"Does the Bible Predict the Death of the Dollar?"

Some believe the recent fall in gold prices signals the end of our financial troubles. What do we think? Hooray--if it's true.

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was the worst since the Great Depression. It resulted in the failure of large financial institutions, bank bailouts, a housing bubble, and prolonged unemployment. In fact, the downturn in the economy was so severe it led to the 2008-2012 global recession and contributed to the European sovereign-debt crisis. The financial crisis was triggered by a complex web of greed, debt, and more debt.

And guess what? They really haven't fixed anything. The same debt-based system is still in place.

The Federal government has only three ways to get money:

1. tax
2. borrow
3. print

With the U.S. National Debt Clock running to the tune of 16 trillion and counting, they cannot tax or borrow enough money to even make a dent. They must resort to printing money out of thin air.

Sound good? Not!

The printing of money with nothing to back it is essentially counterfeiting by the government. You can expect high levels of inflation to follow eventually. How long? Nobody knows.

WARNING: Whatever recovery we might experience is distorted by the Fed flooding the economy with $85 billion per month (or 1 trillion dollars per year) of counterfeit money. The fact that this so called 'recovery' is so weak in spite of this infusion of cash is very telling.

The truth is this: We are in a failing financial system across the globe. Printing money to pay the government's bills is not something to be taken lightly. It is one of the last and most desperate measures.

What can we do?

First, remember that God is in control no matter what happens (Isaiah 46:9-11).

Second, remember that knowing God is in control does not remove our responsibility to do everything possible to prepare ourselves (Proverbs 22:3).

It's important to do your own homework. Find out for yourself what's really going on. Figure out what your options are and pray for discernment. And then consider whether the following options (taken from Christian Financial Concepts, Inc.) make sense in your own situation:

• Have an emergency fund. Plan for the unexpected like you should for an earthquake or a job loss (Proverbs 6:6-11).
• Get out of debt. No one can indefinitely spend more than they make. What you own belongs to you and not to a lender. Many could be debt-free just by moving funds from one investment to another, such as withdrawing funds from a retirement account to pay off their home mortgage. Sound drastic? What makes sense in a stable economy may not in a volatile one. Pay off all credit card debt. Paying interest makes no sense if you can avoid it (Proverbs 28:8).
• For those who are at least 20 years from retirement, concentrate on paying off debt before saving for retirement. Set a goal to be debt-free ASAP (Romans 13:8; Proverbs 22:27).
• Diversify as much as possible. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, all your money in one bank, and for those of you with substantial assets--all your investments in one country.

Remember what happened in Cyprus last month when its banking system nearly collapsed? They put depositors on the hook for the bailout! And not only that, but Dutch Finance Minister, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that the Cyprus deal will serve as a 'template' for future bank bailouts. That sets a precedent. IF they can do it there--they can do it here. What happened in Cyprus put a spotlight on the economic woes that are still there just below the thin veneer of 'recovery'.

While the Bible doesn't use the phrase 'one world currency', it provides enough evidence to enable us to draw that conclusion. Most likely it will be a virtual or digital form of currency. Revelation 13:16-17 describes some sort of specific mark on the right hand or forehand that will be required to be able to buy and sell. We believe the church will be gone at this point, but the fact remains: Our current banking system will no longer exist. Could we be in the beginning of that process now?

Homework:
Check out these opposing views on where the economy is going.
Bullion Brawl: Doug Kass vs. Peter Schiff @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yCDF6TCoyE

For a very interesting, but more extreme view of where things might be headed go to:
Very Dangerous Market Distortions by Gregory Mannarino @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN3-eYp2FSc

A wise man once said: "Just as the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, so economic collapse will come in the midst of what appears to be economic prosperity. The very debt that creates the prosperity ultimately destroys it." Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts, Inc.

"Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything."

News:

• World News.com: Magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocks Iran. Second large quake within 7 days. Dozens dead.
• CNS News.com: New immigration bill guarantees rush across border; legalizes illegals' relatives previously deported, shredding current laws.
• Live Science: New study finds 'supervolcano' magma reservoir under Yellowstone is at least 50% larger than previously thought; an eruption could alter the planet.
• Daily Express: North Korea vows blitz attack on South Korea warning: retaliation will start without notice.

"What are the Signs of His Coming?"

Christian author and founder of  The Berean Call , Dave Hunt, died last week. He left behind a legacy of expert scholarship, impeccable research, and a wide variety of in-depth studies we can all benefit from. He also left us with a couple of warnings:

• "There are two solemn and related warnings which Christ gave concerning His coming again. First of all, He repeatedly and earnestly declared that He was coming very soon and should be expected at any moment. That He hasn't come in more than 1900 years, far from discrediting that promise, makes it all the more urgent that we heed it in our day. By heaven's reckoning, Christ has been gone a very short time; and His coming is nearer now than it ever was."

• "Secondly, He warned us about preoccupation with the things of this life. Christ knew the attraction which the pleasures and ambitions of this world, wicked though we realize it to be, can have for each of us. So He warned us that unless we kept the thoughts of His return fresh in our hearts at all times, we would be caught by surprise at His coming."

Dave Hunt was adamant about the fact that there are no signs for the rapture of the church. Not even one. There is absolutely nothing that must proceed it. Jesus said that He would come like a thief: "At such an hour as you think not" (Luke 12:40). Some translations say He's coming when you least expect Him. There are at least twenty warnings in the Bible telling us to watch, be ready, and stay awake.

Why? Because complacency is human nature. Remember the parable of the 10 bridesmaids in Matthew 25? "When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept" (emphasis added).

The world is asleep right now and sadly, so is the church. And yet:

• Israel is back in the land (Ezekiel 37:21)
• surrounded by enemies (Psalm 83)
• Iran and Russia have a military alliance for the first time in history (Ezekiel 38:5)
• technology has advanced to the degree that everything predicted in the Scripture is possible for the first time in history (Revelation 13)
• the financial world is sagging under its debt load (Revelation 6:5-6; James 5:1-3)
• sin is rampant; deception everywhere (Matthew 24:9)
• everything has gone super sized (i.e. earthquakes, storms, tsunamis, etc.) (Luke 21:25-26)

People--these are signs for the Tribulation and the Second Coming, not the Rapture, two distinct events that take place 7 years apart.

No one knows the day or the hour of the Rapture, but once it comes (when we least expect it) the Second Coming can be calculated to the very day. Everything hinges upon the Rapture because it is the kickoff of the last 7 years as detailed in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 9:20-27).

Jesus said, "Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36).

Why did Jesus warn us to keep a constant watch? Because the signs of the Tribulation will all be there in the distance for anyone who is aware and watching to see. For those who are not watching it will be "business as usual right up until the hour when the Son of Man returns" (Luke 17:30).

"So keep a sharp lookout! Don't let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for His return!" (Mark 13:35-37).

A wise man once said: "How close are we? Christ could come at any moment--before I finish writing this page, or before you finish reading it. Does that thought bring joy or regret--perhaps even fear? The honest answer to that vital question reveals one's spiritual condition and the measure of one's love for Him." -- Dave Hunt (1926-2013)

(want to be sure you're ready? click here )

News:

• World News Now: North Korea fuels ballistic Musudan missile with a range of 2,175 miles putting U.S. bases within reach. U.S. and Seoul on emergency threat level WatchCon2, one step away from war.
• Yahoo News: 'Devastating' quake strikes near Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, kills 37 and injures 870
• U.S. News: Massive storms and giant tornadoes rip through Midwest leveling homes and causing power outages, 1 death and many injuries
• Bloomberg: Distrust of Federal Reserve and concern that U.S. dollars may become worthless, fuel push in more than a dozen states to recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender
• Drudge Report: ACLU accusing IRS of reading taxpayers personal emails without warrant
• Fox News Channel: Maryland to enforce "rain tax" on homeowners, charging them for rainwater runoff each time it rains; states finding ways to raise revenues through new taxes and fees

"Worldwide Threat Assessment"

Last month, the Senate Intelligence Committee held hearings on “Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States.” All the top dogs were there, including the directors of the CIA, FBI, and National Intelligence.

The assessment?

Move over terrorists— you've been supplanted by something bigger and even more terrifying—cyber-attacks.

That’s right; al-Qaida is old school. Times have changed and the biggest threat now facing the U.S. is technology. Technology that is evolving so fast, even the top security experts are unable to keep up.

James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, told the committee, “In some cases, the world is applying digital technologies faster than our ability to understand the security implications and mitigate potential threats.”

Clapper played down the likelihood of catastrophic attacks on the United States in the near term—but should we believe him? He just admitted they don’t have the ability to understand the risks, let alone stop them.

Other potential threats?

• ·         North Korea
• ·         Syria
• ·         Iran

While North Korea has always been belligerent, lately they've really been ratcheting up the rhetoric. Saying things like nukes “are our country’s life” and declaring on Saturday that it was entering a “state of war” with South Korea. The general consensus? There doesn't seem to be one. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday that North Korea's provocations are " a real and clear danger and threat" to U.S. interests and Washington is taking them seriously. Others believe it's just another game of saber rattling in exchange for aid. Even though this latest string of nasty outbursts is predictable, Kim Jong Un is not.

What about Syria?

The U.S. spy agencies assessed the Syrian situation as ‘eroding’. It seems the government of President Bashar al-Assad is hanging on by a thread. Assad’s forces have stopped insurgents from seizing cities such as Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs, but the agencies say insurgents have been gaining strength in rural areas.

Imagine how well they’d do if they had a little help?

And last, but not least, there’s Iran.

In spite of what you might have heard, and what Ahmadinejad has said, the intelligence community does not believe Iran’s leadership has decided to build a nuclear weapon.

Oh…well. As long as they haven’t actually decided…

And there you have it. Cyber-attacks lead the pack followed by North Korea, Syria, and Iran. Our top dogs know what the problems are. All they need now are some solutions.

A wise man once: "There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know...I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  John 14

News

• Drudge Report: North Korea dramatically escalated its warlike rhetoric on Thursday, warning of plans for nuclear strikes on U.S. targets
• BBC: U.S. to move missile defenses to Guam as North Korea steps up its warlike rhetoric
• Washington Free Beacon: Military build-up in China near allied, North Korean border appears linked to Korean peninsula crisis
• Breitbart.com: Russia on Wednesday said it was worried by the "explosive" North Korea situation, saying even a simple human error could cause crisis to spiral out of control.

"Bill O'Reilly Attacks War on Easter"

The PC police strike again.

First they took the 'Christ' out of Christmas and now they want to ban Easter.

Why? Because nothing outrages secular progressives like the idea of children being exposed to Christianity.

Last week, political commentator Bill O'Reilly said in his Talking Points memo, "The Judeo-Christian tradition is under attack" in certain American public school districts. These institutions are guilty of replacing the traditional Easter celebration with something a little more politically-correct: "Spring Events."

That's right, folks, Easter eggs are out. So's the Easter Bunny. And anything else containing the "E" word.

According to O'Reilly, this is about the secularization of the country. One more step in an ongoing attempt to dismantle the religious heritage of modern America. O'Reilly believes the ultimate goal of the secular progressives is to marginalize religion in all forms. "If the far left can marginalize Santa and the Easter Bunny, they can tell the children those symbols are obsolete and unnecessary and they set the stage for a totally secular society in the future."

O'Reilly's heart is in the right place even if his theology is off. He's worried about the de-Christianizing of the country.

And while most Christians realize Easter and its traditions have pagan roots and use the term "resurrection day" rather than "Easter", Bill O'Reilly's premise is correct: This move by secular progressives is yet another attempt to wipe Christianity out of the minds of our children.

A wise man once said: "Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity. If Jesus overcame the the grave, He's still alive and available for me to personally encounter. If Jesus conquered death, He can  open the door of eternal life for me, too. If He has divine power, He has the supernatural ability to guide and transform me as I follow Him. As my Creator who has my best interests at heart, He rightfully deserves my allegiance and worship." --Lee Strobel,  author of The Case for Easter

News:

• Huffington Post: A Florida Atlantic University student suspended for refusing to stomp on a piece of paper with the name "Jesus" written on it as part of classroom assignment.
• Drudge Report: Supreme Court debates ban on gay marriage; Gay activists: 'We've won--in the court of public opinion
• Debka File: Russia orders large-scale military exercise in Black Sea sending a hands-off warning on Syria from Moscow to the U.S. and NATO
• Associated Press: U.S. sends nuclear-capable B-2 bombers to South Korea in show of force amid threats from North Korea that include nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul
• Sky News: Cyprus's banks have opened their doors after the longest enforced bank holiday in Europe's history
• Daily Record: Rep. Leonard Lance, R-NJ, demands "a full explanation" from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on why the agency want to stockpile 2 billion rounds of ammunition
• MSN Money: More Americans than ever using food stamps, up 70% since 2008 despite so-called 'economic recovery'

"Is The Government Spying On You?"

Governments around the globe have always been nosy, and totalitarian regimes made spying on its citizens into an art form.

But here in America its different, right? Wrong! 9/11 was the ultimate game-changer. The fear of terrorism has led to a new era of trading privacy for security. Remember the outrage when it was discovered that President Bush was wiretapping suspected terrorists without a warrant?

Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Over the last decade, as the world went wireless, surveillance became virtually invisible. Only it isn't just suspected terrorists and criminals they're watching anymore.

It's us. That right, it's directed at all of us.

The ACLU, in its campaign to stop illegal spying, says, "Increasingly, the government is engaged in suspicion-less surveillance that vacuums up and tracks sensitive information about innocent people. The erosion of reasonable restrictions on government's power to collect people's personal information is putting privacy and free speech rights of all Americans at risk."

What is the government interested in?

• email
• phone calls
• tweets
• texts 
• Facebook
• Google
• and apparently our finances, too

According to Reuters: "The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country." This info came from a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters.

The above information gathered on all of us will then be:

• tracked
• analyzed
• archived
• and kept indefinitely

Is nothing sacred anymore? Even our idle web-surfing is tracked. Aaron Saenz of Singularity University writes, "Nokia, Sprint, Ericsson, Facebook, Google--think of a business that helps people talk and exchange information and you'll think of a company that has helped law enforcement agencies look through private data."

What's next? Micro-drones the size of a small bird. Think we're kidding? Think again.

Next time you see a cute little hummingbird peering in your bedroom window? 

Shut the blinds.

A wise man once said: "Gentlemen do not read each other's mail." --American statesman Henry L. Stimson

"For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men" --2 Corinthians 8:21

News:

• MSN: Iran's supreme leader warned the Islamic Republic would level the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel launched a military attack.
• NBC News: North Korea issues fresh threat to U.S. with new YouTube video. This time the U.S. Capitol is destroyed.
• Reuters: U.S. beefs-up missile defense against North Korean threat.
• CBC News: The Federal Reserve foresees unemployment remaining high into 2015.
• CNBC: Illinois passes new law requiring gold/silver buyers to register.

"Where's America in Bible Prophecy?"

Is it just us, or is this administration's strategy of lead-from-behind leaving something lacking?

Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? But that is how one Obama adviser described the President's "style": lead from behind. Unfortunately, the description seems made to order when you consider some of Washington's shocking passivity on some major issues.

Face it people, things are starting to pile up. Let's see...we've got Israel and Iran simmering on the back burner, for what--four years now? Syria is in absolute shambles and getting worse everyday. (How is it that Libya qualified as a humanitarian crisis but Syria does not?)  And please, don't even get us started on the federal budget. After four years, it took threats of "no budget-no pay" to actually get Congress working on one.

Procrastination is one thing, but this is something else. It's abdication. Somebody needs to tell Washington this lead-from-behind business isn't working. In fact, it seems some countries are beginning to think we're weak. For instance:

• North Korea threatened the United States with a preemptive nuclear strike last week in response to new sanctions. (Of course, no one believes they have the capacity to hit our mainland, but still, the nerve!)
• Hamas is warning President Obama not to visit the Temple Mount in his upcoming trip to Israel. If he dares, they will consider it a "declaration of war" against the Islamic world. Really?
• And just last month we had to scramble fighter jets after catching Russian nuclear bombers circling American airspace over Guam.

One of the most frequently asked questions in the Western church concerning Bible prophecy is: Where is America? You'd imagine the world's only superpower would have a least a few verses devoted to it, but it doesn't. Not even one. Why not? Nobody knows for sure, but on its current trajectory, it doesn't take a prophet to see the vultures are circling.

General Douglas MacArthur warned: "History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster."

How is it possible to lead from behind?

Ask Jesus who said:" I am the Good Shepherd. My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:11, 27-28).

A wise man once said: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" --John the Baptist

News:

• NBC News: Israeli farmers on "locust alert" after an estimated swarm of 30 million devastated Egyptian crops.
• Reuters: Venezuela will set up a formal inquiry into claims that President Hugo Chavez's cancer was the result of poisoning by his enemies abroad.
• Mail Online: Golfer swallowed by sinkhole in St. Louis.
• Fox News Channel: New Jersey woman arrested for making a "terrorist threat" after reading the Constitution while protesting the doubling of her property tax.
• World Net Daily: White smoke rises over Vatican, announcing the election of what "many believe to be the last pope in human history."

"Drone Strikes on American Soil?"

President Barack Obama has the authority to use an unmanned drone strike to kill U.S. citizens on American soil. No trial. No jury. No judge.

Don't believe it? Ask his Attorney General, Eric Holder. "The President could conceivably have no choice but to authorize the military to use such force if necessary to protect the homeland," Holder said. "It's legal and justified in an extraordinary circumstance," he added. (He later excluded "non-combatants" after embarrassing public scrutiny).

So far, only three U.S. citizens have been killed using drones, and they were all in Yemen and suspected terrorists. Our point is not that the government is going to start droning law-abiding citizens and we're not crying over dead terrorists. Our point is this: Why does this administration keep trying to sneak end-runs around the Constitution?

Some see the constantly-widening powers being claimed by the Executive branch as a threat to civil liberties. What happened to our constitutional due process rights?

A leaked Justice Department memo last month was an alarming wake-up call. It set out the legal framework under which the Executive branch can order the targeted killing of a U.S. citizen outside a battleground area.
Many experts agree the reasoning in this memo was so broad and so vague it virtually gave our government unchecked powers to kill.

According to the white paper (a white paper is an authoritative report or guide to help readers understand an issue): "The government has the authority to carry out targeted killings of U.S. citizens without presenting evidence to a judge before the fact or after, and indeed without even acknowledging to the courts or to the public that the authority has been exercised. Without saying so explicitly, the government claims the authority to kill American terrorism suspects in secret."

Eric Holder emphasized that it is unlikely that they would ever use this authority. "The U.S. government has not carried out drone strikes in the United States and has no intention of doing so," he said. "As a policy matter, moreover, we reject the use of military force where well-established law enforcement authorities in this country provide the best means for incapacitating a terrorist threat."

But...Holder reserved the right to use drones if deemed necessary.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY., blasted the White House policy as "more than frightening, it is an affront on the constitutional due process rights of all Americans."

We find this latest power grab the most disturbing of all. It's both secretive and suspicious, just like the NDDA Act which allows for the indefinite military detention, without trial, of American citizens. Of course, the President promised he would never actually use that law either.

So why have them? Maybe Obama wouldn't use them, but who knows what the next president might do--or the one after that.

If we, the people, don't safe-guard our constitutional rights while we still have them, they will erode and disappear before our very eyes.

A wise man once said: "...I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people, by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations." --James Madison

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you. He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun" (Psalm 37:5-6).

News:

• Fox News Channel: U.S. sends an additional 250 million dollars to Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood amid U.S. military cuts.
• NBC News: North Korea threat of nuclear attack against U.S. not easily dismissed.
• BBC: UN officials say "Syria is spiraling towards full-scale disaster with 1 million refugees and 90,000 dead.