Going Cashless

There is a global movement to ban the usage of paper currency. The war on cash has been waged by the mainstream media, government leaders and banking institutions. We’ve all heard propaganda that says cash is dirtied by drug dealing, terrorism, money laundering, and tax evasion.

A few days ago, Norway’s largest bank, DNB, jumped aboard the cashless society bandwagon by calling for a total end to cash. Norway has already been moved in that direction. Research polls show that only about 6 percent of Norwegians use cash on a daily basis. Several banks in Norway no longer offer cash in their branch offices.

DNB must be working for Big Brother because it cited the lack of government control as a key reason why we need to go cashless. According to the DNB bank’s executive Trond Bentestuen:

“Today, there is approximately 50 billion kroner in circulation and [the country’s central bank] Norges Bank can only account for 40 percent of its use. That means that 60 percent of money usage is outside of any control. We believe that is due to under-the-table money and laundering.”

It wasn’t long ago that the average man on the street would be upset by the news that the government had the power to track the financial transaction of all its citizens. Today, people are all too willing to give up their personal freedoms to please the government. After the Homeland Security Act allowed federal agents to snoop into our bank accounts, the stage was set for the monitoring of all financial transactions.

It is increasingly argued that high denomination notes make it easier for criminals to smuggle and hide large sums of cash. Rob Wainwright, director of Europol at a London on terrorism, said the 500-euro note, the $100 U.S. note, Switzerland’s 1,000-franc note and Britain’s 50-pound note should be eliminated to make it harder for evil doers to transfer funds.

I think the worry over large bills is a bunch of nonsense. There was a time when American banks had available $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 notes. When the $10,000 note circulated, it was worth twice the annual income of most Americans. There was no talk of it being too convenient for criminals. The concern over the higher denominations is so silly, it’s clear that some other agenda is at work.

The greatest factor that is driving the world toward a cashless monetary system is the massive debt that nations have accumulated. Fiat money is based on the endless expansion of debt. Unfortunately, there is a point where the numbers become so large they can no longer be managed. Just printing currency becomes a major problem.

The printing of money becomes very difficult when the numbers reach into the billions and trillions. Venezuela’s currency, the Bolivar, is rapidly dropping in value. To keep up with hyperinflation, President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the printing of five billion bank notes. Because the money was printed outside the country, it had to be flown in on three-dozen 747 cargo planes.

The total currency (actual cash in the form of bills and coins) in the U.S. financial system is a little over $1.36 trillion. In order for the U.S. to print $1 trillion in $100 notes, it would take 100 semi-trailers to move this amount of currency.

The U.S. debt reached the point where it doubles with each presidency. When George W. Bush entered the White House in 2001, our debt stood at $5 trillion. When President Bush left office in January of 2009, it had increased to $10 trillion. By the time Barack Obama leaves office, the Federal debt will be at $20 trillion.

If we go from $20 to $40 trillion, there wouldn’t be enough cotton in Georgia to produce the banknotes needed to manage the increase in the money supply. Since we don’t want to tempt those drug dealers and terrorists by adding zeros to our bank notes; a cashless system seems to be inevitable in the future.

Anyone who is a student of Bible prophecy should recognize that the cashless system we are moving toward is the long predicted mark of the beast. The Antichrist 666 identification is a fearful thing because all who freely take the mark will be condemned to hell, and all who reject it will be locked out of the banking system. It is my hope that the readers of this article have their trust in Jesus and are ready to escape this corrupt financial system.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Rev.13:16-17).

–Todd

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Tribulation Light

Regarding the title above, I don’t mean to imply light being shed on the Tribulation–although that is part of what I hope will be done. By using the term “Tribulation light,” I mean we are now seeing issues and events occur in this Age of Grace much like, but not actually those prophetically scheduled for, the seven years of worldwide horror leading up to Christ’s Second Advent–i.e., those issues and events are but similar to those much more horrific, apocalyptic events; foreshadows of things to come.

There are several specific prophecies expounded upon by Jesus while giving His Olivet Discourse that I would like to examine as being “Tribulation light” events in our headlines today.

The Lord gave these as recorded in the following prophecy:

Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21: 20-21)

I would like to probe a bit into the less-prominent “Tribulation light” prophetic indicators within the above Scripture before getting into that which I view as most pronounced in these days so near the end of the Church Age.

Jesus was foretelling that these troubles will be unprecedented in their ferocity during the Tribulation era when God’s wrath will fall upon incorrigibly wicked mankind. He exhorted that when those with discernment see these things begin to happen, they are to know that His return is drawing near. Note, the Lord said when these things “begin” to come to pass, those with discernment are to “look up…for your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

Jesus said as recorded in other places that these issues and events will be like birth pangs. They will come upon end-time’s mankind like pains a woman experiences during the incrementally increasing contractions of having a baby. That is, these pains will begin in a milder manner than they will become the nearer the moment of birth.

Earthquakes, Jesus said, will mark the beginning of “sorrows” (birth pangs). Again, these, obviously, staying within the birthing analogy, will be lighter in severity than they will become during the full-blown Tribulation when Christ’s return is about to happen. We are told in Revelation that there will occur the ultimate earthquake as Christ is breaking through the black clouds of that terrible time. Every mountain will fall. That describes a mighty earthquake indeed!

Anyone who reads the news as presented in our Rapture Ready News section knows of the reports of tremblers from around the world. There seems no geographical region of the planet that isn’t experiencing seismic activity on an increasing scale. All of these quakes are light in severity when compared to the Revelation description of the final quake that will bring every tall structure on earth crashing down. However, the cumulative effects have prophetic evidentiary significance, it becomes ever more obvious.

Just within the past days, we have the following posts:

• 5.7-magnitude earthquake felt in New Zealand capital
  New Zealand’s capital city Wellington was rocked by 5.7-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday (Feb 9), according to the country’s earthquake monitoring service.
• Massive earthquake hits near Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville
  A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit near the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville early on Tuesday morning. The undersea quake struck at 3.19am local time…
• Taiwan Quake Kills at Least 18 as Search for Missing Continues
  A strong earthquake rocked a region of Taiwan that’s a hub for chipmaking suppliers to the likes of Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc., killing at least 18 people
• 5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Nepal, Tremors Felt In Bihar
• Earthquake shakes Tokyo, no tsunami risk
  An earthquake has struck close to Tokyo, shaking much of the metropolitan region. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami
• Chile earthquake: Strong tremor strikes near Tongoy and La Serena
  A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has struck off the coast of central Chile, centered off Tongoy and La Serena, seismologists say.
• Strong earthquake hits Solomon Islands
  A magnitude 6.4 earthquakes hit the Solomon Islands at 12.19am today, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

Such reports continue in a never-ending cyberspace headlines crawl. The tremors are coming with increasing frequency and intensity.

The second “Tribulation light” indicator I pluck from the Luke 21:20-21 Olivet prophecy Jesus gave is the matter of “pestilence.”

To be brief, I bring to your attention the things we have seen develop most recently in this regard. Remember the Ebola scare of a few months ago. Think of the HIV natter that was on the front pages and growing, seemingly, uncontrollably. And now it is the Zika virus that is apparently spread by mosquitoes and which has no medical defense to combat it. There is growing concern among the medical research community that many of the pestilences are in the process of mutating–developing resistance to antibiotics and other forms of combating disease.

The Tribulation era will see these diseases become full-blown. The toll in human life will be beyond comprehension.

All of these above-mentioned developments are but sidebars to the real story regarding signals that show how near this generation is to the Tribulation era.

“Nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom”: This is the real scriptural crux of proof in thinking on where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline.

“Nation” in the Greek language, as used here, is “ethnos” or “ethnic” in English. Jesus was predicting that the very end of the age would produce great ethnic upheaval. People will be raging against each other for reasons of race. Likewise, the Lord said that “kingdom against kingdom” will mark the era leading up to His Second Advent.

Is there any doubt whatsoever that these indicators are in our headlines today? In the very streets of America, there is ethnic rage that sometimes boils to the uncontrollable level. The rioting in places like Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, leap instantly to mind. Such rage is at the heart of problems around the world. Religious fervor, inciting ethnic hatreds, mark this generation as the one Jesus must have had in His omniscient mind when giving this prophecy.

We are experiencing today “Tribulation light” prophetic birth pangs on a moment-by-moment basis. It will be fascinating, as watchers on the wall, to see what 2016 will bring. We, as born-again believers, hope it brings the shout of the Lord Jesus: “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1)

–Terry

The Bigger One Is Coming

There has been a growing interest in earthquake activity on social media. I’ve run across several sites that speculate about where and when the next big earthquake will take place. Since a lot of people think quakes are triggered by each other, the recent earthquake in Alaska and Mexico have caused the focus of prognosticators to shift to the western coast of America.

The “Big One” has long been seen as a future earthquake of a magnitude of 8.0 or greater. Scientists have predicted this seismic event will happen along the massive San Andreas Fault. Over the years, countless movies have been made that show the city of Los Angeles being leveled by this looming disaster.

However, the eruption of the San Andreas Fault may not live up to its anticipated blow-out reputation. The fault, at its closest point is 35 miles north of Los Angeles. Since the San Andrea runs through dryer and less populated areas of California, secondary faults like the Puente Hills Fault or the San Jacinto may be a greater risk to southern segments of the state.

Another limiting factor for a great calamity in L.A. is the California building code. Because the city is prone to large quakes, most structures are designed to withstand a major seismic event. If a magnitude 5.0 trembler should strike the Hollywood area, it would be a one day news story. If a quake of the same strength were to strike the eastern coast of America, all kinds of damage would take place.

It is not easy to exactly determine America’s most dangerous fault zone. The New Madrid fault is capable of shaking vast areas of the southern Mississippi valley. Because the bedrock of this fault is hidden beneath 100 – 200 foot thick layers of soft river deposited soils, we have no way to directly measure it.

The fault with the greatest threat to life is probably the Cascadia subduction zone. This fault is located about seventy miles off the Pacific Northwest Coast. It stretches seven hundred miles from California to Vancouver in Canada.

When the Cascadia Fault erupts, a mega-tsunami will sweep across the Pacific Ocean. We know from history that a tsunami event is the most deadly result of an earthquake. Very few people died from the shaking produced by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Indonesia in 2004, however, the waves generated by that quake killed 240,000 people.

A 9.0 earthquake on the Cascadia Fault would strike the Pacific Northwest coast with waves as high as 50 feet. Residents of many communities would have less than 20 minutes to find higher ground. Since we never had a major tsunami in North America, few people would know how to react if one struck.

A Cascadia earthquake would easily be the worst natural disaster in American history. FEMA projects that nearly 13,000 people will die. Another 27,000 will be injured, and the agency expects that it will need to provide shelter for a million displaced people.

The City of Seattle would be hit hard by the quake. It has the misfortune of being on soft soil and located on a shallow shoreline. Seattle area buildings that were not damaged by the seismic shaking would be at risk from the tsunami waves.

A key reason why the Cascadia Fault Zone comes to mind is because an earthquake on this fault is long overdue. Last month marked the 316-year anniversary of one of the greatest earthquakes on record along the Pacific Coast; the estimated 9.2 “Cascadia” quake that struck on January 26, 1700. Since a quake occurs on this fault once every 240 years, we are now 76 years past the average.

I have noticed that several fault zones around the world are strangely long overdue in producing a major earthquake. The San Francisco bay area; the U.S. Pacific Coast and southern segments of the state; Tokyo, Japan; Jakarta, Indonesia; the holy city of Jerusalem are all on borrowed time. I can only guess that God is storing up wrath for the Tribulation hour. It is my hope that believers living in the Pacific Northwest will soon be transported to a higher ground that no tsunami can reach.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:8-11, 25-28).

–Todd

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God Bless America Again

A country song from way back in the 1960s and 1970s, during the Vietnam War era, plays through my mind these days. The chorus goes as follows:

God bless America again. You must know the trouble that she’s in. Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes and then,… God bless America again.

The war was raging while Walter Cronkite read the mainstream view of the news to us at dinnertime. Film of bloodied American GIs and corpses of black-pajamaed Vietcong projected from our TV screens while we downed our evening meals.

B-52s dropped hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives, carpet-bombing an unseen enemy many thousands of feet below. Rolling Thunder, as it was called, churned up killing fields of earth mixed with flesh and blood night after night–day after day.

More than fifty thousand American soldiers and airmen went through the horrific, grinding process of becoming casualties of war their country’s leaders, it turned out, never intended to bring to total victory–giving their last measure of devotion for America the beautiful. At the same time, the ugliness of political warfare was being uncovered and displayed in a news media orgy of, in my view, pro-Communist gleefulness.

A U.S. president of the United States was turned out of office in disgrace–and, rightfully so. Watergate became forever an ingrained term within the American-English lexicon.

Would America ever recover? Would the curse that had descended since the time of Korea, with America’s young men and women dying in a “police action” purposely fought to stalemate rather than to complete victory, ever lift from our nation?

There have been moments of seemingly possible national egress from the plunge into the abyss of political corrosiveness. It looked like the nation might pull away from the cultural rot begun in earnest during the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the legitimization of murdering babies in their mother’s wombs.

The Moral Majority appeared for a brief, shining, moment to be making headway in engendering movement toward moral sanity. Somehow, however, a national, cultural darkness began descending following the Reagan years. An almost tangible veil separating America’s formerly flawed but Judeo- Christian-governed morality from a new immoral malignity fell with the Clinton years, the White House intern’s stained, blue dress and all the rest.

Jeremiah Wright, Barack Hussein Obama’s black-liberation theology ”pastor,” from his Chicago pulpit, spewed a venomous rant that America’s chickens had come home to roost and implied that the Lord of Heaven should damn America–using God’s name in vain with the invective. Wright was, I infer, talking about the Islamist attacks on the Trade Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

As much as I detest “Reverend” Wright’s hate speech against the United States, I must admit that indeed, America’s chickens appeared to have come home to roost, suffering on that September 11, 2001, Tuesday at least some degree of God’s judgment. In my view, the past seven-plus years of Wright’s best-known parishioner’s time in the Oval Office has brought an intensification of that judgment.

The year 2016, I sense strongly, is going to be a truly pivotal year for this nation and the world. It is proper, I believe, to wonder whether God’s judgment is now on track to preclude that of the corrective sort, such as in the past. I’m thinking of times like the Great Depression of the 1930s, following the debauched era of the Roaring Twenties, as it was called.

Is God’s judgment now entering a destructive rather than another corrective phase? Is it entering a time such as when Sodom and Gomorrah came to their end–i.e., is it possible that God will ever bless America again?

Like that country song tells throughout its lyrics, I, too, love America and don’t want to ever let it fall because of my not doing my part in helping keep it upright in every sense.

All of this said, spiritually enlightened Bible students know that neither the leaders of this nation nor of any other will rectify the rapidly mounting problems. Only Jesus Christ will solve the otherwise unsolvable, sinister evil that is at humanity’s core.

There are, within the community of Bible prophecy observers, those who wonder whether America is the most likely candidate for being the Babylon of the eighteenth chapter of Revelation–according to the Bible, the country that will be the most materially accomplished of all nations of earth’s history. I am one of those who ponder this possibility more seriously with each passing news headline involving America’s president and State Department dealing with Israel.

God, it is abundantly clear, has through His dealing with America more than lived up to His promise to bless those who bless the progeny that would come from Abraham through Isaac. America, acting as midwife in the rebirth of the Jewish state into modernity in 1948, has been the recipient of bountiful material blessings beyond measure. God has truly blessed America.

Conversely, God has promised to curse those who curse His chosen nation, Israel. The cultural war is observably causing the loss of America’s former striving to promote Judeo-Christian values the Founding Fathers infused into the Constitution. Just as troubling is the obvious disdain this president and those around him have for Israel, even choosing to champion Israel’s enemies at every diplomatic opportunity, it seems to me.

Such continued folly will not perhaps, but will certainly, bring national disaster the likes of which our previously blessed nation has never experienced. If indeed forgiveness of our national sins is possible, given the lateness of the prophetic hour, let us who name the matchless name that is above every name implore God to bless America again. This must be done, however, not with vain repetition in the idle words “God bless America” often used by presidents and politicians when ending their meaningless speeches.

There is but one heavenly Rx for obtaining an answer to such a prayer:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

God does not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That call to repentance to His people is still in effect–and it is for Church Age saints, just as it was for His chosen people of ancient Israel. But, time is swiftly fleeting.

“We will make America great again!” is a current presidential politics proclamation. No, “we” won’t. We have proven, through our actions and lack thereof, that as a people, we want to take America in the other direction. “We” didn’t make America great in the first place, and we certainly can’t make it great in the future.

“God bless America again,” when offered in genuine spiritual, obedient humility–not in politically-prideful demand–before the throne of Almighty God, is the only petition that has a prayer of a chance to save our nation.

–Terry