Just a thought that came to me in the night.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Apocalypse now
I have a new apocalypse theory, and here it goes. The world is not going to go out with a big bang, flooded waters, or as a salt lick. We’re going out slowly and painfully. And the downturned economy is going to be our demise. We are going to get poor, then poorer, and finally so deprived that we have nothing. Then we’re going to start killing people for their cars, or their houses, or their wide-screen TVs. Maybe their food. Eventually.
the south of France. They’ll have to sell their cabin resorts all together. And their boats. And their third Humvees. They are going to be in a sorry state.
Just a thought that came to me in the night.
Just a thought that came to me in the night.
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5 comments:
In Matthew 26:11, Jesus tells us the poor will always be with us. He never says we will find a "cure" for poverty. He never says the rich will always be with us...maybe you are on to something! Maybe the end of the world is world poverty.
If so..then what? Proverbs 22:2 says "Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." Why do we as a society keep looking at those with wealth as being horrible people? God blesses so many people with wealth. Proverbs 3:9 says "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops." This is tithing. If all Christians were to just tithe the bare minimum 10% of their "first fruits" a lot of things could change. Then imagine what could happen if they would go above and beyond and give "offerings" as well! (He never says "give it all away" or "don't you dare enjoy it!")
God gives wealth to some & they are expected to be good stewards of that money. This is where some of the best charities come from! Hezekiah, in 2 Chronicles was given great wealth and possessions by God (32:29).
1 Samuel 2:6-8 says "The LORD both kills and gives life; He brings down to the grave and raises up. The LORD impoverishes and makes wealthy; He humbles and He exalts. He lifts the weak from the dust; He raises the poor from the ash heap to seat them with princes and to bestow on them an honored position. The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD, and He has placed the world on them." It doesn't say he makes everyone happy by giving the poor money. He seats them with princes! When they make it to Heaven they get their "riches"! In Biblical terms, true richness is not from money or things. Some on earth are blessed with things, some misuse what they are given...but regardless, we need to honor and serve our Lord with what we have & not bother our hearts with what we don't have or what others have.
I think the assumption that those who have wealth can't live without it is not a fair one to make. Hopefully those whom God chose to bestow wealth upon know where that wealth came from and don't "trust in his riches" (Provers 11:28). In my business, I have wealthy times and rock-bottom broke times! Last year was a wealthy year, this year is a rock-bottom broke year. I have peace and happiness in my heart knowing that if we were to lose all of our material possessions, we would still have each other and our God and that's all that truly matters. I'm sure many people with a lot of "things" feel the same way. Those who don't have God in their lives but lots of wealth, may not feel the same way but it's not safe to assume they all do.
Lastly, I need to mention Provers 17:16. It says "Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom? This may not be a popular verse, but it does show us that not everyone can handle the responsibility of wealth. It is a big responsibility...I'd love to be one of those God entrusts with a crap load of money but if I'm not, I've got my husband, my kids, my extended family, YOU...and GOD. No matter the situation, I've got peace in God's plan for my life.
When the end comes, it won't be about the money, who has it and who doesn't. Most people faced with tragedy, catastrophe, or serious life issues tend to focus on what is really important in life, their family and loved ones. I'll bet that was true when you were going through cancer treatments.
When Christ returns, He's not coming back to even the playing field. Apparently He's letting President Obama take care of that.
What will the end be like? Do a search on "end times prophecy" and you'll find a lot of material.
Amen, my love.
And the really ironic thing is that this economic apocalypse was visited upon us by the free-market fundamentalists of the Reagan-Clinton-Bush administration who -- as one commenter observes -- now stand as discredited as those of the former Soviet Union. As my Russian friend Slava said in the '90s when he was attending the prestigious Thunderbird School of International Management, "I spent most of my life listening to communist BS, and now I'm listening to capitalist BS." Well, BS is BS, and the mighty are cast down. As St. Mary the Virgin says in Luke's version (1:46-55 RSV):
"My soul magnifies the Lord,and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."
I am finding that other Christians I know have this sense of awareness about what is going on in the world. That is the Holy Spirit at work. We need to continue to grow our faith and share our faith. Christ is coming soon but we do not know the when It could be in 30 seconds, it could be in a week, a year or in the next decade.
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