Why Does the Inflation Monster Refuse to Leave His Cage?
The traditional definition of inflation originally meant an increase in the money supply. When a nation printed more money, it would automatically drive up the cost of goods and services. At one point during the American Civil War, the Northern army had overrun the city that printed the South’s confederate currency. During the time the South relocated its printing operation, inflation came to a halt.
For some strange reason the financial laws regarding inflation have been suspended in the US. Despite the fact that we have created more fiat money than any other time in our nation’s history, inflation remains very tame. In 2008, the nation’s banks had $301 billion on hand. Today, the cash pile of banks has reached $2.1 trillion. Over this same period of time, M2, the broadest measure of money supply, has gone from $7 trillion to $14 trillion.
The growing national debt should have also applied pressure on inflation. In the year 2000 the national debt was $5.6 trillion, in 2008 it had reached 10.5 trillion, and today it is $21.3 trillion. There once was a time when people would panic about reaching about every major monetary milestone. Lately, people have become so desensitized to the ballooning debt, the big numbers amass with little reaction.
The one area where it’s normally impossible to ignore inflation is minimum wage laws. More and more Santa Claus politicians have driven up costs with freebies, like a $15 minimum wage or universal basic income. Once the cycle of inflation gets going, it feeds on itself. The “fight for $15” becomes the “fight for $20.” Then it’s “fight for $30,” “fight for $40,” “fight for $50,” and so forth.
The massive increase in the money supply can be seen in the rankings of the very rich. In 1982, Forbes Magazine started its list of 400 wealthiest Americans. At the time, there were only 13 billionaires, and a net worth of $75 million was needed to be secured a spot on the list. Today, everyone on the list is a billionaire, and you have to be worth at least $3.0 billion to make the cutoff.
The richest person on the 1982 list was a ship maker, Daniel Keith Ludwig, who was only worth $2.0 billion. Sam Walton, the iconic founder of Wal-Mart, appeared with a net worth of $690 million (his family is now worth $118 billion). Legendary investor Warren Buffett was only at $250 million (currently worth $85 billion).
The current richest man is Jeff Bezos, and Forbes has recently estimated the Amazon founder has a net worth of $154 billion. A profound time of financial tranquility allows Bezos and thousands of other billionaires to sit peacefully on their wealth. If they all tried to spend their money at once, there would be a huge surge in inflation.
In 1980, the Hunt Brothers tried to control the silver market by buying up millions of ounces of the precious metal. At their peak, they controlled 150 million ounces of silver, which was only about 25% of global production. If Jeff Bezos wanted to control the silver market, he has the financial resources to buy the global silver production of the next 20 years.
Inflation is certainly no vanquished beast. It rages in many parts of the world. The nation of Venezuela currently has an annual inflation rate of 3,000,000 %. The countries of Turkey, Iran, Argentina, Libya, Egypt, and Angola all have an inflation rate above 20%.
I had already concluded about a decade ago that supernatural forces were protecting America from financial calamity. Because we seem to be the linchpin holding everything together, the U.S. needs to continue defying economic gravity.
The introduction of a trade war made the whole situation into a comedy. The Trump administration has a dispute with five major trading partners. Any one could trigger runaway inflation. Our luck remains freakishly positive.
The only explanation for why the economy has not collapsed is Bible Prophecy. God seems to be setting the world up for a major economic disaster that will allow the Antichrist to step in as a financial savior. Until the time is right, He will keep the inflation beast under lock. Because we are in such a profound state of financial peril, I think time is very short.
“And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name” (Revelation 13:16-17).
–Todd
U.S. Instrumental in Stage-Setting
Presidential election day 2016, in my thinking, seems to have been a switch somewhere in the supernatural realm that put Bible prophecy in fast forward.
This column has been devoted on many occasions to how economic exigencies are–in my view–tied to Jesus’ foretelling about a marked uptick in buying, selling, etc., at the time He next catastrophically intervenes in the affairs of man–this involving Matthew 24:36-42, Luke 17:26-30 and the Rapture of the Church. I am convicted that we are entering such a time as the Lord described in those passages–a time involving economic boom, not bust, as many economic gurus would have it.
One can sense the hand of God holding back, moving around, shifting and manipulating things on the national and international scenes–amidst the satanic rage that drives the world toward complete insanity. That is, one can sense it spiritually, if properly attuned to God’s Word, and where this generation stands in relationship to what that Word has to say about end-times things.
This ability to spiritually sense the lateness of the prophetic hour is not exclusive to those who write, teach, lecture, broadcast, and preach on biblical matters. How near we are as a generation to Christ’s return can be spiritually discerned by any born-again child of God who will study God’s Word diligently and prayerfully seek enlightenment by the Holy Spirit. God tells us in His Word: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16).
This Truth is all-encompassing. It includes understanding prophecy and how it applies to the Christian. I believe this biblical truth is particularly essential to comprehend by this present generation of believers. Sadly, very few are aware of the privilege of understanding the times they have. This is the fault of both individual Christians and their pastors and teachers who should be doing the job God has put us here to do.
With all that as preface, we now examine the matter of end-times Bible prophecy that we are looking squarely in the face.
Just as we are living at a time when economic uptick indicates we are in the “days of Noah, days of Lot” Jesus foretold, we are seeing God’s mighty hand move the end-times nations about for the final act of this great play that is called human history.
The United States of America, although not mentioned by name anywhere in Scripture, is nonetheless in the middle of God’s directing of human history’s final act.
Iran, ancient Persia, is, as most who have studied Bible prophecy know, a key player destined to join the coalition in attacking Israel as foretold by Ezekiel the prophet. We have watched for months, even years, as the nations of prophetic import have been aligning to Israel’s north. Iran has been the focal interest, not just of those who look at eschatology, but of the diplomats of the world who fear Iran’s nuclear development program.
At present it looks as if the prophetic lens is focusing on that end-times player. The following article excerpt on “Rapture Ready News” lets us see the focus.
The United States urged Britain on Sunday to ditch its support for a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and instead join forces with Washington to counter the global threat it says Tehran poses. Despite opposition from European allies, US President Trump in May pulled the United States out of a deal between world powers and Tehran under which international sanctions were lifted in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.
Another “Rapture Ready News” headline shows the reason for concern by the international community regarding Iran’s nuclear threat.
Iran test-fired a ballistic missile in a brazen display of defiance months after President Trump pulled the United States out of a landmark nuclear deal and days before his administration slapped new sanctions on the Islamic Republic, three U.S. officials with knowledge of the launch tell Fox News.
The relevance to the U.S. being used in the matter of the Lord’s directing the great, end-times play is that the coalition plainly doesn’t use nuclear weaponry in the Gog-Magog attack. This is described as a land invasion. An attacking force wouldn’t contaminate “spoils” they intend to take with nuclear radiation. Therefore, it is possible to discern that Iran’s (ancient Persia’s) nuclear capability will either be destroyed or prevented from being used in some other way in that future attack on Israel.
The current president of the United States seems central in seeing to it that Iran doesn’t use nuclear weaponry in that future assault.
Mr. Trump also is instrumental in dealing with another of the Gog-Magog coalition members–Turkey (Togarmah, as Ezekiel calls that part of the world).
Turkey has been an ally of the U.S. for many years. It is a member of NATO. But, lately, its newly elected president for life is threatening those relationships. He, at the same time, has become close friend to Russia’s equally dictatorial president, Vladimir Putin. We see the focus on this prophetic stage-setting in the following “Rapture Ready News” excerpt.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the US of trying to “bring Turkey to its knees through threats over a pastor”. The US has demanded the release of Andrew Brunson and on Friday doubled tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. The diplomatic spat sent the lira down 16% against the dollar on Friday. Mr. Erdogan also wrote in the New York Times that unless the US changed course, Turkey would look for new friends and allies.
America, we can see on a growing daily basis, is being used as an instrument to shape things to come at the end of this dispensation–the Age of Grace.
This president, like him or not, accept him or not, was inserted into this generation in a miraculous way in the view of yours truly. He, although probably unknowingly, continues to performed his assigned divine appointment, as does the United States of America.
–Terry
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