GOD RAISES UP THOSE IN AUTHORITY

There is no doubt that God is in control of history. Nothing happens in the Cosmos He created that He does not initiate or allow. However, often God allows people to elect the leader they want so they get what they deserve. Gay marriage, destruction of the family, etc.

By a slim majority, the Republicans have elected Mike Johnson, a devout Christian as House speaker, and in his opening speech, he spoke strongly about His belief that God is in control of history.

A devout Baptist, Johnson said that he does not “believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this,” saying that “the Bible is very clear that God is the One that raises up those in authority.”

“He raised up each of you, all of us,” Johnson said to his Republican and Democrat colleagues. “I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time.”

“This is my belief. I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great country and they deserve it.”

Johnson said God called Congress to help “ensure that our Republic remains standing as the great beacon of light and hope and freedom in a world that desperately needs it.”

Johnson spoke about the national motto “In God We Trust” and how the words were placed in the House chamber as a conscious rejection of communism during the Cold War.

He stressed the value of the Declaration of Independence and its statement that “all men are created equal” by God, quoting Christian writer and apologist G.K. Chesterton, who once said that “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.”

Johnson said that while he believes that right now is “a very dangerous time” and “the world is in turmoil,” he declared that “a strong America is good for the entire world.” “We are the beacon of freedom, and we must preserve this grand experiment in self-governance,” he said. “We’re only 247 years into this grand experiment; we don’t know how long it will last.” “We are in a time of extraordinary crisis right now, and the world needs us to be strong; they need us to remember our creed and our admonition.”

Johnson touched on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, vowing that “the first bill that I’m going to bring to this floor in just a little while, will be in support of our dear friend, Israel.” “We’re going to show not only Israel but the entire world that the barbarism of Hamas that we have all seen play out in our television screens is wretched and wrong,” he said. “We are going to stand for the good in that conflict.”

He also spoke of the dangers presented by the wave of illegal immigration and the ongoing fentanyl crisis, declaring that “we must come together and address the broken border.”

Johnson acknowledged that Americans “live in a time of bitter partisanship” and “it has been on display here today” in the House of Representatives. “When our people are losing their faith in government when they are losing sight of the principles that made us the greatest nation in the history of the world, I think we’ve got to be mindful of that,” Johnson said.

“We’re going to fight; we’re going to fight vigorously over our core principles because they are at odds a lot of times now in this modern era. We have to sacrifice, sometimes our preferences, because that’s what’s necessary in a legislative body.”

Johnson noted that while “we will defend our core principles to the end,” noting that he considered the “core principles of American conservatism” to actually be “the core principles of our nation.”

“I boil them down to individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity,” Johnson listed.

“Those are the foundations that made us the extraordinary nation that we are, and you and I today are the stewards of those principles.”

Knowing what the Bible has prophesied about the days we are living in, I doubt Mike Johnson will be able to change the trajectory of the USA as it continues to cast God out of all aspects of its life. Nevertheless, in His opening speech, he challenged the government’s representatives about the consequences of their decisions before God.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR PLANET EARTH ON GOD’S AGENDA?

We already know how the next few years will play out. Why? Because the Bible, God’s Word is largely a book of prophecy. There are more than 1,000 Bible prophecies about Jesus’ second coming to Earth so I am sure God wants to prepare us for this event. Sadly, the religious leaders of the time of Jesus first coming to Earth misread it totally, not because of what the Scriptures said but because they wanted a Saviour from their Roman oppressors. They did not want the suffering servant depicted in Isaiah 53. What about the religious leaders of our day? Well, the Bible tells us that there will be a great falling away from true faith in the last days (apostasy) before Jesus returns. We see that already happening as many of the denominational/institutional churches have accepted gay marriage, and homosexual pastors/leaders. Look what Jesus told us would happen in the end times:

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.Matthew 24:9-12

Are you taking these words of Jesus seriously? You should, because the re-establishment of the nation of Israel 75 years ago was the first major end-times prophecy fulfilled. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus’ second coming to Earth is to rescue the nation of Israel at the battle of Armageddon when all the armies of many nations come against Israel. Israel did not exist as a nation prior to 1948 so all the end times prophecies which are Israel and Middle East-centered made no earthly sense. Its rebirth was miraculous and God has sustained it miraculously ever since despite Satan’s desperate efforts to destroy it.

The good news is that what’s next for this planet is Jesus’ Millennial reign on this earth for one thousand years, The earth will then have had six thousand years of man’s rule under Satan’s dominion. It is still to have 1,000 years with Jesus ruling the nations with the glorified Saints so that the covenants God made with Abraham, David, and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) can be fulfilled. Israel will finally be the leading nation in the world with its Messiah ruling from a magnificent new Jerusalem.

During Jesus’ Millennial reign, Satan is bound in the Abyss but God allows him to come out at the end of the thousand years and he is still able to gather an army whose number is like the sand of the sea. I often wondered why during Jesus’ Millennial reign, He and the Saints have to rule the nations with a “rod of iron” until I read the following Scripture.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.Revelation 20:7-10

WHY YOU SHOULD BELIEVE AND TRUST JESUS CHRIST

This is the prayer Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father knowing He would be tortured and crucified the following day.

I would urge you to carefully read what it says and means considering the following: 1. In the context of Jesus’ life on Earth as recorded by His disciples, 2. His disciples all gave up their lives rather than deny the truth of Jesus Christ and His Word. 3. Jesus changed the world dramatically, B.C. and A.D., as many nations accepted the Judaeo Christian worldview, 4. The fact that there are over 300 prophecies by Old Testament prophets of Jesus’ first coming to Earth that were fulfilled to the letter. 5. There are more than 1,000 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming to Earth and I would suggest that they will be fulfilled exactly as the prophecies of Jesus’ first coming were fulfilled. Many have already been fulfilled, particularly one major one – the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. Biblical prophecies tell us that Jesus will return with the glorified Saints to rescue the nation of Israel at the prophesied battle of Armageddon. Prior to 1948 Israel as a nation did not exist. In the second century AD, the Romans crushed the revolt of Shimon Bar Kokhba (132 AD) during which Jerusalem and Judea were regained and the land of Judea was renamed Palaestina in an attempt to minimize Jewish identification with the land.

JESUS HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER

Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17:1-26

You have to be blinded by the evil one if you cannot see the truth of these wonderful words. The truth about the one who spoke them and the truth of our Heavenly Father to whom Jesus spoke this prayer. What a wonderful God we have. How awesome it is that He loves us to the extent that He does.

WHAT A LEADING U.S.A. FINANCIAL ANALYST IS SAYING ABOUT THE FUTURE

The following economic information on the US is taken from an article by Simon Black, Founder of Sovereign Man. His recommendations are radicalit makes sense to consider having another place to go for you and your family to be safe.

The US national debt is now $33.6 trillion… and it has increased more than HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS just so far this MONTH. Astonishing. And it’s a pretty safe bet that the US government will continue its wild spending spree.

In the last fiscal year which just ended a few weeks ago, a whopping 83% of US tax revenue was spent JUST on Social Security/Medicare, the military, and interest on the national debt. And spending on those three programs is probably not going down.

Does anyone honestly think that a majority of politicians in Congress will slash defense spending at a time like this? Or eliminate Social Security? Or default on the national debt? Those three spending items can’t really be cut. In all likelihood, they will INCREASE. Given all the conflict in the world, US defense spending will probably grow. Social Security spending is already scheduled to increase according to the program’s own published forecasts.

And, considering how quickly the national debt is rising– coupled with higher interest rates– annual interest payments will skyrocket. This means that spending on Social Security, military, and interest, will likely increase from 83% of tax revenue to ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of tax revenue, over the next several years.

America will have to go into debt to fund everything else in the federal government, from Veteran’s Benefits to Homeland Security. But don’t take my word for it. Even the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which is a government agency of the United States Congress, agrees.

The CBO’s most recent 10-year forecast shows that mandatory entitlement spending (like Social Security) plus annual interest payments on the national debt, will EXCEED all US federal tax revenue by 2031. And that doesn’t even include defense spending! This reality is only SEVEN YEARS AWAY.

Yet if that train wreck wasn’t enough, remember that Social Security’s key trust fund will also run out of money two years later in 2033, according to the program’s most recent annual report. And bailing out Social Security will cost trillions of dollars just to get started.

So, just to be clear, the government’s own projections show that they will reach the fiscal point of no return in just seven years… and then require a multi-trillion dollar bailout of Social Security two years later. Yet as grim as that timeline may be, these government forecasts also naively assume that there will be no major war, pandemic, or national emergency in the meantime. So in reality the doomsday may be much closer.

I’m not being dramatic or sensational. Again, I’m literally citing US government forecasts. Millions of unsuspecting people will have their lives turned upside down from the negative consequences.

Social Security is in serious trouble; 50+ million people are at risk of having their benefits slashed by 2033. There’s also a very high likelihood that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates and printing money again in order to bail out the federal government… thus creating a LOT more inflation.

Taxes will almost certainly rise. Crime could definitely increase, especially petty theft and robbery. Business conditions could be a lot more difficult; it will be harder to raise capital, harder to borrow, and harder to sell, causing a number of companies to either fail or never be started in the first place.

If crime rates spike and civil disturbances become more frequent, it makes sense to consider having another place to go for you and your family to be safe. That might be somewhere overseas in a country where you enjoy visiting and your kids could pick up foreign language proficiency. It might even be a place where you could one day become eligible to apply for a second passport, creating a lifetime of benefit and flexibility for your entire family.

Also, if the value of the US dollar is going to decline… and the rest of the world seems likely to find a replacement as the dominant reserve currency… it makes sense to find alternative assets that can hold their value over time.

I have already written posts about how the elite: the World Economic Forum and the United Nations are planning to resolve this catastrophic scenario with The Great Reset and the Pact for the Future.

The United Nations Is Planning to make a Covenant with the Many in September 2024. Will this begin the Biblical prophesied last seven years and tribulation? The U.N. calls it the “Pact for the Future“. These proposals cover and I quote:  “A New Agenda for Peace that would reinvigorate our collective security framework; a global financial system that works for all; economic metrics that go beyond GDP [gross domestic product] to underpin policy decisions; a compact that would harness the benefits and manage the risks of digital technologies and artificial intelligence; a voluntary code of conduct on information integrity online; new protocols to manage global shocks more effectively; stronger cooperation in outer space; a transformation of education systems; the meaningful inclusion of young people in global decision‑making processes; ways to safeguard the future and uphold the rights of future generations; and a UN 2.0, better equipped to support Member States through the use of data, digital tools, innovation, foresight, and behavioral science. I commend the progress that has already been made on many of the mandated Our Common Agenda recommendations, through the debates convened last year by the President of the General Assembly; the establishment of the UN Youth Office; the five transformative measures for gender equality; the new vision for the rule of law; the Global Accelerator on jobs and social protection; and plans for the proposed open Biennial Summit among members of the G20 [Group of 20], ECOSOC [Economic and Social Council], leaders of international financial institutions and myself as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Pact for the Future will be your contract with each other and with your people.  It represents your pledge to use all the tools at your disposal at the global level to solve problems before those problems overwhelm us.  The challenges we face are universal. They require universal solutions and cannot be solved through small groupings of states or coalitions of the willing. The United Nations is the only forum where this can happen.  It will also be important to welcome the contributions of civil society, academia, the private sector, and other important stakeholders.

Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has told CBN News she fears all the world’s nations are about to submit too much sovereignty to a United Nations organization.

The former congresswoman points out that the Bible warns that a world-dominating power will bring trouble. “When you look at what the Bible says and the convergence of events that we are seeing across the world right now, and what the prophets from the Bible have said, we need to really pay attention to what’s going on. Because this is the creation of a platform for global government.  And according to the Bible, things that are not good come out of a global government.”

Michelle is correct, what we see happening is fulfilling Biblical end-times prophesies. It is the first move toward a one-world government and the Antichrist spoken of by Daniel.

Before the Antichrist arrives on the scene, the Bible speaks of a battle between Iran and Turkey, the winner being Turkey and for a short period of time the re-establishment of a revived Ottoman Empire. It is then broken up into four possibly by United Nations forces.

Then the goat (revived Ottoman Empire) became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
Out of one of them came a little horn (Antichrist), which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.
Daniel 8:8-9

The Antichrist arises out of one of these four kingdoms.

All the evidence indicates we are fast approaching the last seven years prior to Jesus’ return so how should we live?

Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to enable us to live the Christian life. He is our Counsellor, Teacher, and Comforter. He produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (all 9, Galatians 5:22-24) and provides the gifts of the Spirit (all 9, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11) for ministry so God has provided all we need. All we need to do is to say each minute of every day, not my will but Your will be done in me today. Then God will use you mightily for His purposes.

TRANS DYLAN MULVANEY NAMED ‘WOMAN OF THE YEAR’ BY LGBT MAGAZINE

Trans-identified influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who has been recognized as a “Woman of the Year” by an LGBT magazine, is characterizing anyone who refuses to acknowledge the social media personality’s preferred gender identity as “hateful.”

Attitude Magazine, which identifies itself as “the UK & Europe’s best-selling LGBTQ magazine,” unveiled Mulvaney as its Woman of the Year in a post on X Wednesday. Mulvaney, a biological male, is one of several LGBT personalities included in the publication’s “Awards Issue,” scheduled for release in November.

This perversion of God’s commandments reveals along with all of the other Biblical end times prophecies that we are fast approaching the last seven years prior to Jesus’ return first to take the Saints to heaven prior to God pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant Earth. The Bible gives us a lot of detail about the events that precede Jesus’ return so that we know He is in control. The following Scripture was given to us by Jesus in response to His disciple’s questions about the time of His return to Earth. We need to keep our focus on Jesus’ promise of eternal life. That is why this blog is called livingeternal.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your lives.Luke 21:16-19

THE DAY GOD DESTROYS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH WITH FIRE

God tells us in His Word (Bible): “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). But are you also aware that one day God will destroy the heavens and the earth with fire?

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.2 Peter 3:11-12

Shocking? Absolutely. Unbelievable? Not at all.

The Apostle Peter, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, delivered this staggering news to God’s people: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up … That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (2 Peter 3:10,12).

Yes, you read that correctly. The heavens will be dissolved, and the earth will literally melt in the heat.

A few verses earlier Peter described how in the last days before Jesus returns scoffers will deny that God judged the world previously with the worldwide flood of Noah’s day.

 “Knowing this, first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffingFor they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and with water. By water also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:5-7).

The coming day of judgment is just as certain as God’s creation of the universe, and just as sure as the great flood in Noah’s day. The worldwide flood that buried millions of dead creatures all over the world, fossils, including fossil fuels (decayed vegetation under pressure), adequate evidence it occurred.

The good news: the Apostle John was given a vision of what will happen after God burns up the earth.

Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first Heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ’Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:1-5).

Every child of God will inhabit the New Heaven and New Earth with a perfect body that is incorruptible.

The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

Talk about an upgrade! If you could choose today between going to Heaven or going to Hell, you would certainly choose Heaven, right? After all, who wants to go to Hell? But do you realize that there is only one way to be forgiven of your sins and get into Heaven?

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Peter proclaimed: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Saved from what? 1. Sin, 2. Death, and 3. Hell. The final chapter of the Bible makes things crystal clear:

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also, he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end… The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:5-8

Those who have deliberately and persistently pursued their sinful desires will find themselves in the Lake of Fire where there is punishment and the second death.

Your good works cannot remove a single stain from your soul. Like everyone else, you need the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross 2,000 years ago. When you turn to Christ in faith and rely upon His death for your salvation, your robe is instantly washed clean and made white in the blood of the Lamb.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Peter informed believers: “In keeping with God’s promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

The day God burns up the earth will be terribly frightening, to say the least, but this global upheaval must take place before the Lord ushers in a New Heaven and a New Earth.

In the meantime, “God wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” (1 Timothy 2:4), and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

I have adapted this post from an article by Dan Delzell, The Day God Burns Up The Earth, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska. 

REPORT ON HOW ISRAEL WILL RESPOND TO HAMAS ATTACK

The following video is hosted by John Lockwood of Kingdom Builders, Australia. This week John organised two Israeli leaders to give us a report on what is happening in Israel and how Israel’s leaders will respond to this horrific attack.

I have visited Israel four times and spent time on a number of Kibbutz. In the video, Eitan shows a photo of a group of Australians (Kingdom Builders Tour) on a kibbutz with the leader of the kibbutz (center front row). His family was killed in the recent attack. I am in the photo taken on this Kibbutz where the main attack occurred on the border of Gaza. I am the person in the back row second from the right.

Thank goodness Christians are not taken by surprise at what we see unfolding in the Middle East. God’s Word (Bible) is largely prophecy. God tells us in advance what will happen so that we know He is in control. Spiritual warfare is hotting up and the last seven years prior to Jesus returning to Earth with the glorified Saints to commence His Millennial Kingdom is fast approaching. All Christians have been praying ” Your Kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” That prayer will be answered with Jesus’ Millennial reign on this Earth.

DNA DESTROYS EVOLUTION

DNA must have been created. It is impossible it evolved. It is the instruction code for all living things.

Science continues to reveal more complexity at the smallest levels of life. As a result, the evolutionary account of life’s origins is rapidly trending toward mythology. May God receive the glory for His incredible creation!

Moreover, Jesus Christ changed history from BC to AD. No other person in history has impacted the world as this God/man did. Jesus confirmed the Torah as God’s Word revealed to man by His prophets.

Jesus said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Luke 16:31

The Bible gives us an accurate history of this world. Creation by God in six days was a real event. The Fall of man was a real event that brought death into this world. The worldwide flood of Noah’s day that killed all mankind except eight people (God’s judgement on a world in rebellion against Him) was a real event. It buried millions of dead things all over the world, fossils and produced all the fossil fuels not billions of years. The world is just 6000 years old. God created the nations when He confused the languages at the Tower of Babel. Jesus entered history to provide a way back into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. He paid the price for our rebellion, He died that we might live. The Bible also tells us that Jesus is returning soon to rule and reign for the last 1000 years before God destroys this Earth and creates a new Earth where only the righteous dwell.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

What a loving God (but also Holy God) that we have that He would send His ony Son to redeem us. And how good is Jesus, God’s Son that He would come to die in our place. God requires us to repent of our rebellion against Him and His commandments and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour to come back into His family. It’s an offer of eternal life. It is beyond me why people do not want to get back into a right relationship with their Creator and experience this new eternal life in Christ. What about you?

Related articles: The four-dimensional human genome defies naturalistic explanations (https://creation.com/four-dimensional…) Splicing and dicing the human genome (https://creation.com/splicing-and-dic…) Life’s irreducible structure—Part 1: autopoiesis (https://creation.com/lifes-irreducibl…) Related resources: The High-Tech Cell (https://creation.com/s/35-6-624)

ANOTHER PROPHESIED END-TIMES SIGN – ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

America’s Banks Are Still Teetering on the Edge

Abstract from an article by Briton Hill, co-founder of Weber Global Management.

The U.S. survived the largest banking crisis in its history earlier this year… So far, at least.

It might seem like a distant memory. But in the first half of 2023, the failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank wiped out nearly $550 billion.

When Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed over a three-day period in March, ripples of fear shot through the economy. Anxious depositors lined up outside nearly every financial institution. And they pulled hundreds of billions of dollars out of U.S. banks.

The panic initially hit regional banks the hardest. Some of these banks’ stocks fell almost 50% in a single day. It didn’t take long for the crisis to spread throughout the financial services industry. Even some of the country’s largest institutions fell victim to the panic… For example, Charles Schwab’s (SCHW) depositors and investors didn’t need to worry about bankruptcy. And yet, the panic caused the company’s stock to plunge more than 30% in a matter of days. The entire U.S. financial system teetered on the brink of collapse.

So on March 12 – a Sunday, by the way – the Federal Reserve stepped in. The central bank said it would “assure banks have the ability to meet the needs of all their depositors.” In other words, it guaranteed all depositors’ funds in the failing banks. Crisis averted. At least for the time being.

The unrealized losses on investment securities for U.S. banks in 2022 and 2023 make the financial crisis look like child’s play…

Bank of America (BAC) is the second-largest bank in the country. It holds $760 billion in U.S. Treasury securities. But recently, it was sitting on an unrealized loss of $110 billion.

That’s more than the entire financial system at any point during 2008 or 2009.

If U.S. consumers catch wind of how big this problem is, it could ignite another bank run…

We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars in unrealized losses. These losses are keeping banks’ balance sheets underwater. As a result, many banks’ “reserve ratios” are off. (The reserve ratio is the portion of cash that a bank needs to hold, rather than lend out or invest. It’s how the system makes sure the bank has enough cash on hand to meet customer withdrawals.)

In other words, the banks can’t lend. America’s banks are paralyzed. They’re still teetering on the edge of collapse today.

But just because the banks can’t lend doesn’t mean cash needs to completely disappear… This situation has created a vacuum. People and businesses still need cash. And they’re willing to pay premium rates. But banks can’t help because of their terrible balance sheets. As a result, a long-forgotten sector has been reborn over the past few years… Private credit.

Nonbank lenders are filling the void. They’re gobbling up billions of dollars in market share every day…

The size of the private-credit market totalled around $875 billion in 2020. These days, it’s around $1.5 trillion. That’s a roughly 70% increase in just three years. In fact, insurance companies are essentially becoming the “new banks” in the market. They’re making a fortune doing it. This helps corporations and investors but what about the average worker depending upon his bank for finance?”

The chasm between the rich and poor is only going to get larger and is one of the reasons Jesus must return to restore righteousness. Prior to God destroying this Earth by fire, it has another 1,000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning with the glorified Saints. The nation God established for His purposes, Israel, will finally fulfill its destiny but only with Jesus ruling from a new Jerusalem.

From His (Jesus) mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.Revelation 19:15-16

Then we will have had 6,000 years of unregenerate man ruling the world under the influence of Satan and his demons followed by 1,000 years with Jesus and the Saints ruling the nations with a rod of iron. At 7,000 years this Earth’s history is complete.

Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26

Then comes the second resurrection of the dead followed by the White Throne judgement and only then does John see a new Jerusalem descending from a new Heaven onto a new Earth where only the righteous dwell.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4

TECHNOCHASM & THE END TIMES

A chasm has opened in America… a great divide. On one side… a new aristocracy, amassing more wealth, more quickly than any other group in American history. Today, the one percent makes more money in one month than most people make in a lifetime. On the other side… The opposite is happening. Wealth is flowing out of the pockets of ordinary Americans at an unprecedented rate. Today, nearly 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

This chasm between the rich and poor is only going to get larger and is one of the reasons Jesus must return to restore righteousness. Prior to God destroying this Earth by fire, it has another 1,000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning with the glorified Saints. The nation God established for His purposes, Israel, will finally fulfill its destiny but only with Jesus ruling from a new Jerusalem.

From His (Jesus) mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.Revelation 19:15-16

Then we will have had 6,000 years of unregenerate man ruling the world under the influence of Satan and his demons followed by 1,000 years with Jesus and the Saints ruling the nations with a rod of iron. At 7,000 years this Earth’s history is complete.

Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26

Then comes the second resurrection of the dead followed by the White Throne judgement and only then does John see a new Jerusalem descending from a new Heaven onto a new Earth where only the righteous dwell.

CHASM BETWEEN RICH AND THE POOR

Over the last four decades, advancements in computing power, data storage, communications gear, artificial intelligence, and other technologies have followed a trajectory like you see on the left side of the chart below. This is because they started at very low levels. But after many years of advancing at exponential rates, technologies are entering the “liftoff” phase.

This rapid increase in the rate at which the world is changing has stunning business and investment ramifications. The world around us is changing at never-before-seen speeds… the speed and capabilities of our computers are increasing at unfathomable rates… And it’s catching many people off guard.

This is creating a gigantic shift in the way our economy works and how we build wealth. Today, the acceleration of our technological progress allows companies to operate with just a fraction of the number of employees businesses used to require. Forty years ago, it took the work of tens of thousands of people to build a business worth $20 BILLION or more. Now, some businesses can do it with less than 2,000 people. For example, in 2019, the workplace software company Slack achieved a market value of $23 BILLION. It had less than 1,700 employees. Getting to a $23 BILLION valuation with just 1,700 employees never used to happen! Back in 1989, Kodak had about 145,000 employees and was valued at around $16 BILLION… But in 2017, Snapchat achieved a $24 BILLION valuation and had just 1,800 employees. Back in 1964, AT&T had more than 750,000 employees… But in 2017, Google was a bigger and far richer company than AT&T with 92% fewer employees sharing the wealth. Plus, people who invested in Google when it went public made about 17 times more gains than those who invested in AT&T over the same time.

The best new companies of today simply don’t need many people compared to companies from a decade or two ago. The number of great jobs is decreasing while the pay for these employees getting the jobs is radically soaring! This is why the wealth gap gets wider and wider every single year. The incredible rise in computing power, automation, and robotics makes all these things possible. The rules of business and building wealth are being rewritten in front of our very eyes. Over the last few decades, it took on average about 20 years for the typical Fortune 500 company to reach a market capitalization of $1 BILLION.

In 1998, Google reached $1 BILLION in market cap in just eight years, which was considered incredible. By 2004, Facebook had done it in just five years. By 2009, Uber had done it in under three years. In 2012, virtual reality firm Oculus did it in under two years. From 2012 to today, Facebook shareholders enjoyed as much as a 1,507% return on their investment. From 2010 to today, Tesla investors have made as much as 9,100% gains. Snapchat investors have made as much as 1,213% since 2018. By now, you can see how in many cases the time it takes for massive change is getting “compressed.” Industries are being transformed in a short time. As a result, new industries are springing up at a rapid and ever-increasing pace… while old industries are being disrupted at a rapid and ever-increasing pace. It will wreck family businesses, careers, and investment portfolios. New industries are springing up at a rapid and ever-increasing pace… while old industries are being demolished at a rapid and ever-increasing pace. As Uber and Lyft soared to billion-dollar valuations, the old taxi industry was devastated. It lost millions of dollars in revenue.

Since 2004, at least 1,800 American newspapers have ceased publication. The sector has shed 47% of its jobs during this time. Amazon has transformed the way we shop and get our stuff. In the process, it’s driven dozens of old-school “brick and mortar” retailers into bankruptcy. Department stores have lost 18 times more jobs than coal mining since 2001. In less than seven years, Uber demolished the “old” taxi industry. Airbnb now offers more rooms than the top five hotel brands, including Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt, combined… Google has taken over information… by 2012, Encyclopedia Britannica published its final volumes, after 244 years of circulation. Spotify and iTunes have turned the music world upside down. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram have disrupted traditional media outlets… 

The information in this post was taken from an article by Louis Navellier of Investor Place (an investment advisory service)