The following excerpts were originally posted at
"The Coming Depression" blog, mixed in with my own thoughts
........
The economic implosion of Europe is accelerating.
Even while the mainstream media continues to proclaim that the financial
crisis in Europe has been 'averted', the economic statistics that are
coming out of Europe just continue to get worse.
Manufacturing activity in Europe has been contracting
month after month, the unemployment rate in the Eurozone has hit yet
another brand new record high, and the official unemployment rates in
both Greece and Spain are now much higher than the peak unemployment
rate in the U.S. during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The
economic situation in Europe is far worse than it was a year ago, and
it is going to continue to get worse as austerity continues to take
a huge toll on the economies of the Eurozone.
It would be hard to understate how bad things have
gotten - particularly in southern Europe. The truth is that most
of southern Europe is experiencing a full-blown economic depression
right now. Sadly, most Americans are paying very little attention
to what is going on across the Atlantic. But they should be watching,
because this is what happens when nations accumulate too much debt.
The U.S. has the biggest debt burden of all, and eventually what is
happening over in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Greece is going
to happen over here as well.
The following are 20 facts about the collapse of
Europe that everyone should know ......
1) 10 MONTHS - Manufacturing activity
in both France & Germany has contracted for 10 months in
a row
...
2) 11.8% - The unemployment rate in
the Eurozone has now risen to 11.8% - a brand-new hall-
time
high ...
3) 17 MONTHS - In November, Italy experienced
the sharpest decline in retail sales that in had
experienced
in 17 months ...
4) 20 MONTHS - Manufacturing activity
in Spain has contracted for 20 months in a row ...
5) 20% - It is estimated that bad loans
now make up approximately 20% of all domestic loans in
the Greek
banking system at this point ...
6) 22% - A whopping 22% of the
entire population of Ireland lives in jobless households ...
7) 26% - The unemployment rate in Greece
is now at 26%. A year ago, it was only 18.9% ...
8) 26.6% - The unemployment rate in
Spain has risen to an astounding 26.6% ...
9) 27% - The unemployment rate for
workers under the age of 25 in Cyprus. Back in 2008, this
number
was well below 10% ...
10) 28% - Sales of French-made vehicles in
November were down 28% compared to a year earlier.
11) 36% - Today, the poverty rate in Greece
is 36%. Back in 2009, it was only about 20% ...
12) 37.1% - The unemployment rate for workers
under the age of 25 in Italy - a brand new all-time
high ...
13) 44% - An astounding 44% of the entire
population of Bulgaria is facing 'severe material
deprivation' ...
14) 56.5% - The unemployment rate for workers
under the age of 25 in Spain - a brand new all-
time high ...
15) 57.6% - The unemployment rate for workers
under the age of 25 in Greece - a brand new all-
time high ...
16) 60% - Citigroup is projecting that there
is a 60% probability that Greece will leave the
Eurozone within the next 12-18 months ...
17) 70% - It has been reported that some
homes in Spain are being sold at a 70% discount from
where they were at during the peak of the housing bubble back in 2006.
At this point there are
approximately 2 million unsold homes in Spain ...
18) 200% - The debt to GDP ratio in Greece
is rapidly approaching 200% ...
19) 1997 - According to the Committee of
French Automobile Producers, 2012 was the worst year
for the French auto industry since 1997 ...
20) 2 Million - Back in 2005, the French
auto industry produced about 3.5 million vehicles. In 2012,
that number dropped to about 2 million vehicles ...
One thing these shocking numbers cannot convey is
the tremendous amount of pain that many average Europeans are living
through on a daily basis. To get a peek into what life is like
in Greece these days, check out this short excerpt from a recent Bloomberg
article ...
Anastasia Karagaitanaki (Ms K going forward), is
a former model and cafe owner in Thessaloniki, Greece. ,,, After losing
her business to the financial crisis, she now sleeps on a daybed next
to the refrigerator in her mother's kitchen and depends on charity for
food and insulin for her diabetes. ... She said, 'I feel like my life
has slipped through my hands...' Her brother also shares
the one-bedroom apartment. ... She went on to say 'I feel like I'm dead.'
For thousands upon thousands of Greeks like Ms.
K, the fabric of middle-class life is unraveling. ...Teachers, salaries
slashed by a third, are stealing electricity. Families in once-stable
neighborhoods are afraid to leave their homes because of rising crime
rates.
All over Europe, people that have lost all hope
are actually setting themselves on fire in a desperate attempt to draw
attention. Millions of formerly middle-class Europeans have lost
everything and are becoming increasingly desperate. Suicide and
crime are skyrocketing all over southern Europe and massive street riots
are erupting on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, this is just the beginning.
Things are going to get even worse for Europe.
Meanwhile, those of us living in the United States
smugly look down our noses at Europe because we are still living in
a false bubble of debt-fueled prosperity. ... But trust me when I say
... this bubble is about to burst .... not only here but all over the
world.
So what does this have to do with Bible prophecy
you ask? .... Simply, these 'conditions' create the perfect set-up for
the coming world ruler to step onto the world stage. ... The Bible specifically
tells of this coming leader in Daniel, chapters 7, 8, 9 & 11, Revelation
13, and 2 Thessalonians 2. .. He is none other than the 'anti-christ.
.
If you look back to pre-world war 2 Germany, you
will remember a country in desperate economic straits ... so desperate
that they proved willing to follow a leader that promised them
better times ahead. Of course, we know this leader was none other
than Adolph Hitler. ... Well, this economic condition now exists in
southern Europe, and will soon engulf the entire globe. What better
time for this "Man of Intrigue" to come upon the scene ...
He will be cunning, charismatic and full of false hopes & promises,
ultimately claiming to be God himself ... and for those who refuse to
follow him, death is the only alternative. (For more info on this coming
world leader, go to the teaching tab on this website & click on
'The Anti-christ').
By sharing all these economic details with you,
I'm only trying to show those who have their 'head in the sand' the
TRUE economic condition facing our world today ... and the vulnerability
to evil it creates. ... As said earlier, many of us live in a 'bubble'
and really don't see this financial devastation coming. ... My only
hope is that these facts wake some up and to tell people to get ready
for the Lord's soon return. ... As scripture tells us, This anti-christ
will come, but his reign will be short-lived ... only 7 years ...
Beloved brothers & sisters, there is hope for
every soul that walks on this earth. ... For us who know what that hope
is, we must share it with those who don't ... and that is the saving
grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ ............ Remember, there
is no time to waste ...
Until next time,
Red