Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
2014 Almost here
– Happy New Year???
Substantial changes
are coming to America, and perhaps
this would be a good time to sit down
and mediate for a few moments on
these changes from a Christian
perspective. Storm clouds have
darkened the horizon. A “perfect
storm” (I call it
“Brutus”) is swirling
offshore with tremendous energy and
it will make landfall in a
short time. The power within
Brutus should not be underestimated.
Whatever can be blown away will
disappear.
A list of
insurmountable problems faces this
worn-out-over-populated planet.
According to the book of Daniel, we
have reached “the appointed time
of the end.” The world has
reached a time when national and
global problems are so large and
complex that there is no solution
without enormous carnage. Do not be
alarmed! God is very aware of our
situation. He knows our limitations,
over self-inflicted problems, and
another world war is inevitable. The
Bible predicts a cry for “peace
and safety” will rise before
the Great Tribulation begins. (1
Thessalonians 5:3)
Problems in the Unites
States (U.S.) are growing. For
example, consider its dependency on
basic needs. Unfortunately, the
nation’s power grid is
inadequate, overloaded, and needs
major updating. Thousands of
bridges are weak and need significant
repair. The postal service is
bankrupt. The work force has been
reduced, and social security is
essentially bankrupt, and if it were
not for the “crazy-money”
created by the U.S. Federal Reserve,
no one could write a check and pay a
bill! The food industry operates on a
“just in time” inventory.
This means our nation’s food
inventory is less than three weeks,
and at any given time, four days of
the reserve food supply is in
transit. U.S. unemployment and
under-employment combined is hovering
around 15%. Forty-three million
citizens receive food stamps (this
number has doubled in the past ten
years). Thousands of
ex-students are now in default on
billions of dollars in loans they
cannot repay. The nation’s
healthcare system is in upheaval.
This issue is so complex and
expensive that no one knows what 2014
will bring. In these challenging
times, the nation needs a functional
government that makes good and
thoughtful decisions. Unfortunately,
Congress is divided, lives in a
continual state of gridlock, and is
dysfunctional.
I have itemized these
situations so that you can see why
substantial changes are coming. Of
course, politicians and pastors would
have us “think positive
thoughts” and embrace optimism
about a better future (2014) is an
election year), but no amount of
optimism and positive thinking (as
important as they are) can change
what is coming. They may have
identified Brutus, but this perfect
storm is coming and words cannot
describe the outcome. I am reminded
of that gospel song, “In times
like these we need a savior.”
Jesus said, “Let not your
heart be troubled, you believe in
God, believe also in me.” (John
14:1)
A “perfect
storm” is defined as a storm
when several atmospheric conditions
align changing an ordinary storm into
an epic storm that is not easily
forgotten. (For this reason, we name
storms with names like Katrina,
Sandy, Ike, Wilma, and Andrew.) Using
the analogy of a perfect storm, I
believe three conditions have
developed and when viewed together,
they could easily produce Brutus, a
“perfect storm” that could
ignite World War III.
Condition #1: Too
many nations are bankrupt.
Most of the developed
nations of the world (sometimes
called the G20) are in various stages
of bankruptcy. The essential
difference between Greece, Portugal,
Ireland, Spain, and Italy (nations
declared bankrupt) and the rest of
the G20 is the remainder of the G20
have larger economies, more assets,
and greater wealth has permitted them
to “buy” more time.
But at the end of the delay,
bankruptcy is bankruptcy. Bankruptcy
is an inability to meet a payment
deadline.
The U>S. is
bankrupt. The national debt is -$16
trillion. It has to borrow $1.1
billion per day to pay the interest
on our national debt. (This
figure will dramatically rise if when
interest rates increase.) This great
nation, the United States of America,
who once loaned and generously gifted
money to other nations, has borrowed
$416 Billion last year to pay
interest on money that we borrowed in
the past. It is impossible for the
U.S. to borrow its way out of debt.
To keep the U.S.
economy functioning, the Federal
Reserve has injected $3 trillion
dollars into the economy since 2007.
This money (currently $85 billion per
month) has not produced the desired
results. It appears that Wall Street
soon figured out how to capture this
“crazy-money,” so instead
of putting the economy on its feet,
the Federal Reserve has made a few
shred people very rich. The economy
has not been fixed; instead, the
fallout has been delayed. The middle
class is disappearing and the poor
are getting poorer. There is no
financial solution or possible means
for recovery. A nation whose economy
represents 20% of the world’s
economy cannot be rescued. This
will become clear when Brutus makes
landfall. I am not being fatalistic
or pessimistic. God foreknew these
details thousands of years ago.
Consider God’s
ways for a moment. Men do not create
nations. (Romans 13: 1-5) God creates
each nation according to His
purposes. (Daniel 2:21) nations are
living organisms, too complex and
diverse for a group of finite people
(any government) to manage.
Therefore, the welfare of each nation
depends upon that nation’s
relationship with God. If a nation
exalts righteous principles, God
blesses that nation with prosperity.
(Psalm 33:12) When a nation
turns it back on righteousness, God
removes His blessings and the woeful
results of greed, idolatry, sexual
immorality, mismanagement, and
dysfunction begin. (Galatians 5:
19-21; 6:7) over time, a
dysfunctional house becomes divided
and Sovereign God destroys it.
(Daniel 4:17; Jeremiah 25: 12, 13)
There you have it. The rise and fall
of nations have been explained in one
short paragraph!
Before we leave this
segment on the bankruptcy of the
nations, remember the current
situation in the U.S. is not unique.
All members of the G7, the richest
nations among the G20, have the same
financial woes as the U.S. and each
is afflicted with the same greed,
idolatry, sexual immorality, and
mismanagement. Therefore, most
nations are trying the same things to
recover from bankruptcy that the U.S.
is now doing. This
“lemmings-like” behavior by
the nations to resolve financial
problems will only produce a
‘lemming-like” result. The
lemmings are famous because once a
year they madly chase each other past
the cliff, fall into the ocean, and
all drown together.
Condition #2: World
Reserve Currency
There is another
silent development taking place in
the world that could bring about the
ruin of the global economy. Since
World War II, the U.S. has enjoyed a
strategic benefit among the nations
of the world. We have had the good
fortune of having and controlling the
world’s reserve currency. This
means, for example, when Japan wants
to buy a million barrels of oil from
the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC), Japan has
to fist buy dollars from the U.S. to
pay OPEC because OPEC does not accept
Japanese money (the yen.) The
dollar has been considered the
largest and the most stable currency
in the world. World nations
have bought U.S. Treasury bills and
bonds (U.S. debt) to conduct
financial transactions with other
nations in dollars, and/or they
deposit their excess funds in a
secure place and receive a good
return on their investment.
Lately, the world
reserve currency scene has been
changing. Several months ago,
representatives from China, Japan,
Germany, Russia, and other nations
held a secret meeting without
informing the U.S. These nations made
arrangements to deal directly with
each other, exchanging their own
currencies among themselves. This has
caused a 30% drop in reserve currency
demand for the U.S. dollar. This
means there is a tipping point ahead,
which may happen possibly this coming
year. When the U.S. dollar is no
longer deemed desirable as a reserve
currency, what nation will buy U.S.
bonds and Treasury Bills and loan
money to the U.S.? Remember, the U.S.
has to borrow $1.1 billion per day to
avoid default. Other nations will not
loan money to a country whose economy
is not secure and cannot repay
existing loans. When this
tipping point is reached, the U.S.
could become the new Greece. Worse
still, because the U.S. represents
20% of the global economy, we could
take most of the G20 nations over the
cliff with us.
Condition #3: World
Food Supply
Because the population
of the world is relentlessly growing
(over seven billion people now), it
is causing an increased need for
commodities such as food, oil,
metals, and building materials.
During the past twenty years, China
has become the world’s third
largest economy. (The European Union
is the largest and the U.S. is
second.) To feed its population
of 1.3 + billion people, China has
been buying exports from many
nations. Since exports are limited
(nations typically ration their
exports, taking care of their own
needs first), China has been trying
to buy huge parcels of land in Africa
and South America for food
production. Although nations import
and export food supplies on a regular
basis, there could be a sinister
component within this process. For
example, what happens if/when an
exporting country suddenly decides
that it is not in its best interest
to export food which was sold a year
in advance as a commodity contract on
the futures market? Could this be
regarded as an act of war? It
certainly is a possibility. For
example, if China’s leaders
determined that thousands of Chinese
could die of starvation unless they
take the purchased food by force,
what would keep China from deploying
military force to take pre-purchased
food? What nation in Africa and
South America could stop China’s
military forces?
For the past eight
years, many nations have been
frustrated with Iran’s nuclear
ambitions. Iran’s hatred for
Israel is well documented. Israel has
warned Iran that it will not stand by
and allow its avowed enemy to build
an atomic bomb. Many believe this
could be the trigger that could bring
about a nuclear exchange, but it
could be something as simple as food
or economic default. Because all
nations are competing for the
necessities of life (commodities
extracted from Earth), any
circumstance or political policy that
causes the disruption of life within
or among the nations could be grounds
for war. As the demand for
commodities rises, so does the price
along with the misery index for the
middle and poor classes. When the
misery index reaches an intolerable
level, anger and frustration will
boil over, and rioting and looting
will begin. When social order breaks
down, martial law will become
necessary. Military spending levels
indicate that every nation
anticipates was either within or
outside its borders. No one knows
when the trigger will be pulled, but
every nation knows war is always a
strong possibility.
Brutus Will be a
“Perfect Storm.”
Nothing we can do will
prevent Brutus, the perfect storm,
from occurring. Absolutely nothing!
We may be able to do a few practical
things to endure it. The following
suggestions are based on the
possibility of forced evacuation
which may or may not occur in your
area. History indicates that sudden
evacuations can be caused by
earthquake, fire, flood, nuclear
accident, social unrest, and/or war.
Here are a few suggestions to
consider:
First, work on a
written list, itemizing things that
you should have readily available if
you are notified to leave your home
suddenly (a list might include
medications, important papers,
pictures, cash, appropriate clothing,
food, and water). If there should be
an unexpected evacuation, do not
panic, instead, work from your
prepared check-list.
Second, always keep
some food and water on hand. Rotate
your food supplies. Be prepared to
share with those who will have no
food. As a general rule, keep your
vehicle’s fuel tank full and
make lodging arrangements with
friends or relatives who live in
different direction but within a half
tank of gas (~100 miles). Your plan
is to reach one destination and stay
there. Having two or three
predetermined locations to meet
family members may prove helpful. In
the event of a sudden evacuation,
traffic congestion will be severe and
gasoline may be unavailable.
Wireless phones may be jammed and
useless. Remember the evacuation
pictures of New Orleans when Katrina
was about to make landfall?
Third, network with
someone who is close by and will need
help. It may be family with small
children or an elderly couple.
Genuine Christians love their
neighbors as they love themselves. If
possible, work with them as a team
and travel together for as long as
possible.
Finally, regardless of
what occurs, abide in Christ. If we
abide in Jesus each day and we humbly
seek to know His will in our lives,
the Holy Spirit will lead and impress
us to do what Jesus wants done.
Remember, we cannot save ourselves
from the Great Tribulation. If
we abide in Christ, we will love our
neighbors enough to be helpful and
useful as the Lord leads. The Great
Tribulation will bring about
conditions that will allow the gospel
to be told and repeated many times as
it focuses on the gospel of Jesus
which brings peace, joy, and
serenity. Memorize the
following verses and repeat them
often. Jesus said: “Do not
let your hearts be troubled. Trust in
God; trust also in me. In my
Father’s house are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told
you. I am going there to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come
back and take you to be with me that
you also may be where I am.”
(John 14: 1-3) “Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.” (Matthew
28: 19, 20) These words are
God’s truth-filled remainders to
you, and when peace is in short
supply, they will shore up your faith
and give you courage for the days
ahead.
Larry Wilson
