Sabtu, 06 Juni 2009

The Late Great U.S.A.

It is interesting that I stumbled on the commentary quoted below this morning. Just last night I was watching a fascinating speech given by prophecy expert Mark Hitchcock regarding "What happens to America in end times prophecy?"

This is a very common question. Why is America asked about so frequently in the context of prophecy? The answer is obvious. America has been the world's superpower during our generation, yet biblical prophecy doesn't mention America. There are a couple of vague references in biblical prophecy that could serve as indirect references to America (personally, I don't believe these vague references do reference America), but if so, these references would only serve as mentioning that America exists but nothing regarding the fate of America.

Additionally, in our prophetic scriptures, we see many scriptures referencing the world powers who are in "in play" during the Tribulation: Israel, Russia, the Kings of the East, the Kings of the South, the ever-expanding EU into world dominance, terrorists states surrounding Israel, etc., etc., but no reference to America. Why not?

It seems obvious that America will lose its superpower status during or before the Tribulation.

There are many theories on how this will occur. We can consolidate these theories into three main categories:

1. The U.S. is considered (biblically) as part of the EU expansion. America can be viewed as an extension of Europe now, as America was founded and populated primarily by Europeans. Therefore, biblically, America would be considered as part of the EU (aka revived Roman Empire), and will ultimately and formally, be swallowed up by the EU expansion.

2. The U.S. will be severely damaged by terrorism, perhaps by nuclear terrorism, or electromagnetic pulse weapons which would take significant parts of America "off the grid", without power, lasting for years, or perhaps some other act of terrorism which hasn't been considered yet.

3. The U.S. will be dramatically affected by the Rapture of the Church, under the theory that America would be disproportionately affected by the Rapture, particularly the military, as statistical data indicates that the % of Christians in America vastly exceeds the % of Christians in other countries, particularly our enemies.

A combination of the above factors could also occur, leading to America being a non-factor during the Tribulation.

Below, is a commentary written by Thomas Ice, and can be found on RaptureAlert. This commentary expounds on the "New World Order", which is rapidly evolving and rapidly leading to America's decline as a world power. Additionally, we know from biblical prophecy that during the Tribulation, there will be a world economic system and government, as led by the anti-christ and false prophet:




The Late Great U.S.A.

By Dr. Thomas Ice

"My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?" ~ Proverbs 24:21–22

Former Clinton advisor and commentator Dick Morris announced:

"On April 2, 2009, the work of July 4, 1776 was nullified at the meeting of the G-20 in London."[1]
That is an amazing statement and a tragedy if true. One of my best friends in the ministry, with whom I have co-authored two books, Mark Hitchcock wrote a book, which was finished before last November's election, entitled The Late Great United States.[2] There are two other books listed on amazon.com with similar titles. Why are many concerned that our great country is on the verge of extinction?

Change

It is said after the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that a lady asked Dr. Ben Franklin the following: "Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy?" "A republic" replied the Doctor..."if you can keep it."[3] Well, apparently a growing number of Americans think that we have lost it after about 220 years. Some are suggesting that it was lost via suicide. What have we received in return for our once great republic? We are now part of an international oligarchy run by a bunch of global elites. How did this happen and when did this change take place?

Like many things that bring change, it has not taken place overnight. America has been gradually moving toward socialism for the last hundred years, but I do not want to trace that history in this article. I want to focus on recent events that are producing so much change since the election of Barack Obama as president of these United States.

Dick Morris notes that Obama at the recent meeting of the G-20 in London has agreed to enter the United States into an economical arrangement that will regulate our economy in terms of the international interests of this European dominated oligarchy at the expense of American interests. The agreement by which Obama has obligated the United States is called the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which is "a body of central bankers from each of the G-20 states and the European Union."[4] The head of the FSB is Mario Draghi, Italy's central bank president. In a speech on February 21, 2009, he gave us clues to his thinking. He noted that "the progress we have made in revising the global regulatory framework . . . would have been unthinkable just months ago."[5]

"Obama, perhaps feeling guilty for the US role in triggering the international crisis, has, indeed, given away the store," notes Morris. "Now we may no longer look to presidential appointees, confirmed by the Senate, to make policy for our economy. These decisions will be made internationally."[6]

So what does this mean specifically for the American economy? Morris said to Greta Van Susteren on Fox News the following:

Literally from April 2nd of this year-that is, today-it's a whole new world of financial regulation in which, essentially, all of the U.S. regulatory bodies and all U.S. companies are put under international regulation, international supervision. It really amounts to a global economic government.

. . . Just when Obama is accused of socialism, he's essentially creating world economic governance. This means that the FSB, . . . will make the decisions on what standards our own SEC and Federal Reserve board should apply to all firms in the United States of any significant size about executive compensation, market activities, and a whole range of issues that used to be under free enterprise reserved for private decision making.[7]
A New World Order

In 1989 President George H. Bush spoke of a new world order in one of his speeches. However, it produced a flurry of criticism and he stopped using the term in public. Many have known for a long time that the phrase "new world order" is essentially a code word for global socialism. The last couple of years, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown can hardly give a speech without making reference to the new world order. During a speech he recently gave in conjunction with the G-20 summit in London, sounding like a twenty-first century Neville Chamberlain, Brown said the following about the new world order:
"This is Collective action, people working together at their best . . . I think the New World Order is emerging, and with it the foundations of a new and progressive era of international cooperation...From today we will together manage the process of globalization...To secure responsibility from all and fairness to all."[8]
In January 2009, Henry Kissinger made a remark about the new world order during an interview with CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" hosts Mark Haines and Erin Burnett at the New York Stock Exchange. When Burnett asked him what international conflict would define the Obama administration's foreign policy, Kissinger said the following:
"The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously," Kissinger responded. "You have India, Pakistan; you have the jihadist movement. So he can't really say there is one problem, that it's the most important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It's a great opportunity, it isn't just a crisis."[9]
No one can doubt that President Obama is currently taking advantage of the crisis. After all, Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both noted that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

Further the Chinese and Russians have called for a new global currency that would replace the dollar and would not represent any specific country. They want the new global currency to be issued by the World Bank, which is something that seemed impossible this time last year but now could be a very real possibility in the near future.

The European Union

Dick Morris not only emphasizes that the United States is now locked into the matrix of a global economic oligarchy but it is one that will be primarily under the control of the European Union.
"You know, I've had a long experience in dealing with the European Union, and this is how they operate," explains Morris. "And in the meantime, they slip this in under the radar, which is absolutely creating an international economic union."[10]

Then Morris concluded with amazement, "This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don't look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels."[11]

Thus, from a prophetic view, the Bible teaches that the tribulation will be a time in which there will be not only a global government during the last half of the seven-year tribulation, but that governance will emanate from the Revived Roman Empire. This means a Euro-centric power base is what we can expect and that is exactly what is developing. Morris concludes his article with the following comment:
"The Europeans have been trying to get their hands on our financial system for decades. It is essential to them that they rein in American free enterprise so that their socialist heaven will not be polluted by vices such as the profit motive. Now, with President Obama's approval, they have done it."[12]
Conclusion

Where are all of these explosive trends heading? As Bible prophecy predicts, there will be a one world government during the seven-year tribulation, headed by a person we know as the Antichrist. Since the Antichrist will arise out of the Revived Roman Empire, which the European Union appears to be setting the stage for just such an entity, we should not be surprised to see things trending in that direction even before the rapture.

Previously, the United States was often the one standing in the way of a global economy and government. We are not yet there, but who can doubt that since the beginning of the Obama presidency that we are indeed seeing change and moving into harmony with the one world government crowd. In the past the United States stood in the way and acted in her national interest, as I believe we should still do, but now we are the last domino to fall and nothing of significance appears to stand in the way of globalism. Only the future return of Christ after the tribulation will really bring change for Christians.

I have noticed on the internet that certain Bible prophecy ministries are noting the very things that I have just outlined and often call these things a "fulfillment" of Bible prophecy. Such language is an overstatement and an incorrect conclusion drawn from the signs of our times. Instead, it is best to see these events as preparation for fulfillment, which will take place during the tribulation that we are currently not yet in. We are seeing the stage being set for future events. Such stage-setting certainly is moving our pre-rapture world toward the one world government and economy that is predicted by Bible prophecy for this future time.

There are so many events taking place each day one can hardly keep up with them. Nevertheless, we are to always be looking up for Him. Maranatha!

Endnotes
[1] Dick Morris, "The Declaration of Independence has been Repealed" (DickMorris.com, April 6, 2009).
[2] Mark Hitchcock, The Late Great United States: What Bible Prophecy Reveals about America's Last Days (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 2009).
[3] Cited at Bartleby.com, number 1593.
[4] Morris, "The Declaration . . ."
[5] Morris, "The Declaration . . ."
[6] Morris, "The Declaration . . ."
[7] Dick Morris, "Obama a 'Disaster' at the G20 Summit," on Greta Van Susteren, "On the Record" (FoxNews.com: April 3, 2009).
[8] David Hinz, "Gordon Brown Declares New World Order is Emerging" (www.theminorityreportblog.com, April 2, 2009).
[9] Drew Zahn, "Kissinger: Obama primed to create 'New World Order'" (www.worldnetdaily.com: January 6, 2009).
[10] Morris, "Obama a 'Disaster'"
[11] Morris, "Obama a 'Disaster'"
[12] Morris, "The Declaration . . ."

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar