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I’m in a doom and gloom mood I think! The tough question for me to answer is when to talk about the worst and when to realize that everyone will simply think you are Chicken Little! I certainly might be Mr. Little right now, but a guy mentioned on the radio this week that the government and the military make contigency plans all the time and so should we. I thought that was a good point.
REASONS WHY I’M STARTING TO MAKE CONTINGENCY PLANS
First… Europe is in trouble according to this article. Including Russia. In fact, while we’re in a recession so far, Europe, Eastern Europe especially, is in collapse. By the way they are rioting Iceland. This week. All month and last month. And by extension, we’re in a bit of trouble.
Second… Did you watch the business shows today? I try to catch some of them every Saturday, and my goodness, those guys have fewer answers than they did a month ago. Seems like everyone disagrees on what to do or who to blame.
Third… Iran has enough uranium to build at least one nuke.
Fourth… Netanyahu will likely be the Israeli Prime Minister and he’s the least likely of the major contenders to put up with Iran.
Fifth… This guy says the law enforcement officials he talks to tell him off the record that they are training and preparing for civil unrest.
Sixth… There is a run on guns and ammo all across America. Really.
Seventh… the last time the world went through economic times like this, it led to facism, communism and a completely unhinged world. So those are always dangers when economies are collapsing and governments are destabilized. Some experts are actually warning against the rise of totalitarianism right now.
Warning signs all of them, but of course, there’s no guarantee the world is ending. I mean, who knows? But this is leading us toward (get the difference there) leading us toward a world that looks exactly like the one in Revelation and other various places.
But-We-Aren’t-There-Yet
So what to do now? Well, if we are headed that way for real, here’s a couple of details to keep in mind:
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.-I John 2:18
As John writes, anti-christs are not a new thing. We’ve had our Hitlers and Stalins before. Nevertheless, the Bible prophecies a final world leader and there are some important things to notice.
He is followed. He is not merely a dictator who seizes power and keeps it by force. He-is-followed. “The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” -Revelation 13:3b-4
Three characteristics of his rule stand out:
1. He will oppose and fight against Christianity. Revelation 13:7
2. His popularity and authority will extend worldwide. Revelation 13:8
3. He will institute economic policies. Revelation 13:16-18
And thus chapter 6 of Revelation is very consistent with his rise, by describing a world with six forces unleashed:
1. The Anti-Christ
2. War over the whole earth (a danger today)
3. Economic Collapse Worldwide (almost inevitable today)
4. Death as a result of the above (plus a result plague and “wild beasts of the earth” as well)
5. Persecution of believers. (part of what the Anti-Christ does)
6. God’s judgments upon the earth. (well, duh, it’s Revelation)
Now what to do? Well if we are approaching THAT scenario, then keep in mind some of these details:
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” -Revelation 6:5-6
That’s the economic collapsed predicted in Revelation, and Revelation describes inflated prices. Hyper-Inflation, a condition that is feared to arrive all over the world because of the collapse of world curriencies and the efforts by governments to pump more and more money into the system, would fulfill this. So if we are approaching the end, then the fears of hyper-inflation will likely be realized.
MY FIRST IDEAS AT CONTINGENCY PLANS
Let’s get the politically incorrect stuff out of the way. The first thing we need to do is recognize God and return to Him. As impossible as this seems to do as a nation, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about getting your life right with Him. It’s more than simple church attendance, it’s whether or not He is Lord of your Life on Monday through Saturday. It not only makes an eternal difference, but a serious study of the character of God in the Old and New Testaments reveals that God sends smaller judgments for a reason, and that reason is to bring people back to repentance. Even in the book of Revelation, the Bible mentions several times the unwillingness of people to repent. The state of our economy, in my opinion, is a warning to America to repent. I believe we should heed the warning.
Besides, when facing economic issues, Jesus promised that the Lord would help those who put Him first: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”-Matthew 6:31-33
Ok, now for all that other stuff…
If currencies all over the world become more and more worthless, it would make sense that a world monetary system would rise out of the ashes. For us, we would face a time of upheaval and according to those verses, a time when even basic supplies cost a great deal. Saving dried and canned food, paying off debts by managing your money now, and reducing your spending, would be helpful.
It would be helpful because debt is slavery, and the sooner you are out of debt, the sooner you will have money freed up to purchase important items and assets you might not be able to get later. The world economy, and the American economy, are BIG ships. They don’t sink instantly, and even if the world economy collapses, it might take a few years. Those years are time that should be not be wasted. If the worst doesn’t happen (and let’s hope it doesn’t) then you’ll be in a better financial situation tomorrow anyway.
And remember, during the Great Depression, there were lots of predictions that it we would soon pull out of it, and you should buy stock, etc… Right now, with all the uncertainty, do what you know you need to do. Get out of debt. Make sure you have supplies and things you need.
Saving over the counter medication, first aid products, etc… would be helpful to prevent infection and keep a family safer if going to the doctor was suddenly difficult.
Families and friends could pull together, even live together, to pool resources, and provide more safety for each other. Truth be told, such circumstances wouldn’t be all bad. People in our nation have often pulled together in times of crisis, and even if the worst happens, we will again. Churches, communities, families, and people with character will rise to the occasion as they have in the past. We’ll be ok. We’ll probably be even stronger.
So don’t panic, but do be smart. There are real contingency plans you can make and if you don’t need them, great! And if we do need these contingency plans, well stay hopeful. Even if the worst happens, people will pull together. And of course remember, it’s been predicted for a long time. It wouldn’t be a surprise.
I watched part of President Obama’s news conference last night, and not only did he handle himself well (no surprise), but he said some good things too. I thought his points on health care were spot on, even if the solution is difficult. He was right to point out that our healthcare system is a huge source of financial difficulty for many Americans. One trip to the emergency room and you’re in debt. Hospitals often allow you to make payments, but usually….. -to collection agencies. Which means millions of the poor have their credit report lowered simply because they don’t have a thousand dollars in their back pocket when the hospital bill comes due.
I might not like the President’s solution to the health care problem (then again I might), but he’s right to point out the problem it poses to our overall economic well-being. Unfortunately, what I’m also hearing in the news are calls by others near to the administration (I said “near” not “in”) to bring gasoline prices UP so as to make green technologies more economic to pursue. What that means is, if gas is cheap, no one will bother to spend money to pursue more expensive green technologies. However, if gas is high, then sure… we’re in favor of anything that might bring the price down: electric cars, whatever…
George Soros said a week or so ago, that we should raise tariffs and impose duties on imported oil to do this very thing. He wrote that our economy should no longer be powered by the consumer, but could instead be powered by green technologies. President Obama last night echoed the idea that our economy cannot be powered by the consumer long term.
Problem is, high gasoline prices are just as much of a burden on the poor and every day American, as health care. When gasoline prices skyrocketed under President Bush, local bankers in my town believed this would come back to hurt us in the form of people struggling to keep their monthly payments going on their loan. A few years and some maxed out credit cards later, we saw record numbers of people defaulting on their loans. I don’t think that was a coincidence.
Business analysts on television, who have no trouble walking out and buying a $38,000 Prius, often deride banks for making “risky loans” and scold Americans for continuing to drive gas-guzzling vehicles and continuing to drive too many miles. But a person cannot suddenly change how far they drive to work, and many people cannot purchase a vehicle any time they have the urge -especially one as expensive as a Prius. And what folks should realize is that the poor tend to purchase vehicles they can afford, which are not the newest models, but the old gas guzzlers others are getting rid of. This is to say nothing of those who live in the country or on farms and have to use trucks and bigger vehicles as a necessity.
And yes, other nations in the world pay much higher prices for their gasoline, but they’ve been doing it for years. Their economy and people’s budgets are adjusted for it. What happened with President Bush, and what some are asking President Obama to do, would raise the prices dramatically and suddenly. The resulting pain and financial problems will be inevitable.
Why do I bring this up? Because it has a spiritual component.
God often judges nations by how they take care of the little guy. When Israel took advantage of the poor, the Lord condemned them for it. I believe God controls the destiny of nations, and I believe we should do the “right” thing, not necessarily the thing that makes us the most money, because we have to answer to God for it.
I’m usually a conservative when it comes to politics, but I’m a Christian first and foremost. I would urge President Obama to be careful with policies toward oil and gasoline that would hurt the poor he claims to represent. Artificially raising gas prices would certainly benefit green technologies, and certainly make a lot of money for those who invest in those companies as I’m sure Soros has done, but if we rush too fast we will trample too many people.
Careful Mr. Prez.
