What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:24,25.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

We've Come This Far by Faith - Virtual Choir by International Gospel Mel...

"I Will Be Here" Live from Sweetwater Studios Sessions

 

This is Jesus´ promise to us who trust Him no matter what: be of good cheer, he has overcome the world and promised us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. 2In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am." John 14:1-3.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE in Prophecy by Bill Salus

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Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE in Prophecy by Bill Salus

  “Saudi Arabia Opens Airspace to Israel” (NYT – 9/2/20)

“After UAE, Bahrain deals signed, Trump says 7-9 countries seek peace with Israel”

“Soon after historic Abraham Accords ceremony at the White House, US president includes Saudi Arabia among those nations also now ready to normalize ties with Jewish state.” (Times of Israel – 9/15/20)

Saudi Arabia is back in the news again and that has some Bible prophecy pundits warning that a 2600-year old biblical prediction could be about to happen! In one of his most detailed apocalyptic writings, the prophet Ezekiel identifies the nation of Saudi Arabia in his 38th chapter. 

This ancient prophecy informs of a forthcoming massive invasion of Israel in the last days. It identifies an invading coalition that appears to be led by Russia and includes Turkey, Iran and nine populations in total.

In addition to this intimidating list of invaders, Ezekiel identifies a group of nations that appear to be contesting the evil intentions of this coalition. The verse below explains the sinister motives of the invaders and identifies the concerned protesters.

“Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you, (Russia), gathered your (coalition) army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’” (Ezekiel 38:13, NKJV; emphasis added)

This passage identifies Saudi Arabia under the banner of Dedan. The Saudis are assembled alongside Sheba, (Yemen), Tarshish, (UK), and their Young Lions, (USA, and maybe Canada and Australia). This grouping of countries appear to be actively protesting, rather than militarily preventing this invasion of Israel.

The concerns of these sideline spectators are lodged in several questions, which help us to recognize that the primary goal of these invaders is to conquer Israel for their own capital gains. These belligerents intend to seize control over all aspects of Israel’s economy. 

Due to the budding relationships between Russia, Turkey and Iran, several Bible prophecy teachers believe that Ezekiel 38 could be the next event to find fulfillment on the end times prophetic calendar. But is it?

Saudi Arabia is actually identified in at least four unfulfilled prophecies and when they are laid out sequentially, it turns out that Ezekiel 38:13 is seemingly the last of the four to find fulfillment. In addition to Ezekiel 38, Saudi Arabia, as Dedan, is the subject of biblical predictions in Jeremiah 49 and Ezekiel 25. Moreover, the Saudis appear to be represented as the Ishmaelites in the 3000-year old prophecy foretold in Psalm 83. These prophecies will be presented in their apparent chronological order, but beforehand it is important to connect the ancient territory of Dedan and the Ishmaelite peoples of the past with modern-day Saudi Arabia. 

Where is Dedan?

Map of Arabia at 200AD | TimeMaps

Historic Mideast maps locate Dedan in Northwestern Saudi Arabia. Some Bible scholars, such as Gary Stearman of Prophecy Watchers, suggest that in the Old Testament, Dedan might even extend beyond Saudi Arabia to also include the modern-day Gulf Cooperation Council, (GCC), countries of Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE. If Dedan represents the entirety of the GCC Arab states, this could be prophetically relevant in light of recent events.

“Israel signs accords with United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at White House ceremony” (USA Today – 9/15/20)

Presently, the UAE and Bahrain are in the process of normalizing national relations with Israel as part of the “Peace to Prosperity” aspect of Donald Trump’s, “Deal of the Century” Mideast peace plan. This economic part of Trump’s plan was introduced by White House adviser Jared Kushner in Bahrain on June 25, 2019.

“In Bahrain, U.S. Tries to Promote Mideast Peace Through Prosperity” (NY Times – 6/25/19)

In the process of achieving peace with the UAE and Bahrain, which are two Arab nations that never posed a real threat to the Jewish state, Israel has agreed to temporarily postpone its plans to annex territory in the West Bank. The annexation of this land was part of the political aspect of Trump’s Mideast peace plan. 

“UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan: “I thank Netanyahu for choosing to stop annexation of Palestinian land.”” (Times of Israel – 9/15/20)

It’s interesting to note that UAE’s Foreign Minister considers the territory in question “Palestinian land.” In the cosmic CHESS MATCH between good and evil, it appears that evil moved two PAWNS, the UAE and Bahrain, forward and successfully put Israel into CHECK when it comes to the “Chosen People” expanding further into the “Promised Land.” How this newly formed alignment between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain may have prophetic implications will be explored near the end of this article.

Whether or not Dedan includes all of the GCC countries, most biblical scholars would agree that at least it identifies Saudi Arabia. 

Who are the Ishmaelites? 

Some suggest that Ishmael, the patriarch of the Ishmaelites, was the father of the Arabs and that he settled in Arabia. Ancient Arabia is now often alluded to as the Arabian Peninsula, and it is mostly encompassed by Saudi Arabia. The map and quote below it, reinforces these understandings.

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“The Book of Genesis and Islamic traditions consider Ishmael to be the ancestor of the Ishmaelites/Arabians and patriarch of Qaydār. According to Muslim tradition, Ishmael the Patriarch and his mother Hagar are buried next to the Kaaba in Mecca… Ishmael is recognized as an important prophet and patriarch of Islam. Muslims believe that Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, born to him from his wife Sarah's slave, Hagar. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of Muhammad.”

The Four Unfulfilled Saudi Arabia Bible Prophecies

SAUDI PROPHECY #1

“Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan! For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, The time that I will punish him.” (Jeremiah 49:8)

This often-overlooked Jeremiah foretelling concerning Dedan was penned approximately two decades prior to Ezekiel’s issuance of his 38th chapter. Jeremiah issues a stern admonition to the inhabitants dwelling in Dedan to,  “Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths.” This forewarning is given because “the calamity of Esau” is coming. 

Apparently, when this future prediction happens, the Saudis will have joined forces with Esau’s descendants, and in so doing, will become positioned in the line of fire. The Lord is going to punish Esau severely, and for Saudi Arabia’s own protection, Jeremiah warns them to flee and turn back to the depths of their homeland. This infers that at the time of Esau’s calamity, that Saudi armed forces are involved in a military operation that is taking place on foreign soil.

The fifty-million-dollar question is, “what is Esau’s Calamity?” This topic will be addressed further down in this article, but beforehand it’s important to note what Jeremiah says happens to Esau’s neighbors as a result of the calamity.

"And he, (Esau), shall not be able to hide himself. His descendants, (the Edomites), are plundered, His brethren and his neighbors, And he is no more." (Jer. 49:9–10, NKJV; emphasis added)

Esau’s neighbors are plundered. This would include Saudi Arabia, if they don’t heed the warning to, “flee, turn back, dwell in the depths.” In other words, back off and go back home or else be plundered alongside of Esau’s descendants.

SAUDI PROPHECY #2

“‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what (the) Edom(ites) did against the house of Judah (Israelis) by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 25:12-14, NKJV; emphasis added)
 
About two decades after Jeremiah pens his warning for the Saudis to disengage from their alignment with Esau, Ezekiel prophesies that the Saudis will fail to do so. As such, “Dedan shall fall by the sword.” In the Bible, “the sword” is often used as a typology for a war. Thus, this identifies the Saudis as one of the neighbors that get plundered in the related war when Esau’s Calamity comes.

This Ezekiel passage also explains why Esau’s Calamity comes and how this calamitous campaign is carried out. The Edomite descendants of Esau will be guilty of attempting to bring harm against the Jews, and in retaliation, the Lord will empower the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to execute His anger, fury and vengeance.

This curse for curse in-kind response comes directly out of the Genesis 12:3 playbook. This verse represents God’s foreign policy to the Gentile nations. Those countries that do good to Israel will be blessed, but those that do harm will be cursed. The Edomites seek to harm the Jews, so in turn, God lifts up the IDF to eliminate all of Esau’s descendants! Yes, I said ELIMINATE ESAU’S DESCENDANTS. The prophet Obadiah foretells it this way:

““The house of Jacob, (the IDF), shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph, (the IDF), a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor, (descendant), shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.” (Obadiah 1:18, NKJV; emphasis added)

Understanding the size and scope of Esau’s calamity, it’s understandable why Jeremiah previously warns the Saudis to back off and go back home before this war happens.
  
SAUDI PROPHECY #3

“They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:  The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites;  Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;  Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah” (Psalm 83:4-8)
 
Saudi Arabia’s third unfulfilled prophecy is encapsulated in Psalm 83. I have covered Psalm 83 extensively in my book and associated DVD entitled, Psalm 83: The Missing Prophecy Revealed, How Israel Becomes the Next Mideast Superpower. In those prior works, I explain the connections between the three Saudi prophecies identified thus far.

ESAU’S CALAMITY

In my book, I explain how Esau’s Calamity is described in Psalm 83 and the related peripheral prophecies provided below. This is not an exhaustive list; all told there are nearly 150 verses that chronicle this calamitous event. Within these passages, we find out that the IDF is God’s tool to defend Israel when these prophecies happen.

  • Psalm 83:1-18……………………………….... (18 verses)

  • Jeremiah 49:1-29, 12:14-17…………………. (32 verses)

  • Ezekiel 25:12-17, 28:24-26, 35:1-36:7, 37:10 (32 verses)

  • Isaiah 17:1-14, 19:1-18, 11:14………………. (35 verses)

  • Obadiah 1:1-21………………………………... (21 verses)

  • Zephaniah 2:4-11……………………………... (8 verses)

  • Zechariah 12:2, 5-6…………………………… (3 verses)

So who are Esau’s descendants today? They are the “Tents of Edom” in Psalm 83:6. Esau fathered the Edomites as per Genesis 36:1. In my Psalm 83 book, I point out that the Edomites have an ethnical representation within the Palestinians. Not all Palestinians have an Edomite heritage, but many of them do. 

The fact that they are identified as the “Tents of Edom,” infers that at the time of Esau’s Calamity, they are classified as refugees. In the Bible the “tents of” typically represents either military encampments or refugee scenarios. I believe that the Psalm describes the Palestinian refugees of today.

These Edomites are enjoined in the ten-member confederacy of Psalm 83:6-8 that wants to destroy Israel in Psalm 83:5. Below is a map that identifies the modern-day equivalents of these ancient populations. Observe that Saudi Arabia is included.

SAUDI PROPHECY #4

This fourth Saudi prophecy takes us back to the top of the article and Ezekiel 38:13. If the sequence of prophetic events presented thus far is correct, then by this future time Saudi Arabia has been plundered severely with the Palestinian refugees and their Psalm 83:6-8 confederacy.

Apparently, after being plundered, the Saudis decide to align themselves with the protesters, rather than the invaders in Ezekiel 38. Perhaps at this future point, when there is no further Palestinian plight to banner, the Saudis will abandon their Arab (Saudi) Peace Initiative in favor of normalized relations with Israel.

The Prophetic Implications of Israel’s peace with Bahrain and the UAE

If the first two prophecies about Dedan extend beyond Saudi Arabia to also include Bahrain and the UAE, then this current peace will be temporary. Those two predictions point out that Dedan gets plundered at the time of Esau’s Calamity. The IDF wouldn’t plunder Bahrain or the UAE if these peace deals were still in place.

However, there is another possible prophetic scenario to watch for that might include Bahrain and the UAE. Jeremiah 49:34-39 informs of an end-times war with Iran. I write about this war in my book entitled, “Nuclear Showdown in Iran, Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam.” 

In a nutshell, this prophecy declares that Iran will experience a disaster, probably nuclear, and it appears that this results from a military attack by the enemies of Iran. The key verse is below. 

“For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies And before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the Lord; ‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them.’” (Jeremiah 49:37)

Unfortunately, this verse does not specify who Iran’s enemies are, but it’s highly likely that if this prophecy were to happen soon, that Iran’s enemies would at least include Israel, the USA, the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It’s common knowledge that a primary reason that Bahrain and the UAE are normalizing relations with Israel is to gain America and Israel as allies in the event of a future war with Iran.

If a war with Iran is forthcoming in the near future, these current peace deals between Israel with the UAE and Bahrain, could make it easier for an American, Israel and GCC Arab coalition to form and fight against Iran in fulfillment of this prophecy. 

*Pre-Sale*** NEW BOOK! – from Bill Salus

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Meanwhile, the Antichrist becomes the world’s #1 political hero. He appoints ten kings to set up a utopian society on earth. When it looks like things are getting better, two prophets on the streets of Jerusalem predict that the worst is yet to come! In this scenario above, the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation Period have passed and it’s time to prepare your loved ones for The FINAL Prophecies

This book reveals how the greatest story ever foretold ends. It explains how you can make a difference in these end times. Don’t get left behind to face The Final Prophecies.

Monday, September 14, 2020

911: You can´t make that stuff up!

This incredible story is from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15:
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic.
 
All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain.
 
As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that “All Business” look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta’s main office in Atlanta and simply read, “All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination.”
 
No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, Newfoundland.
He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately — no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.
 
While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.
 
We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, Newfoundland, to have it checked out.
 
We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that’s nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM …. that’s 11:00 AM EST.
There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the US.
 
After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason.”
Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the US. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.
 
The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane.
In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were US commercial jets.
 
Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC.
 
People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada . Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.
 
Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm.
 
We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament.
We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning.
 
Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.
 
Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing.
And they were true to their word.
Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.
About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.
After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel.
 
We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander!
 
We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the US airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while.
We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.
Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the “plane people.” We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.
 
Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days.
 
What we found out was incredible…..
Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers.
 
Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up.
ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the “guests.”
 
Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged.
Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.
Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.
Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day.
 
During the day, passengers were offered “Excursion” trips.
Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests.
Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests.
Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft.
 
In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.
Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully.
It was absolutely incredible.
 
When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time.
 
Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling.
Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.
And then a very unusual thing happened.
 
One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said “of course” and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days.
He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers.
 
He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte.
“He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte.
He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!
 
“The gentleman, a MD from Virginia , promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well.
As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.
 
“I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them.
It reminds me how much good there is in the world.”
 
“In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today’s world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward. Let’s not forget THIS fact.
This is one of those stories that need to be shared. Please do so…

Saturday, September 12, 2020

THE WAR OF 1812 AT WAL-MART

"Shoplifted from FB". Written by Scott cook

THE WAR OF 1812 AT WAL-MART
Yesterday, I wore a Vietnam Veteran cap to Wal-Mart. There was nothing in particular that I needed at the world's largest retailer; but, since I retired, trips to "Wally World" to look at the Walmartians is always good for some comic relief. Besides, I always feel pretty normal after seeing some of the people that frequent the establishment. But, I digress, enough of my psychological fixations.
While standing in line to check out, a younger guy in front of me, probably in his early thirties, asked, "Are you a Viet Nam Vet?”
 
"No," I replied.
"Then why are you wearing that cap?”
"Because I couldn't find the one from the War of 1812....” I thought it was a snappy retort.
"The War of 1812, huh?" the Walmartian queried, "When was that?”
God forgive me, but I couldn't pass up such an opportunity.
"1946", I answered, as straight-faced as possible.
He pondered my response for a moment and responded, "Why do they call it the War of 1812 if it was in 1946?”
"It was a Black Op Mission. No one is supposed to know about it.” This was beginning to become fun!
"Dude! Really?" He exclaimed. "How did you get to do something that COOOOL?”
I glanced furtively around me for effect, leaned toward the guy and in a low voice said, "I'm not sure. I was the only Caucasian on the mission.”
"Dude," he was really getting excited about what he was hearing, "that is seriously awesome! But, didn't you kind of stand out?”
"Not really. The other guys were wearing white camouflage.”
The moron nodded knowingly.
"Listen man," I said in a very serious tone, "You can't tell anyone about this. It's still classified 'Top Secret' and I shouldn't have said anything.”
"Oh yeah?" he gave me the 'don't threaten me look. . "Like, what's gonna’ happen if I do?”
With a really hard look I said, "You have a family, don't you?
We wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would we?”
The guy gulped, left his basket where it was and fled through the door.
 
The lady behind me started laughing so hard I thought she was about to have a heart attack. I just grinned at her. After checking out and going to the parking lot, I saw dimwit leaning in a car window talking to a young woman.
 
Upon catching sight of me, he started pointing excitedly in my direction. Giving him another 'deadly' serious look, I made the 'I see you' gesture. He turned kind of pale, jumped in the car and sped out of the parking lot.
 
And these people VOTE!
 
What a great time! Tomorrow I'm going back, wearing my Homeland Security cap.
Then the next day I will go to the driver's license bureau wearing my Border Patrol hat, and see how long it takes to empty the place.
 
Whoever said retirement is boring? You just need to wear the right kind of cap!
See you guys at Wal-Mart!! 😜🤫🤫

Monday, June 29, 2020

2020 Economic Predictions: This Series of Unfortunate Events Guarantees the Epocalypse

 2020 Economic Predictions: This Series of Unfortunate Events Guarantees the Epocalypse

The troubles listed here in my 2020 economic predictions are so severe and
so likely to get even worse that it’s more difficult to imagine they won’t get worse than to believe they will. Just a few of these misfortunes would be enough to plunge us into an abyss of social and financial catastrophes.

Here are my economic predictions for the remainder of 2020

This list of economic predictions is not hard to come up with. It is, however, the fact that it is so easy to predict these things this year that makes this year’s list so important.

I think most readers will agree with the likelihood of most
predictions on this list. The point of the list, then, is to show by the
aggregate of calamities that will wash over us how close to certain is a
deep economic depression. (Most are problems central banks have zero
capacity to resolve.)


This depression is something many people may not perceive until they
widen their field of vision to see the full ocean of likely troubles
that are nearly certain to pound the entire world in wave after wave for
months or even years to come.


(Though I focus on the US, the same economics predictions are likely
to apply all over the world with their own variations of local color.)


Many people are living right now in the delusional hope of a V-shaped recovery from the recent Coronacrisis lockdown. The list below shows why that is the most unlikely possibility imaginable.

During this time of economic crisis, most of the predictions listed
below are current events that are almost certain to continue as the
major trends of 2020 and are likely to even worsen, plunging us into the
chaos of a deep economic collapse, worse than 2008:


– The social unrest of BLM will become even more widespread and intense.
  • – Additional social unrest over forced social distancing will reappear around the nation as distancing measures return.
  • – Social unrest over corporate bailouts is
    likely to begin as the Federal Reserve and government stack up mega
    bailouts for the rich (or as bailouts already given become known) via
    the insanely rich BlackRock, which has been given a monopoly on
    administering handouts for which only the wealthiest qualify.
  • – Tearing down of monuments and other acts of violence will certainly create backlash against BLM from those who value the monuments or just want the history of both sides preserved.
  • – So, social unrest will beget more social unrest.
  • – All the turmoil of a likely-to-be contested election with
    all the accusations of Russian tampering and other hacking (like what
    just happened to Trump’s Tulsa rally) will cause even more social
    unrest.
  • – All those social conflicts will negatively impact some local businesses already hurting badly from the COVID-19 lockdown because
    they will be unable to reopen due to the protests at a time when we
    cannot afford anything that causes further damage to business.
  • – Social distancing being ignored entirely by BLM protestors, will increase the spread of COVID-19 as
    will reopening, ending the stock market’s fantasy of a V-shaped
    recovery. (Even if the Coronacrisis is a trumped-up hoax as some say,
    the same scenario will give the hoax all kinds of new (and news) stories
    to grow on.)
  • – Travel and hospitality will certainly remain in deep depression as COVID-19 stages resurgences.
  • – Lack of travel assures a continued rise in bankruptcies in the oil and gas industry.
  • – Shutdowns of major summer events will depress local
    business and government revenue as will shutdowns of sports events and
    concerts.
  • – Local governments will be forced to downsize staffing
    quickly and cut back projects of all kinds due to hugely diminished tax
    revenue caused by all the troubles listed here, causing a new wave of
    job losses, not just in government but in companies that contract for
    government projects.
  • – Diminished policing will result in a huge crime wave across America. Some
    of that will result from police department defunding; some will be
    required in other ways by liberal governments seeking to placate
    protestors; and a lot will happen because police officers resign and no
    new people want to become police in the present atmosphere. This will be
    as damaging to Black communities as to White and will have a
    suppressive effect on economic activity.
  • – Business uncertainty due to the continuing trade wars and to additional COVID-19 border lockdowns, as well as inability of businesses to get parts across borders even for products produced and sold within the nation, will act like gravity on the hope of economic lift. (What a time to be doubling down on trade wars, but here we go already!)
  • – We all know the federal debt will keep growing at an exponential rate because of reduced taxes that were supposed to be paid for by a rise to 4%
    or better GDP growth. That’s now a distant dream when the best we will
    see is -10% GDP growth. Compounding the retreat in GDP and the resulting
    drop in tax revenues, we have increased government spending due to
    COVID-19 stimulus efforts. All of that will require the Federal
    Reserve to monetize the debt to the moon and back. At some point that
    will call into question the current US credit rating.
  • – So many bonds sliding toward junk because the weak business economy will force all kinds of already risky credit to become riskier and become downgraded.
  • – Forced offloading of that debt by institutions that are not allowed to carry junk bonds, will cause huge bond market problems and defaults by
    those who can no longer refinance by issuing new bonds. That will force
    the Fed to continue to soak up ever larger amounts of junkier debt,
    moving further down the junk spectrum, even as it also has to fund the
    federal government’s exploding debt plus the new exploding debts of
    local governments via new “special vehicles.”
  • – The stock market, being utterly dependent on the Fed continuing to print money while also utterly dependent on COVID-19 keeping its head down, will go down hard again, likely this summer and probably again in the fourth quarter. I predict it will ultimately fall lower than its nadir in March.
  • That will cause more wealth evaporation, leading to more natural economic tightening across the financial and business spectrum.
  • – The second wave of COVID-19 will be worse than the first when
    the fall flu season hits or maybe even this summer, given that the
    hottest rise in cases is happening in our hottest states. That makes it
    obvious that climate temperature does nothing to slow the spread.
  • – Some major banks and other financial institutions in Europe, such as Deutsche Bank, and in other nations will crash. US institutions will get pulled down by their associations.
  • – Many businesses will never reopen even though the economy has been reopened legally. Many others that do re-open
    will close for good before long because partial reopening is not enough
    to sustain them and, in some cases, may even cause them to lose more
    money than if they stayed closed. (Already, as I predicted prior to the
    opening would happen all across America, I see restaurants in my own
    area that did not reopen, and I’ve talked to people in restaurants that
    did reopen who say they are not even able to fill their reduced 50%
    capacity under social distancing rules because they can’t get enough
    customers to return. Restaurants are slim-margin business, so many will
    fail.) And that is even if the Coronacrisis doesn’t have a resurgence.
  • – More shopping malls that were already marginal will close forever after reopening because of the number of businesses that do not return or that fail during the partial reopening.
  • – That, in turn, will have a knock-on effect for other surrounding businesses that now experience less traffic.
  • – Due to the continuing sweep of all the problems listed above, we are in for a deep, longterm jobs depression.
  • – That means housing and commercial real-estate will crash again as longterm unemployment and business losses result in mortgage defaults.
  • – The resulting deep slowdown in construction will mean even more job losses.
  • – That means some US banks will crash (or
    have to be bailed out by the Fed) (though maybe not until 2021) due to
    all the loan problems caused by all of the above, resulting in even more
    job losses.
  • – Add to all of these near certainties, the growing possibilities of more international wars that
    we already see rising in risk — North Korea v. South Korea, North Korea
    v. the US, Israel v. Iran, Israel v. the Palestinians over annexation
    of parts of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia v. Yemen, China v. Taiwan, China
    v. Nepal, China v. the US, India v. Pakistan. Many of these conflicts
    seem to have intensified over the past year, and that’s just a short
    list of currently rising or continuing international conflicts.
  • – Civil wars within various nations are more likely
    because of the rising economic troubles and social strife listed here
    as well as continued growing strife due to immigration pressures that
    developed under globalization.
  • – I won’t predict the US dollar will collapse, BUT … this is the FIRST year in which I’ve ever said that is a reasonable possibility. Until
    now, it lay dimly in the future. Nations are angry over how the dollar
    has been repeatedly weaponized by the US via sanctions. So, I am certain
    the indomitable dollar will finally start to experience struggles of
    its own due to all the problems listed here, which will result in the
    Federal Reserve being less able to manage the financial chaos nationally
    and internationally, and due to competition from new central bank
    digital currencies this year, maybe, but especially next.
  • – Add to all of that the normal economic crises from major exogenous events, such as earthquakes, volcanism, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, pestilence, wildfires, and, oh, an asteroid or two. The
    difference this year is that those big catastrophes will be hitting
    badly crippled economies and stressed societies wherever they hit in
    this world.
     (We cannot know what will hit or whether the
    number of such events will be lighter or heavier than other years
    because these are black-swan events — things we know CAN happen but have
    no knowledge of the specific likelihood of any particular event in a
    particular area in any given year. What we do know is that nations
    struggling under an economic crisis and an emergency health crisis will
    be less able to manage those events when they hit. Organizations like
    FEMA will be stretched way beyond their capacities.)
That’s a long list of finger-in-the-wind economic predictions. I’m not saying all of them will be dominant trends this year, and I can’t say when or in what order each one will happen; but I am certain 80% or more of my 2020 economic predictions will play out as stated above, and that is more than enough to assure the deep economic depression I’ve named “The Epocalyse.”

I invite you to offer your own social or economic predictions for 2020 (whether as additions or subtractions to
the list above) that you see as highly likely to develop (good or bad)
in the comments below so that we benefit from each others’ observations
and insights.


Reprinted with author’s permission from The Great Recession Blog

2020 Economic Predictions: This Series of Unfortunate Events Guarantees the Epocalypse: Additional social unrest over forced social distancing will reappear around the nation as distancing measures return.