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The Election of Barack Obama as President

Sunday, November 9th, 2008
President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama

(November 9, 2008)  Someone recently asked me if Barack Obama would become a player in End-Times events. My overriding concern for whoever becomes President of the United States is what is God’s will for this country. The Bible makes it clear that it is God who raises up rulers and causes them to fall: “20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.” (Daniel 2:20-21) With this in mind there are two things that stand out to me about 2008 election.

The first is the fact that people worldwide were so taken with an unknown quantity illustrates that people are looking for someone to solve their problems. This is indicative to me that one day the world will also be taken with a charismatic leader who will speak of peace and tell the people what they want to hear. With global communications through the Internet, Satellite TV, etc it will take no time at all for the Antichrist to come on the scene and rise to prominence.

The other issue concerns the future of America. The prophet Ezekiel declared that in the latter days there will be a war between the countries surrounding Israel (Russia, Iran formerly Persia etc) and Israel itself. I don’t believe this war can occur as long as the United States is the protector of Israel. On my web site I wrote an article in 2007 about the fall of America. (The Decline & Fall of America) In this article I point out that I believe America has to become either economically or militarily impotent or both. As a result of this decline the U.S. will become either unwilling or unable to protect Israel. When this occurs the countries will feel that they have a free hand to attack Israel. Obama’s intentions towards the state of Israel are unclear. He made conflicting statements concerning Jerusalem. It could be that his economic policies might further erode the economic power of America. If that does happen on his watch then I believe it would only be a matter of time before this prophetic war would take place. Russia has become more aggressive recently and of course Iran is trying to increase it military strength and making threatening statements towards Israel. It seems events were already set in motion before Barack Obama becomes President. The economy of America is in jeopardy and the military has been stretched numerically. Even if the issues recover to some extent it illustrates that a future fall of America’s economy and possibly military can happen in a very short time. Only time will tell and it will only occur in God’s timing.

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October Updates: Economic Crises, Antichrist, Russia and Israel

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

(October 12, 2008)  According to the September 25th Financial Times the United States will lose its superpower status. (“US ‘will lose financial superpower status’”) If you read my article on this web site (The Decline & Fall of America) you will see that last year I stated that one day America had to become either economically or militarily impotent or both. The reason for this is because the Bible prophesies that one day a coalition of nations including Russia, Iran, and the surrounding countries will invade Israel. However, since the U.S. has been Israel’s protector this invasion could not take place. If America does decline in power then sometime in the future this invasion can take place. Whether or not the current situation leads to such a scenario is not clear. What is obvious is that such an erosion of America’s economy (and the world’s) can take place very quickly.

The world’s economy has suffered as a result of the interconnectedness of the global financial systems. Financial leaders from twenty countries are meeting in Washington D.C. in hopes of solving the current worldwide economic crisis. (“Bush, allies seek to calm jittery investors”) The third judgment of the Tribulation Period (Revelation 6:5-6) speaks of a global economic meltdown that leads to hyper-inflation for food (e.g. a days wages for wheat. barley etc.) and other commodities. Jesus also spoke of famines in His End-Times discourse in Matthew 24:7. It is interesting that Adolph Hitler rose to power out of the economic chaos in Germany after World War I. It is very possible that a similar world leader will one day arise out of a global economic chaos. As I stated above, if this is not that time it is still revealing in how short a span of time economic catastrophe can occur because of the global nature of the world’s financial systems. The one bright spot in all this is that oil has come down in price. However, I believe this is a temporary reprieve because demand for oil is increasing throughout the world. (“Energy Department: World demand to rise 50 percent in next 20 years”)

Russia continues to assert their military strength after invading Georgia and making arms deals with Venezuela. Now they have test-fired long-range ballistic missiles. (“Russia test-fires ballistic missiles”) Russian President Medvedev said, “This shows that our shield is in order. We will build up our armed capability, which means we will acquire new weaponry while also launching traditional ballistic missiles.” In my article (The Coming Invasion of Israel) I discuss how Russia is supposed to be part of an invasion of Israel towards the last days that also includes Iran. According to an October 7th, 2008 Jerusalem Post article, Russia is going to increase its involvement in the Middle East. The article states that Israeli leader Ehud Olmert “urged the Russians to play a more active role in getting Teheran to cease uranium enrichment.” One of the many pieces of the End-Times prophetic puzzle to keep an eye on!

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World feels oil pressure and crisis

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

(June 8, 2008)  In a May 31 article the British newspaper, The Independent, enumerated the problems the world is facing because of the oil crisis. (Shocked! How the oil crisis has hit the world) The article reports on the situations various segments of societies around the world are experiencing,

“British pensioners who cannot afford to heat their homes. European hauliers and fishermen whose livelihoods are under threat. Palestinians forced to fill up their cars with olive oil. Americans asked to go down to a four-day week.”

The article gives some examples of the unrest that is occurring in every inhabited continent and some of the services that are being curtailed:

-Lorry drivers blockaded roads into London and in Wales to demand that a planned 2p rise in fuel tax be scrapped and that “essential users” should be granted a rebate

-Britain’s Silverjet airline announced it had stopped flights after failing to get a $5m loan from Abu Dhabi-based investors, becoming the third London to New York business class-only carrier to run out of money

-Protests by French truckers and fishermen left several motorways blocked and ports paralysed

-Fishermen across Europe went on a one-day strike, blocking ports. The biggest demonstrations were in Spain and Portugal where 10,000 protesters converged on Madrid

-The Newcastle to Scandinavia ferry route is being cut by the Danish company DFDS Seaways

-Brazil, the world’s largest ethanol producer, biofuels account for more than half of transport needs. But while biofuels have kept petrol prices down, food prices – particularly in Central American countries such as Mexico and Haiti – have shot up as vast tracts of arable land are switched from producing food to fuel

-Daily protests have erupted across Indonesia this week after the government removed subsidies on fuel

-Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific and Taiwan’s China Airlines announced they were considering scaling back some long-haul routes whilst Korean Air said it would temporarily cut flights on 12 international routes

-African governments already under pressure from food protests, and in some cases such as Mozambique violent riots, have now to contend with a new problem

-Middle Eastern countries unlucky enough not to be sitting on lakes of black gold are facing growing resentment from their own populations over fuel prices

-Australia’s Qantas airline announced this week that it was intending to slash hundreds of jobs, freeze executive pay and shut down some domestic rural routes

Since it is unlikely that oil prices will decrease in the long term, the world’s oil problem will continue to exacerbate the civil and economic unrest that the countries of the world are currently experiencing. The New York Times’ global edition, International Herald Tribune, has a June 8th article which reports the reductions in profits by many businesses as a result of the oil crisis. (Pressure from oil prices spreads) The reporter writes, “Airlines, package shippers and car owners are no longer the only ones being squeezed by the ever-mounting price of oil, which shot up almost $11 a barrel Friday, to a record $138.54. Companies that make hard goods using raw materials derived from oil, like tires, toiletries, plastic packaging and computer screens, are watching their costs skyrocket, and they find themselves forced into unpleasant choices: Should they raise prices, shift to less costly procedures, cut workers or all three?” Oil price hikes will continue to increase the cost of manufacturing commodities and the transportation of them.

On his June 9th program, Fox’s Bill O’Reilly discussed the oil crisis in his Talking Points memo. (We Are All in Danger) He declares, “We now know that Israel will attack Iran if that country continues its nuke buildup. That kind of attack will put oil well over $200 a barrel. We also know that radical Islamists and aggressive socialists like Hugo Chavez are using oil money to create terror and havoc. It is also apparent that Iran will continue to cause trouble in the Persian Gulf region, with the goal of destabilizing Western economies.” After suggesting a couple of solutions O’Reilly made the following statement, “Simply put, Americans must demand that Congress and the new president stop the nonsense, or there will be a world war over oil. That will happen and it will make Iraq look like a high school prom.”

As I have stated on this web site, I believe America will decline from its superpower status militarily or economically or both. Such a reduction in strength will allow the invasion of Israel by a conglomeration of countries seeking to rid the Middle East of Israel forever. (Coming Invasion of Israel)

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CNN: More signs the world isn’t ending [They're right!!]

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

(May 2, 2008)  A CNN Money.com article states that the economic signs aren’t showing the U.S. in as dire straits as recent news would seem to indicate. (More signs the world isn’t ending) The report says, “Yes, companies cut jobs again, we learned today, for the fourth straight month. In April, 20,000 jobs were lost, but economists on average expected a loss of 75,000 – some feared more than 100,000 cuts. What’s more, the unemployment rate dipped from 5.1% to 5%. Most thought it would tick higher. We’ve had news like this all week. In short, the economy is in bad shape….but it’s simply not as bad as a lot of people are making it out to be. On Wednesday, an initial reading of the economy in the first quarter showed that the economy grew – not by a lot, but at least it didn’t decline as many feared.”

This seems to be the first good news the U.S. economy has had in a while. I would hesitate to exhibit too much elation though. As long as oil prices continue to increase, every area of the economy will be affected. With the world’s population increasing and thus countries’ need for more oil increasing, it’s hard to see how things won’t get worse in the long term.

The headline of this article is what caught my eye. CNN is absolutely correct about one thing, the world is not ending. The Bible makes it clear that the world is going to face a time of horror unlike anything in its history. After that, Jesus Christ will return and establish His kingdom on earth for one-thousand years. Then God will create a new earth and heavens. So the world still has a long way to go.

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Americans hoard food, food rationing, limit rice buying, hungry Japan, era of cheap food ends

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

(April 23, 2008)  Worldwide food prices and shortages continue to increase. As a result of this, a Washington Times article states that some Americans have resorted to hoarding food: “Farmers and food executives appealed fruitlessly to federal officials yesterday for regulatory steps to limit speculative buying that is helping to drive food prices higher. Meanwhile, some Americans are stocking up on staples such as rice, flour and oil in anticipation of high prices and shortages spreading from overseas.” (Americans hoard food as industry seeks regs)

The New York Sun newspaper is reporting that some retailers in America are limiting consumer purchases of some food staples: “Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.” (Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World)

In San Francisco, at least one store is asking customers to limit their rice purchases. (Bay Area Shoppers Asked To Limit Rice Purchases)

Sam’s Club and Costco are limiting sales of rice because of food shortage fears. (Sam’s Club, Costco Limit Rice Purchases)

Across the Pacific, Japan’s food problems are increasing. (Japan’s hunger becomes a dire warning for other nations)

The British newspaper, The Times is reporting that high food prices are here to stay, “Families have been warned that the prices of basic foods will rise steeply again because of acute shortages in commodity markets. Experts told The Times yesterday that prices of rice, wheat and vegetable oil would rise further. They also forecast that high prices and shortages — which have caused riots in developing countries such as Bangladesh and Haiti — were here to stay, and that the days of cheap produce would not return. Food-price inflation has already pushed up a typical family’s weekly shopping bill by 15 per cent in a year.” (Era of cheap food ends as prices surge)

The problems facing the world’s food supply are not going away. According to the Bible, one day in the future there is going to be a global famine which may lead to the rise of the Antichrist.

“4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:4-8)

“5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)

In the first passage Jesus predicted famines in the end-times. In the second passage the equivalent to a day’s wages will be necessary to pay for food staples at some point in the future. Out of this famine a global leader will arise and seem to have all of the answers to the world’s problems including the economic woes of the people. Just such a scenario played out in the 1920s and 30s when Adolph Hitler used the people’s suffering to rise to power. So too will the Antichrist.

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Government to be given new powers to oversee financial markets among economic turmoil

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

(March 29, 2008)  The Treasury Department wants the U.S. government to oversee financial markets because of the current economic situation. An article in the N.Y. Times states that the goal of this action is to be: “part of a sweeping blueprint to overhaul the nation’s hodgepodge of financial regulatory agencies, which many experts say failed to recognize rampant excesses in mortgage lending until after they set off what is now the worst financial calamity in decades.(Treasury’s Plan Would Give Fed Wide New Power) Since the economy does seem to be in dire straits this could be a first step into further government control over every aspect of the economy. The article makes an interesting statement concerning this issue: “According to a summary provided by the administration, the plan would consolidate an alphabet soup of banking and securities regulators into a powerful trio of overseers responsible for everything from banks and brokerage firms to hedge funds and private equity firms.” The Bible makes it clear that one day that a global-sized government will attempt to control economic habits of the entire world’s population:

“16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

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Foreclosures a sign of hard economic times ahead?

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

(March 11, 2008)  USA Today reports that home foreclosures are having a rippling effect on the U.S. economy. (Foreclosure crisis has ripple effect)

The foreclosure crisis in the U.S. is spreading to other areas of American society. According to this USA Today article:

“The mortgage foreclosure crisis has caused a drop in cities’ revenues, a spike in crime, more homelessness and an increase in vacant properties, a survey of elected local officials out today shows.”

This problem along with the U.S. dollar’s value falling around the world and oil and gas prices spiraling out of control are indicators that the economy of America and possibly the whole world is in dire straits. History has shown us that America and the world have rebounded from economically tough times in the past. However, the Great Depression of the 1930s led to the rise of evil dictators who eventually led the world into a devastating World War. How far the economic indicators fall remains to be seen. The Bible does indicate that at some future point there will be economic devastation around the world that will eventually lead to the rise of a world leader who will seemingly have the answers to the world’s problems.

In Revelation 6 God’s servant John is shown some events that have worldwide effects. He sees these four horsemen who are unleashed upon the world who initiate a series of judgments upon the earth:

“5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:5-8)

What John saw was food staples such as wheat and barley costing a day’s wages. This would indicate that some economic calamity had occurred in the world. After this he sees death from hunger and the animals of the world. These too would be the result of an economic disaster that would cause not only humans to starve but animals also who would resort to killing people in order to eat. The rest of Revelation deals with what Christians call the Tribulation Period and the rise of the Antichrist and the devastation of the earth and its inhabitants that follows it. As I stated above, it was just such circumstances that afforded a type of Antichrist to enter into world history in the 1930s.

I believe that one day America will cease to be a superpower. The reason for this is because the Bible declares that in the future Israel will be attacked by numerous countries in and around the Middle East. (See my article on this site “Coming Invasion of Israel”) Right now America is protecting Israel from the aggression of other countries. However, if we become militarily or economically impotent then these countries will not have to fear America’s military forces and would feel they could attack Israel with impunity. Like all prophecies in the Bible, the timing of these events is in God’s domain and His alone.

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Pat Buchanan’s book “Day of Reckoning” predicts the end of America

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

buchananbook2(November 25, 2007)  In his new book “Day of Reckoning: How hubris, ideology and greed are tearing America apart”, Pat Buchanan declares that America will not survive if it continues on its self-destructive course. According to the Drudge report (New Buchanan Book declares ‘End of America’) Buchanan lists some of the following reasons for the downfall of America:

-The U.S. Army is breaking and is too small to meet America’s global commitments.

-The dollar has sunk to historic lows and is being abandoned by foreign governments.

-manufacturing is being hollowed out.

-The greatest invasion in history, from the Third World, is swamping the ethno-cultural core of the country, leading to Balkanization and the loss of the Southwest to Mexico.

-The culture is collapsing and the nation is being deconstructed along the lines of race and class.

-A fiscal crisis looms as the unfunded mandates of Social Security and Medicare remain unaddressed.

I too believe America’s superpower status has to decline. On this web site I wrote an article titled (“Coming Invasion of Israel”) which explains the biblical prophecy that speaks of an invasion of Israel by Middle East countries and their surrounding neighbors. For this invasion to occur I believe that the major defender of Israel, i.e. the United States of America, has to become either incapable of or unwilling to defend Israel. If Pat Buchanan is right about the causes of America’s downfall then it would mean that we would be unable to protect the nation of Israel. This would then lead Israel’s enemies to the conclusion that they could invade Israel with impunity.

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U. S. Comptroller General warns that America parallels the fall of the Roman Empire

Tuesday, August 14th, 2007

Roman Colosseum

(August 14, 2007)  The director of the Government Accounting Office for the U.S.A. declared to the Financial Times that America “is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon.” (Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned)  The article goes on to say, “Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were ‘striking similarities’ between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including ‘declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government.’” I have no doubt that Mr. Walker’s warning will come true. The Bible declares that in the last days military alliances will be formed which will attack Israel. These alliances are occurring at the present time such as the one between Russia and Iran. However, America has been the protector of Israel since its rebirth in 1948. No one outside of the surrounding Arab countries would dare attack Israel knowing full well that they would have to fight America also. Russia considered intervening militarily in the 1967 Six Day War but refrained from doing so after the American Fleet pulled up off the coast of Israel. Thus, for biblical prophecy to come true, America has to either be out of the way or its power and influence greatly reduced. What the Comptroller General warned of may actually be part of God’s plans for the consummation of His End-Times plans.

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