Friday, October 7, 2011
Students of the Bible should understand today's economic news

Unemployment in America remains at 9.1%. There is no indication that the economy is improving. Bloomberg quotes Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics, saying, "Much of the weakness in hiring can be blamed on uncertainty." These type of assessments sound accurate, but in reality are misstatements. The business atmosphere is not good. The government has engulfed the economy with its historic debt. There is no uncertainty about it. The economy both in the US and worldwide is headed for a major calamity, save a miracle. This is very predictable. American families would be wise to read their Bibles that they might find the secrets of survival in this new world order.

Many denominations downplay Biblical prophecy. They just don't understand it, do not believe prophecy relates to the modern post-Christian world in which we are living. By many accounts, the Bible is entirely prophetic as well as historic and poetic. There is prophecy fulfilled, and prophecy yet to be fulfilled. The Bible consists of the Law and the Prophets. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, 18, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Prophecy, therefore, is embodied in the Holy Scriptures, and Jesus shall fulfill all.

When the Governor of the Bank of England, for example, is saying that the world is facing "the most serious financial crisis we've seen," Christians with a clear understanding of the Bible should not panic. The birth pangs of prophecy have stepped closer to fulfillment. In the prophetic book "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" there is a scene in heaven described by the Apostle John where the third seal is opened, releasing the third of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The rider on this black horse "had a pair of balances in his hand." Revelation 6:6 says, "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny..."

A type of this prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, like layers of an onion leading to it's core. It appears that the world is being prepared for the crisis created by the end time prophecies. Financial calamity, as the third horse of the Apocalypse depicts, is on the horizon worldwide. No matter what the reason--poor leadership, poor decision-making, evil intent, whatever--the birth pang of financial calamity is upon us. We also know more is to come. The Bible warns us. It would be wise to make preparations that we are not caught unawares. Proverbs 22:5 says, "Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them." Tend to your soul. Receive the protection of the Lord.