By now everyone has heard about the Hillary Clinton scandal where she used her influence as Secretary of State to help the Russians get access to U.S. uranium and was paid off via donations to her Clinton Foundation. Revelations of Bill and Hillary's financial chicanery has them scrambling to file amended federal income tax returns. If anything should end her presidential aspirations, this scandal should. But liberals are not known for taking responsibility so we will have to see.
What is more amazing than learning of yet another Clinton scandal is that the mainstream media is actually reporting this one. That can only mean the Left must have someone else in mind to represent them in the 2016 presidential election. The power brokers deciding what news stories get fed to the public must not think Hillary Clinton is far enough to the Left for them. Or maybe they think all her scandal baggage will catch up to her making her hard to elect in the face of such a diverse and appealing field of Republican candidates.
There was a time when helping the Russians get their hands on our fissionable material would be considered treason. Sure we are entering a shining new age of global cooperation and Russia is no longer considered an Evil Empire as President Reagan labeled them during the Cold War. But Russia is not acting like a cooperative participant in the global community of nations with their aspirations in the Ukraine and threatening us with nuclear war. Those with a biblical worldview know that Russia is the Magog of Ezekiel 38 who will invade the Middle East before Jesus returns so they are certainly not a nation that we should trust with materials to build more weapons of mass destruction.
Hillary Clinton is not the only treasonous official involved in helping the Russians acquire our uranium, President Obama had to approve it so he is as much at fault as she was. There is no indication that Obama got paid off as Hillary did though so maybe he is taking what passes as the moral high ground for public officials in this crazy age. But while Bill and Hillary were peddling their influence for cash, Obama did it to augment his reputation as a global power broker. Either way, they are both revealing a characteristic of the end-times when traitors will abound per 2 Timothy 2:1-4.
If Hillary Clinton suffers any consequences for her pursuit of bribes, it will probably be the loss of support from the political Left. She will not be seen as treasonous because it is politically correct to overlook national belligerency in pursuit of the global utopia the Left lusts for and the Bible says will happen. But the Bible also says that no utopia will be realized under man's rule. Indeed, what we will have instead is "great tribulation" as Jesus said in Matthew 24:21.
History will probably reveal the corruption of President Obama to exceed that of the Clintons. We have a natural gas pipeline planned to go from the Permian Basin to Mexico through the pristine Chihuahuan desert wilderness of Texas' Big Bend region. Now why would the Federal Government support this pipeline when President Obama refuses to approve the Keystone Pipeline? Sure there are differences; import versus export, conservative Canada versus corrupt Mexico, and evil oil versus clean gas but both have an environmental impact.
I cannot help but think that the real reason Obama will not go forward with the Keystone Pipeline is not so much his desire to drive the price of oil up in support of his global warming agenda but that stonewalling it helps his benefactor Warren Buffett. The Obama administration is rife with cronyism. Where did all the TARP bail-out funds from the 2008 recession go but to pay off Obama supporters? As President Eisenhower would say, "beware the government-industrial complex."
Government corruption scandals are happening faster than the public can digest. And most people are not even aware of the scope of them. Unfortunately, things will get worse before they get better: "evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13). This world sorely needs Jesus Christ to return who will put an end to the unjust rule of man. All indications are that we are in the season of His return so we really don't have long to wait.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Economic Control
The world's big money men have a problem. How can they enslave more people by having them take on more debt when the state of the economy has everyone hording their cash? The dominant Keynesian economic theory says that governments can stimulate the economy by increasing the money supply making cash easier to come by through lower interest rates.
We have had interest rates near zero for several years now and we are still in a global recession despite the deceptive statistics and optimistic rhetoric from the mainstream media. It is not politically correct to consider the fact that Keynesian Economics just does not work. It never has worked but the Big Government advocates support it as being the only solution to recessionary woes because it does enable the ruling elites to have more control over the economy.
If the government really wanted to stimulate the economy, they should reduce the taxes imposed on the people who pay taxes thus giving them more disposable income. This has worked to stimulate the economy every time it has been tried but is maligned by the progressives because it means giving the rich a break. We know that the ruling elite in the U.S. really don't care about the state of the economy because our national debt is $18 trillion and growing with no end in sight. True stimulation of the economy with reduced taxes would actually end up bringing in more tax revenue and help reduce the debt. But the ruling elite's objective is not really about freeing the people by giving them a robust economy, it's more about power; they are pursuing more creative ways to control the people.
So since we are effectively at zero interest rates on money loaned to banks, what are the Keynesian economists to do? Well, they can double down on their failed policies by imposing negative interest rates on savings effectively charging savers a fee for the service the bank performs to warehouse their money. The Keynesian theorists believe negative interest rates will stimulate the economy because savers will be losing money the longer they keep it in the bank thus making them more inclined to take it out and spend it on something.
There is one big problem with negative interest rates: people will stop using banks because their hard-earned savings will retain more value as cash in a home fire safe than in a bank. This problem for the Keynesian economists has them fantasizing about the end of currency. If all financial transactions were electronic, some financial institution would have to be involved and thus be able to take their cut and charge their negative interest service fees on the virtual money.
Banks in Europe have already been experimenting with negative interest rates. These policies will come to America where use of cash is already being limited. It has been more than a little challenging to buy an airline ticket or rent a car using cash for some time. And Louisiana has recently passed a law banning the use of cash in all transactions involving second-hand goods. Ostensibly, this was done to thwart criminals trafficking in stolen goods but the new law will have a more far-ranging impact than just criminals. And it helps condition people to be more comfortable with cashless transactions.
Ultimately, we must have a cashless society so that there may be more centralized control over all transactions. We know this has to happen because the time will come when "no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:17, NKJV). So all the developments of society going cashless are just birth pangs foreshadowing the mark of the beast economy that will emerge during the Tribulation.
There are so many developments setting the stage for the Tribulation going on that it is amazing we still have people scoffing about the Lord's soon return. It is pretty obvious to all with a true biblical worldview that we are the generation who will see Jesus again walk the earth. This is not just my interpretation as scoffers will rationalize, it is what the Bible says in Matthew 24:32-35.
"Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf" (Proverbs 11:28, NIV).
We have had interest rates near zero for several years now and we are still in a global recession despite the deceptive statistics and optimistic rhetoric from the mainstream media. It is not politically correct to consider the fact that Keynesian Economics just does not work. It never has worked but the Big Government advocates support it as being the only solution to recessionary woes because it does enable the ruling elites to have more control over the economy.
If the government really wanted to stimulate the economy, they should reduce the taxes imposed on the people who pay taxes thus giving them more disposable income. This has worked to stimulate the economy every time it has been tried but is maligned by the progressives because it means giving the rich a break. We know that the ruling elite in the U.S. really don't care about the state of the economy because our national debt is $18 trillion and growing with no end in sight. True stimulation of the economy with reduced taxes would actually end up bringing in more tax revenue and help reduce the debt. But the ruling elite's objective is not really about freeing the people by giving them a robust economy, it's more about power; they are pursuing more creative ways to control the people.
So since we are effectively at zero interest rates on money loaned to banks, what are the Keynesian economists to do? Well, they can double down on their failed policies by imposing negative interest rates on savings effectively charging savers a fee for the service the bank performs to warehouse their money. The Keynesian theorists believe negative interest rates will stimulate the economy because savers will be losing money the longer they keep it in the bank thus making them more inclined to take it out and spend it on something.
There is one big problem with negative interest rates: people will stop using banks because their hard-earned savings will retain more value as cash in a home fire safe than in a bank. This problem for the Keynesian economists has them fantasizing about the end of currency. If all financial transactions were electronic, some financial institution would have to be involved and thus be able to take their cut and charge their negative interest service fees on the virtual money.
Banks in Europe have already been experimenting with negative interest rates. These policies will come to America where use of cash is already being limited. It has been more than a little challenging to buy an airline ticket or rent a car using cash for some time. And Louisiana has recently passed a law banning the use of cash in all transactions involving second-hand goods. Ostensibly, this was done to thwart criminals trafficking in stolen goods but the new law will have a more far-ranging impact than just criminals. And it helps condition people to be more comfortable with cashless transactions.
Ultimately, we must have a cashless society so that there may be more centralized control over all transactions. We know this has to happen because the time will come when "no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:17, NKJV). So all the developments of society going cashless are just birth pangs foreshadowing the mark of the beast economy that will emerge during the Tribulation.
There are so many developments setting the stage for the Tribulation going on that it is amazing we still have people scoffing about the Lord's soon return. It is pretty obvious to all with a true biblical worldview that we are the generation who will see Jesus again walk the earth. This is not just my interpretation as scoffers will rationalize, it is what the Bible says in Matthew 24:32-35.
"Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf" (Proverbs 11:28, NIV).
Monday, April 13, 2015
Drought
By now everyone has heard of the unprecedented drought in California that will probably result in our food costs going up. In the eyes of many, such a development is to be expected in the face of man-caused global warming. But the climate change rationalization misses the real message of the drought which is actually just one more development revealing that the Tribulation is near.
Jesus told us there would be birth pangs foreshadowing the Tribulation in Matthew 24:8. The Lord said the signs of the coming Tribulation to be things like war, earthquakes, and famines that have always plagued mankind increasing in frequency and intensity like birth pangs. The drought in California and the consequences that will result from it are birth pangs.
The economy of the Tribulation will be characterized by scarcity. "I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius" (Revelation 6:6). A denarius referred to a day's wages in Bible times. So during the Tribulation, food will be very expensive due to scarcity, people will be working just to eat. The scarcity of food will be due to famine which Jesus said there would be in “various places” (Matthew 24:7, NKJV).
There is more than one cause for famine. Drought is the more common cause of famine but food scarcity is also caused by production and distribution disruptions due to war. The book of Revelation tells us there will be a lot of war going on during the Tribulation. Regardless the cause, any rise in food costs due to reduced supply foreshadows the severe conditions that will exist during the Tribulation.
One good aspect of globalization is that the impact of famine in one area is mitigated by the worldwide market which can make up the shortfall. So birth pangs of famines are just one more thing driving the world to be even more globalized. The conventional wisdom that our droughts are due to man-caused climate change is also driving the world to be more globalized because all the world must work together to curb greenhouse gas emissions. And it will take a global government to do that because climate change is seen as too big a problem for any one nation to fix.
Another reason the drought in California may be seen as a birth pang is that it is not the only one going on; droughts are occurring worldwide in “divers places” (Matthew 24:7, KJV). There have recently also been droughts in Taiwan, Brazil, Australia, and various other places. Scoffers will say the California drought is not a sign of the soon return of Jesus and it wouldn’t be if you just looked at it by itself. But Jesus told us that the signs of His return would be recognized in context of other developments which are combining to help the spiritually discerning see that we are in the season of the Lord’s return.
People not in a relationship with their Creator go out of their way to deny the evidence for the soon return of Jesus. The signs are subtle so that all who have made up their minds not to trust in the Lord may continue in their unbelief; that is why the Lord spoke in parables (Matthew 13:10-13). But as the birth pangs proceed, they will be harder to for even unbelievers to ignore and by the grace of God many people will be saved and come to recognize them for what they are.
So as you hear people belly-aching about the price of groceries going up, plant a seed of truth with them that the Bible tells us food prices will inflate prior to Jesus returning (1 Corinthians 3:6). This will bounce right off those who have hardened their hearts to the Lord but will resonate with those who are responding to the Holy Spirit. The opportunities for laying up treasure in heaven abound in these last days.
Jesus told us there would be birth pangs foreshadowing the Tribulation in Matthew 24:8. The Lord said the signs of the coming Tribulation to be things like war, earthquakes, and famines that have always plagued mankind increasing in frequency and intensity like birth pangs. The drought in California and the consequences that will result from it are birth pangs.
The economy of the Tribulation will be characterized by scarcity. "I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius" (Revelation 6:6). A denarius referred to a day's wages in Bible times. So during the Tribulation, food will be very expensive due to scarcity, people will be working just to eat. The scarcity of food will be due to famine which Jesus said there would be in “various places” (Matthew 24:7, NKJV).
There is more than one cause for famine. Drought is the more common cause of famine but food scarcity is also caused by production and distribution disruptions due to war. The book of Revelation tells us there will be a lot of war going on during the Tribulation. Regardless the cause, any rise in food costs due to reduced supply foreshadows the severe conditions that will exist during the Tribulation.
One good aspect of globalization is that the impact of famine in one area is mitigated by the worldwide market which can make up the shortfall. So birth pangs of famines are just one more thing driving the world to be even more globalized. The conventional wisdom that our droughts are due to man-caused climate change is also driving the world to be more globalized because all the world must work together to curb greenhouse gas emissions. And it will take a global government to do that because climate change is seen as too big a problem for any one nation to fix.
Another reason the drought in California may be seen as a birth pang is that it is not the only one going on; droughts are occurring worldwide in “divers places” (Matthew 24:7, KJV). There have recently also been droughts in Taiwan, Brazil, Australia, and various other places. Scoffers will say the California drought is not a sign of the soon return of Jesus and it wouldn’t be if you just looked at it by itself. But Jesus told us that the signs of His return would be recognized in context of other developments which are combining to help the spiritually discerning see that we are in the season of the Lord’s return.
People not in a relationship with their Creator go out of their way to deny the evidence for the soon return of Jesus. The signs are subtle so that all who have made up their minds not to trust in the Lord may continue in their unbelief; that is why the Lord spoke in parables (Matthew 13:10-13). But as the birth pangs proceed, they will be harder to for even unbelievers to ignore and by the grace of God many people will be saved and come to recognize them for what they are.
So as you hear people belly-aching about the price of groceries going up, plant a seed of truth with them that the Bible tells us food prices will inflate prior to Jesus returning (1 Corinthians 3:6). This will bounce right off those who have hardened their hearts to the Lord but will resonate with those who are responding to the Holy Spirit. The opportunities for laying up treasure in heaven abound in these last days.
Monday, April 6, 2015
War on Christians
Nothing is being done about the accelerating purge of Christians from Islamic lands thinking we are safe in the United States of America. Surely nothing like that could happen here where religious liberty is one of our founding principles. But there are accumulating clouds on the horizon even here in the Land of the Free.
There are increasing instances of Christian business people being singled out for personal destruction because they are opposed to gay marriage. There is outrage from the political left over the laws passed in Indiana and Arkansas intended to protect religious freedom. You'd think with the First Amendment to the Constitution that we would not need such a law but Christian businesses refusing to bake a cake or photograph a gay wedding are being targeted for destruction by gay activists.
Contrary to the narrative of the left, there is not wholesale discrimination of homosexuals going on in the United States. Most bakeries, caterers or photographers would be thrilled to service a gay wedding. The attacks on Christians are not about bringing social justice in the face of discrimination, it is all about destroying someone because they do not embrace your beliefs. Unfortunately, we can expect this trend to accelerate as we approach the Tribulation.
The gay activist hatred for Christians has a lot of similarities to the Islamists committing genocide in the Mideast lands they control. Indeed, the Islamists and the leftists share a lot of the same ideals because they are inspired by the same god who seeks to undermine the God of the Bible. Both are totalitarian in wanting to control all aspects of human existence. Both are anti-capitalist and regard individuals as only existing to serve the collective. Both see the U.S. freedom culture with individual liberties as an obstacle and want to fundamentally change or replace Western Civilization.
The progress of the progressives is beginning to accelerate as God is removing His restraint of evil. God is removing His restraint of evil to foreshadow there being no limits on evil during the Tribulation (2 Thess 2:7-8). The gay activists are not so much oppressed homosexuals as they are radical secular humanists who hate God and seek to purge His people from the culture. They believe Christians are holding society back from where they want it to go so they are ratcheting up their community organizing tactics to marginalize Christians.
What the radical secular humanists of the left do not realize is that their actions are likely to spark a revival in this country. It never ceases to amaze me that as hard as God-hating people try to avoid something through their efforts, the more likely the very thing they are trying to prevent from happening will happen. Yet they keep trying their godless schemes to the detriment of us all; secular humanists generally think they are smarter than all who have gone before them having fully embraced the dogma of macro-evolution. What was that definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein again?
We have just seen another example of secular humanist failure in the backlash from the left's attack on Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana (population 2,144). The out-pouring of support for this Christian business in raising $842K from a GoFundMe account set up on their behalf was amazing. Such developments give me hope for the people of this country. People are fed up with the politically correct leftist vision being jammed down our throats and jump at a chance to say that is not who we are.
There is however a pattern of evil that I've observed. Those seeking to tear down what God has established don't give up, they keep on nibbling away at our freedoms seeking to enslave others to their misery. We can expect escalating persecution even in the United States. The left will keep trying and there will not be enough GoFundMe giving to bail out all the targets of persecution. It is the spirit of Antichrist that uses fatigue-inducing tactics to wear-out the people of God: "He shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High" (Daniel 7:25).
All this should do is cause us to look even more forward to the return of Jesus who will bring peace, justice and truth to the earth (2 Peter 3:13). Nonetheless, we are going through this unique time for a reason. Jesus is still calling people to follow Him and we still have the opportunity to "work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). "Even so, come Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
There are increasing instances of Christian business people being singled out for personal destruction because they are opposed to gay marriage. There is outrage from the political left over the laws passed in Indiana and Arkansas intended to protect religious freedom. You'd think with the First Amendment to the Constitution that we would not need such a law but Christian businesses refusing to bake a cake or photograph a gay wedding are being targeted for destruction by gay activists.
Contrary to the narrative of the left, there is not wholesale discrimination of homosexuals going on in the United States. Most bakeries, caterers or photographers would be thrilled to service a gay wedding. The attacks on Christians are not about bringing social justice in the face of discrimination, it is all about destroying someone because they do not embrace your beliefs. Unfortunately, we can expect this trend to accelerate as we approach the Tribulation.
The gay activist hatred for Christians has a lot of similarities to the Islamists committing genocide in the Mideast lands they control. Indeed, the Islamists and the leftists share a lot of the same ideals because they are inspired by the same god who seeks to undermine the God of the Bible. Both are totalitarian in wanting to control all aspects of human existence. Both are anti-capitalist and regard individuals as only existing to serve the collective. Both see the U.S. freedom culture with individual liberties as an obstacle and want to fundamentally change or replace Western Civilization.
The progress of the progressives is beginning to accelerate as God is removing His restraint of evil. God is removing His restraint of evil to foreshadow there being no limits on evil during the Tribulation (2 Thess 2:7-8). The gay activists are not so much oppressed homosexuals as they are radical secular humanists who hate God and seek to purge His people from the culture. They believe Christians are holding society back from where they want it to go so they are ratcheting up their community organizing tactics to marginalize Christians.
What the radical secular humanists of the left do not realize is that their actions are likely to spark a revival in this country. It never ceases to amaze me that as hard as God-hating people try to avoid something through their efforts, the more likely the very thing they are trying to prevent from happening will happen. Yet they keep trying their godless schemes to the detriment of us all; secular humanists generally think they are smarter than all who have gone before them having fully embraced the dogma of macro-evolution. What was that definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein again?
We have just seen another example of secular humanist failure in the backlash from the left's attack on Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana (population 2,144). The out-pouring of support for this Christian business in raising $842K from a GoFundMe account set up on their behalf was amazing. Such developments give me hope for the people of this country. People are fed up with the politically correct leftist vision being jammed down our throats and jump at a chance to say that is not who we are.
There is however a pattern of evil that I've observed. Those seeking to tear down what God has established don't give up, they keep on nibbling away at our freedoms seeking to enslave others to their misery. We can expect escalating persecution even in the United States. The left will keep trying and there will not be enough GoFundMe giving to bail out all the targets of persecution. It is the spirit of Antichrist that uses fatigue-inducing tactics to wear-out the people of God: "He shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High" (Daniel 7:25).
All this should do is cause us to look even more forward to the return of Jesus who will bring peace, justice and truth to the earth (2 Peter 3:13). Nonetheless, we are going through this unique time for a reason. Jesus is still calling people to follow Him and we still have the opportunity to "work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). "Even so, come Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Ten Nation Confederation
Before the worldwide government of the Antichrist emerges, there will be a ten nation coalition of nations that rule the earth per Revelation 13:1-3 & 17:12-13. While the government of the Antichrist must happen during the Tribulation, the ten-nation coalition may or may not be formed prior to the Rapture of the church. So we should take notice when we see ten world powers forming alliances. And this has happened recently...
First we had the U.S. form a ten-nation coalition in September to combat the Sunni-backed ISIS. The other nine nations are Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey. And more recently we see another ten-nation coalition of Sunni nations formed to combat the Shia incursions of Iran into Yemen. These ten nations are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
This is very interesting and prophetically significant to the spiritually discerning. Ten nations mostly of the Western leg of the Old Roman Empire are in battle (sort of) against Sunni Jihadists and Ten nations of the Eastern leg of the Old Roman Empire are in battle against Shia Jihadists. While these two ten-nation coalitions are not the ten nations of Revelation, they do foreshadow it. Something will have to happen to bring these two groups together to form the ten-nation coalition of Revelation.
There is nothing like a war against Israel to bring Shia and Sunni Muslims together. Since the U.S. is doing our best to bolster the nuclear ambitions of the Shia Muslims in Iran, Israel will have to deal with the threat to their existence alone. And they will deal with it which will likely ignite the Psalm 83 War that resolves the Palestinian problem forever and sets the stage for the Ezekiel 38 War.
What a great environment for the Islamic al-Mahdi a.k.a. the Antichrist of Revelation to emerge into. The world will be in turmoil and will embrace more centralized control that promises peace. But there will be no peace until Jesus destroys the government of the Antichrist.
Developments are happening at a rapid pace. Keep watching for the Lord's return and listening for the Trump of God... it will not be long before we'll see Him face to face.
First we had the U.S. form a ten-nation coalition in September to combat the Sunni-backed ISIS. The other nine nations are Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey. And more recently we see another ten-nation coalition of Sunni nations formed to combat the Shia incursions of Iran into Yemen. These ten nations are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
This is very interesting and prophetically significant to the spiritually discerning. Ten nations mostly of the Western leg of the Old Roman Empire are in battle (sort of) against Sunni Jihadists and Ten nations of the Eastern leg of the Old Roman Empire are in battle against Shia Jihadists. While these two ten-nation coalitions are not the ten nations of Revelation, they do foreshadow it. Something will have to happen to bring these two groups together to form the ten-nation coalition of Revelation.
There is nothing like a war against Israel to bring Shia and Sunni Muslims together. Since the U.S. is doing our best to bolster the nuclear ambitions of the Shia Muslims in Iran, Israel will have to deal with the threat to their existence alone. And they will deal with it which will likely ignite the Psalm 83 War that resolves the Palestinian problem forever and sets the stage for the Ezekiel 38 War.
What a great environment for the Islamic al-Mahdi a.k.a. the Antichrist of Revelation to emerge into. The world will be in turmoil and will embrace more centralized control that promises peace. But there will be no peace until Jesus destroys the government of the Antichrist.
Developments are happening at a rapid pace. Keep watching for the Lord's return and listening for the Trump of God... it will not be long before we'll see Him face to face.
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