We have suspended our study of 1 John during this covid-19 event. I’m not a big fan of topical messages, but I think that right now the church needs to be encouraged. One of the reasons that I don’t like topical messages is that without using verses in their context, it’s easy to spoof text. Please be a Berean and check behind me.
This corona virus event has affected us all, some much more than others. Since this event hit, we have spent several weeks talking about the sovereignty of God. This is something we must understand if we are going to have peace in the midst of bad circumstances. No matter what happens, Yahweh is in control and is working His plan. We need to trust Him no matter what happens. We talked about overcoming our fear with faith. There is a lot of fear out there right now. People are afraid of the virus, the government, economic crash, meat shortages, and murder hornets. The LSM (Lame Stream Media) is pushing fear and panic.
Last week we looked at the subject, “Is the Church Essential?” I said that it was. There has never been a time in the 244-year history of this country when the government has shut down the churches. Never!
In 1918, a strain of influenza known as Spanish flu caused a global pandemic which killed young, old, sick, and otherwise healthy people. Estimates vary on the exact number of deaths caused by the disease, but it is thought to have infected a third of the world's population and killed at least 50 million people. And no churches were shut down.
A couple of months ago, having the churches shut down by the government would have been thought impossible. It used to be in times of crisis that the political leaders turned to the church to pray, but not now. Now churches are considered non-essential and we are not allowed to meet. How do you defend the thinking that liquor stores and abortion mills are essential, but churches are not?
How did they get all the churches to shut down? They caused fear and panic! Believer, fear is a very destructive thing, and when we are afraid, we are not trusting God. The best way to overcome fear is to cultivate the sense of God's presence. Fear is the result of distrust, taking your eyes off God, and being occupied with the difficulties and troubles. Faith and fear are opposites. Whenever we fear, we are not living by faith; we are not trusting God.
They used a fear campaign to get the pastors and everyone else to go along with their shut down. The fear campaign continues. New York’s governor Cuomo said on May 4 that “You could literally kill someone” by not wearing a mask. Cuomo went on to say that “The question comes down to how much is a human life worth? [Not much to you, you baby murderer] What the government does today will literally determine how many people live, and how many people die. That is not hyperbolic.”
Believers, the truth will set you free. All this fear is unfounded. According to the CDC, as of 4/26/20, there were 488 deaths from covid-19 in Virginia. And in 2018 in the same time period there were 1,283 deaths in Virginia from the flu. Somebody please explain this. Almost three times as many deaths in 2018 and not one church or business was shut down.
Last week we talked about the fact that the church is essential and should be meeting. Despite what our government might say, the local church is essential to believers. We are literally the presence of Christ on earth. We reveal Christ, even as Christ reveals God. And the church’s mission is exactly the same as Christ’s mission— to proclaim the truth of God. So, I don’t know about you, but I think the church is essential.
I want to expand on this a little more this morning. In Acts 20, we find Paul’s message to the Ephesian Elders. Paul was finishing up his third missionary journey. He was on his way to Jerusalem, and his ship landed at Miletus. While there, he sent word to the elders of Ephesus asking them to meet him at Miletus, about twenty-five miles down the coast from Ephesus. When meeting with the church elders, Paul said this:
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Acts 20:28 ESV
Paul tells these elders that their task is to "care for the church of God." “Care” is from the Greek word "poimaino" which means “to protect, feed, care for, and lead.” “Care for” is not really a good translation because poimaino has a much broader than that. YLT says “to feed the assembly of God.” The way a shepherd cares for his sheep is to feed them. A pastor's priority is to feed the people, to teach the Bible. Shepherding can be boiled down to "feed and lead." In other words, the shepherd is to teach the Word of God and live out a godly example. The Puritans sparked renewal in large part through their commitment to preaching as the pastor's primary task. J. I. Packer states that "To the Puritan, faithful preaching was the basic ingredient in faithful pastoring." He then cites John Owen who wrote that "The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the Word. This feeding is of the essence of the office of a pastor." (A Quest for Godliness, Crossway Books, p. 2830).
This flock that these elders are to feed is "The Church of God.” Is Paul telling these Ephesian elders to shepherd the universal church? No, he is telling them to shepherd the local church at Ephesus.
Then he describes the local church at Ephesus as that "Which He obtained with His own blood." The word "obtained" here is not the common word for "to buy" in the sense of buying a slave out of the slave market. This is the Greek word peripoieomaia which means "to get for one's own." The force of this word is "I have made these things my own."
This flock was obtained with "the blood of His own One." These sheep were so valuable to God that He obtained them with the precious blood of His own Son. As Peter wrote:
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV
When we think of the cross as the divine purpose by which the Son of God, the second person of the eternal Trinity, came to earth and took to Himself a human nature and in that human nature offered the atoning sacrifice to the Lord God for the people of God, we have the eternal purpose of God. It is God who is preeminently active at the crucifixion of the Lord Yeshua and not man, hence the translation "He has obtained the Church with the blood of His own One." This shows us how valuable the local Church is to God.
Yahweh has purchased the church with his own blood, and He calls believers to gather together at the local church for corporate worship. Throughout the New Testament, we see that the church gathered corporately to worship God.
But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 1 Corinthians 11:17-18 ESV
"When ye come together as a church" is literally "When you come together in an assembly." Paul is speaking here of a church meeting for worship. This phrase is used several times in 1 Corinthians (11:20; 33-34; 14:26). It anticipates the coming together of the Christian Church for corporate worship.
In the 20th chapter of Acts, we see all the Christians in the city of Troas meeting on Sunday for the Lord's Supper and teaching.
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7 ESV
In the book of Hebrews, the believers are exhorted to "not forsake the assembling."
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 ESV
On the negative side, we should not forsake our assembling together. We can't help each other much if we don't see each other. On the positive side, when we come together, we are to exhort one another. The Greek word for "exhort" is parakaleo which means "to encourage, to comfort, beg, or beseech.” It is the same word used for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It speaks of coming alongside to help. When we get together, we are to encourage one another and build one another up. Peter and James express it this way:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 ESV
We are to be confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:9-10 ESV
We are to assemble to exhort, pray for, and serve one another. This can only effectively be done if we are meeting together.
As you look at the whole of the New Testament, you discover that there was a variety of things that happened when the church gathered together. First Corinthians 11 tells us that they celebrated in the Lord's Supper. Chapter 16 tells us that they gathered together and took up their offerings. In 1 Timothy chapter 2:1-8, we discover that when the church gathered together, they were instructed to pray for those in authority and for their unsaved friends and neighbors. In Acts 14:27, we see that Paul shared what happened on his missionary journey. He shared what God was doing in his life. All of those are ingredients in the church meeting.
The New Testament believers assembled together on the first day of the week to corporately worship God. Following this tradition, we also meet together on Sunday to corporately worship. The word "worship" means "Honor paid to a superior being." It means "To give honor, homage, respect, adoration, praise, and glory to God."
The Hebrew word for worship is a powerful one. It describes the physical act of actually prostrating one’s self on the floor before a sovereign - someone who has complete control over another. The English word "worship" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word, "weorthscipe" - "worth" and "ship" meaning "one worthy of reverence and honor." So, we see that worship is an honoring of God. And I see this as essential for believers.
We now have a new slogan&mdssh;social distancing. We keep hearing that this is the new normal. Not for me. Look at what the Bible says about social distancing.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. Romans 16:16 ESV
All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 1 Corinthians 16:20 ESV
Greet one another with a holy kiss. 2 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 1 Thessalonians 5:26 ESV
Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. 1 Peter 5:14 ESV
An article in Medical News Today says that
“The benefits of affective touch expand to measures of physical health as well as mental health and social relations. One study published in 2014 in the journal Psychological Science suggested that the stress buffer provided by shared hugs actually has a protective effect against respiratory infections. Also, among the people who did become ill, those who received emotional support in the form of affective touches showed less severe symptoms of infection.” (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323143#Benefits–for-health).
Listen, believers, whatever you hear the LSM telling you to do, do the opposite.
So, I see the local church as essential for believers. If the church is essential, why are so many not meeting? I think it is either a matter of fear or misguided obedience to the state. Let’s talk about fear. The church has been threatened by government since its inception and it never backed down.
Acts 3 opens with Peter and John on their way to the temple to pray. On their way they run into a lame man begging at the temple gate. Peter heals the man in the name of Yeshua, and the man causes a scene by leaping and shouting praises to God. This draws a crowd, so Peter preaches the Church's second sermon. While he is preaching, the temple police arrest Peter and John and put them in jail.
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. Acts 4:1-3 ESV
The next morning they are brought before the Sanhedrin, the high court of Israel.
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Acts 4:5-7 ESV
The Sanhedrin was comprised of three groups. First, the chief priests, with the high priest as president, were primarily members of the Sadducees, having gained position through hereditary lines. This was a very imposing delegation made up of Caiaphas, the high priest, and Annas, his father-in-law, who was regarded as virtual high priest. Second, the scribes were the keepers of hidden knowledge, the great interpreters of the Scripture. It was knowledge alone which gave their power to the scribes. Scribes composed the Pharisaic party in the Sanhedrin. The third group was the elders who differed from the other two in that their position arose as "heads of the most influential lay families" in Israel. Wealth and influence rather than knowledge or priestly office secured their seats (Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, 235-236, 222-223).
The Sanhedrin's question to Peter and John was “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Peter responded with a third sermon.
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Yeshua the Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. Acts 4:10 ESV
The Sanhedrin asked "In what name have you done this?” and Peter answered in "The name of Yeshua the Christ of Nazareth." Peter could have stopped here. He had answered their question. But he added the words "Whom you crucified.”
Peter accused the Sanhedrin of murder, and that had to tick them off. Peter seemed to have no fear of the Jewish leaders. Now let’s look at the Sanhedrin's response to Peter's third sermon.
But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Yeshua. Acts 4:15-18 ESV
So, the Jewish leadership, the governing authorities, told them not to speak or teach in the name of Yeshua. Keep your mouths shut, they were instructed. What did they do?
But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20 ESV
The response of Peter and John to this trial is encouraging. They were not at all intimidated by this high court. Peter and John were promising civil disobedience. Remember that they were speaking to the highest religious authorities of the day. It was a fearful thing to be dragged before the great Sanhedrin court. These were the same leaders who decided to put Yeshua to death and set in motion the events for His crucifixion. Who was to say the same wouldn't happen to these disciples?
If you were given that same command by the Sanhedrin, what would you have said? Most of us would have said nothing. We may have thought, "We'll keep quiet for now, but when we get out of here, we will do what we want. Let's just pacify the court, let's not upset them." Peter didn't feel this way. He defied the court.
How many of you have been in a court room? How many of you have gone before a judge? It can be very intimidating because the judge has incredible power. He can fine you, jail you, and make your life miserable. Most sane people are intimidated by the judge and seek to do and say what might not offend the judge. But not Peter. He confronted the court with their sin, using their own Scriptures. We fear a judge who can, at the most, fine us or give us some jail time, but Peter was fearless in the face of what could have included the physical torture of thirty-nine lashes.
Peter and John returned to their companions and they turned to God in prayer. What do they pray for? Protection from the Sanhedrin? Safety? No.
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, Acts 4:29 ESV
The Greek word for "boldness" here is parrhesia, which means "free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance." They have it, and they pray for more of it. They understood that persecution would naturally incline men to draw back, to soften up on the message which they preached. Thus, the prayer for boldness and confidence was an admission of the fallibility of Christians.
They didn't pray "God, make sure that nobody else threatens us; make sure that nobody persecutes us." They understood this was going to cost them. They just said "God, give us the boldness to step it up and to accomplish the mission." When is the last time you prayed for boldness? They did not ask to be delivered from persecution. They did not even ask that God judge or punish their opponents. They were more concerned about their mission than about their comfort.
In Acts 5 they are in the Temple preaching and are arrested again:
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. Acts 5:17-18 ESV
An angel came in the night and set them free from prison, telling them to go back to the Temple and continue preaching—which they did. And they were arrested again.
Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” Acts 5:26-28 ESV
Their response was:
We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 ESV
So, again they told the governing authorities that they would not obey them. Then Peter again preached to them and their response was rage.
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. Acts 5:33 ESV
But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel had the men put outside, and he talked the council out of killing them.
when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Yeshua, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. Acts 5:40-41 ESV
We would have most likely responded to the beating by saying, "God, I did what the angel said. I went; I stood; I proclaimed. I thought that You would protect me." The reality is that down through Church history, God has never promised that there wouldn’t be wounds and scars—even the loss of life—for the cause of Christ. The history of the Church is paved with the blood of its martyrs who took a stand and were persecuted and died for the cause of Christ.
The apostles were severely beaten, and their response was to rejoice. What on earth is wrong with them? How do you describe people whose values are so counter-cultural that they rejoice over the privilege of being beaten in public? Are they sadomasochists? What else would cause this type of response? Why do they seem so different from us? They responded the way they did because they were disciples of Yeshua. Notice what their Rabbi had taught them:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 ESV
The word "persecuted" appears three times in this section which means that Yeshua was putting great emphasis upon it. The Greek word translated "persecuted" in these verses comes from dioko which means "to pursue" or "chase away." Over time it came to mean "to harass" or "treat in an evil manner." In the New Testament, it is used of "inflicting suffering on people who hold beliefs that the establishment frowns on," and it is this kind of persecution of which Yeshua speaks here.
The Greek text contains a perfect passive participle. Yeshua’s words could be translated as follows: "Blessed are they who have been willing and continue to be willing to allow themselves to be persecuted." The perfect tense indicates an ongoing attitude; the passive voice speaks of being willing to accept whatever comes as a result of living out Christ's commands.
It is clear from this text in Acts that the apostles believed Yeshua’s words about rejoicing in persecution. Notice what they did next.
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Yeshua. Acts 5:42 ESV
They were threatened and beaten, but they couldn’t be stopped. Their persecution just caused them to rejoice.
Yeshua’s words about persecution weren’t even relevant in our society up until a few months ago. But things are different now. Our government is telling us that we cannot meet as a church. As a result, for the last couple of months, most churches have obeyed the government and stopped meeting. A few pastors continued to have church. Some were arrested and others fined. This is in America! They are letting child molesters and rapists out of jail and locking up preachers for holding a church service.
Religious persecution is new to us, but I want you to understand this morning that in some parts of the world, Christians have always been persecuted for their faith.
According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, 2.2 billion people live in 79 countries under significant restrictions on their religious freedom. Sixty percent of all Christians live in these countries. And 16% (224 million) of all Christians live in countries where there is severe state interference and harassment.
Professor William Barclay, who cannot be accused of orthodoxy, is a good historian. He writes:
Still further, the penalties which a Christian had to suffer were terrible beyond description. All the world knows of the Christians who were flung to the lions or burned at the stake; but these were kindly deaths. Nero wrapped the Christians in pitch and set them alight, and used them as living torches to light his gardens. He sewed them in the skins of wild animals and set his hunting dogs upon them to tear them to death. They were tortured on the rack; they were scraped with pincers; molten lead was poured hissing upon them; red hot brass plates were affixed to the tenderest parts of their bodies; eyes were torn out; parts of their bodies were cut off and roasted before their eyes; their hands and feet were burned while cold water was poured over them to enlighten the agony.
These were the conditions for early Christians, and in many parts of the world today, believers are suffering just as much.
"Today in China millions of members of house churches are considered outlaws and criminals. Why? Because their churches are not registered with the atheistic government. It appears that anywhere from eleven million to one hundred million Chinese Christians belong to these underground churches. Many are arrested, imprisoned, and sent to hard labor camps" (Nina Shea, The Lion's Den, [Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1997], 58).
Persecution watchdog organization, Open Doors, states that Christians remain one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world. While persecution of Christians takes many forms, it is defined as any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Christ. Christians throughout the world continue to risk imprisonment, loss of home and assets, torture, rape, and even death as a result of their faith.
Among the most shocking violence-related data disclosed during Open Doors’ annual World Watch List press conference was a report citing that more than 9,000 churches and Christian buildings were attacked in 51 countries in 2019; more than 5,500 of those attacks took place in China. This number represents more than a 1000 percent increase since 2018.
And yet, the Christians still meet! Believers around the world are dying while worshiping, yet American Christians stop meeting because of fear of possible fines or imprisonment. We need to pray for boldness! May God help us.
Monday, May 4, 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a three-phase plan to open the commonwealth. Phase one is set to be implemented on May 15, 2020. Under phase one of his plan, social gatherings of more than 10 are still banned, social distancing is still in effect, teleworking is allowed where possible, and face masks are recommended while in public. Northam says, “Phase one could last between two and four weeks.” So, no church meetings are allowed in plan one which could last another three to five weeks.
Under phase two of the plan, there is a ban on social gatherings of more than 50 people, face coverings are still recommended in public, and there will be further easing of business limitations. That could take another two to four weeks. People, most churches are larger than 50 people. So, essentially there is to be no more church for at least five to eight weeks.
Phase three of the plan, which could be 10 to 12 weeks away, would remove the ban on social gatherings and remove capacity limits in establishments. Church are you willing to stay in hiding for another 3 months?
Listen to what Northam said. “This virus is still here. It has not gone away and it will not go away until we have a vaccination,” said Northam. The plan is to keep the country shut down until after the election. But this will never happen. But don’t worry people. Bill Gates, who portends to be a eugenist, is working on a vaccine for you.
I believe there are two exceptions to Christians obeying authorities. First, we are not to obey if what the authority is telling us to do is a violation of God’s Word. We are never to violate Scripture in order to submit to anyone. Believers, the Bible is clear and it commands us as Christians to be subject to governing authorities (1 Pet. 2:13-14), even when these authorities are evil people.
By nature we are all rebels, and our pride causes us to rebel against authority. We do not want anyone telling us what to do, especially someone who is not as smart as we are. But I want you to see that submission is the mark of a Spirit-controlled believer:
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:18-21 ESV
The word "filled" here is pleroo. It means "to be controlled by." Submission is the mark of a Spirit-controlled believer. In order to overcome our pride, which causes rebellion, we must be controlled by the Spirit. But there are limits to submission. We are never to violate Scripture in order to submit to anyone. If the governing authorities command us to do something that would involve disobedience to God, we must obey God, even if it results in our being punished.
If our authority misuses its God-given power to command what He forbids or forbid what He commands, then the Christian's duty is to disobey the human authority in order to obey God. As Christians, no earthly law can exceed the Word of God.
If the government says that we cannot meet as Christians or teach what the Bible says about homosexuality, abortion, fornication or other moral issues, we must disobey the government.
The second exception to our obeying authorities is that it cannot involve the violation of the law of the land. As Americans, the supreme law of the Land is "The Constitution of the United States." Under our laws and form of government, it is the duty of every elected official to obey the U.S. Constitution (and his or her State constitution).
Northam extended Executive Order 53 until the evening of Thursday, May 14. This order placed temporary restrictions on restaurants, recreational activity, entertainment, gatherings and non-essential retail businesses. It was previously set to expire on May 8.
Michael Anthony Peroutka founder of the Institute on the Constitution
writes:
WHAT ARE EXECUTIVE ORDERS? Right now, our lives are being severely affected by executive orders. So, it is imperative for us to understand just what they are and what they are not.
Back in 1789, George Washington’s first executive order was to the heads of departments “to impress me with a full, precise, and distinct general idea of the affairs of the United States.”
As you may note, the first president’s order was addressed to officials of the executive branch of the national government. It was applicable to those already under his authority as head of the executive branch.
Properly understood, this is the nature of executive orders. They are directives or policy instructions addressed to and binding upon persons who are already under the authority of the executive. But they have no binding effect on anyone else. They are not “law” and they do not have the force of law.
Only legislatures have lawmaking power. And that power is specified and limited by the constitution.
So, if the governor of Maryland wanted to do so, he could direct his department heads and employees in the executive agencies of Maryland to wear masks and stay six feet apart while they are in state office buildings.
He could, arguably, order them to do that because they work for him. But he can’t order the rest of us to do that because we don’t work for him— he works for us.
Executive orders have their purpose and place. But it is crucial that all Marylanders, and especially those in law enforcement understand that they are not law and cannot lawfully be enforced. www.instituteontheconstitution.com
Any police officer who attempts to arrest you for violation of an executive order should be reminded that they swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States and that the governors executive orders are a violation of the Constitution.
This lock down is not about a virus; it’s about power and control. We have a cure for the virus, so we don’t need to be afraid. A PubMed.gov article published in 2005, states:
Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread. The article states, RESULTS: We report, however, that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects on SARS-CoV infection of primate cells. These inhibitory effects are observed when the cells are treated with the drug either before or after exposure to the virus, suggesting both prophylactic and therapeutic advantage. In addition to the well-known functions of chloroquine such as elevations of endosomal pH, the drug appears to interfere with terminal glycosylation of the cellular receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. This may negatively influence the virus-receptor binding and abrogate the infection, with further ramifications by the elevation of vesicular pH, resulting in the inhibition of infection and spread of SARS CoV at clinically admissible concentrations.
CONCLUSION: Chloroquine is effective in preventing the spread of SARS CoV in cell culture. Favorable inhibition of virus spread was observed when the cells were either treated with chloroquine prior to or after SARS CoV infection. In addition, the indirect immunofluorescence assay described herein represents a simple and rapid method for screening SARS-CoV antiviral compounds. (August. 22, 2:69) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1611531
Twenty-three doctors in 30 countries have been using HCQ and say it is effective. Renowned French virologist Dr. Didier Raoult released his own study on hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin just a few weeks ago. It demonstrated 91% effectiveness in more than 1,000 patients with zero side effects.
Believers, our government is overstepping its purpose and needs to be resisted. The local church is essential and we need to meet for the corporate worship of the living God.