Let me begin today by noting that this message is being compiled on Monday, March 30th, so that you will have a reference point. Because by the time you read or hear this commentary, the information contained here will have likely changed, but this is the situation as it stands today.
As of today, the country has been officially “locked down” for 17 days. It was March 13th when President Trump declared a National State of Emergency to fight the Coronavirus, and since that time the majority of states have issued “shelter in place” or “stay at home” orders. Businesses that the government considers to be “non-essential” have been forced to close their doors, with no indication when they may reopen. Restaurants nationwide are closed, except for take-out and delivery orders.
Interstate travel within the United States has not yet been prohibited; however, several states are issuing strict orders regarding those who travel there from “hot spot” locations including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, California, Louisiana and Washington state. In most instances, those traveling to other areas are ordered to “self-quarantine” for a minimum of 14 days after their arrival.
The Mexican and Canadian borders are closed. Just today, the states of Texas and Florida are prohibiting visitors from Louisiana to enter. A friend in Canada reported over the weekend that there are now long lines at grocery stores there, with only a limited number of people allowed in the stores at a time. And when they ARE allowed inside, most of the shelves are bare. The governments in the UK, Germany and other European nations have now banned all gatherings of TWO or more people. Currently in the US, the ban is generally for ten or more people.
As more people are now being given tests for the virus, the numbers are naturally rising. The official numbers today are: 147,794 confirmed cases, 4,886 have recovered, and there have been 2,596 deaths attributed to the virus. Most who die after contracting the virus have been “high risk” patients — those with pre-existing medical conditions or compromised immune systems. While their cause of death may NOT be the coronavirus, but one of those underlying conditions, if they have the virus when they die, they’re considered a victim of the virus and added to the numbers.
This has, of course, caused the closing of all public and private schools, as well as churches, clubs and other organizations — in addition to all private businesses if they’re considered “non-essential,” even if such businesses rarely have ten customers or clients in their buildings at a time. I find it interesting that liquor stores are considered “essential businesses” in every state… and in those states that have legalized the use of recreational marijuana, the marijuana stores are considered to be “essential.” Not to mention the abortion centers that are still allowed to remain open in most states, under the guise of ‘women’s healthcare.’ How can THIS be considered “essential” when killing one’s child is an “elective surgery”? I thought it was a choice… remember, “My body, my CHOICE?” Whatever happened to THAT?!
Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of small businesses across the country have been forced to close. Over the weekend, President Trump announced that the mandated “social distancing” rules will now extend AT LEAST to the end of April, and indicated that the lockdown may extend into July, August or even longer.
Please know that I do a great deal of research and cross-checking references on news items before I share them. It’s not always easy to tell truth from fiction. But here’s what I know: In October of 2019, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, hosted (quote) “a high-level pandemic exercise” in New York. This event included CEOs of major corporations, health officials, UN officials and government leaders.
This was a SIMULATION of a world-wide pandemic, to study how such a catastrophe would impact the world economically and socially. This “study,” incidentally, was paid for by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And INTERESTINGLY, the TYPE of pandemic that was studied was a CORONAVIRUS. You can research this for yourself. It’s called “Event 201.” And it was just two months later that the coronavirus began in Wuhan, China.
It’s interesting to note that many of the CEOs present at this exercise (including Bill Gates) have since resigned their positions. In fact, there has been a record number of CEOs of MANY corporations that have resigned since “Event 201.” Why would they all suddenly do that? What do they know that we don’t know?
Over the weekend, news reports began coming in from Rhode Island, where police, backed up by the National Guard, are now going door-to-door to (in THEIR words) “hunt down” New Yorkers who have fled the state seeking refuge from the Coronavirus. Last Friday, police also began stopping cars in Rhode Island with New York license plates, and signs were posted ordering New York drivers to pull over to a checkpoint for questioning.
According to the Huffington Post, National Guard members have also been posted at Rhode Island’s airport, train stations and bus stops to interrogate travelers. The penalty for not complying with the state’s quarantine order is a fine of up to $500 and 90 days in jail. Meanwhile, videos posted on social media over the weekend show massive movement of heavy-duty military vehicles — not humanitarian aid vehicles, but rather tanks and armored personnel carriers — on trains, headed to all parts of the country.
We have seen such movements here before, even just five years ago during the “Jade Helm” exercises which involved four of the five branches of the military in multiple states, ostensibly to train for controlling civilian populations “in other countries,” they said. “Jade Helm” left a lot of people suspecting martial law was imminent under the Obama administration. But we have never before seen such military operations in action simultaneously with a nation-wide lockdown of all American citizens.
As a matter of fact, we’ve never before seen ANYTHING like what’s happening today. Those the government deems to be “essential workers” have now been issued “travel papers” to show law enforcement should they be pulled over and questioned by police. Just like Nazi Germany. And while we’re not downplaying the fact that the Coronavirus is real and IS affecting people, numerous very credible doctors and scientists have stated repeatedly that the infection and death rates the government and media are showing us are false and nothing more than projections — guesses — of a worst-case scenario. These same experts have repeatedly stated that the typical flu virus is much more serious and takes many more lives than the Coronavirus has, or will.
These doctors and scientists are wondering the same thing many of us are wondering: what is REALLY going on here?
Here’s a headline from the Chicago Tribune, dated March 20th: it reads, “Those trains you see transporting military vehicles? Illinois National Guard says they’re not part of enforcing a lockdown.” The article states: “Though the governor activated the Illinois National Guard earlier this week to help combat the virus, the service members don’t have a role in enforcing any lockdown order issued by the government.” Ok. But it’s interesting how the military IS indeed, now, enforcing lockdown in Rhode Island. My guess is it’s only a matter of time before all-out martial law is declared nationwide, under the guise of keeping everyone “safe” by keeping them locked in their homes.
Meanwhile, while half of Americans were “sheltering in place” in their homes, many glued to the mainstream media “news” on TV, Congress passed the largest economic stimulus package in history, to the tune of 2 TRILLION dollars. The average American will receive a check in the amount of $1,200 in a few weeks. However, as usual, our dedicated “public servants” added more than a few pounds of “pork” as it broke our national piggy bank to smithereens.
Notably: $25 million for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; $75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services; $150 million for the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities; $88 million to the Peace Corp; $250 million for the IRS to cover “taxpayer services” and “enforcement;” $350 million for Migration and Refugee Assistance; $30.8 BILLION for the Department of Education (or should I say the “Department of Indoctrination?”). What do these things have to do with helping the average middle-class American suffering from potentially months of lost income? I don’t know.
At one point in the stimulus package negotiations, Nancy Pelosi was insisting on implementing — RIGHT NOW — a new “digital currency” in America. That provision is NOT in this final agreement, but clearly it IS on the overall agenda, along with ID2020, “Real ID,” Agenda 21, the Green New Deal… and most assuredly, a new One-World Government and a New World Order. While on the subject, we may as well add mandatory vaccinations, implanted microchips with all our personal data, financial information, health history, social media, cell phone, internet and other electronic interactions, personal tracking and locating, and more.
The days of your personal business being YOUR personal business are over, I believe. Because if Government and the mainstream media can team up so well to foment THIS MUCH FEAR in Americans, the world we lived in just a few weeks ago, I’m afraid, is gone forever. Welcome to the new ‘Normal.’
There will be many small “mom and pop” stores and literally thousands of small businesses that have been forced to close by our government that will never have the resources to open again — even if the ‘powers that be’ allow it. You can’t just shut down someone’s business, their LIVELIHOOD, for weeks or months with no notice, and expect them to rebound just fine with their $1,200 check. It’s not happening. I grieve for the many companies that are closed now, and likely gone forever — many family businesses that have been in operation for generations. Wiped out by Big Brother. I truly don’t know what they will do.
As I said previously, we don’t know what the entire purpose of all this is, but it’s very obvious to all with eyes to see that this is about much more than a virus which is less of a threat than an average case of the flu. Nefarious forces are at work, with evil intent. But what the enemy has meant for evil, I believe God WILL work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Yes, even in this, good things have happened.
For example, the public schools have closed down. No more government indoctrination of our young people with liberal, socialist ideologies. No more perverted sex-education classes. Now, PARENTS have the opportunity to raise and teach their children at home. The same is true with the colleges that have closed down. To a large degree, the indoctrination has stopped, and Lord willing, many young people will have a chance to come out of the Leftist “brain fog” that has been clawing at their souls, and seek out the real truth for themselves.
Likewise, since the public libraries have closed, there will be no more “Drag Queen Story Times” for the duration of this government “exercise.” If this should go into the summer months, the thousands of homosexual “pride” parades will also be cancelled. The bars have closed down, the strip clubs have closed down, along with other evil “entertainment” venues. It seems that the hand of God has suddenly SMASHED all of our hedonistic idols in America.
This crisis has also caused us to rethink how we “do” church. With all the church buildings closed down, many Christians are now meeting in homes in small groups, digging in and studying for themselves what God’s Word has to say regarding all we see coming upon our world today. Also, with so many lost souls wandering the streets and surfing the web at home now, seeking answers and TRUTH, I pray many will come to know Christ as Savior AND Lord through all of this… something that most likely would never have happened had our churches simply continued “business as usual.”
We don’t know what the future holds. We never know what a day may bring. But we do know our Lord is returning one day, and perhaps one day very soon now. We see the signs of the times and know that, even amidst the delusion, lies and wickedness in high places, our Creator GOD is still in control.
Again, I implore you to not waste this opportunity to draw close to your Savior. Make Him your Lord and prepare yourselves spiritually, so that you may be ready yourselves for that Day when you meet Him face to face, and so that you will be able to bring a multitude of others along with you into His kingdom, for eternity. May you have that peace that passes all understanding, even in the midst of these trials, even as we walk boldly into the unknown days ahead.
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About Rob Pue
Rob is an ordained minister and the founder and publisher of Wisconsin Christian News, a national Christian newspaper based in Wisconsin. He writes a monthly commentary for WCN, and can also be heard twice weekly (Tuesdays and Saturdays) nationwide on the VCY America Radio Network (as well as several other independent stations) with his “From the Editor’s Desk” commentaries. Rob’s messages offer unique teaching and insights from God’s Word, dealing with the most important issues of our day. In addition, Rob hosts the weekly internet TV program, “WCN-TV,” every Wednesday at 2 pm Central time, which can be found at WCNTV.net. He is also available for speaking engagements for conferences and special events. View his website at: WisconsinChristianNews.com