“You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:56).

The New Living Translation rightly puts the address as to “fools.”  And that we are.  We have it down to a science as to how to predict the weather.  And investors are very good at placing their bets.  Good doctors know well how to diagnose problems.  Yet most of us do not know how to interpret the times we live in.  

I am no historian, but I know that the world has gone through upheaval before.  I understand that there have been plagues before, killing millions.  Two world wars saw tens of millions perish.   The second resulted in the boundaries of Europe and the Middle East being redrawn.  It saw an effort to extinguish an entire race of people. There was China under Mao Se Tung, and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. In our own country 500,000 lost their lives during the Civil War.  History is replete with the horrific, with seismic shifts in geopolitical affairs.  And yes, both historians, politicians, military leaders and lay people study these.  Yet few seem to understand what is transpiring at this present, throbbing moment.  

I believe God gives His servants eyes to see and hearts to perceive things that others cannot discern.  A spiritually minded person is able to peer into people and events and understand what is really going on.  He can tell what a person is like, he can see invisible realities in real time happenings.  

The Lord says we are hypocrites–or fools–if we fail to recognize what is going on around us.  So it is incumbent for we who are Christians to analyze this present time lest we fall into this category.  

The nations of the world are, at this hour, responding to an alleged killer virus, COVID-19.  I say alleged not because it doesn’t kill; it does. But not nearly to the extent it was predicted to.  They have responded by practically shutting down the entire global economy.   Though the virus is supposedly highly contagious and many have died from it, the available statistics do not to logic justify such draconian actions.  Indeed, as our President has stated, the cure has is far worse than the cause.  

Here in our country, tens of millions of Americans are out of work.  Businesses are shut down (including mine), and many have closed.  There are even hospitals filing for bankruptcy, with others failing financially because they have no patients, all because officials have declared that they must be available for the COVID-19 response.  The stock market has crashed, the price of oil almost nothing (putting our nation’s oil business out of business), and our supply chain at risk.  

The response of the federal government, as it always does, is to throw money at the crisis it created.  With a deficit of nearly $1 trillion already in place prior to the event, it has doled out trillions more, with more on the way.  It has also, along with the states, issued both guidelines and strict requirement to control the spread of the virus.  People in most states have been ordered to stay at home, practice ‘social distancing’, and wear face masks in some places.  

Here is what I see.  

Though I am not quick to say what is the origin of the virus, whether it is an act of war by the Chinese government, an act of God–literally (see 2 Chronicles 7:13), or just a natural occurrence, plain and simple, I can say with confidence I see a nefarious, diabolical plan unfolding the world over.  As a student of Scripture I see that it fits perfectly with end times prophecy.   Some of my observations are as follows:

• Government overreach.  As I understand our Constitution, what both federal and state governments are doing is in direct violation of the freedoms guaranteed by it.

• What the socialists cannot gain at the ballot box they are easily obtaining now–even from those committed to our Republic, who are unwittingly fitting into their evil plans.

• History has demonstrated that socialist and communists are willing to slaughter their own people to promote their cause.  Witness Stalin in Russia and Mao in China.  Are we in for such a time like this?

• While on the one hand countries are closing their borders, there is also much talk about a one world government.  

• I see entire industries becoming beholden to the federal government (e.g., airlines). 

• Businesses, large and small, are being bound to government by virtue of accepting loans to keep them afloat.

• Churches, having been forbidden to assemble under penalty of law, are coming under the authority of the state.  

• Entire populations are being placed, unwittingly, in dependence upon government.  My employees, for example, are making more on unemployment than they do working for me. 

• Our health care system, long desired by the left to become nationalized, is close to becoming so.  

• Technology companies Apple and Google, are cooperating on developing software to ‘track’ coronavirus carriers.

• Vaccines are in process of being developed–maybe a good thing, but a bad thing if those who have received them and those who have not are tracked.  Which is what is being planned.

• There has been talk of persons wearing badges, those who are carriers and those who have been deemed immune.

• Both drones and airplanes have been employed to keep track of people violating stay at home orders.

• In what is reminiscent of people turning against each other as seen in Matthew 24, Americans are doing just that; they are turning in persons who don’t comply with the government’s orders.

• Americans are avoiding each other like the plague, literally, through the nonsense of social distancing.  The whole idea of which has been disproved by good science.

• In some cities it is required, and when things open back up it will no doubt be required of everyone to wear face masks.  This too has been widely disproven as being zero effective against the spread of this or any flu-like virus.  

• Fear rules the day.  The pandemic is one of fear, not COVID-19.  The world has become enslaved by fear–the fear of death.  

• Government has exercised a massive sweep of Americans under its control, all under the auspices of a crisis.  And all of us have acquiesced.  The question is, what crisis is next?  

I could go on.  I know I sound apocalyptic, and I am.  I am not distressed. I have gone the gamut of fear like most, but then I realized, what do I have to fear?  I am not afraid of death!  Nor of those things that lead to death.  And I know Whom I have believed.  I know Who is on the throne of the universe.  I am not worried, but I am very concerned.  We like sheep (I speak of Americans) are heading for the slaughter, and we going along happily as if it were a good thing.    

It is not a good thing.  

Thankfully, many are rising up in protest.  As I sit before the Lord this morning and ponder His words, I wonder what I can do–I feel as though I can do precious little.  However, I can pray.  I can pray.  I can pray.  

It is written that the men of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do (see 1 Chronicles 12:32).  It is incumbent that we who are the church understand what we must do.  The first order of business is to pray.  The second order of business is to pray.  And so the third, and the fourth, and so on.  That said, there is the Gospel which, no matter who or what rules us governmentally, regardless of our circumstances, must be furthered.  It is the only remedy for an ailing mankind, and our best defense against evil.  There may come a time–yes, there comes a time when we are forced to make decisions we don’t want to make.  I shall not go into that right now.  

Lest we be considered fools by the Lord Himself, let us be careful to analyze the times we live in and respond like God’s people should, not like the rest of the world that does not know God.