OK, I understand that the vast majority of us are pretty much at a point of tuning out anything that has to do with the words, “debt ceiling.”   I know that I am.  Yet what is happening currently is part of what God is doing in our world.  Let me explain a little more by sharing a section of Scripture that I believe will shed a great deal of light on our problems.  It is found in the wildly popular book of Habakkuk.

Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.  Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, so that he does not stay at home.  He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and he is like death, never satisfied.  He also gathers to himself all nations and collects to himself all peoples.  Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him, even mockery and insinuations against him and say, 'Woe to him who increases what is not his— for how long— and makes himself rich with loans?'  Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, and those who collect from you awaken?  Indeed, you will become plunder for them.  Because you have looted many nations, all the remainder of the peoples will loot you— because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, to the town and all its inhabitants.  Habakkuk 2:4-8

Here we have Habakkuk warning of problems that are coming to Israel because of choices – moral choices that they have made.  His first warning is not about budgets or spending bills – rather it is a warning against pride and not being right with God.  He warns about those who give themselves to drunkenness – to being out all the time – and to an appetite that never seems to be satisfied, no matter how much he gets.  These sins are at work – and lead to a “woe” statement God makes about them.

Before I proceed to the “WOE” that is given I must comment on what has just been said.  We have those in our government who think our greatest problems are economic.  They fear the debt ceiling, the mounting debt, the lack of jobs, the anemic economy – and see these as the problems.  But to co-opt a phrase that was used several elections ago – changing it for our current scenario, “It’s our morals stupid!”  Now I am not a fan of using the term, “stupid” and have only done so for the point I am about to make.  The core of what God says through Habakkuk has to do with the morals of the people of Israel – not their current economic plans and packages. 

We are going to have to wake up some day (the sooner the better) and grasp that our problems in America are moral ones.  The economy is only a symptom of our malaise.  The real problems have been moral – and have been building since the 1940’s or earlier.  Really our problems have been building since before the turn of the century.  But let me get back to the Habakkuk passage.  The “WOE” that is given here is part of a song that is sung taunting this nation.  The song, believe it or not, is about accumulating too much debt.  The reason the debt is incurred is because the people of that nation want to make themselves rich with their loans.  The problem that is presented is that one day, their debt will no longer  be sustainable.  Then their creditors will rise up suddenly and make their nation plunder.  Then, on the back end of this song, we also learn that another reason God is bringing this down upon them is because they have  filled their own land with violence and bloodshed. 

You see, our problem is not the debt – the debt is only a glaring symptom that is supposed to point us to the disease.  The disease is pride, greed, a lack of self-control, a desire for excess, violence, and bloodshed.  There is one thing I’ve not mentioned – even though it was mentioned in the passage.  That is that they no longer live by their faith.  Their faith is history – and instead their society now lives as a monument to consumption!  The lack of any kind of moral fiber in the nation at large has led to this.  They learned to live for their wants – their desires – and spent every penny they had and did not have to try to fulfill them.  In the end, they were left still wanting – wanting more – and going in debt further to get more.  But there were other problems – which were that they were also shedding blood in the process of living for themselves and their lusts. 

Let me comment very plainly on all this – and how Habakkuk speaks to the United States of America in our current situation.  I know that what I am about to say will really upset some Republicans, fiscal conservatives, and Tea Party members.  It really does not matter what financial plan is decided upon by our government leaders – because God is going to judge our nation for reasons other than an insufficient number of Republicans or Tea Party members in our government.  By its policies and practices the United States of America has embraced grossly immoral positions.  That is what God ultimately is dealing with – and it is those kinds of grossly immoral positions that have led us to the precipice today.

Early this century, our society began to embrace sexual immorality.  The flappers of the 1920’s shocked society – followed by more immorality through the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s – which was mostly hidden from the public.  In the 1960’s what was hidden by one generation was openly embraced by the next.  Their open immorality led to the growing experimentation with homosexuality in the 1970’s.  In the 1980’s this perversion came out of the closet – and began to assert itself so that now – it is pretty much accepted as mainstream – and has even been legislated as normal by a growing number of states.  God, sees such things this way – sex outside of marriage is fornication.  Sex outside of marriage vows is adultery.  Sex with the same sex is an abomination.  What is truly sad is that these issues really aren’t even being debated much any more.  The mainstream political agenda has left such things behind – and has decided that moral conservatism has run its course – lost – and has been left on the ash-heap of political discourse.  God, on the other hand, has not changed His views – and is going to bring us under judgment for such things.

In 1973 the infamous Roe v. Wade decision was made – and it became open season on unborn babies.  Since that “Hitleresque” decision we’ve killed over 40 million babies.  I say Hitleresque, because we’ve actually dwarfed that man’s genocide by over tripling the number of deaths we’re guilty of as a nation.  Hitler did not do his genocide openly – but tried to hide it.  Ours is done openly – legally – and at quite a profit to those who run the abortion clinics.  But God sees it as the spilling of innocent blood.  He sees it as violence of the worst order.  We cringe at Hitler’s ovens, showers, and mass graves – yet we continue to burn babies alive in their mother’s wombs, chop them to pieces  and vacuum them out, or just let them grow to full term and execute them by sucking their brains out of their heads.  Yes, I know what I just wrote is shocking – and many in the Christian community may even criticize me for writing it.  Problem is – they will not speak with the same passion about stopping it! 

I will make a prediction for our country.  I hate to make it – because I love the United States of America.  But unless we turn morally – it matters little what is done about the debt ceiling or the debt.  Our problem is that we’ve left God as a nation.  We are arrogant and do not grieve over sin.  We don’t pray.  We don’t weep over the wound of our people – a wound that may be incurable.  We debate what GOP Senators and Representatives should be on the “super-congress,” horrified about whether they will support higher taxes or not.  What we should debate is how to get the anemic church of God on her knees to avert judgment that is coming because of the millions of gallons of innocent blood that have been spilled on our land.  How can we get ourselves first, then the true church in America to repent and fall on her knees?  That is the ONLY issue that matters in this hour.  God’s discipline for our nation has far more to do with a sinful church, a moral bankruptcy, and a lack of any spiritual urgency than it does any kind of debt or deficit deal.  If you want to know the truth – God is far more concerned with a brokenness deficit among his people – than any monetary deficit in Washington.  Until we are moved to action and concern about that issue – it matters little what we do about any other. 

I’m on vacation presently – but as I’ve taken the time to keep up with the news I’ve had a sense of destiny in the things that I am reading.  Let me explain by making reference to the book of Revelation and the things we see happen in that amazing prophecy of last things. 

In the book of Revelation we see some astounding things happening in the world prior to the return of Jesus Christ.  Among them is a world leader who arises promising peace, but delivers something far different.  We see war on a scale possibly unknown to mankind.  We see horrific events involving famine and plague that seem almost out of the realm of possibility.  We see a world system of finance that no longer involves a currency or currencies of the nations of the world.  All these things seem so far fetched that many have written off Revelation as either a book that is to be interpreted non-literally – or as the rantings of a crazed prophet or worse.

Yet, as I read the news I cannot help but watch the stage being set for the return of Jesus Christ.  We are watching our own nation on the edge of a financial Armageddon – not because of the debt ceiling debacle in Congress, but because we have $14.2 trillion in debt and actually think that more borrowing is not a bad thing for us.  Because of our position in the world as the largest consumer nation, if we fall the world is coming with us.  There is such an inter-connectedness in economies in our world today that a failure in the United States will bring down the world with it. But the debt crisis is not just in the United States alone.  European countries who have embraced the lies of socialism are coming to their own day of reckoning as their ability to handle a debt explosion are coming upon them.  Not only is the U.S. economy going to implode, but Europe’s as well – and they may get there first. 

Consider the implications of all this.  Two of the world’s largest economies are going to implode.  With that we will see a collapse of the U. S. farming community as well – because without financial backing, the system we’ve maintained for our farming will fall apart as well.  That will bring a lack of food the likes of which the world has not seen in modern times.  With it will also come the looming specter of famine as one of the largest producers of food in the world suddenly will be struggling with feeding themselves as economics prevents the growing of food. 

This coming economic Armageddon will also affect the nation that has done more to promote world health than any other on the planet.  That work will come to a grinding halt as the companies that have pioneered much of the innovation and advance of medicine also implode.  Medicines that have been readily available will soon find shortages popping up all over the world. 

With this kind of financial meltdown will also come the inevitable showdowns between nations who are now facing dire choices as the shortages grow.  Historically this has led to war between nations – because contrary to biblical truth – wars are primarily not engaged in because of political differences.  James tells us that the reason for wars is because we want and we cannot have – so we argue and fight on a local level – but on a geo-political scale such arguments become wars.

Now add to this the growing problem of an Islamic radicalism that is wanting world domination and you have a recipe for a worldwide conflagration that is coming soon to a planet near you.  Some will read this and commence hand-wringing as they try to figure out how to stop it.  But the fact is that you will not be able to stop these kind of events when Christ’s return is imminent.  When I look at the things that are happening now – I see two things.  First I see that when a world sows to the wind, they will reap the whirlwind.  Our world has been in rebellion against God since Adam’s fall in the garden.  This rebellion seems to be reaching a critical mass in our day.  The godlessness in our world only knows one other context historically and biblically – and that is the days prior to Noah and the first destruction of the earth by water.  Just as the pre-flood world had to face the consequences for their sin and rebellion, so does ours – and that host of consequences seems to be knocking at our door.  The second thing I see is possibly an engineering of all this as God is sovereignly working in our world.  Please understand I do not see God as the author of such sin and wickedness.  He is not responsible for the sin and rebellion – yet He is still sovereignly working through it toward the ultimate end of His eternal purposes.  That eternal purpose has as its goal the summing up of all things in Christ Jesus – the ultimate punishment of the wicked – the ultimate reward of the righteous – and then the penultimate reign of His Son for all eternity. 

So where does that leave us – you know, the ones who are still on this planet as these things hurtle toward their horrific conclusion?  It leaves us where we have always been – redeemed ones of Jesus Christ who have a task before us.  That task is to continue making disciples of all the nations – preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth – and preparing our own hearts for the return of our glorious Lord and Savior.  The days and years will continue to be piled upon the past – until He comes and our salvation is completed as we are glorified in heaven.  But no matter whether this end comes in days or years – or decades – or centuries – our task is the same as our brethren right after the ascension of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Preach Jesus – live Jesus – lead others to Jesus – disciple them for Jesus – and love Jesus until the end . . . whether it is an end as we die on this earth – or one where we greet Him in the clouds in a glorious reunion as He comes again!

Recently while in Sudan teaching I came across a couple of verses in Habakkuk that arrested my attention.  This, along with several things that happened while overseas, has brought me to the place where I want to write about what is soon coming to a nation near you.  What is coming soon to the United States is a complete meltdown of our entire financial system.

Habakkuk 2:6-7 "Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him, Even mockery and insinuations against him and say, 'Woe to him who increases what is not his— For how long— And makes himself rich with loans?  Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, and those who collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for them.“

These are the two verses I read while in Sudan, and immediately the Lord nudged me in my spirit and gave me a sense that these were going to come upon the United States very soon.  Unfortunately I do not have an exact time table for what very soon means – but if history is any indicator – it would be my guess that we have less than 2-3 years until this happens (and I would not be shocked if this happens before the end of this year). 

Let me explain first biblically, and then with a reference to history.  First we turn to Habakkuk and the warning that he offers to where God’s people were then – and honestly, where we are now.  God told Habakkuk to stand and watch for the vision He gave him.  That vision included a rebuke for their drunkenness – and the lack of self control it brought about in them.  They were focused as a consumer culture – and part of that consumer mentality was to become “rich” by the use of loans.  God rebuked them for this and told them though a person may look rich by becoming rich with loans, the question one should ask is, “For how long?”  The problem with becoming rich through debt is that it is an illusory wealth that you have.  The ones who are truly rich are your creditors – the ones to whom you owe the money.  These people are collecting interest from you – and what you thought cost only $100 – is costing you far more.  In the end, if you cannot pay your debt, your creditors will, “rise up suddenly” and “You will become plunder for them.”  You don’t actually own anything – they own you.    For God’s people during the time of Habakkuk, this was a huge problem – for they were blind to what was about to happen to them.  But whether they were blind or not, this was going to happen.

Our country is over 14 trillion dollars in debt.  We’ve decided to become rich through loans – but the time is quickly coming upon us where we will have to pay for our illusory wealth – and it is going to cost us dearly.  The past two times we’ve heard reports from the FED, they have told us that everything is fine – as they are “monetizing” our debt.  What this means is rather than paying the debt and tightening our belts as Americans, our foolish leaders have decided to print money at rates that are alarming.  This is destroying the stability of the United States dollar.  This has led to a meeting that has never happened before in modern history.  Recently, all the major economic players in the world met together – and did NOT invite the United States to the meeting.  What they discussed at the meeting is that they are strongly working toward removing the dollar as the world currency of choice.

Recently, while in Amsterdam, I experienced what is happening in our world first hand.  The businesses in that city were very forthright in telling me that they did not accept U.S. dollars.  I had to trade them in for Euros.  What was even more shocking to my sensibilities was that there were only two places where you can still do this – the Forex booth at Central Station – and at the Central Post Office in Amsterdam.  This did not match what I had been told even as late as March of 2011.  But the reason for this is because the monetizing of our debt is destroying the value of the dollar. 

Now for the history lesson.  Prior to WWII, the German Weimar Republic also decided that the way to deal with their debt problems was to print money.  This quickly destabilized their paper money – and it led to a devaluation of their money – and to a meteoric rise in interest rates.  Before long it almost took an entire wheelbarrow filled with money to buy a loaf of bread.  Today, when I share this with people they scoff and think that this was long ago.  Such things cannot happen today.

In 1967 the Labour Party in Great Britain decided to lead their country in a decided socialist direction.  In order to pay their bills (as they gave away everything to everyone) they decided to devalue the British currency by 14% overnight.  The result was that everything suddenly became much more expensive.  In the late 1970’s this situation led to what had been called the “Winter of Discontent.”  During this time things got so bad that there were strikes among numerous workers and at one point hospitals were reduced to accepting emergency patients only.  Also they saw inflation explode 26.9% in one year!  In 1974 businesses and homes were forced into a “three day week” where electricity was given for only three days, broadcasting on television was shut down at 10:30 p.m. each night – and there were constant shortages of food – and even candles as people struggled to live.  This same kind of situation has happened recently in Yugoslavia and most recently in Greece. 

The truly frightening thing that I see right now is that there are currently 46 states in the United States who are nearing bankruptcy.  This has led to Arizona selling most of their public buildings – and California to release almost 11% of their prison population because they cannot afford to keep them in jail any longer.  Another interesting development is that in parts of Massachusetts they are no longer accepting U.S. dollars to pay for goods any longer.  They are asking for Euros instead.  There are reports that in Texas some stores are preferring Mexican Pesos to American dollars for payment.  Since the U.S. dollar has devalued 11% in 2010, the world is seeing the writing on the wall – and is planning to abandon the U.S. dollar. 

Here is the prophecy part of all this.  What Habakkuk saw IS going to happen in the United States.  Soon we are going to see inflation and the devaluing of our dollar run completely rampant.  Commodities are going to skyrocket in price to where we will hardly recognize prices at our grocery stores.  The price of gasoline  will most likely shoot up to European prices (around 6-7 dollars per gallon).  We will watch unemployment reach record levels very soon.  All this is happening for two reasons – first we are not following God’s principles when it comes to debt and how we manage the money God has given to us.  The second reason is that God in His sovereignty is working through this disobedience toward His eventual end – which I believe Scripturally will involve a financial collapse – and a subsequent one world financial system not involving countries having individual currencies. 

So what do we do about this?  First, we read and follow God’s Word when it comes to our financial dealings and practices.  Study the book of Proverbs to understand more about wisely handling the money God gives you.  Turn from this world’s view of money, and adopt God’s instead.  Second, realize that no matter what you do, that some aspects of the financial meltdown are inevitable.  God is moving toward His ultimate goal of bringing down the pride of man and exalting Christ alone in the end.  Don’t take a fatalist view of things – do what you can – but also don’t think you will be able to escape what happens in this world unscathed as God moves toward His future works.