Well, how are you doing on this second day of government "shut down," or, as they were saying on the Fox News network yesterday, the government "slim down?" I am certain that for many who are employed by the Federal Government, these are scary days. How long will I be out of work? How am I going to pay my bills? I understand the anxiety that is occurring right now in many homes across our nation. And I pray for a speedy resolution.
But people losing their jobs occurs every day. Merck Pharmaceuticals has announced that it is laying off several thousand of its employees. Wells Fargo is laying off several thousand employees in its mortgage banking area. Other businesses, both big and small, terminate employees almost daily somewhere in our great land. Many of those laid off find some relieve through the unemployment benefits, but it is not the same as having a job.
Why do corporations like Merck and Wells Fargo lay off employees? It is to maintain a good fiscal posture. If business income drops, one of the first steps to remain fiscally responsible is to lay off employees. I know of no business person who takes delight in laying off someone in his or her business. They know the difficulties that will entail for that family and they attempt to ease those difficulties with severance packages. Yet the viability of the business itself is inherently important. Our Federal Government has grown out of control. I just read that our government consumes over 40% of the annual Gross Domestic Product, or to put it in laymen's terms, our government spends over $40 for every $100 that is produced in this country. And still our government wants more of the money we work so hard to generate, both as individuals and as corporations. Perhaps it is time for government to do what businesses and families do when finances become critical: for a business, you lay someone off; for a family, you cut your spending. Government has a difficult time doing either; in fact, it seems to do just the opposite. But the problem is that it cannot be sustained indefinitely. Perhaps we are approaching that time.
We know that during the Tribulation all finances will be controlled by the government. According to Revelation 13, we know that unless a person has the mark of the beast he cannot purchase anything or sell anything. There we read: "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:16-17). Sounds to me as if the government controls the access to all funds. You cannot sell anything without the government's permission, nor can you purchase anything without that same government's permission. It makes no difference how much money you have (the rich) or how meager the resources you have (the poor), the government is in control. Sort of sounds like 100% control of the GDP to me. When that time comes, where will you place your confidence? (I am praying that the Lord will return before that time arrives, but the Bible is not absolutely clear on that fact). What will you do? Will you panic and say, "I have to survive," and thus take the mark of the beast so you will live for the moment? Or will you be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and say, "Our confidence is in the Lord?" The time for thinking through such a response is now, not when the time arrives.
And don't forget the Iranian situation. We might be mesmerized by the talk of the new Iranian President Rohanni, but, from his speech yesterday before the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has not been mesmerized. He trumpeted clearly that Israel still sees a nuclear Iran as being trouble in the Middle East. And, although the Prime Minister did not come out and say that Israel would launch a strike against Iran to shut down its nuclear program, he did not say that Israel would not launch such a strike. I will be in Israel in two weeks and I want to find out how the Israelis think of the Iranian situation. Should the West lessen its economic sanctions against Iran in the hopes of a promise to negotiate some kind of nuclear compromise? Would the Israeli people be willing to go it alone against Iran? I am looking forward to some interesting dialogues.
When you hear what is happening, aren't you glad that you know who is in control? I re-read Psalm 2 the other morning with a group of men. I want to close with a few verses from this great psalm. "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? (Notice: God already says that anything the nations plan to do will fail, it is futile). The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. (We know this Anointed One as Jesus Christ). 'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off their fetters.' (This has been Satan's primary purpose since the Garden, to overthrow the government of God, to free himself from the tyranny of God, as he sees it. And this purpose has been handed down to governments and peoples controlled by Satan. Yes, let's get rid of God!) The One enthroned in heaven laughs (one of the few times in the Bible where we read of God's laughter, and to what do we attribute this laughter - the foolish plans of the nations). The Lord scoffs at them (sort of "makes fun" of them). Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath..." As I shared with that group of men, I believe we are well past God's laughter and even His scoffing. And, I am fearful that we have surpassed His rebuke - He has warned us again and again of the sinful manner of life we have adopted - and are heading toward God's wrath. I am grateful for the peace that comes from knowing that God is in control. And so I put my trust and rest upon Him. Yet, even as I do that, I am aware that I do have a responsibility to be salt and light before this dark work, telling them of God's love.
These are very interesting days, don't you think?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment