Mid-East Could Burn

Israel continues to be in the headlines on a daily basis, just like the bible said it would be. Today the headline is made when a guy from the UN said that if Iran is attacked militarily it would turn the the middle east into a big ball of fire. Here's the paragraph;

"In my opinion, a military strike will be the worst ... it will turn the Middle East to a ball of fire," ElBaradei said on Al-Arabiya television. It also could prompt Iran to press even harder to seek a nuclear program, and force him to resign, he said.

And here is a link for the entire article;
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369861,00.html

Droughts and Floods

The pressure for a large famine is continuing to build. The US Gov't has said that the Midwest flooding in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana could reduce the corn harvest by 10%, as millions of acres sit under water or never planted. Now this headline from Austrailia reminding us that things are not growing well there because of a drought they refer to as the "big dry". Read it here; http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-06-18-voa8.cfm

Scottish Bank Issues Warning

If I give you a $20 bill, why would you give me 5 pounds of ground beef in return? Because you have confidence that you will be able to use that $20 bill tommorow, or a year from now, to buy something that has $20 of value. What if you found out that no one would take your $20 bill because it turned out that it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on? You would then demand that I come up with some other form of payment. So it appears that the earth's entire financial system is tied together by trust and confidence that it will always be there tomorrow. This headline from the Royal Bank of Scotland is concerning because if you start casting doubt on the whole financial system...it can end up becoming a self-fufilling prophecy. Below is the headline and some of the key paragraphs of the article.

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND ISSUES GLOBAL STOCK AND CREDIT CRASH ALERT

The Royal Bank of Scotland has advised clients to brace for a full-fledged crash in global stock and credit markets over the next three months as inflation paralyses the major central banks. "A very nasty period is soon to be upon us - be prepared," said Bob Janjuah, the bank's credit strategist. A report by the bank's research team warns that the S&P 500 index of Wall Street equities is likely to fall by more than 300 points to around 1050 by September as "all the chickens come home to roost" from the excesses of the global boom, with contagion spreading across Europe and emerging markets.

Such a slide on world bourses would amount to one of the worst bear markets over the last century.

"Cash is the key safe haven. This is about not losing your money, and not losing your job," said Mr Janjuah, who became a City star after his grim warnings last year about the credit crisis proved all too accurate.
RBS expects Wall Street to rally a little further into early July before short-lived momentum from America's fiscal boost begins to fizzle out, and the delayed effects of the oil spike inflict their damage.
"Globalisation was always going to risk putting G7 bankers into a dangerous corner at some point. We have got to that point," he said.
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If you want to read the full article you can access it here; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/18/cnrbs118.xml

Hat tip to Adam for sending the article.

Israel Sends Message to Iran

The Israeli military had a big war game manuever a few weeks ago. The analysts are now saying that the excercise was meant to be seen by Iran (and the world) as a warning that Israel was capable of reaching Iran's nuclear complex in Natanz. You can read about it here; http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/20/israel.exercise/

If Israel starts blowing up things in Iran, which it appears they might have to, the world is going to have a cow. Will the US stand with them if the hatred of the world, towards Israel, quadruples overnight?

Perverted Society

The bible warns us that in the last days people will be violent, selfish and disgusting. Today one of the headlines was about a popular singer/songwriter named Lil Wayne. The article was gushing about how incredible it was that this artist sold a million copies of his latest album in a single week. I decided to look up what the lyrics to one of his most popluar songs and have posted them below. It's tragic when you realize that most of our teenagers are listening to this type of music 24 hours per day when hooked up to their I-pods. Here are some of the lyrics;

Sh-sh-she-lick me like a lollipop (yeah)She-she lick me like a lollipop (lollipop)Sh-sh-she lick me like a lollipop(lollipop)She-she lick me like a lollipop

Okay, lil mama had a swag like mineShe Even wear her hair down her back like mineI make her feel right when it's wrong like lyinMan, she aint never had a love like mineBut man I aint never seen a ass like hersAnd that pussy in my mouth had me loss fo wordsTold her to back it up like berp berpAnd make that ass jump like jerp jerpAnd that's when sh-sh-she lick me like a lollipop(oh yeah I like that)

[Verse 3]I get her on top she drop it like it hotAnd when she on the bottom she hillary ride 'emIn the middle of the bed Givin gettin head (givin gettin head givin gettin head)I say mmmmmmmmm (I like that)Say mmmmmmmmmm (I like that)I say mmmmmmmmm (I like that)Mmmmmmhmmmmm

USA For Sale

With the dollar falling in value and the real estate bubble popping, foreign investors are snapping up assets in the USA for bargain prices. It's not always a bad thing when foreigners buy US real estate. Sometimes it can be seen as a vote of confidence in the long term sustainability of this country. However, when investors from the Middle East, who really don't like us, start holding $billions and even $trillions in US assets, it may be a concern. Read what Chuck Missler has to say about this;

"The sale of several high profile properties, to investors from Europe and the Middle East, have made headlines in recent weeks. The Abu Dhabi Investment Council, a sovereign wealth fund based in the United Arab Emirates, is in negotiations to buy a 75 percent stake in Manhattan's Chrysler Building. The deal is estimated to be worth about 800 million dollars. It follows last month's sale of the GM Building and three other properties for approximately 4 billion dollars to a group of investors from Kuwait and Qatar. Also, a European firm has acquired a majority share in New York's famous Flatiron Building, the historic structure known for its triangular shape. Foreign buyers poured almost 55 billion dollars into US commercial real estate last year - that's about double the amount of 2006. High profile investments, such as the sale of the Chrysler Building, have brought attention to the rise in foreign investment. Direct foreign investment in US businesses reached about 280 billion dollars last year – making 2007 the second highest year on record. In recent years the value of the US dollar has dropped significantly, inflation has increased, consumer debt has reached an all-time high, and the US housing bubble has burst. Thus opening the door for foreign investors to snatch up US interests at bargain prices. Foreign investors from Europe, China, and oil-producing nations in the Middle East are taking advantage of the United States financial woes. However the influx of foreign capital has raised some red flags.According to World Net Daily, "the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Affairs has announced that it will stop publishing a key report tracking foreign investment data... The BEA's decision comes at a time when public and congressional concerns have increased over the acquisition of US assets by foreign investors... Sovereign wealth funds in six Persian Gulf countries, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, have now amassed 1.7 trillion dollars, positioning them for attempts to control major banks and securities firms in the United States... Already Middle Eastern investors have acquired 19.9 percent of Nasdaq, the second largest stock exchange in the United States.""

Peace for Israel and Hamas?

Here is the headline in today's Fox news; http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,367865,00.html

It appears to be good news if they can make the cease fire last. Israel desperately wanted the missiles to stop being shot from Gaza into the Israeli city of Sderot. Gaza needed the Israeli blockade lifted that was preventing fuel and goods from entering into Gaza. Obviously this will only be a cease fire and not any long term peace, but in this shaky environment as the enemies of Israel gather....we will take any smattering of good news that we can.

Continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Israel may attack Iran

Israel is correct in their understanding that Iran's current leaders will not be bribed or coerced to cease their quest for nuclear weapons. They know that everyday the centrifuges keep spinning in Iran that's it's one day closer to attaining a nuclear weapon. Since Ahmadinejad continues to tell the world that Israel is soon to be obliterated, Israel will probably not sit around waiting to see if he is serious or just blowing hot air. Read it here; http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,559925,00.html

I think we all need to be prepared for the headlines that Israel, (backed by the US) has started bombing runs on Iran in an attempt to destroy their nuclear program. This will affect the entire world and oil could go to to $200/barrel overnight and the corresponding gasoline price would be around $5.75/gallon.

How will our faith in the Lord hold out during difficult times? Strong faith needs to be purifed and refined by being put through the fire. After decades of easy days in America, it may be that a lot of us have bought into the idea that faith in God is all about prosperity and good times...when in reality it is more about building your house on a firm foundation and not on sand.

Inflation

It's not just the gasoline that costs more, it's the whole basket of goods. It's called inflation and we all know how grandpa told us that a Hershey bar used to be a nickel...now it's eighty cents. It can be problematic for retirees living on fixed incomes and interest at the bank. And it can be problematic for working families who see their cost of living increase by 10% but their pay stays the same. The paragraph below comes from a secular article that explains what the inflation rates are doing in other countries around the world.

India: 8.75%, seven-year highTurkey: 10%, 14-month highRussia: 15%China: 7.7%, near 12-year highVietnam: 25%UAE: 9.3%, 19-year highSaudi Arabia: 10.5%, 30-year highKuwait 10%, record highMexico: 4.9%, accelerating at a 3-year highBrazil: 5.5%England: Predicted above 3%, 1-year highSouth Africa: 10.4%Zimbabwe: 165,000%, record high (OK, not a fair example)
How will the world combat inflation in unison? Such is the economic challenge in the twilight of the great dollar standard era.


The sentence that caught my eye was the one that asks "How will the world combat inflation in unison?" The reason this caught my eye is that the earth's problems are starting to be so severe that it will take a one world government to try and fix them. And we all know that prophecy tells us WHO will be heading up that government. Certainly we are seeing the foreshadowing of coming epic events.

Floods lead to Famine

Today's headline in the New York Times talk about the thousands of acres of farmland that have been destroyed by flooding. Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin seem to be the hardest hit. So where will all the corn come from if the crops from these states are gone? As we all know, corn is not just used for corn on the cob...it's in practically every processed food we eat in the form of sweetners and meal. Never mind about the ethanol industry...they will soon be swamped if they are forced to pay $9-10 per bushel. If food riots are already happening around the globe as people can't afford corn to make their tortillas...how much worse could it be this fall as the grain bins and combines sit empty across the grainbelt of this country? You can read the NYT article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/us/17Flood.html?hp

The bible asks us where our confidence should be? It should always be in the Lord. "Give us our daily bread".

More Rumors

Today the President of Afghanistan has said that he will send troops into Pakistan, if necessary, to pursue Islamic militants. You can read about it here; http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/16/afghanistan.karzai/?iref=hpmostpop

As we all know, Afghanistan is where we have been fighting a war against the Taliban for the past five years....trying to bring democracy and hope to a country that has had war for an entire generation. Pakistan is reeling in political uncertainty since last December when Bhutto was assassinated before the election, and Musharrif has a very fragile hold on power. It has been said that if Pakistan DID hold popular elections that Al Qaeda would win a majority of the votes. This would be VERY problematic since Pakistan already has 35-50 nuclear warheads in it's possession and a very successful missile program with which to launch them.