By Ray Gano
Something troubling has been on my mind for quite some time. It is this idea that America is the center of the world and that God's throne is draped in the American flag.
Now don't get me wrong, I am a patriot and I have served this country in several capacities and I stand on our constitution.
But we are an empire like any other. What we need to remember is that empires come and empires go.
I talking to a good friend over the weekend and he asked me a really good question.
" What would happen if Christ returned twelve years from now, where would the US be?"
Great question and one really worth pondering.
Folks, like it or not, this country is going down the drain fast. Another fact is that we do not have the "all seeing crystal ball" so we do not know when Christ will return for His church.
I don’t know about you, but since 1992 when some friends and I decided to keep an eye on the signs of the times, I have been saying "Yep, we will be lucky if we are still here next year."
When 2000 came and gone, "Yep, we will be really lucky if we are still here next year."
Here it is 2010 and we are still saying " Yep, next year."
All the while it seems that we have our heads buried in the sand as to the real state of this nation. It is almost like we have "deer in the headlight" syndrome frozen and doing nothing.
Let me ask you the same question that my friend asked. " What would happen if Christ returned twelve years from now, where are you going to be?
And let me add to that, what are you going to be doing twelve years from now?
If God does not give me another position to fill, then I am going to still be here at Prophezine, sharing the Gospel through bible prophecy and world events.
What are you doing to ensure that you can share the gospel?
Kicking The Legs Out
As some of you may know I do not have much faith in the US economy maintaining strong stability. In fact being a student of Bible Prophecy I do not have any faith in any economy maintaining stability in these last days because God’s Word says that it won’t.
For some of you, you may remember the 1970’s. A lot of very interesting things took place in the 1970’s that are now effecting the US and the world.
In the 1970s OPEC and the US created the Petrol Dollar. What this did was provide the US a virtual monopoly. Having oil being traded in dollars allowed the US to run huge account deficits. Countries needed oil, thus they had to have US dollars on hand so that they could purchase oil. What happened is that the US dollar became the standard and global currency reserve. In having the US dollar as the global standard currency reserve the US could spend without the fear of crippling interest rate hikes. And spent we have, to the point of self destruction and the creation of a fiat currency.
In economics, fiat currency or fiat money is money whose purchasing power derives from a declaratory fiat of the government issuing it. It is often associated with paper money unbacked by fixed assets, issued without the promise of redemption in some other form, and accepted by tradition or social convention. Fiat money is called fiduciary money in many languages.
The widespread acceptance of a fiat currency is enhanced by a central authority mandating its acceptance under penalty of law and demanding it in payment of taxes or tribute. Fiat money can be contrasted with alternative forms of currency such as commodity money and private currency.
Most currencies in the world have been fiat money since the end of the international gold standard of the Bretton Woods system in 1971. However, some of the major currencies today, despite being based essentially on arbitrary decree, have become so trusted that they are termed hard currency.
Thomas Jefferson is attributed for stating the following:
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
We know that in history Jefferson fought and warned us about the creation of The Federal Reserve or any private bank which would control the United States’ money. Jefferson was well aware of this because in his day the international bankers were trying to establish a central bank or Federal Reserve.
Here is how Blakes Dictionary of Law defines “Fiat”
“A command or order to act. Arbitrary or authoritative order or decision.” “Fiat money” is likewise defined as, “inconvertible paper money made legal tender by a government decree.” Inconvertible to, for example, gold or silver. Made legal only by government decree. “Colored money”, i.e. money with the “deceptive appearance, assumed exterior, concealing a lack of reality.” (1)
The money that we use today is called Federal Reserve Notes and they are colored money. If you do not believe me, whip out a $20.00 and look for yourself. In fact look at the really new money that is now out there, it is a lot less green than days gone by. They also have no value, except by virtue of a government decree.
Here is another interesting point. All fiat currencies eventually go belly up and with them the countries that produce them.
But quickly back to OPEC and the Petrol Dollar.
Bill O’Grady of A.G.Edwards stated the following:
"If OPEC decided they didn’t want dollars anymore, it would be the end of American hegemony by signaling the end to the dollar as the sole reserve currency." (2)
What is taking place today?
Why do we need to know all this history?
In 1971 President Richard Nixon changed the rules of money. That year, the U.S. dollar ceased being money and became a currency. This was one of the most important changes in modern history, but few people understand why.
Before 1971, the U.S. dollar was backed by gold and silver, which is why the U.S. dollar was also known as a silver certificate. After 1971, the U.S. dollar became a Federal Reserve Note, basically an IOU from the U.S. government. Needless to say, the US has a so many IOU’s out there, the reality of paying them back are next to impossible. The U.S. is the largest debtor nation now in history.
We need to understand this because history repeats itself.
After World War I, Germany's monetary system collapsed. While there were many reasons for this, one major reason was that the German government was allowed to print money at will, like we are doing currently. The flood of money that resulted caused uncontrolled inflation, which is starting taking place right now. If you don’t believe me, when was the last time you bought gas? There were more marks like there are dollars right now, but they bought less and less. In 1913, a pair of shoes cost 13 marks. By 1923, that same pair of shoes was 32 trillion marks!
As inflation increased, the savings of the middle class was wiped out. With their savings gone, the middle class demanded new leadership. Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and, as we know, World War II and the murder of millions of Jews followed.
That was the first part of our history lesson, continuing to our second part of our history lesson.
In the 1970’s there was a law created that when it came out, it was touted as a great law, a law for the people. The law was called “ERISA” or known as the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This is the law that gave birth to the 401(k). One of the reasons ERISA is significant is because it forced millions of employees to become investors, investors without any financial training or education. This is why the financial expert’s advice is “Work hard, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify, diversify, diversify.”
Warren Buffet made a great statement that kind of sums this up..
“Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those that take the subway”
Many people know that the Baby Boomer generation is the largest generation in history. Many of our companies made millions from the baby boomer wave. When the baby boomers had kids, Gerber made millions. When the baby boomer kids got older Matel, Hasbro, etc made millions. The baby boomer’s lived life at a fast pace, thus was born McDonalds, Burger King, etc. I point these things out because the baby boomers are a generation to be considered.
When the baby boomers bought, companies made millions.
Baby Boomers have money they have saved for retirement via their 401(k), IRAs, ect.
Between 1995 and 2005 the millions of people who followed the “Work hard, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify, diversify, diversify.” advice lost an estimated $7-9 trillion. And much worse than losing $7-9 trillion, the people who followed that advice missed out on what the Economist and other magazines called the biggest financial boom in history. So not only did those investors lose money from the 2000-2003 stock market crash, they failed to make a lot of money in the financial boom in real estate and commodities. That is the price of bad advice and even worse not having the knowledge to know better and the education.
But back to ERISA…
ERISA has a major flaw that many people do not look at or even know of. ERISA has a mandatory withdrawal mechanism at age seventy and a half. At that age you MUST start withdrawing your money from the 401(k)s, IRAs, etc. That means millions of baby boomers will be forced to systematically withdraw from their 401(k), IRAs, ect.
Where is all this money invested? It is in the stock market.
As I stated before, when the baby boomers BOUGHT, companies made millions.
This year, 2006, the first baby boomers turned 60.
What will happen when the baby boomers start to sell?
In 2016 it is estimated that there will be 2,282,887 baby boomers that are turning seventy. They all must start selling and pulling their money out of the stock market.
In 2017 it jumps to 2,928,818 more people. That is about 700,000 more people than the year before that will start selling and pulling their money out of the stock market too. (3)
That is 5,211,705 people together. That many people will affect the economy and more are added each year for approximately 20 years. We did not count the immigrants either in the mix. (3)
All in all, that is a lot of stock being sold, or at least trying to be sold.
What happens when millions of people start selling millions of shares of stock?
The prices start to drop and fast.
The laws of supply and demand will come into effect, and the odds of major panic just increased enormously.
So why is there a mandatory withdrawal? Why not just change the laws? All that money that was put in was put there tax free. Uncle Sam now wants his due…the taxes. This is another reason why the huge spending, the fiat currency, etc. This is also why we will probably never see the death tax go away any time soon either.
In knowing this, how many countries are going to maintain buying dollars? Wouldn’t it be wise of them to start finding another secure global currency reserve prior to this happening? What about possibly making their own currency a global currency reserve?
But this is just one major event that is now beginning to take hold.
Knowing that it is the baby boomers that make the US money go round and round because they have a lot of it,
Another Leg Being Kicked Out
This is an article that just came out a few weeks ago. We reported it in our PZ News Watch, but I did not see it being reported many other places in the main stream media.
Social Security to See Payout Exceed Pay-In This Year
published April 12 - 2010This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Stephen C. Goss, chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, said that while the Congressional projection would probably be borne out, the change would have no effect on benefits in 2010 and retirees would keep receiving their checks as usual.
The problem, he said, is that payments have risen more than expected during the downturn, because jobs disappeared and people applied for benefits sooner than they had planned. At the same time, the program’s revenue has fallen sharply, because there are fewer paychecks to tax.
Analysts have long tried to predict the year when Social Security would pay out more than it took in because they view it as a tipping point — the first step of a long, slow march to insolvency (4)
Remember Gerber, Mattel, & McDonalds? How many Baby Boomers are now dependent upon Social Security? Almost all of them who are at retirement age.
I am 48 years old, turning 49 in May. Depending on which strategist you talk to I am either in the very last year of being a Baby Boomer or I am in the first year of Gen-X.
In either case, my odds of seeing any social security are about the same odds of that of a snowballs chance in hell.
If all of a sudden SS could not pay out, what would happen to this nation?
What would happen if the stock market imploded due to supply and demand like I spoke about above?
Folks, these are two very real situations that we are facing.
I also hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Christ is not going to come "rescue" us from our own poor decisions and rapture us all away. Otherwise He would have done that a long time ago when our brothers and sisters in China, Africa, The Middle East, Pacific Rim, ect, ect,ect were suffering persecution. Which by the way, they are still paying the ultimate price and giving their lives for the Gospel and we are still here on this third rock from the sun.
We have the nerve to think that God is going to come rapture the good ol' US of A because this nation is facing serious financial hardship?
I am one who stands upon the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ, but I am also own who strongly believes that we need to occupy till He returns. I want our Lord and Savior to see that I am busy about His work when He returns. I want Him to see that I am sharing the Gospel in good times and in harsh times.
Economic Failure Even in The Bible
Do you know that there is a prime example of a financial disaster taking place in scripture? Do you know who it involved?
Joseph - aide to the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Read the following…
Gen 47:13-20(KJV) And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
It happened then, but Joseph had the foresight to see that it would happen and planned ahead for this event to take place. He stored up grain for Pharaoh and because of that, gave pharaoh great power over the nations. In the end, everything became Pharaohs.
Folks, isn't that what we are seeing take place today?
Who now owns General Motors?
What about the newly enacted Health Care bill?
What about many of our Banks in this nation, who controls them now?
Bury Your Head or Do Something
Folks, we are called to occupy till He returns. But God is not going to plant some magic veggie garden in your back yard. But if you go out, work the land, plant and such, God will bless it. That is a fact.
If you work hard and purchase extra food for a rainy day, today that can be viewed as an investment.
Do you know that the US Government is now talking about enacting a VAT tax? That is a Value Added Tax. If that takes place, just about everything that is a consumable will rise approximately 20%.
Here is an article I sent out this morning to our PZ Survival News list…
Spend It Now! A Huge New Tax Is Coming...
By Dr. Steve SjuggerudEverything you buy is about to become 20% more expensive...
I'm not kidding. The latest idea out of Washington is to pay for its insatiable appetite for spending with what's called a "Value-Added Tax."
It's like a huge new national sales tax, on everything. In simple terms, the difference is that with a sales tax, the consumer pays it. With a "VAT," the manufacturer pays it. The consumer won't see it in the price on the shelf or on their receipt.
Politicians love this tax because it's a stealth tax... You can't see it when you buy something, but they still get their money. And unless you make your voice known, chances are excellent we'll eventually have a Value-Added Tax here. (5)
Can you see the writing on the wall? Those of us who prepare now will do so much better than those who have not.
This is not a case of do I trust God or not. This is a case of "Can I Share The Gospel or Not."
If I am standing in some soup kitchen line and I am trying to share the gospel knowing full well that this storm was coming and did nothing, how much credibility will I have?
1 Peter 3:15 (KJV) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Folks, with hard times coming, how many people will be open to hearing the gospel? Just look at 9-11 and how many people came back to church.
These are just a few examples to, look at the short list..
- Credit bubble popping
- Hyperinflation
- Hyper-deflation
- Islamic Terrorist Groups
- Suitcase nukes
- Biological and chemical attacks
- Even the possibility of Russia attacking this nation
- Avian Flu - Swine Flu and other pandemics
- Earthquakes, floods, natural disasters, there is even speculation that the volcano that is
- Yellowstone Natl. Park erupting again and throwing this nation into another ice age.
Folks this is the short list.
God's word does not tell us to go on top some mountain top and ignore what is going on around us. He tells us to occupy till He returns and to always be ready to share the gospel in good times and in bad.
God's Throne is not draped in the Red-White and Blue and He is not coming to rescue our nation because of hard times.
I am ready as anyone to be raptured out of here, but I am not sitting around in the lotus position singing Kum-by-ya nor burying my head in the sand like it is all going to go away.
We are preparing for tomorrow and once we have done what we have done with our the minds and hands God gave us to work with, then it is all up to Him and continue to walk in faith.
This is exactly what Ephesians 6:13 teaches us…
Ephesians 6:13 (KJV) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Do you expect to throw on armor and then run out and fight a battle?
OR… if you train daily in that armor, the muscles and actions will be honed so that when that day comes, you are able to fight.
I am talking about the very same thing. We see a battle ahead of us, how many are doing what they can now to be ready, trained up, prepared, SO WHEN THAT DAY COMES, we are able to WITHSTAND IN THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE ALL….. TO STAND!
That folks is what God has called us to do. We must be ready, we must be prepared always, in good times and in bad.
For the sake of the gospel, I urge you to take action now while we still have the time.
END NOTES
1 - Black’s Law Dictionary [Sixth Edition, 1991]
2 - http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/05/06/news/nation/11_13_325_5_06.txt
3 - Adapted from Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Rich Dad’s Prophecy”
4 - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/business/economy/25social.html?hp
5 - http://www.dailywealth.com/1312/Spend-It-Now-A-Huge-New-Tax-Is-Coming-
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