News and Notes Update: August 31, 2020

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Good morning everyone! We have some news and updates to share for you.

CDC News
Up first, there’s some great news from the CDC but it looks like they really didn’t want the public to know. They simply quietly adjusted the CV-19 death numbers from over 153,000 deaths in the USA to…ready?…9,210 actual deaths in the USA.

Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently, what the CDC did regarding CV-19 deaths is include anyone who died with CV-19, but not necessarily from it. What we’ve also discovered, based on the actual information from the CDC is that most people who died with CV-19 suffered from serious underlying health issues and were aged. What this all means is that the percentage of actual deaths in the USA due directly to CV-19 has gone from 94% to 6%.

Yes, that means the true morbidity rate of actual CV-19 deaths is only 6% in the USA. The CDC does not do this when it comes to reporting on other illnesses. For instance, during a normal flu season, the CDC will only post those deaths that are the direct result of the flu. They normally do not include people who died from other things but may have also had flu symptoms.

Yet, they did this with CV-19. The problem is that so many people in society have been brainwashed into thinking that CV-19 is the deadliest virus to ever plague us in modern day, that even if they learn of this new information, it may have no real effect on their thinking.

The larger numbers – 153,000+ deaths – were used to place and keep society in virtual lock down mode. We were supposed to be afraid to go out, get too near other human beings and essentially come to see all other people as potentially carrying a lethal pathogen that could easily kill us. This is troubling, to say the least.

Will lock downs and social distancing in society be relaxed? Will things return to any sort of prior CV-19 normalcy? Likely not because leaders of lock down states will ignore this new information as California’s governor has already said that in spite of new CDC recommendations, they are sticking with the old ones.

When will all of this end? We see other countries and even the state of Hawaii holding public protests regarding masks and social distancing, but most in the USA appear to have resigned themselves to all the requirements or recommendations.

Oh, by the way, it is interesting to note that in spite of this new information from the CDC, several social networks are suspending/banning people who repeat that information. I guess the powers that be don’t agree with this new truth from CDC.

End Times Preachers
Last week, we had a brief article asking why there aren’t more preachers presenting info on the end times/last days? If we are living in those day (we are), shouldn’t pastors and Christian leaders be helping the rest of us to understand the times better so that we can make the most of the times?

Let me put their names out there for you.

• J D Farag – a pastor in Hawaii. Conservative, biblical, pretribulational. He presents Bible updates every week and goes into depth on specific end times passages of Scripture. I like the information he provides, but just so you know, he tends to give long, drawn out explanations and sometimes goes off on a bit of a rabbit trail. It seems he speaks off the cuff most of the time as I never see him using notes. If you’re not careful, he could end up being difficult to follow. That may just be me though. Lots of great info!
• Danny Jones – Rev. Jones is a pastor in the north area of Georgia. We’ve highlighted him before and I generally appreciate his sermons very much. He’s conversational, uses good notes that keep him on track and in general, has good explanations regarding the biblical text. The only issue I have with him so far is that he appears to hold to the PreWrath Rapture of the Church, as opposed to the PreTrib Rapture view. Because of this, he is one who does not believe the Tribulation starts with Revelation 6, but later. Other than this, I’ve not heard other things with which I disagree. He’s provided some great information on CV-19 and end times in general. Worth a listen.
• Amir Tsarfati – is yet another individual who speaks a great deal on the subject of the end times, keeping us informed about happenings in the Middle East and elsewhere. His ministry – Behold Israel – has plenty of videos on YouTube and he is also on social networks. Amir is an Israeli Christian and his emphasis is to “sift out the truth on current events amidst global media bias against Israel.“
• Mark Hitchcock – is another end times guy who has written many books and emphasizes what’s happening in the world as seen through the lens of God’s Words.
• David Jeremiah (Turning Point) – is a familiar name to many. His sermons are well thought out and researched and there’s generally something that is applicable to life today. While he does not solely focus on the end times, he most certainly includes sermons on that topic.
• Jan Markell (Olive Tree Ministries) – is another ministry that tends to focus on end times, with special emphasis on Israel at times as well. Her Understanding The Times Radio program airs weekly. Jan often has end times experts as guests on her program.

I’m checking out other names and ministries to see what’s out there and will report on those as well.

Church vs State
In an ongoing assault on religious freedom, the fascist leaders in California are doubling down on a number of churches who refuse to comply with draconian orders that ban in-person church services. We’ve noted previously that Grace Community Church continues to be hassled. In the latest move, Los Angeles County, which has had an agreement with the church for years to lease an adjacent parking lot has decided they will no longer do this and have given the church 30 days to comply.

Another church, in Santa Clara County, CA has been fined $15,000 for continuing to have services in their church. This kind of outright attack on religious freedom (while completely ignoring all the “protesters”), is a disgrace. It shouldn’t be happening of course, but because of Marxist terrorists and the incredibly large amount of Leftist judges in many states, it will take a while for these things to move through courts to be sorted out. All we can do is continue to pray for these and other churches affected by this type of illegal stomping on the First Amendment.

I’ve nowhere read of any mosque that is being threatened with fines and/or arrest of Imams, but if readers know of any situations like this, I’d appreciate being informed of them.

Marxists Murder Trump Supporter in Portland
A unarmed man by the name of Jay Bishop was mobbed by AntiFa Marxists in Portland. They shouted, “We’ve got a TRUMPER!” and then he was quickly murdered, shot to death by a criminal who had been previously arrested and released on gun charges. Not long after, a small crowd of people laughed as a woman said she didn’t feel bad that a “fascist” was dead. Anons on 4 Chan quickly moved to uncover the man’s identity, address and email address. Apparently, FBI and DOJ agents are assisting Portland authorities in finding the man, who is a confirmed past felon.

All over the USA, we are seeing riots, marches with people shouting “Death to the USA” and individual attacks on people for walking while being white. I’m amazed that there are still so many people who believe that this will all magically disappear after the election. No, not only will it not disappear, but it will likely increase.

Remember, though the election happens November 3, it isn’t until late in January 2021 when those elected will be sworn into office. That’s five months from now and a great deal can happen in that time. Why would the Left stand down willingly?

The federal government has the right and the power to send in federal law enforcement agencies to deal with these uprisings IF federal laws are being broken or to protect federal buildings. President Trump has done this in a very limited way, but needs to be far more consistent about this. It is clear that mayors like Ted Wheeler (Portland) and the governor of Oregon are far more interested in blaming President Trump for all of this violence.

Last week I heard Mark Hitchcock say to Jan Markell that it appears that at least some of the judgments of the coming Tribulation period are bleeding over into the Church Age like Braxton-Hicks contractions. He could be right. Let’s face it, the world isn’t going to be a restful place and then all of a sudden in an instant we enter the Tribulation. The “water” (society), is coming to a boil and spilling over into many areas now.

It is clear that too many of our elected leaders are either in agreement with all the protesters and actually aiding and abetting them, while others are too weak-kneed to to anything about it, and still others don’t apparently know what to do. That leaves all of us having to deal with the very real threat and potential of coming in contact with others who simply seek to harm innocent people.

The folks at Way of Life Literature listed no less than 16 numerous assaults by people surrounding masks. It’s really disheartening; everything from people being shot over the mask situation to being banned for life from flying on certain airlines for a family’s very small children not wearing masks.

Yet, as Christians, the difficulty for us is that we are not supposed to be frightened by these things. We are supposed to be thoroughly grounded in God and His Word and always prepared to offer a reason for the hope we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). This means that our number one priority in this life is fulfilling the Great Commission. We need to be doing that, as difficult as that may be at this time.

We should also be aware of surroundings. Don’t get distracted by thought but be fervent in prayer as you go through your day. Try to be peacemakers whenever possible. I find I have to work at smiling when I’m out because I tend to view the mask-wearing folks as droids, devoid of human qualities, simply because I cannot see their mouths and many people do not smile with their eyes. It’s a bit unnerving and a constant reminder that I’m a potential threat to someone else’s health. This fear from people is all too palpable. But I need to get beyond that.

I hope you’re using these days to delve more deeply into God’s Word on a daily basis. These are clearly very difficult times with no real end in sight. Let me end this with words from the apostle Peter.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (ESV)

Though this entire situation has taken the world by surprise, it has not taken God by surprise. He knew it would happen and His provision for us is there, if we will draw close to Him. Many parts of the America have become thoroughly dangerous places. Yet, in spite of what happens to any of us, God is our Guide and Guard. This may not mean that we will be kept from every avenue of violence. It means that God will never leave or forsake us.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective