I just returned from a three week trip to several countries in Europe, and I was amazed at how believers everywhere I went had been touched by the Lakeland Outpouring and the Outbreak Meetings at MorningStar. They were not just encouraged by what they had seen on television and by web streaming, but also because their own faith was now rising for the same miracles and healings, which they are now seeing in their own midst.
This was especially encouraging to me because Europe is probably the hardest place in the world for miracles and healings to occur. Even Jesus could not do many miracles in His hometown because of the lack of faith. That so much is now happening in Europe can only mean that faith is rising in one of the most difficult of all mission fields.
Nothing encourages God’s people like simply seeing Him moving and doing the great things that He does. Personally, Europe has been my main mission field for the last two decades. Though I have witnessed many wonderful things happening there among God’s people, overall Europe is the most difficult place on the planet for the gospel, and is now even called “the dark continent” in Africa. I was there during the recent economic meltdown, which has smitten Europe in an even more troubling way than it has hit the U.S. Even so, I did not hear any Christians even talking about it because they were so caught up in what God is doing. This is truly remarkable.
In the U.S. it has become increasingly difficult to be a Christian, with discrimination and persecution rising continually and dramatically, but in Europe it has been much worse for much longer. However, this has resulted in some very strong Christians, Christian leaders, and churches being raised up there. This trip renewed my own faith for Europe, and it was obvious that the Lakeland Outpouring and the outbreak of miracles and healing that we have been seeing in the U.S. has sparked a new move of God in Europe. Even though Christians make up such a tiny percentage of the people in Europe, the spiritual pressure is building, and we are likely to see a spiritual volcano erupt in Europe in the not too distant future.
The “Economic Hurricane Katrina”
I wrote in a Prophetic Bulletin titled Change in March 2008 that we were about to be hit by “an economic Hurricane Katrina,” (you can read this under the “Media” section, under “Prophetic Bulletins” on our website). It is obvious that this has now happened. The following are a few prophetic statements that I made in that Bulletin, which I want to reiterate here because they give us a paradigm for understanding what is now happening and what we can expect next. The quotes are in bold italics, and my comments are below them in regular type:
We did hit an iceberg last month, and we are taking on water. We are far from being out of danger. However, this does not have to be another Titanic. The ship can still be saved. Even so, we must comprehend just how serious the crisis is that we are in. In Europe, they were declaring it the end of capitalism, and some even said the end of democracy. The old socialists and communists were gloating about how the debacle that the Soviet Union experienced with the loss of their empire has now hit the U.S., and we are now being brought down. This could be right, but it does not have to be. However, this is the worst crisis since WWII, and our nation and our way of life are in jeopardy. We need strong decisive leadership, but not one that is inclined toward socialism. There will be a great temptation for those who do not have faith in God to put their faith in government and turn toward socialism, and then even to totalitarianism to fix the problems. A turn in this direction now would only ensure a much worse collapse of our economy and the end to our way of life. We are in that serious of a crisis.
The main problem that we have is a management problem. It is not just about waste, but we need leaders with vision who can see. We started warning about this present sub-prime crisis more than two years ago, and there had to be those in key positions in government that saw them even before then but took little or no action. The sooner these would have been addressed, the easier they would have been to fix. Inaction in the face of looming catastrophes is not just a FEMA problem—it permeates government on almost every level. If Morgan Stanley had been bailed out for 20 billion just a couple of months ago, it could have made the 700 billion dollar bailout unnecessary. Things are cascading that fast in the economic markets and the slower we are to react, the worse the consequences will be. We are in desperate need of strong, decisive leadership that will react at the right time, preventing crises, not just reacting to them. We also desperately need “Josephs” and “Daniels”—prophetically-gifted people who will give wisdom and understanding to our civil leaders.
How could such a captain be so irresponsible? One thing explains it—pride. Captain Smith was made the skipper of the Titanic because he had never had an accident at sea. This obviously made him presumptuous, which leads to carelessness. This seemingly likable, wise, noble old gentleman caused the death of many because of his pride.
There are a lot of people in America who will vote for a candidate more because they like them than because of the substance of their character, what they stand for, or their true leadership potential. Presently, if one has made mistakes in the past, it is trumpeted as a basic disqualification from leadership, but what we really need is someone who is honest and humble enough to admit their mistakes and have learned from them.
As I also prophesied, the coming elections are the most important in our country since 1860. The decisions that will have to be made by our leadership, and the crises faced, will be the most serious for the future of our country yet. Americans have tended to vote style over substance and have always voted out the party that held the Presidency if there were tough economic times during the election. This happened after the 1929 Stock Market Crash, and Hoover has been blamed for the Great Depression ever since, but the market came back after that crash, and the Depression actually did not start until well into the Roosevelt Administration. Choices were made, and a direction was taken that made the Depression inevitable. We are in a very similar situation right now. If we make the wrong choice now, it could prove to be the doom of the ship. If we repeat this folly again, it will be time to go from trying to save the ship to directing people to the lifeboats. It is that serious.
2) Rising energy prices
3) The falling dollar
4) Rising deficits
5) A growing payout for entitlements
6) Increasing weakness and instability in the economic infrastructure
7) Fear is increasing, which tends to shut down initiative
The good news is that these problems are coming to light, and therefore are much more likely to be addressed and fixed. If they are addressed rightly, the U.S. economy can be greatly strengthened for decades to come. This can, and should, also result in the lifting up of the entire world economy. This will compute to a much greater stability and peace in the world, and the ability to address serious problems being faced by developing nations.
Are the answers to these huge problems really that simple? Yes, they really are. The answers to our great problems in almost every area are very simple, and in fact one of the main answers is to simplify. Just simplifying the tax code would be a huge boost. However, if we are not delivered of the basic legalistic mentality it will soon be over-complicated again. That’s why we must stop flailing at the branches of our major problems, and put the ax to the root of the tree.
There is hope. Fixing the problems that have put us in such an emergency is basic and quite easy to do. We just need the wisdom, resolve, and leadership. The crisis has illuminated issues that now make it easier to address them. I have discussed them in a bit more detail in the March 2008 Prophetic Bulletin, which I do encourage you to read even if you read it then. It has proven to be a very accurate prophecy, giving some very clear direction.
However, if the country chooses to go in the other direction, toward socialism, which is basically looking to the government to control and fix everything, rather than removing the unnecessary shackles of government off of the economy, we are in far more serious trouble, and the consequences will be terrible. The choice is ours. We make protest that “the Lord is in control,” but concerning the affairs here, He protests and tells us that we are in control. The church will decide, either by being proactive as the light and salt that we are called to be, or by doing nothing and letting our nation go the wrong way. As the historian, Alexis de Toqueville prophesied, “The only thing required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
Looking at the present state of the world economy is a lot like the feeling I had when I first saw the Hurricane Katrina devastation. It was hard to believe that we were looking at reality and not some horror movie. For weeks, it was a matter of trying to save lives and then keep the survivors alive with the basic necessities. It took a while to even start thinking about rebuilding. The way that America mobilized, and especially the church, is still a great encouragement. The rebuilding did begin, and now it is possible to foresee the Gulf Coast soon being even better than it was before, maybe even much better.
The same thing is possible with the present economic catastrophe we have been hit with. It may take us a while to just be able to see a potential recovery, but we can come out of this better and stronger than ever. However, like in areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes, we do need to examine where we are building and how.
There is a saying that if the American economy sneezes, the world economy catches pneumonia. The economic crisis that hit America is having an even more scary impact in Europe and much of Asia than it is having in America. Like Hurricane Katrina, this seems to have quickly overwhelmed the ability of even the most wealthy and powerful governments in the world to deal with it. This is one of the most important events of our times, and we do need to understand it and be prepared for the consequences.
First, we can be comforted that there is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. God is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands because of the stock market or the sub-prime credit crisis. If we have built our lives on His kingdom, we don’t have to either. If we have not been wise to build on the Rock that can take the storms, we will likely endure a much loss, but we can still be saved, rebuild on the right foundation, and be prepared for the next wave of storms.
As we were engaged in Hurricane Katrina relief from the beginning, it was obvious to us that most who were doing the blaming of the federal government for the problems were actually the most responsible for the mismanagement of the situation, and were just trying to deflect the blame from themselves. I appreciated our President for not returning fire but resolving to accept the blame if that was necessary to get people refocused on dealing with the catastrophe. The same is true in our present economic crisis.
Congress has been very adept at blaming President Bush for the present crisis, but if the situation ever gets accurately evaluated, the Neighborhood Re-Investment Act, through which Congress pressured Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make so many sub-prime loans to people who could not otherwise qualify for them, will be at the root of the problem. One figure that was discussed, with amazingly little attention being given to it, was that five million of these mortgages went to illegal aliens.
Certainly the Administration has to share in the responsibility for what has unfolded too. Both sides are guilty of mismanagement and sleeping on their watch. However, right now the blame-shifting does not help anyone. After the crisis, we need to examine what happened, not to just blame people, but so we don’t get in this situation again.
Are We Headed for Another Great Depression?
The parallels between what is happening now and what happened in 1929 are remarkable. Right after the crash in 1929, the markets made a comeback. Right now is a great time to make money for those who have understanding, but if the nation turns the same way it did then in the upcoming elections, any rally will not last because the downward spiral will get tighter and tighter.
The direction we go will be determined by who is elected in the upcoming election.
Again, the Hoover Administration is still blamed for the Great Depression, which is mostly because the blame-shifters were so successful. The Great Depression did not start in 1929 but several years later. The economy was still fundamentally healthy, though the stock market had crashed. The financial markets and the basic economy are linked, but one can have serious problems while the other remains very strong. The recent turmoil in the markets does not have to drag us into a depression, but it can if we react the same way the country did after the 1929 crash. If the truth can be told (and it probably can’t), you can blame the reaction by the new Roosevelt Administration to events that in aviation terms, caused a simple downward spin that is not hard to recover from, to turn into a tightening death spiral that you cannot get out of. Roosevelt did not get the country out of the Great Depression, World War II did.
In an aircraft that enters a spin, to recover you must neutralize your ailerons, and give it rudder in the opposite direction of the spin. However, modern planes that are certified must have what is called “stability” in their design. In these, if you just take your hands off of the controls, the plane will quickly right itself and fly out of the spin. This is safer because if you accidently give the wrong rudder input while trying to recover from a spin, it can tighten the spin, which can lead to entering the dreaded “death spiral,” which is extremely difficult to get out of.
None of the candidates for President this year seem to have a good understanding of the economy, but if we end up with a Democratic Congress and Democratic Administration, I will be expecting the present economic problems to get much worse. We could be in for a collapse as bad as the world experienced in the 1930s, and it could even be worse than that. If this happens, not only will the rudder input be in the opposite direction that is needed, but by the proposals they will be giving our economy full wrong aileron input as well—everything will be going in the wrong direction.
If we have another Republican Administration, they cannot keep going the direction of the Bush Administration either. Spending and the growth of government have been out of control. This must be checked and the direction reversed. With basic good management implemented, the government could do many times as much with resources at a fraction of what it is now consuming. I appreciate the Democratic Party keeping on the forefront of their agenda the helping of the down and out. The Lord Himself did this! My problem is not with what they want to do, but how they want to do it.
Government agencies have a general efficiency rating of about 10 percent, which means for every $10 you give them only $1 will actually make it to the needs, and the rest will be consumed in bureaucracy. If what is now being wasted by government mismanagement and red tape was put back into the economy, it would soar for many years to come. Winston Churchill has been attributed to saying, “If you are not a liberal at twenty, you have no heart; if you are not a conservative at forty, you have no brain.” If our country turns again to the government to fix all of our problems by taking over more of what we should be doing, the results will be the same or worse than it was in the 1930s.
I am not writing any of this to endorse a candidate or a party, but so we can be prepared for the consequences of the upcoming election, either way. As I have said often, an eagle needs both a left wing and a right wing to fly, and I appreciate some things in each of our major political parties. Except for the issues concerning life and family, and if liberals understood management, I would be a liberal. We just cannot keep putting lawyers in positions of leadership in the government who bring their legalistic mentality as the answer to fixing every problem, but we are in desperate need of leaders and managers.
I am saying this as a watchman and a shepherd, seeking to help those who can hear to prepare for the times. I did rightly predict that the economy would be the main issue in these elections, and at the time, Iraq was the issue. The upcoming elections will determine whether the economy is allowed to recover or whether it will get much worse. It will be hard and very scary for awhile, regardless of who is elected. However, we can come out of this present crisis stronger and wiser if we make the right decisions.
If Obama is elected, I will immediately begin preparing for the worse as far as the economy of our nation, even though it may look like things are getting better for a time. I will also honor him as our leader, pray for him, and in every way possible try to support him. Even so, I would not be a watchman if I did not warn or a shepherd if I did not try to protect our people. If this happens, I will also be trying to help everyone I can find the lifeboats. The choice is that clear. Each party would put opposite rudder input into this situation. One is right, and one is wrong, and the wrong one will ultimately be catastrophic.
Even if we go the way toward further and deepening economic problems, it will be the time when those who understand the times and are prepared for them will prosper. There is a saying about wealth, that like energy, it is never destroyed but just changes forms. It may not be destroyed, but it will change hands.
An Ultimate Judgment
Consider this. In Scripture, one of the ways that a nation was judged by the Lord was to give them immature leadership. Obama is the most inexperienced Presidential candidate in history. He has proven so indecisive that while a state senator he voted “Present” over 140 times instead of taking a position on a bill. He has never authored even one piece of significant legislation, and yet, as has been pointed out, he had time to author two autobiographies. He has never been the chief executive of anything. The White House is not the place for on-the-job training in leadership. It is truly remarkable that Obama was nominated, and I am personally very encouraged that our nation would vote for an African American man to be our President. However, if we vote such inexperience into office during such a crisis, we are under judgment as a nation.
Does that mean that I would give up on America? Never. As I have also shared in previous Bulletins, even the judgment of God is an indication that He has not given up on us, but He disciplines His own. Several kinds of judgment are in Scripture, and only one of them is condemnation. All of the others are discipline from the Lord, and He disciplines those whom He loves.
Neither would I give up on Obama, but as I said, I will be earnestly praying for him and do all I can to support and honor our President. I will be earnestly praying for the Lord to give him wisdom. However, I will be preparing for what I believe will have signaled a much worse economic crisis than we are now in. I also will see this as a clear turn down the path toward great times of trouble, and therefore will be devoted to preparing for them.
Even though as a nation we may be in real jeopardy, these are the times of the harvest, and we know that the kingdom will come and the Lord’s will is going to ultimately be done right here on earth as it is in heaven. That is what I will be devoted to preparing for. This could be an even greater opportunity to see the glory of the Lord appear on His people—so let us seek to turn people to the Lord with even greater zeal.
If we are able to recover from the present situation, our economy is still going to change. There have been anointed, prophetic warnings coming to the church for decades encouraging God’s people to get out of debt and live within our means. Those who have obeyed these warnings will be in a position to prosper, regardless of what happens in the world. We have a kingdom, and a kingdom economy, which cannot be shaken. Let us resolve, regardless of who is elected President, or who controls the Congress, to only build on the foundation of the kingdom of God. Even if we do recover from the present troubles, ultimately we know that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and the time will come that everything that has not been built on the Rock will be destroyed by the storms. At the same time, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be ascending. That is a clear, biblical promise.
“For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.
“And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
rising.
“Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms.
“Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice;
because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the
nations will come to you.
“A multitude of camels will cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will come; they will bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news of the praises of the LORD.
“All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; they will go up with acceptance on My altar,
and I shall glorify My glorious house.
“Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like the doves to their lattices?
“Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; and the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them,
for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.
“And foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you; for in My wrath I struck you, and in My favor I have had compassion on you.
“And your gates will be open continually; they will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.
“For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish” (see Isaiah 60:1-12).
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM RICK
Every New Year we host a conference in which we seek the word of the Lord for our present times, for the nations, the church, and every individual who comes. It is obvious that we are in the times when it is going to be increasingly critical that we hear the word of the Lord and obey it. Our New Year’s Conference tends to fill up fast, so if you think you are supposed to join us, please register ASAP. It will begin the evening of December 29 and go through midnight, December 31, as we worship into the New Year. The New Year’s Eve worship service will be better than any other party you could attend. To register, call 1-800-542-0278. Registration to our conferences remains only $50 per person. Rooms at HIM are also discounted for everyone.
