Is it just part of human nature to ignore warnings?
Like traffic lights,
speed limits, and laws against texting while driving! Or, is it a sign of the times?
This month in Atlanta, traffic was completely stopped, and travelers were trapped in their cars overnight
when a snow storm caught them off guard,
even though forecasters warned state and
city officials of the storm's severity. Also this month, Congress approved a debit limit extension, ignoring economists' warnings
of the long-term effects of living beyond our means.
The Jewish people, from Jeremiah to John the Baptist, had a history of
ignoring the prophets who warned them of imminent danger if they didn’t turn around. “They refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder
and stopped their ears from hearing” (Zech. 7:11). Given mankind's penchant for ignoring warnings, I cannot deduce if it is a sign of increased lawlessness, or just a recurring pattern of sinful nature.
Either way, it doesn’t bode well for our future. And that is a sign of the
times.
Toward the end of 2012, I wrote a post about the uncertainties the lie
the head in 2013. Those uncertainties included the global economy, instability
in the Middle East, and high unemployment.
Little did I know what other uncertainties lie ahead for me—chief of
which was a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer along with its attendant ensuing activities,
each with its own degree of uncertainty!
Is life less uncertain today than it was 16 months ago?
Perhaps for me, but not for the global economy, Middle East, or
the unemployed. One thing is certain though: continued uncertainty (John
16:33). Consequently, earthlings look for concrete, material things to make them feel secure, while the believer is anchored by an immaterial, but rock-solid faith and confident expectation that God purposes to make all things good for those who love and trust Him (Rom. 8:28). "Faith is the confidence of a sure and steadfast hope which anchors our soul; faith is the certainty of things we cannot see" (Heb. 11:1; 6:19, edited).
In light of the aftermath of the recent power outage back East, the fires in the West, and drought all across America's farmlands, I saw all of these as apocalyptic scenarios that may be providing us a preview of how the Rapture will affect life in America.
Just imagine the impact even if only 25% of churched people are truly born again. Sections of America would be decimated. (I hope it doesn't happen during the evening commute!) Even in less affected places (like NYC or Las Vegas!), still, their communities could lose key government officials, police and firemen, doctors, nurses, first responders, and teachers, resulting in a rapid breakdown of society.
Then, ravaged by crime, hunger, lawlessness, and chaos, those left behind will look for a leader—you might say a savior—to restore order. It's not hard to imagine a scenario in which America submits to the leadership of anyone who promises hope. Even if that person is the Antichrist.
Spain just received an unprecedented $125 billion from European banks to keep itself from insolvency. Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Ireland will follow soon. Can the rest of Europe be far behind? The US, Japan, China and Brazil, which rely on Europeans to buy their exports, are vulnerable. The dreaded question no one wants to ask: what will happen when the credit dries up?
Another drain on nations’ economies are the wars that divert money from things that are more profitable. Adding to that are the unbudgeted, and extreme, costs of natural disasters—earthquake, fires, floods—that sap limited tax revenues. Some governments (like ours) just print more money. But that threatens to cause super-inflation. Are we getting close to the time when “a loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day's pay” (Rev. 6:6)?
Despite these signs of danger on the horizon, the tendency is to dismiss it as “Chicken Little” nonsense. Nobody wants to consider there might be a day of reckoning. The 'signs' are no more regarded than a car alarm in a crowded parking lot. Jesus said the last days would be like those of Noah. Have we become like Noah's neighbors who, when he came knocking on their door to warn of impending peril, pretended not to be home?
In his apocalyptic vision in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John introduces the “beast,” also called the Antichrist (Revelation 13:1). John describes him as the ruler of a vast empire, with power & authority given to him by Satan (Revelation 13:2), receiving worship from all the world (13:3-4), and ruling every tribe, people, language and nation (13:7). Combining his vision with Daniel’s (7:16-24), scholars of biblical eschatology conclude that some sort of world system will be inaugurated by the AntiChrist.
In 2011, the world’s national economies are more interdependent than any other time in history. And no place on earth will be untouched by the coming financial tsunami. Increasingly, economists are suggesting that the only solution to this crisis is the establishment of a one-world banking system and currency. And when that happens, isn’t it logical that a one-world government cannot be far behind?
Daniel and John didn’t say why people will accept the total authority of a single man in the last days. Indeed, it’s hard (especially for democratic citizens like us) to imagine how the world’s nations would subjugate themselves to a single authority. A logical conclusion is that the disasters described in Revelation 6-11 will create such a monumental global crisis that people will embrace anything and anyone who promises to give them relief. The time has arrived for God's watchmen to speak out (Ezekiel 33:6).
When economies are in a recession, the value of paper money goes down. Lately, a growing number of financial experts are cautioning us of a global financial meltdown. And the debt debacle of these last few weeks has shown us all how little it would take for the world’s money system to crash. Thus, many people are buying gold as a hedge against worthless currency. But according to James, in the end times, that will be useless. “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted...Your gold and silver are corroded” (James 5:1-2).
In spite of all of this, notice how, after condemning the rich, James counseled believers to wait patiently for the Lord’s coming. (James 5:7-8) He was not only talking to the people of his era, but to ours as well. The uncertainty of world financial markets, when added to the other signs we see, tells us that the Lord’s return for His Church may happen sooner than later.
Do you wonder if Jesus were your financial adviser, what He might say? Well, He has already spoken on the matter. "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich…” (Rev. 3:18). And what is the gold tested by fire Jesus speaks of? It is our faith, likened to gold that has been fully purified though patience and endurance: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold…” (1 Peter 1:7)
The European stock market has taken a nose dive in the past few days. Not only worried about the U.S. economy, they are distressed by fiscal instability of two of their EU member nations—Greece and Italy. The need to bail out these countries has crippled Europe. Has it occurred to you, as it has to me, that these two ‘people groups’ (the Greeks and Romans) were at one time the most power nations on the earth? And now, not only Europe’s weakest, they could topple the entire European (and global) financial system!
Winston Churchill said "those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Similarities between Ancient Greece and Rome and the United States are alarming. Historians contribute a number of factors to their decline. What happened in each of these empires is they became such huge world powers and started to take over so many territories and so much land that they spread their forces too thin, which effected financial instability. And—get this— the rise of Islam is thought to be one of the reasons for Rome's Fall.
Today, there is an ideological war going on in our country, the outcome of which could determine the future of our nation and the even the planet’s destiny. What happens in our Nation’s capitol by August second could be cataclysmic. This world has never been at this place before. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:27).
