Six Reasons to Panic

Weekly Standard ^ | 27 Oct 2014 | Jonathan Last

[Rummyfan]

As a rule, one should not panic at whatever crisis has momentarily fixed the attention of cable news producers. But the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has migrated to both Europe and America, may be the exception that proves the rule. There are at least six reasons that a controlled, informed panic might be in order.

...

(2) General infection rates are terrifying, too. In epidemiology, you measure the “R0,” or “reproduction number” of a virus; that is, how many new infections each infected person causes. When R0 is greater than 1, the virus is spreading through a population. When it’s below 1, the contamination is receding. In September the World Health Organization’s Ebola Response Team estimated the R0 to be at 1.71 in Guinea and 2.02 in Sierra Leone. Since then, it seems to have risen so that the average in West Africa is about 2.0. In September the WHO estimated that by October 20, there would be 3,000 total cases in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. As of October 7, the count was 8,376.

[RetSignman]

[Yosemitest]

Remember:

" Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall BIND on earth
SHALL BE BOUND in heaven:
and whatsoever ye shall LOOSE on earth
SHALL BE LOOSED in heaven. "

So be careful of what you forgive, and ~ of what you "BIND" .

And also remember:

" ... seeing ye are dull of hearing.
For when for the time YE OUGHT TO BE teachers,
YE HAVE NEED THAT ONE TEACH YOU AGAIN
which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
and ARE BECOME SUCH AS HAVE NEED OF MILK,
AND NOT STRONG MEAT.
For EVERY ONE THAT USETH MILK IS UNSKILFUL IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS:
for he is a babe.
But STRONG MEAT BELONGETH TO THEM THAT ARE OF FULL AGE,
even those who
by reason of use
have their senses exercised TO DISCERN
BOTH GOOD AND EVIL. "

[Yosemitest]

You need to read again:

" Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
THINK NOT that I am come to DESTROY THE LAW,
or the prophets:
I am NOT COME TO DESTROY,
but to fulfil .
For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth PASS,
one jot or one tittle SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW,
till ALL be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall BREAK ONE OF THE LEAST COMMANDMENTS,
and SHALL TEACH MEN SO,
he shall be called THE LEAST in the kingdom of heaven:
but WHOSOEVER SHALL DO AND TEACH THEM,
the same shall be called GREAT in the kingdom of heaven. "

[RC one]

This should be shared.

[PapaNew]

I am NOT COME TO DESTROY, but to fulfil.

Kinda my point.

[Yosemitest]

So you just skipped over (?)

" Till heaven and earth PASS,
one jot or one tittle
SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW, "

[entropy12]

Of course we know Ebola is more lethal. My point was that we may not know of Ebola infections because not every person coming down with flu like symptoms is tested for Ebola. Far from it.

That nurse flying from Ohio to Texas had only a mild fever. She was immediately tested because she had contact with a well known Ebola patient. If some other person had the same symptoms, it is highly improbable they would be tested for Ebola immediately. Hundreds of people die every day in flu season. Are they all checked for Ebola? Nope. SO with so many West Africans coming here, there is good possibility many will go undiagnosed.

[discostu]

There is no potential perfect storm. None of what’s hitting even has the potential of killing more Americans than the flu. We handle the flu every year, we’ll handle these.

[discostu]

Still nothing. This is a terrible and stupid millstone to try to hang on anybody’s neck. We’ve known for DECADES that ebola hitting America was inevitable and this hit is basically nothing. This won’t effect any push on immigrants, it won’t effect ANYTHING. It’s just another disease dujour that the media is driving ratings with and stupid let themselves get worked up over. It’s SARS, bird flu, swine flu, west nile, shame $%^& new year.

[discostu]

Any freaking out at all is dumb. It’s just another high profile low impact bug being used by the media to fluff their ratings. The people saying not to worry aren’t the liars, the people making money off the worry are.

[discostu]

The “concern” is just idiotic panic. Every couple of hours there’s a “possible ebola” case that turns out to be nothing. 2 people, that’s all we’ve got so far, there might be a couple more. But really it’s not worth the ink people are wasting on it, any thoughts of “many” are simple fact deprived foolishness.

[eyedigress]

No it isn’t. How many Ebola briefings have you been through?

Every major corporation had H1N1 plans in effect.

How many have an Ebola plan in effect?

[PapaNew]

"Till heaven and earth PASS, one jot or one tittle SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW,"

You stop short of the last few critical words of the clause...

till ALL be fulfilled.

Which "fulfills" the earlier part of the passage,

I am NOT COME TO DESTROY, but to fulfil".

Again, you make my point. Jesus came to fulfill the law and that is exactly what he did. Because of Jesus, we are not under the law, but under grace (Rom 6:14).

[Yosemitest]

"All" includes Revelations, too.
We ain't there yet, but it's STARTING to happen!
Remember the 4th Commandment (hint: it ain't Sunday) and only just about the WHOLE OLD TESTAMENT was about God punishing Nations for NOT KEEPING HIS SABBATHS.

[The Duke]

..any thoughts of “many” are simple fact deprived foolishness.

Don't tell that to *me* ... tell it to everyone in Africa.

[Fraxinus]

I am not saying immunity, I am saying lack of a factor in America that would be present in Africa that exacerbates the severity of an illness.

The factor that makes the big difference is called sanitary sewer and more to the point clean water delivered to nearly every house in the country. Most people who die in epidemics historically have died from dehydration. The symptoms of Ebola make that happen quicker, but being able to get clean water from inside the houses of anyone infected will make things much easier for anyone caring for someone stricken, and the sewer will carry away much of the infected waste of those with milder symptoms. In most of Africa they do not have running water outside of the major cities, and I suspect that for many an outhouse would be an improvement over current practice.

[PapaNew]

I don't know what you're selling, but it isn't the scriptural New Covenant of gospel of the grace of Christ. Scripture lays a serious double charge on anyone preaching something other than the gospel:

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

You need to familiarize yourself with the New Covenant of gospel of the grace of Christ:

No man is justified by the law (Rom 3:20; Galatians 2:26, 3:11, 5:4).

We are justified ONLY by grace (Rom 3:24; Galatians 5:4; Titus 3:7).

God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5:19.

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world 1 John 2:2.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace Romans 6:14.

But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he says, A new covenant, he has made the first old. Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:6-13).

[Yosemitest]

Remember:

"For the time is come that JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN at the house of God:
and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey NOT the gospel of God?"

Remember:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

NOT every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, SHALL ENTER into the kingdom of heaven;
but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils?
and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them,
I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY.
Therefore whosoever HEARETH these sayings of mine, and DOETH them,
I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that HEARETH these sayings of mine, and DOETH THEM NOT,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For he taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes.

Think you,

that Jesus came to do away with the Law ?

God forbid !

A wise man one said in a meeting I attended in person:

Sin is the breaking of God's law.
Repenting of sin means being sorry you have broken God's law.
If you are sorry, it means you do not intend breaking His law any further!
Let's illustrate it this way:
You live in a society which must be regulated according to various laws.
There are federal, state, county and local laws which regulate practically every act and deed.
Whether we are speaking here of federal laws, civil codes or simply traffic laws, the same principle applies.

You are required in order to retain your freedom and your citizenship to obey the laws of our country.
If you break some of them, it may only require a fine or a very small penalty, or even a warning, and you will be allowed to remain free.

Breaking others can be far more serious.
Grand theft, larceny, arson, robbery, burglary, auto theft or murder could get you thrown behind bars
(not withstanding the terrible laxity of the courts today).

Let's suppose you have done precisely this.

Maybe, caught up in an emotional state with wrong companions, you perpetrate some act which is clearly against the law.
Let's assume you are arrested and in due time brought to trial.
But, during the trial, just as the judge has imposed upon you a terrific fine which you would never be able to pay— say, a million dollars—
a completely unknown stranger, your benefactor, stands and says,
"Your honor, I believe this man is seriously contrite.
I believe he got caught up in the emotion of the moment and was under the influence of some evil companions.
I feel he is a man of integrity and wishes truly to mend his ways and live a better life.

"Therefore, I am willing to pay his fine myself so he can go free, and he doesn't need to pay this penalty!"

Although it probably wouldn't happen in our society, it does illustrate the point.
The judge (as a type of God the Father) would say to the benefactor (who is a type of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our own sins),
"That will be fine!
You may step up and pay the court $1 million and we will write on the court records
that the man who has been accused is free to go."

Then the judge may look at you, the person who has been arrested, tried and sentenced, and say,
"You are free to go.
But don't ever get caught up in that kind of a situation again!"

Do you see?

You are required, as a citizen of a free country, to obey its laws, or else

In the case of God's divine laws, you are required, whether you know about them or not (ignorance of the law is no excuse), whether you are a Christian, a professing Christian or whatever, to obey God's Ten Commandments.

Though people by the millions freely break the Ten Commandments every single day, they are unknowingly coming under the penalty of the law, which is death! (Romans 6:23).

When you repent, you are saying to God you are deeply sorry you have broken His laws.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the counsel for the defense says to God, the Righteous Judge, that He believes in your profession of repentance
and is willing to allow His own sacrifice to be applied in your case!

Then, just as Jesus said to the woman taken in the very act of adultery, God will say the same thing to you,
"Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more!"


True repentance, then, means
being deeply sorry you have broken God's Ten Commandments,
resolving through the power of God's Holy Spirit and the help of Jesus Christ as your daily High Priest and Intercessor,
not to break the Ten Commandments henceforth.

Don't fall into Satan's deception of believing that God's Laws , The Ten Commandments are done away with.

[PapaNew]

Well, you’re going by you’re own reasoning and not by New Testament Scripture which Hebrews clearly says supersedes the old. Scripture clearly says Jesus fulfilled the law and we are no longer under the law. References previously cited.

Can’t help you if you’re going to ignore the overriding Scripture of the gospel of Christ in the New Testament.

Best of luck to you.

[PapaNew]

Don’t forget, the New testament and New Covenant began at the cross. Everything said before that was still per-crucifixion and Old Testament, Old Convent.

The cross of Christ changed everything.