.

 

Americanmanufacturing.org wrote in July 2018, "Many of the drugs that Americans depend upon, including birth control pills, antibiotics like penicillin, vitamin C and even cancer drugs, are made in China with little regulation. Even more alarmingly, China is aiming to become the world's pharmacy, part of its "Made in China 2025" industry plan." Vitamin C reportedly is being tested by Chinese researchers as one of the top mitigators of coronavirus. The vaccine development for SARS apparently was tabled after the scare abated in 2004. The cynic in me looks at the common traits of SARS and coronavirus, the political and economic aspect of both and where they originated and who benefits from it, while others die. China.

 

Since SARS, we have seen avian flu (2004), swine flu (2009) and, don't forget Ebola (2014) and Zika (2016). The media is whipped into a frenzy predicting horrible events aimed at provoking fear among populations. Drug companies come to the rescue with a new vaccine. Some time later, the side effects of the vaccine are often worse than the pandemic because the pandemic never reaches the estimations of catastrophic damage. It's a noteworthy propaganda machine. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." So let us not fear in all of this. Let us have a sound mind and not be ignorant about it. Take vitamin C. Cover up when coughing. Stay away from big crowds. Pray. Take measures of prevention. Also understand there are big time politics going on with these viruses.