The Costs of the Coronavirus - Staggering

To say we are living in unprecedented times is almost an understatement.  I know that I can never remember a time like this in my lifetime.  There have been other pandemics that have affected portions of the world, but never one that has engulfed the world as has COVID-19, or the Chinese coronavirus.  The consequences of this virus have been staggering in both loss of life, loss of livelihood, and loss of economics.  Over 130,000 people have died - at least that is the death toll up to yesterday.  Over 22 million Americans are now unemployed - pretty staggering when you consider that most of those people had jobs just four weeks ago.  And the financial costs worldwide mount up into the trillions of dollars.  One could almost say that this pandemic is of biblical proportions.  And you know, you would be correct.


I read an interesting article yesterday on the Prophecy News Watch website titled, "A Day's Wage For A Loaf Of Bread."  The author of the article focuses upon that third seal which is broken in Revelation 6.  You remember the one - the black horsed rider with a pair of scales in his hands.  He writes: "I think perhaps the scales represent balance and fairness, or justness.  I also have an idea that the oil and wine represent plenty and abundance.  Bread was a staple, but oil and wine were luxuries.  This passage may be describing a situation where hyperinflation is rampant and those with little can barely pay for basic necessities.  However, in this not-so-distant period, the wealthy are not suffering, and still can have their treats.  Today in the U.S. and the world, economic inequality, whether measured through the gaps in income or wealth between richer and poorer households, continues to widen.  According to the Pew Research Center, 'the wealth gap among upper-income families and middle- and lower-income families is sharper than the income gap and is growing more rapidly. ... What you have in this verse is the lower income strata struggling to survive while the elite wealthy are living their lives essentially unchanged.  The scales then would represent a lack of balance and fairness."


But, then the author goes on to ponder the huge debt the world is creating right now - into the trillions of dollars.  It seems the answer to the pandemic is to print money - lots of money.  He writes: "In short, Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is the belief that by printing more money, any economic problem can be mitigated.  It is the anti-orthodox, macro-economic framework which says that any 'monetarily sovereign' country does not need taxes or borrowing for spending since they can print as much as they need and are the monopoly issuers of the currency.  A monetary sovereign country is one that has exclusive, unlimited power to create their own sovereign currencies.  The U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Japan, China and the European Union are entities that are monetarily sovereign..  Because the U.S. is monetarily sovereign, it never needs to tax or borrow, according to the premise of the theory.  It can just print money to pay it's bills.  Theoretically, the country can never  be pushed into insolvency."  I really had to reread those words to grasp what was being said.  When I hear of all the dollars being printed to help small businesses and people in our country, I asked myself, "Who will pay for all this?"  Now I know the answer is a simple, "Well, no one needs to repay it."  You just keep printing money.


The author closes his article with these words: "The world is at full tilt printing new money.  Can you see the picture developing and the rationale behind my interpretation of Revelation 6:6?  Massive debt, hyperinflation, incredible wealth gap, economic depression.  What is the rapture happened right...now?" 


What are we learning about this COVID-19 virus?  Reports began to surface yesterday that our intelligence is learning that this virus's origins were not in the wet-markets of Wuhan, China, but in a virology lab in that city.  From the very first news about this virus, I shared with many that I believed it came from a lab and not from the wild.  How did such a deadly virus escape the lab?  We are learning now that the warnings were sounded very early about the lack of appropriate safety measures employed at that Wuhan lab.  And then the Chinese officials were quick to initially cover-up its existence.  Now the world has paid a sobering price for such recklessness.  China should be held accountable for this gross negligence.  It will be interesting to see if all the calls worldwide demanding that China pay the consequences will happen. 


This past Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a new conference in which he told New Yorkers that it appeared the worst was behind them.  And, personally, I am glad that is happening in New York.  But what he said as part of that speech got my dander up.  "The number is down", he said, "because we brought the number down.  God did not do that.  Faith did not do that.  Destiny did not do that.  A lot of pain and suffering did that...That's how it works.  It's math.  And if you don't continue to do that, you're going to see that number go back up. And that will be a tragedy if that number goes back up."  When I read his statement, I was instantly reminded of a powerful king many years ago who also boasted of his accomplishments.  He took credit for something God had done.  That king's name was Nebuchadnezzar and you can read his story in Daniel 4.  Friends, it is always a fearful thing to take credit for something that God has done.  I am praying that God would humble the Governor's heart so that he would acknowledge the hand of God even as was Nebuchadnezzar's heart.


What concerns me most about the coronavirus and our response to it, is how quickly we have surrendered many of our freedoms because of it.  According to the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, we are guaranteed freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of religious expression.  We can no longer freely assemble.  In the state of Michigan, you cannot meet with others outside your home.  In the state of Mississippi those who attended a drive-in Easter worship service were ticketed and fined $500.  Unheard of!  Fined for going to church!  We have been told when we can worship.  How we can worship.  We have been told that you can't have a funeral unless it is for a group of ten or less.  And don't even think about getting married, especially if you want your family and friends there.  Parks, beaches, and trails are closed - some for the entire summer ahead.  In California, a man was fined for simply paddleboarding in the ocean by himself.  I worry that we will ever fully regain what we have given up. 


And I have not even begun to share my thoughts about those who can work and those who can't.  Liquor store workers - you are essential.  Salon workers - I guess personal grooming is not essential.  You can purchase clothing at a Walmart of Target, yet you can't go to a Kohls or JC Penney to buy a shirt.  And why are church ministries considered non-essential?  I thought the spiritual well-being of people was important.  There is so much about what is happening right now that makes so very little sense.  I do understand that there was need for caution.  I take caution every time I get behind the wheel of my car because I know that there are drunks on that same road.  Yet we do not isolate them.  We do not demand that they stay quarantined.  What has happened to good old fashioned common sense?  Perhaps our response to this time of crisis has exposed the lack of that common sense. 


I believe it is time that we begin to count the breakdown in mental health and not just focus exclusively on the physical side.  Betsy McCaughey writes in "Shutdown Could Kill More Americans Than COVID-19" at www.townhall.com/columnists/betsymccaughery/2020/04/13 that "if the shutdown is dragged on, as some public health experts recommend, it is almost certain to kill more Americans than coronavirus. ... Every 1% hike in the unemployment rate will likely produce a 3.3% increase in drug overdoses and a 0.99% increase in suicides according to data provided by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the medical journal Lancet. ... If unemployment hits 32%, some 77,000 Americans are likely to die from suicide and drug overdose as a result of layoffs.  Scientists call these fatalities deaths of despair.  Then add the predictable deaths from alcohol abuse caused by unemployment."  And, I might add, what about the increase in domestic abuse. 


Let me close with some good news.  Michael Brown, writing an article for ProphecyNewsWatch.com, says, "Not surprisingly, a recent America-based poll commissioned by Joel Rosenberg's Joshua Fund found that 44.3% of poll respondents said they believe the coronavirus and resulting economic meltdown is a "wake up call for us to turn back to faith in God;" signs of coming judgment;" or both.'"  The poll also found that, 'Fully one-in-five non-Christians (21.5%) polled said the crisis is causing them to start reading the Bible and listen to Bible teaching and Christian sermons online even though they usually don't, search online to learn more about Bible prophecy and God's plan for the future of mankind, and have more spiritual conversations with family and friends."   Friends, God is at work even in the midst of the worldwide crisis.  Are we ready for the Return of Jesus? 

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