Churches Defy Covid-19 Gathering Bans, Could It Bring Arrests Or Hatred?

Signs of the Last Days® MinistryGeneral

The prophetic pestilence of Covid-19 continues its world-wide impact, including on churches. As government officials from the local level to the national level are prohibiting gatherings of people due to the state of emergency.

The orders and guidelines of authorities are that the gatherings of people are to stop in order to prevent virus transmission. So many churches stopped gathering for their worship services.

Such as the Roman Church, which has closed public services around the world including in Rome at the Vatican. And the Mormon Church has also closed services world-wide including their major conference.

Also, mega-churches as the famous Lakewood Church of Joel Osteen in Houston canceled gathering for worship services after the city’s mayor declared an emergency.

Additionally, other churches across the US and the world have closed services. Such as the churches in New Rochelle, a suburb of New York City, in a containment area under an order that is being enforced by the authorities.

But there are other Christian churches who refused to follow the authorities and still had their gathering for their worship services.

Like in Kentucky where some refused to follow the guidelines of the Governor and Health Department. Including mega-church Highview Baptist in Louisville.

And then in Texas where Robert Jeffress, widely known for his public support of the President in the media, of the mega-church First Baptist in Dallas, Texas, also refused to stop gathering for their service.

In so doing, Jeffress said “what we do is more important than what the NBA is doing. That’s entertainment, and that’s optional. Worship is essential.”

Some of the churches refusing to stop their church gatherings have begun to relent as officials and health authorities have leaned in on them.

But some churches are still adamant on continuing to gather for church and not bowing to government guidelines. With some seemingly making statements relative to it being a matter of faith.

Rodney Howard-Browne, a Florida-based Christian pastor who prayed over Trump in the Oval Office in 2017, vowed not to stop services.

In Louisiana, pastor Tony Spell was warned by police after holding a service that attracted hundreds which flouted a state ban on large gatherings. The gathering directly defied an order by the Louisiana Governor banning gatherings including in churches.

But already, there is a pastor of a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is the first person in that state to die of coronavirus. And he was at the church all the way up to the week before he died. His wife and children are being quarantined.  He also worked at Oral Roberts University. And those he was known to have come into contact with are in self-isolation.

Can you imagine, the outcry by America’s overwhelmingly liberal media, if there is a coronavirus outbreak that can be traced back to a Christian church that continued to gather in services even though there was a state of emergency preventing gatherings?

Could this lead to arrests, even hatred, and perhaps persecution of the Christians of the church?

The liberal media would probably howl, and their media sites most likely blaze with the headlines of hate articles. And in this pandemic, such a scenario has already happened, in South Korea.

Where a large church in the city of Daegu who gathered and worshiped without taking any preventative measures became the most significant epicenter of the coronavirus.

This resulted with them being blamed as the cause for the coronavirus epidemic in South Korea and the pastor was accused of murder.

While members of the church have also been ostracized and persecuted with them losing their jobs and abused by unbelieving spouses and the public.

Also, politicians have singled them out and stigmatized them to get media attention for their political purposes and many call them a cult because they have some different beliefs than what they consider the mainstream.

It’s not an over-reach to ask if something similar could happen in the US in this politically super-charged environment in America, with a liberal media and liberal politicians who already have an intense dislike for those who believe in the fundamental truths of the Bible.

There seems to be the potential for a conundrum in this pandemic. As there are some with the attitude to carry on as usual and this means to have faith. While others may think to not tempt the Lord thy God and to obey the authorities who have the rule over you.

There is also the potential for a domino effect to consider. Where signs happening in the world from Jesus’ beginning of sorrows prophecy in Matthew chapter 24, like pestilence, their impact also cause the prophetic occurrence of another prophetic sign – say like persecution.

And right after Lord Jesus said that pestilence is part of the beginning of sorrows, he then describes His believers being hated for His name’s sake before the end will come.

At a minimum, we see the signs of Lord Jesus’ Biblical prophecies as pestilence are here (Matthew 24, Luke 21) which indicate we are nearing the end of this age of grace.

These events and conditions happening now are signs pointing to the nearing fulfillment of the Last Days prophecies at the end of this age revealing it’s time to prepare for the nearing appearance of Jesus Christ for His Church by being born again spiritually into the Kingdom of God as Jesus said we must (John 3) and His Apostles who were authorized (Matthew 16:19) described how (Acts 2).

Preparing those Biblically born again into the Kingdom of God to be ready to escape all the things that will come to pass, in the wrath of the tribulation of Revelation prophecy, that comes upon the world of disobedience. As the born again Church is not appointed unto wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10) but instead to salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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