"The Coming Financial Crash: Self-fulfilling Prophecy?"

Try Googling "2015 financial crash" and you'll get page upon page predicting just that.

The problem?

If enough people believe a financial meltdown is in the cards, then a financial meltdown is much more likely to happen.

InvestorHub kicked the year off with "11 Predictions of Economic Disaster in 2015 From Top Experts All Over the Globe."

According to Profit Confidential, Stock Market Commentary & Forecasts,  billionaires are dumping stocks and a stock market crash is on the way. "Smart money" people like Warren Buffet and business magnate George Soros have already jumped ship.

"Despite the stock market's record run and Washington's assurances that the economy is getting better, some of America's wealthiest billionaires aren't convinced."

"In fact, their recent actions suggest some sort of market crash is on its way. Do they know something you don't? Not really. The data is out there for everyone to see. Unfortunately, Wall Street is too busy ignoring the warning signs."

Others, like financial writer Bill Holter of Miles Franklin, takes it a step further. In an interview on USA Watchdog.com, Holter predicts:

"We will be in martial law by this time next year. There is something wrong and there is a storm out there...

The hope is to reset the system without crashing it, but I'm not sure it can be done. There is just too much debt out standing. I think everything will be reset, and China will lead the reset."

And then there is Jonathan Cahn who warns in his best-selling book "Mystery of the Shemitah" that September 2015 marks the end of a biblical 7-year cycle. Says Cahn:

"If you are not right with God, get your life right because America is rapidly accelerating into a moral collapse and a spiritual collapse...

If you are not born again, get born again. I believe we are at the verge of collapse."

Getting "right with God" is always good advice. Getting ready for a financial collapse, en masse, could end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A wise man once said: "God has called you. It's up to you to say 'Yes'. Not to decide is, in essence, to say 'No'. God sends no one to hell. People, by default, send themselves."--anonymous

"Jesus said, 'I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God...The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don't be surprised at My statement that you must be born again.'" --John 3:3, 5-7

"How to Go to Heaven" 

News:

• The Washington Post: U.S. Economic Growth Slows 0.2%, Grinding Nearly to a Halt in 1st 3 Months.
• Reuters: "Russia May Be Readying For New Ukraine Offense": NATO Commander
• Fox News Channel: 7.8 magnitude Nepal quake confirmed death toll tops 6,000.

"Russia/U.S.: Playing With Fire?"

"Could a U.S. response to Russia's actions in Ukraine provoke a confrontation that leads to a U.S.-Russian war?" asks The National Interest writers Graham Allison and Dimitri K. Simes  in "Russian and America:Stumbling to War".

That's an unthinkable question and yet the sabre-rattling between the two nations has grown deafening. So loud, in fact, it seems neither can think straight.

How else can we explain this perilous game of brinkmanship they seem to be playing?

The Russian News Agency, TASS, reported back in September that Russia was "revising its defense doctrine as new threats emerge."

What new threats, you ask?

"...first and foremost," says Colonel-General Viktor Yesin, former Chief of Staff of the Russian Strategic Missiles Forces,"...the West, primarily the U.S."

Alexander Lukashevich, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, says, "We see massive movement of fighter jets and tanks to eastern Europe, columns of armored vehicles riding down central roads and other signs of rapid militarization of the region."

"We consider the continuing discussion in Washington on possible weapons supply to the Ukrainian authorities as deliberate escalation of tensions," he adds. "That directly threatens Russian security."

"But that doesn't scare us," Lukashevich continued. "We could recommend Washington, which decided to use the crisis in Ukraine to flex its muscles, to seriously think about the consequences..."

A not-so veiled threat? Considering:

• Russian bombers have been intruding in NATO airspace
• President Putin says he was ready to put nuclear forces on alert in Crimea
• Russia's ambassador has warned off Denmark from joining NATO missile defense with threats of being targeted with nukes
• Russia's decision to send Iran its missile defense system in spite of objections from Washington

If Russia and the U.S. are stumbling to war, the American public (for the most part) remains blissfully unaware...

...and meanwhile, this dangerous game of "chicken" goes on.

A wise man once said: "Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind." --President John F. Kennedy

"For when they say 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape."  (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

News;

• The Washington Free Beacon: Iranian Warships Arrive Near Yemen; comes days after U.S. announced it would send its own warships
• The Telegraph: Russia Masses More Forces Near Ukraine Border. A new build-up is under way with Russia deploying air defense units inside Ukraine and massing more troops on the border, says U.S. State Department.
• Russia FM: Grudges over Crimea prompt Obama to say Russian economy in tatters. Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavron claims remark a "Freudian slip." 

"Why is Demonic Possession on the Rise?"

The Vatican has backed a new exorcism course apparently due to the recent rise in occult practices...especially among the young.

Professor Giuseppe Ferrari, a leading authority on demonic possession, claims all the vampire-hype in the Twilight saga (etc.) is encouraging young people to dabble in the occult.

The result? A global rise in demonic possessions.

Professor Ferrari, head of The Group on Research and Socio-Religious Information (an Italian occult watchdog organization), urges only properly trained priests to conduct exorcisms.

Pope Francis agrees. Vatican to Train More Exorcists

According to an article in The Independent: "Although the Vatican regards genuine demonic possession as rare, with many suspected cases proving to be people with mental illnesses, Pope Francis has urged dioceses to ensure that they follow Catholic law and have at least one trained exorcist each."

Not convinced this is a serious problem?

"In 2012 it emerged that the Diocese of Milan, the biggest in the world, had installed an exorcism hot line to cope with the demand," reports The Independent.

"Monsignor Angelo Mascheroni, Milan's chief exorcist, said that his diocese had doubled the number of exorcists from 6 to 12 to cope with the 100% rise in the number of requests for help over the last 15 years."

In fact, in the Diocese of Rome a third of the telephone calls received by Catholic officials relate to requests for exorcisms.

"Priests at the conference blamed everything from pornography, television and drug taking to greater interest in the occult for the rise in the number of demonic possessions," contends The Telegraph.

And the U.S.?

"The ancient rite of casting out Satan and his demons from the souls of the possessed is thriving," say experts. "Exorcism Thriving in U.S."

While concern over demonic possession seems to be the purview of Catholics, the Bible warns all Christians the devil is on the prowl for victims (see 1 Peter 6:8).

"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

A wise man once said: "An exorcism is tantamount to a miracle--an extraordinary intervention of God."  -- Gabriele Nanni, exorcist

News:

• The Los Angeles Times: Putin lifts Russia's ban on delivery of air defense missile system to Iran; announcement draws criticism from U.S., Israel.
• Fox News Channel: Moscow dispatches warships into the English Channel along with fighter jets over English airspace.
• CNN: New Defense Secy: Russia Fermenting Trouble in Ukraine; process of negotiating Iran Nuke Deal not complete. 

"Russia Threatens Nuclear Showdown"

While the American government is busy wringing its hands over climate change, the Russian military is making increasingly aggressive moves.

And NATO isn't going to take it laying down.

Lithuania will increase defense spending and implement a military draft, while the European Parliament member Beatrix Von Storch believes "we are very close to the collapse of the post-Cold War order."

Next month, NATO forces from nations across Europe will participate in a grand-scale military training exercise. Baltic States Buckling Down For Russian Action

Russia's reaction?

"President Putin is using the threat of a nuclear showdown over the Baltic states to force NATO to back away from Russia's borders," say intelligence figures from Moscow and Washington. Putin Threat of Nuclear Showdown over Baltics

Putin: "Try to take Crimea away and there'll be nuclear war." 

"The Ukraine crisis has brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any point for a generation," says The Times, Europe.

And that ain't all, folks:

• Russia has also been flying military aircraft aggressively around American airspace, buzzing both Alaska and the California coast.
• NATO scrambled allied jets to monitor Russian warplanes over Europe more than 100 times last year.
• Russia has begun building four nuclear subs for the first time in decades.

According to the Bible, Russia, Iran and an alliance of several Muslim countries will eventually attack Israel. (see Ezekiel 38 & 39)

With the collapse of the Soviet Union after the Cold War, skeptics pointed to this passage in Ezekiel to "prove" how unreliable Bible prophecy was. And granted, it did seem unlikely that Russia would ever recover enough to pose a threat to anybody.

However, recent events indicate the Russian bear is alive and well...and apparently on the prowl and growling once again.

As the Scriptures say about God, "You will be proved right in what You say..." (Romans 3:4)

A wise man once said: 

"Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." -- Sir Winston Churchill

"I am God, and there is no one else like Me. Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass...(Isaiah 46:9-10).

News:

• CNN: Russians Hack White House Computer Network despite efforts to lock them out.
• Canada Free Press: World Prepares for Russian Aggression as Europe realizes they may have to fight being a target
• Yahoo!News: U.S. Aerospace Command moving communications gear back to Cold War bunker in case of electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack.

"Divorcing God"

Everyone knows relationships aren't all rainbows and unicorns. 

The same holds true for our relationship with God.

A couple of years ago American Family Studios released a short documentary called Divorcing God.

Today the premise of that film, the delicate balance of religion and the state, is being tested once again. This time in Indiana.

Is it possible for a nation to divorce itself from God?

Tragically, yes. The U.S. is in the process of doing it right now.

The scary part? Eventually God will give us what we want.

The prophet Jeremiah vividly compares Israel's spiritual disloyalty to an adulterous woman who has utterly betrayed her 'husband.' Five times God pleads with her to return to Him. When she refuses, God, though heartbroken, has no choice but to give her "a certificate of divorce" for breaking the covenant between them. (Jeremiah 3:8).

This covenant bound Israel to God in a special relationship of love, faithfulness, and hope. But the covenant had two sides: Blessings for faithfulness, disaster for unfaithfulness.

Israel brought judgment on themselves. All, but a faithful remnant were scattered abroad and Israel ceased to exist for 2 millennia. In 1948, God resurrected the Jewish State.

Today, even in America, God's Son is looking for a faithful remnant to call His bride.

And no, it won't be all rainbows and unicorns.

"Building a relationship isn't easy. It requires diligence, communication, patience, trust, and time," says author Dennis Fisher.

A relationship with Christ, the living God, also demands faith, repentance, and obedience.

And it won't win you any popularity contests. In today's America, God has become an embarrassment and the Cross of Christ an offense. His Word is considered bigoted and His followers, haters. Evil is called good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

In ordinary times America would never dream of divorcing God. But these are not ordinary times: These are the End Times.

Homework: Read the book of Hosea for a unique look at the lengths God is willing to go to avoid getting divorced.

A wise man once said: "We used to be 'One nation under God.' Now we're a nation that has turned its back on God. History shows that when nations do this, their end is near."                                                                                                                                           -- Franklin Graham

"Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires."  (Psalm 37:3-4)                                                                                                                                                                 
News:

• Fox News Channel: U.S. Govt. Hires Radical Muslim Cleric to Preach in U.S. Prisons.
• C P Politics: NY Assembly Passes Abortion Bill Allowing Shooting 3rd Trimester Babies Thru The Heart With Poison; Resounding 94-49 Approval.
• Reuters: California Governor orders mandatory 25% reduction of water usage statewide for the first time in history after 4 yrs. of record-breaking drought.
• Sydney Morning Herald: Russian analyst urges nuclear attack on Yellowstone National Park and San Andreas fault line as best way to ensure "complete destruction of the enemy."