A North Wind Is Blowing

Ron McKenzie

Jesus called his listeners hypocrites, because they could not understand the signs of the times in which they are living.

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It's going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It's going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? (Luke 12:54-56).

In light of this rebuke, I am puzzled most of the prophecies for America are so positive. I am amazed that the Christian prophets seem to be ignoring the economic signs that warn of troubles ahead for America.

Looking from the outside, many of the key economic indicators for the United States are negative for the future.

· Household debt has risen to 114%, of annual disposable income, a record high.

· Household saving is 0.2% of household income, lower than at any time since the great depression.

· New mortgages worth $2 trillion were issued this year to finance a bubble in the housing market.

· The average ratio of house prices to incomes is now well above levels that proved unsustainable in the past.

· The government budget is nearly half a trillion in the red this year.

· The government deficit for the next 10 years is estimated to be 5 trillion dollars.

· The federal government has trillions of unfunded liabilities for future pension payments.

· The trade deficit is now more than a $½ trillion, well above 5% of the economy;

· The United States spends a billion dollars a day more than it earns. It has to borrow almost 80 percent of the world’s saving, to fund this shortfall.

· Some projections suggest the trade deficit could exceed $1 trillion per year by 2010.

· Net foreign liabilities are expected to reach $3.3 trillion, or 28% of GDP, by the end of 2004.

· China holds about a trillion of US dollar assets (cf 1 Sam 13:19-22).

· Total American debt is more than $30 trillion – three times what the nation earns in a year. The last time debt was so high was in the 1930s.

All these trillions tend to blur together, but they are easier to see than a wind change. Their risk is compounded by dependence on Middle Eastern oil and a difficult war.

These statistics are certainly not the signs expected in a nation that is being blessed by God. He promised that the nation that obeys him will lend to many nations and borrow from none. It will be the head and not the tail (Deut 15:6; 28:12,13). At the end of the Second World War, America was the world’s largest creditor, now it is the world’s largest debtor. America has gone from being the head to the tail in one generation.

A few years ago, I shared a parable called the Commando Army, warning of an approaching economic crisis. I believe that this word might now have become relevant for America. The Unites States might be going to experience and Economic Shaking to wake it from slumber to God’s higher purpose. The message of the commando parable is that Christians, who understand the season they are living in and use the time to prepare, can initiate a great victory for Jesus, when the shaking comes.

I am not sure if American Christians have joined in the property speculation and indebtedness that has swept their nation. I hope they have kept free from debt and the bondage it brings, because in these times, they should be getting free from debt, so they can stand together and not be shaken, if the American economy hits a bump in the road. The Commando Army parable is a vision for how this can happen.

I was intrigued by the vision of Crash of the Two Planes (LaTonya Williams (11/21/04). I wonder if the red and white plane represents the American dollar going down lower and lower. (The US dollar has lost a total of 35% against the Euro since early 2002). All the experts are saying that a slow decline in the dollar is a good thing, but they seem to be ignoring reality. They are saying, “Nothing is going to happen, its fine,” but the dollar just keeps falling.

The bomb could represent a crisis for the American economy caused by a collapse of the dollar. The military base could represent spiritual commando armies getting ready for the shaking. After the bomb, much of the land remained green, the sky was blue, and people kept talking and having fun. This is a reminder that the productive sector of the American is so strong that it will survive the shaking of a dollar crisis. Many people will be shaken, but few will be destroyed.

I wonder if the second plane could represent the economic crisis spreading, much later, from America to Asia and Africa (yellow and brown).

Some Christians naively assume that an economic shaking would pave the way for the advance of the gospel. They forget that most economic collapses weakened the church and opened the door for tyrannical political leaders (like Lenin in Russia and Hitler in Germany). Christians will only be able to take advantage of the opportunity that shaking brings, if they have prepared in advance. We are living in a time of peace and plenty. We should be using this to Get Ready; so that we can stand when shaking comes.

We are living at a pivotal time in history. While things are going badly for the church, the situation is even worse in the world. You don’t have to be a prophet to see the dark clouds on the horizon. The kingdom of man has over-reached itself and is rotting from the inside.

God is shaking the nations, so his people can establish the Kingdom. We can share in that victory, if we understand his plans and get ready for battle. The shaking of world system will be a great opportunity for the church. In times of crisis, power flows to those who understand what is happening and are ready for action. Joseph understood what God was doing, so he was able to use the seven good years to prepare for the seven bad years. He rose to power during a crisis, because he understood what was happening and knew what had to be done.

The times are urgent. We should be using our time to prepare for the political, economic and social upheaval that is coming. We should be joining together, so we can advance God’s Kingdom when the kingdoms of the world collapse and fall. Radical change is needed, so we can shine brightly in the darkness and share in the victory that God has planned (Being Church Where We Live).

Ron McKenzie
Christchurch
New Zealand
http://watcher.4t.com