How Does It Feel To Be Number Two?

     For more than half of its lifespan, the United States of America has been considered the leading economic superpower of the World.  That's quite a run, and one that no other nation can lay claim to.  For nearly 140 years, America's economy has been the largest among the nations; but there's a new Power that holds that position.

     According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China just surpassed the U.S. in economic output, producing $17.6 trillion in so-called “real” terms of goods and services. According to MarketWatch.com, as recently as 2000, we produced nearly three times as much as the Chinese.  So how did this happen, and what does it mean for the already shaky American economy?  And what does history tell us this development means for our future, moving forward?
     First of all, the United States has been in the forefront of prosperity and production for my entire lifetime.  So a fall in position in such a rapid timeframe deserves some explanation, don't you think?  I am also left wondering if this economic downturn somehow foretells a decline in other aspects of our nation.  Is it just me, or does this state of affairs seem to mirror our diminishing civil liberties, constitutional rights, and rule of law?  Are we seeing the permanent decline of the United States of America?
     When you look at it from China's perspective, this is just the evolution that sees them resuming their natural place in the global order.  After all, they have a history of dynasties that go back 3000 years, while the U.S. is not even 300 years old!  They just had a little 200 year blip on their radar screen, which explains our dominance during that time period.  Now, China thinks that things are back to being as they should; and perhaps we just got a little too big for our britches?
     The economic gurus will tell you that the bottom line is that China is able to export more than we do, and do it cheaper.  American manufacturing is on the ropes, and China is ready to deliver the knockout punch.  With global powers pushing for a global economy, we are all intertwined with each other ... how many Chinese components are included in "American-made" products?  The truth is that we need, and use, far more Chinese exports/products than they use of ours.  Even if we tried to ban some of our components in the Chinese marketplace, there are emerging economies that are waiting to step in and take our place.
     But here's a whole other paradigm to consider ... The IMF is a creation of the United Nations, and here is its official duty:  "to promote international financial stability and monetary cooperation. It also seeks to facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. Created in 1945, the IMF is governed by and accountable to the 188 countries that make up its near-global membership."  In other words, it was created to establish a global, or one-world, financial system.
     But here's the irony ... both China and the U.S. economies are fake; China has built "ghost cities" based on an inflated economy, while we have printed ourselves into a counterfeit recovery.  However, for whatever reason, the global elite leaders have decided that China should now be the nation out front of the world economy.

      Although this might all seem orchestrated, (and believe me, it is!) we must not forget the ideological changes our Number Two status could represent.  We can expect to see a major change in the psychological, cultural, and moral aspects of the world's nations; because whatever beacon of Freedom we have been to the world is shining just a little dimmer at the moment.  China has not exactly been a bastion of Liberty in the last three-quarters of a century ... Their "cultural revolution" resulted in the deaths of 30 million of their own people, and that's a conservative number.  They killed tens of thousands in Tibet and then invaded Vietnam and India. And does anyone think that their cozying up to Russia is a good thing?
     At the end of the day, I can't help but think of the Biblical prophesies that foretell Satan's political and economic systems that come into play close to the Second Coming of Christ.  In fact, Satan even proclaims (in Luke 4:6) that he has been given power over the earth, and he can distribute it to whomever he chooses.  The rulers of nations will be influenced by his evil machinations, and there will be a darkness imposed on the earth by Satan's rule through the governance of men.
     But we must not forget that it is the hand of God that is really in control of the rise and fall of great nations and empires.  Satan's influence is ultimately supervised by God.  History is full of the narratives of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome -- all nations that were used for His plan and purpose.  Each one of these nations played a part in the history of Israel and the Church.  We are no different, except that our rise was meteoric, and our fall may be just as spectacular.
     The real question becomes this:  is God through with us?  Can we still be used by Him to further His plan, or have we become so enamored by the temptations of Babylon's Harlot, that we no longer care about our purpose?  When, as a nation, we are focused on ourselves, and we ignore or deny God, it makes no difference if we are Number One -- the collapse is inevitable.  If our role as "defender of the free world" is reduced, and we no longer export faith in God to the nations of the world, then our role may well be finished.  When that happens, we will become a footnote in history.

Daniel 5:26-27     "This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;"
   
   

Needed: Unwavering Hope and Steadfast Courage

   

     These days are difficult.  In the wake of a reported second beheading of an American journalist, how can we live our lives in a normal fashion?  A monstrous terror group holds the free world in a grip of horror and alarm, and the political machine in Washington wants to talk semantics.  Are we at war with the Islamic State, or not?  Because they sure appear to be at war with us!  But we have to play it smart!
     We can no longer avoid the taunting images of Americans in orange jumpsuits, with knives at their throats.  It all plays into the 20-year plan initiated by Al-Queda.  It all began with what radical Islamists called "the Awakening" in 2000.  That included the 9/11 attacks and the successful drawing of American troops into Afghanistan and Iraq, thereby "awakening" the Muslim world against the West.
     This was followed by the second stage of the Plan's timeframe, called "Opening Eyes."  The years between 2003-2006 saw an increase in the training of jihadists and a growing awareness among Western governments that radical Islam was busy at recruiting an army.  Our eyes were opening to the growing threat.
     Stage Three, from 2007-2010, was known as "Arising and Standing Up".  Radicalism spread to Syria and Turkey, with increased attacks on Israel and neighboring countries.  They were making their move.  Next, the focus was on governments that stood in their way.  Stage Four is called "Destroy Hated Arab Governments", and we saw this happening from 2010-2013.  The so-called Arab Spring saw Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria experience tremendous upheaval in their governments, and radicalism took control.
     We are now in full-blown Stage Five:  "Declare the Caliphate".  ISIS has surpassed Al-Queda in striving towards the 20-year goal, and they have achieved Stage Five in a rapid and terrifying fashion.  And they have made it clear they do not plan on backing down or away from achieving their plan.  They no longer fear Western intervention and truly believe that the new Islamic State will eventually bring about a new world order.
     If we are going to stop this march of evil, it needs to be now because Stage Six is on the horizon!  In this stage, which radical Islam calls "Total Confrontation", they are relying on the undeniable establishment of the Caliphate.  Once achieved, their plan is to instigate "the Great Battle" between their believers and the Infidels.  This aligns with their Armageddon, which they predict will happen between 2016-2020.  And it will not be limited to fighting in the Middle East.  Surely, you have heard reports of the slick YouTube videos in which ISIS boasts that they are in our states and our cities, and predict blood in our streets.  If not, you need to get in the game!
     The final stage, Stage Seven, is known as "Total Victory".  ISIS smells that victory in the air, and they do not intend to stop until it has been achieved.  What can we do to prevent this?  Obviously, get on our knees, ask for forgiveness and pray to Jehovah for protection.  ISIS may be a physical army from hell, but the power behind them is spiritual and Satanic.  That is the real battle, and it is in the spiritual realm.
     But there is still an earthly component to this reign of terror, and like I said at the beginning of this post, we have to "play it smart."  There is no time to ruminate over what to call this conflict, or how to approach the enemy.  We must not re-play Stages One and Two, by re-invading their homeland with infidel "boots on the ground".  That will only result in inspiring more radicalism and more recruitment material.  We must not allow the "Total Confrontation" to happen on earth.  We must do whatever it takes to stop the evil in its tracks, and completely defeat the advancing hordes.  Then we must let God and His heavenly army fight the battle in the Spiritual realm.  Let Him go before us and conquer the Enemy.  It is His battle to win!
     Until then, we must not waver; we must fight the enemy to win; and we must not denounce our Faith or our way of life.  We must return to a Godly form of living and turn from our destructive paths.  We can do it if we will embrace an unwavering Hope and a steadfast Courage.  We know to Whom we belong, and it is time to live like it!
     
Philippians 1:28:    "That way, you won’t be afraid of anything your enemies do. Your faithfulness and courage are a sign of their coming destruction and your salvation, which is from God."

What You Need To Know About The Caliphate

     I find it a little disconcerting that I have to go to news sources outside this country (most notably the U.K.) to get a more accurate picture of world events.  Perhaps it is because the rise of fundamentalist Islam has taken a greater toll upon their country.  But we would do well to take note of these effects, and therefore be better informed and prepared.
     In fact, Before It's News reports that in the Middle East, a very dangerous thing for the West is happening, and it is happening rapidly.  A Muslim Caliphate is growing literally by the day. What is a Caliphate? A Caliphate is taken from the Arabic word Khilafa which means ‘succession’.  A Caliphate is an Islamic state led by a man with dual power.  That leader is both the supreme religious leader and a primary political leader, also known as a Caliph, or successor to Mohammed. The Caliph closely follows and strictly adheres to Sharia law over the land.
     Now, there will be those who will say that a Caliphate is a historical term, and has no significance in the modern world.  But anyone paying attention cannot deny the escalation of Sharia law, nor ignore the warnings of those who wish to see it instituted here and around the world.

 
     So, just to give you an idea of how important an issue this is, consider this information printed in the U.K.'s Daily Mail:
• Syria:  Moderate Sunni rebels and al-Quada linked jihadists are attempting to overthrow the Shia regime in a 3-year civil war that has left 150,000 dead.
• Iraq:  Sunni militants (ISIL) capture huge sections of the country on their march to Baghdad in an insurgency aimed at toppling the Shia-led government and creating an Islamic state across the Iraq-Syria border.
•  Saudi Arabia:  Hard-line Sunni regime has supported rebels in Syria, while Baghdad accuses the Saudis of financing the Sunni Islamic militants in Iraq.
• China (June 24):  The government releases videos showing how Islamic militants are using the internet to incite terrorist activities in the country after a string of attacks.
• Kenya (June 24):  At least 5 people have died in an attack on Kenya's coast just days after Al Shabbab kills 60 people in twin massacres in revenge for Kenya's military role in Somalia.
• Malaysia (June 24):  The highest court in the land upholds a ban on Catholics using the word Allah  to refer to the Muslim god, in what some experts fear is a growing Islamization of the country.
• Central African Republic:  Human rights groups warn that revenge attacks between Christian and Islamic militia risk creating conditions of a genocide similar to that in Bosnia in the 1990s.
• Nigeria (June 25):  At least 21 killed and 17 injured in an explosion at a shopping center in Abuja.  The attack was blamed on Islamic militants, and followed Boko Haram's abduction of 90 villagers yesterday and the kidnapping of 300 Christian schoolgirls last month.
• Libya (June 25):  Libyans head to the polls for parliamentary elections as violence from a patchwork of militias, including Islamic extremists, grips the country since the ouster of Muammar Ghaddafi. 
• Sudan (June 24):  Sudanese mother freed from death sentence for marrying a Christian is charged with fraud as she tries to leave the country for not using her Muslim name on travel documents.
     These facts alone should alert you to the very real crisis that the world is facing.  And lest you think that these are just civil wars and infighting that will remain within the boundaries of the Middle East, please reconsider.  Again, The Daily Mail reports that Islamist militants fighting in Iraq and Syria are producing a weekly English language magazine designed to recruit and radicalize would-be jihadists in the West.  The magazine, which is professionally designed and edited, is published by AlHayat Media Center - the propaganda wing of ISIS, the Sunni militant group whose brutal campaign to establish an Islamic state in the Middle East has been branded too extreme even by Al Qaeda.
     And they know what they are doing.  Titled, 'The Islamic State Report', the weekly magazine is published every seven days.  Now on it's fourth edition, the first was printed on June 1st. A fifth edition is expected to be released on Saturday.
     As with any propaganda tool, the magazine presents arguments in favor of ISIS and their objective.  It opens with several pages describing the history of the Middle East, and attempts to justify the establishing of a caliphate as a mission to correct the carving up of the region by Allied forces in the aftermath of the First World War.  Combine this message with heavy social media presence, and one can see how this could be effectively used against the West .
     The publication of the magazine is just the latest in ISIS's massive propaganda campaign, which includes dozens of accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and Ask.Fm.  Would-be jihadists in the West are encouraged to make contact through private smartphone messenger services, and ISIS has even developed its own android app.  They have also released slick English language recruitment videos, and even sell ISIS-themed clothing and memorabilia, such as T-shirts, ball caps and cuddly toys.  And the propaganda is working.
     Britain's Home Secretary reports that it is believed that about 400 young men have left the UK to join ISIS in the Middle East.  Secretary Theresa May warned these jihadists are now 'just a few hours flying time' from striking Britain, adding that they will 'want to attack us' when they return.  She said the terror threat was now 'on the doorstep of Europe' and was the most serious since 9/11.
     And are we naive enough to think that our homeland has not been targeted by this slick and persuasive campaign?  Just a few short years ago, the mention of a new Caliphate was ridiculed and labeled paranoid.  Now it is boldly publicized in a professional and inviting magazine, and brazenly touted across all lines of social media.  September 11, 2001 surprised us all, and it devastated this nation.  Now, there are those who wish to do more than "harm" us; their goal is submission or total destruction.  And they are broadcasting their intentions.  What more proof do we need? When will the West (and specifically, this country) wake up?

1 Peter 5:8    "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about; seeking whom he may devour."

Evil Is On the March

    As I write this, it is the afternoon of June 12th, 2014 and I am experiencing an overwhelming sense of futility and sadness as I reflect on the news coming out of Iraq.  The Daily Mail out of Britain has an in-depth article on the collapse of the city of Mosul. Combine that with the more recent fall of Tikrit, and the imminent assault on Baghdad, and it is quite clear that the war in Iraq is not over. While the photos show the heartbreak of families fleeing the brutal insurgency of a new terrorist group, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), I cannot help but think about the tremendous cost in lives and treasure.
     Reuters has reported that the U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans; these are expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest.  But worth more than these overwhelming figures is the cost in human lives.  A total of 4,486 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2012.  University researchers in the U.S., Canada and Baghdad, along with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, have estimated that nearly half a million people in the country of Iraq have died since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.  These figures cover not only violent deaths, but other avoidable deaths linked to the invasion, insurgencies and subsequent social breakdown.
     So what happens now?  As trite as it sounds, only the Lord knows.  ISIS is not a name I was familiar with, but preliminary research has shown that they are so brutal, that even Al-Queda shuns them.  One headline announced the depth of their evil cruelty .... Marauding ISIS Militia Beheading Their Way to Baghdad.  What makes this group so frightening (and why Al-Queda has distanced themselves) is that these beheadings, crucifixions, and assassinations have been carried out against rival jihadist groups.  This all comes as the leader of this brutal group continues to attract hardline Islamic fighters from around the world.  Reports say that ISIS has in excess of 10,000 fighting men in its ranks. Many of its fighters are thought to be radicalized Western Muslims who have poured in from Europe and North America to join the fighting in Syria and elsewhere in the middle East.

     ISIS is being led by a shadowy figure known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  You can imagine my alarm when I heard retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters compare Osama bin Laden to John the Baptist, as the forerunner to this al-Baghdadi.  Are we looking at the emergence of an archetype of the Islamic Savior known as the Mahdi? Will he be able to unite the jihadists around the world and bring on another holocaust of God's people?  He has certainly manifested himself as a brutal power in a very rapid manner, and one cannot help but look back at history at the other representatives of Evil who appeared in similar circumstances.
     The news agencies spell out the danger that threatens to engulf the entire globe.  Reuters says, "Sunni rebels from an al Qaeda splinter group overran the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday and closed in on the biggest oil refinery in the country, making further gains in their rapid military advance against the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad."  Over half a million people fled the city of Mosul in the wake of that conquest.  And for those of us who see the headlines from a biblical perspective, we cannot dismiss the words of a police captain who fled the city of Tikrit, "We are fighting devils and not ordinary people".
     But I have to tell you that I think there is even more Biblical significance to what is happening.  The Christian Science Monitor reports that "It's well known that Mosul has been a target for ISIS... the city is the capital of northern Nineveh Province."  Now where have we heard that name Nineveh before?  Genesis 10:11 records that none other than Nimrod built the city of Nineveh.  And if you don't know who Nimrod is, well just suffice it to say that the root meaning of Nimrod in the Hebrew language is "the rebel".   And it is very possible that “Nimrod” may not be the name of an actual man, but is more likely a derisive term of a type, or a representative, of a system that is epitomized in rebellion against the Creator, the one true God.  We can identify his "type" throughout history in the personages of Antiochus Epiphanes, Gengis Khan, Stalin, and Hitler, amongst many others.
     It is also important that the city of Nineveh and the city of Babylon are closely tied together as Nimrod's power bases.  And would it surprise you to know that the ruins of ancient Babylon sit just 53 miles south of modern-day Baghdad?  There are those who will scoff at my implications, but the fact that the conquest of Iraq is happening so quickly in the wake of the more than $14 billion we spent in training Iraqi forces to defend themselves, cannot be easily dismissed.  I cannot disregard the ancient prophecy in Jeremiah 51:7-8:  "Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad. Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken...".  This corresponds with the End Times prophecy in Revelation 18:10 that foretells the fall of Babylon in one hour.  For the skeptics that will tell me Baghdad is not Babylon, I would say, the spirit of ancient prophecies rest upon this land, as well as future pronouncements regarding the End Times.  We would do well to pray for our deliverance from the consequences.
     And to those of you who do not see these world events through the lens of the Bible, I must tell you that I cannot see them otherwise.  It is my hope that the urgency of what is being reported would cause you to check out my assumptions; to examine the Bible yourself to see if it bears witness to what I suggest.  These events could have immediate effect upon all our lives through the takeover of strategic oil fields in Iraq, along with the possibility that any number of the North America jihadists lining up with ISIS might hold U.S. passports.  At the very least your comfortable American life might be headed for some serious and far-reaching changes.  But at the heart of my post is the hope that you will recognize that, most importantly, it is your eternal life that is in jeopardy.  Evil is obviously sweeping the Middle East, and why would it stop its campaign for world dominance at the borders of Iraq?  Now is the time to make preparations for your soul.

I Thessalonians 5:3    While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.


     
   
   

First, They Came For the Jews ...

     I was extremely alarmed to read in the New York Daily News that Jews in the Eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk were slapped with orders to “register” with the pro-Moscow militia that has taken over the city.  The leaflets distributed outside a synagogue during Passover warned that any Jew who refused would have their citizenship revoked “and you will be forced outside the country with a confiscation of property."

     Now sites like the New Republic are quick to denounce this as false and accuse the Western press of spreading vicious rumors.  But just because this order is not an official one from the Ukrainian government does not mean it is any less frightening.  And they do not deny that the fliers were distributed; just that it was done by a small "fringe" group.  Does that make it any less threatening?
     It was just this mindset in pre-war Germany that concluded with the deaths of over 6,000,000 Jews. Study your history ... Hitler was once part of a small "fringe" group, too.  The Holocaust Encyclopedia reports that during the first six years of Hitler's dictatorship, from 1933 until the outbreak of war in 1939, Jews felt the effects of more than 400 decrees and regulations that restricted all aspects of their public and private lives.
     It began with a Civil Service Law that stated civil servants and employees of Jewish descent were to be excluded from state service.   Then German law restricted the number of Jewish students at German schools and universities. In the same month, further legislation sharply curtailed "Jewish activity" in the medical and legal professions.  A year later, the "Nuremberg Laws" excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of "German or German-related blood."
     Next, the Jews lost their political rights and their participation in elections; Jewish patients were no longer admitted to German hospitals; Jews were barred from all public schools and universities, as well as from cinemas, theaters, and sports facilities; and all Jews were obliged to carry identity cards that indicated their Jewish heritage.
     In the middle of this madness, Jews were required to register their domestic and foreign property and assets, a prelude to the gradual expropriation of their material wealth by the state.  Sound familiar?  It is suspected that the leaflets are the product of anti-Semitism coming from the pro-Russian activists in Ukraine.  But it doesn't really matter who distributed them;  it is serious business and could fan the flames of anti-Semitism that is sweeping across Europe.
     I think the thing that I fear the most is that the Jews will once again be used as a pawn; this time between Russia and the West/Europe.  Will history repeat itself?  Will they once again become a scapegoat for a despot to begin his campaign to rule the world?
     Right now, this is just a minor story, buried amid bigger ones of Hillary's grandbaby and swarms of earthquakes... and that's the scariest part of all.  This kind of persecution goes unnoticed until one day we wake up, and the Ukrainian Jews are living in pogroms again!  Dear God, please protect Your people and don't let Evil control the world as it did in 1933.  I am praying for all the Ukrainian people.  They are at the center of a high-powered game of chicken, and as their future transpires, it will definitely affect our world.

Proverbs 16:12     "It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness." 

We Looked On It In Amazement

     I will be away from my computer for the next few days, but will post some passing thoughts, as I view our changing world.  I know I should probably just announce a brief "break", but it's hard not to stay in contact with all of you.  So, please excuse the shorter dialogue and I'll be back in full swing at the end of the week.
     

     If you were one of the lucky ones who got to witness the blood red moon in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, then I hope it struck you with awe and wonder.  I know if you watched this spectacular sight from Salmon, Idaho, you might want to view it with a new perspective today.  An earthquake swarm that included hundreds of low-level and medium-sized earthquakes have struck central Idaho since last month.  According to the news report I saw, the latest seismic surge, including 100 small to moderate quakes on Monday alone, has scientists perplexed.  Apparently this swarm doesn't appear to be on the big, active fault in the area that ruptured in 1983, which was the largest earthquake to hit Idaho in modern history.  Hmmm, scientists can't explain it ....
     And if you live in Ukraine and saw the blood red moon, you must be wondering what it portends for your future.  On Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that Ukraine is on the brink of civil war.  Is this a thinly disguised excuse to "go in" and restore order, while at the same time, instigating the very reasons for the unrest?  While you might think this is a regional matter, Ukraine is at the heart of an event that could impact the entire world.  Hmmm, wars and rumors of wars ...
     Then, if you observed the blood red moon from West Africa, you might have seen a connection between its appearance and the rapidly spreading ebola virus.  Having moved from the jungle to a densely-populated urban area in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, this deadly virus has the potential to spread worldwide.  Passengers are being screened at airports in an attempt to keep the virus from becoming a global epidemic.  With the death toll rising, let's pray that health officials can accomplish this task.
     Droughts in California mean less fruits and vegetables for market and higher prices; while droughts in Texas are doing the same thing for the price of beef.  When you can't feed your cattle, they usually end up at the slaughterhouse, which results in fewer calves being born, and eventually less beef at the grocery store.  All this results in the highest price for beef in almost three decades.  Hmmm, disease and higher costs for food .... does "A quart of wheat for a denarius" (that would be a whole day's pay) take on new significance?  And is it coincidence that we are seeing only the third series of blood red moons in nearly 500 years?
     I know I keep harping on the possibility that the headlines of our day are showing us moving towards prophetic, Biblical events.  But I do not want you to dismiss these seemingly chance occurrences.  They are happening simultaneously and sure feel to me like they are leading up to something BIG!  If you've never opened your Bible, I urge you to take a look at the Book of Revelation.  And if you do read your Bible, take a closer look at this prophetic book.  Yes, I know it is the most difficult Scripture in the entire Bible, but for those who will hear and see, I think it will make our daily headlines come into clear focus.  The blood red moon may be gone until later in the year; September to be exact, but keep your eyes aimed at the heavens.

Revelation 6:8    "So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth."