September 25, 2012
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says, "Listen,
I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."
....
In Isaiah 24:1, the prophet tells us, "See,
the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it ... "
... The Apostle John gives us a similar warning in Revelation.
He speaks of destructive judgement coming upon a city and nation ...
"In one day, death, and mourning, and famine: and she shall
be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges
her ... For in one hour so great riches is come to nought"
(Revelation 18:8, 17).
In my last commentary, I talked about 'The Signs
of the Times' ... and then I keep looking at the prophecy-related news
headlines every day, and it just HIT ME! .... One day very, very soon,
we are going to wake up to a totally different world. ... I know
we 'watchmen' talk about this happening all the time ... and, like everyone
else, we become numb to it because of the constant barrage of information
coming to us ... I guess we are also vulnerable to the "boy who
cried wolf" syndrome ...
Anyway, back to the 'hit me' part .... There was
a headline last week that I cannot shake ... it was in a 'Reuters' article,
dated September 20th ..... and it said, "Global economy will
be sucked into a black hole against a backdrop of world geopolitics
heated white-hot .... Suffice it to say that the coming weeks will,
according to our team, carry the planet away in a hurricane of unprecedented
crises and conflict." ...
Now I know we've heard this type of stuff many times
in the past, but somehow, this one feels different. .. I know there
have been many secular 'prophets' coming along in these crazy times
... and I think this is what caught me, quite frankly, by surprise.
... Let me briefly try and explain ... the Bible tells of these final
days in many of its pages, and I believe with all my heart that every
word is true ... but then when unbelievers start talking about the exact
same things, it really 'brings it home! ...
Let me mention just a few of these ever-increasing
'prophets' who are warning of apocalyptic disasters, both in physical
form as well as economically.
*Gerald Celente - This person is the
CEO of 'Trends Research Institute' ... This organization has had an
uncanny record of accuracy when predicting previous economic upheaval
...For example, he predicted the market crash of 2008, calling it the
"Panic of 2008" ... The sub-prime mortgage disaster ... and
before that, the 1987 stock market crash, the fall of the Soviet Union,
and the Asian currency crisis in 1997. ... and now, according
to his latest 'Trends' analysis, Celente says conditions will get much
worse. He predicts that the dollar will lose as much as 90% of
its value ... He also says there will be revolution in this country
as America descends into a 'third world' status ....
*Ray Dalio - He is the founder of Bridgewater
Associates, the world's largest hedge fund. He says this .."When
people get at each other's throat ... the rich & the poor ... the
left & the right ... and so on, you will have a basic breakdown
in the system, and this is very threatening. For example, this
is how Hitler came to power in 1933, which was in the depth of the Great
Depression, because of the social tension between all the factions ...
"
*Richard Palmer - A freelance writer
and contributor to many credible magazines, says that, at best, we are
in a globe-shaking financial crisis. It has all the makings of
a world-wide depression possibly far worse than in the 30's. ...
and interestingly, he also mentions that these types of conditions could
usher in another Hitler-type dictator. ..... Could it be? ....
There are many more, and most all are singing the
same tune ... "it is really scary, and it's only going to get worse"
...
Now couple this with all the 'physical' global problems.
... Of course we know there are major up-ticks in the geophysical realm
... earthquakes, volcanos, solar storms, severe storm clusters, and
on and on ... but the one that really hits home when thinking about
all the economical stuff ... is the worldwide drought that is currently
taking place. ... Just today (the 24th) there was a headline from
'The Telegraph', a British based news outlet that said this, "World
on track for record food prices 'within a year' due to U.S. drought"
.... Now let's think about this for a minute .... the economy already
sucks over most of the world .... world leaders can't agree on anything
that could possibly begin to resolve some of these problems (a good
example is right here in the good old USA) .... we already have over
1 billion people on earth that go to bed hungry EVERY night ..
...... So now let's add increased hunger and starvation
to an already unbearable list of burdens ...
Do any of us really think that one day, when we
wake up, this will 'be all better'? ... We are already seeing civil
unrest breaking out all over the globe ... let's just start in the middle
east ... governments overthrown almost daily ... riots with American
embassies coming under attack .... the European Union on the verge
of collapse with many of their members under severe financial stress
and experiencing civil unrest ... and now even China, supposedly the
world's best-performing economy, have increased civil disobedience ...
Here in America, we've seen a bit of civil unrest,
but I think much worse conditions are rapidly on the way. ... And why
is our Department of Homeland Security buying so many rounds of ammunition?
... Their primary job is to protect the homeland from hostile forces
... but this would make me think that just maybe they are thinking they
need to protect themselves from the homeland ... they have to be anticipating
civil unrest or they wouldn't be making these kinds of purchases ....
... And bear with me for one more 'sign" ...
and that is Israel ... The prophet Zechariah talks about the isolation
of Israel in the last days, and Luke 21:20 says, "When you see
Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation
is near." You'd have to be dead to not know Israel is being
threatened almost daily by some member of the muslim horde .... But
do you know this? ... If a rogue nation should attack Israel, you can
be sure that within hours that nation will be wiped out. Consider
the plan Israel has in place, known as the Sampson Option. The
moment a nuclear warhead is launched against them, within moments Israel
will unleash nuclear missiles to devastate the capital cities of all
enemy states. ... Simply, their attitude is that they've been defeated,
nearly annihilated as a people, scattered & scorned ..... what do
they have to lose ...
Right now, in many places around the globe .. and
especially in America, the masses seem to be covered with a veil,
unable to see the truth of Jesus Christ. But when God rises up
to shake the world through judgement, this veil covering the minds of
billions will be cast aside ... and then, at that time, for those who
have even a basic understanding of the real truth .. the veil of darkness
will be removed, and a remnant will rise up from the masses.
... And what should this remnant be doing at this
time? We know that the coming wrath isn't for God's chosen people
... but it is a wake-up call to be prepared .... first our own walks
with the Lord ... and then to spread the light of Christ to as many
as possible while their is still time.
It is here, right at the door. ... Paul tells
us in his teachings that when we have a knowledge that sudden destruction
is coming, we are not to tremble or sorrow as the world does.
Instead, we are to comfort one another in faith, knowing that God rules
over every aspect of our lives (see 1 Thessalonians 5:11).
This is the hope of our most holy faith: our
Lord causes a song to come out of the darkness of times. Start
now to build up your holy faith in Him, and learn to praise Him and
His greatness in your heart. ... When you sing your song, it will strengthen
and encourage your brothers and sisters ... and it will testify to the
world ... 'Our Lord reigns over the coming flood.'
Until next time,
Red
PS - I will be teaching an "end-time"
prophecy class starting on Tuesday, October 9th, 6:30 PM at Chehalem
Valley Baptist Church in Newberg. It will be called "Light in the
Darkness". ... If you have any questions concerning this
study, just contact our website ... either Mary or myself, and we will
do our best to tell you everything you need to know ......