News and Prophecy—June 11, 2009

Is a Famine of the Word on the Horizon?

A county official in California recently questioned a San Diego pastor and his wife about their weekly in-home Bible study. He then demanded that they obtain a permit for “religious assemblies” in their home—an action that would cost more than US$10,000. The official threatened that if a permit was not obtained, the pastor would be fined, “and then it could get ugly.” The official’s threats directly contradict the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prevents creation of laws to prohibit the free exercise of religion. A spokesperson for the law firm representing the pastor commented,

“If the current trends in our nation continue, churches may be forced underground….

If homes are already closed by the government to assembly and worship, where then will Christians meet?... I’m deeply concerned that if in the U.S. we are not able to meet in our homes and freely practice our religion, then we may be worse off than China” (FoxNews.com, May 28, 2009).

God prophesied to the Israelite nations that a time would come when “…I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). As the Israelite-descended nations drift further from God, turning justice into wormwood and laying righteousness to rest in the earth (Amos 5:7), a famine of the word becomes a foreseeable reality! Thus we must pray for the leaders of the land so that we may continue to “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:2).

The Chickens are Coming

In the U.S., there is a cliché, “The chickens will come home to roost.” The term highlights an age-old law: for every sinful action there are consequences. This cliché now applies to the U.S. economy. For decades, the U.S. economic engine has been churning, but in many cases, the merchants have grown rich through unjust “weights and measures.”

Recently, a conservative economist stated, “Now it’s the U.S. government that’s the next victim of the market’s revenge. Why?... Like private corporations, it borrows. Like any borrower, it has creditors. And like all creditors, it’s ultimately up to THEM—not up to the borrower—to decide what to do with their money. But unlike most borrowers, the U.S. government has arrogantly thumbed its nose at its creditors. Without remorse… ‘We can spend our money wantonly. We can bail out our giant corporations to our heart’s content. We can even debase our currency. But YOU, our creditors, are stuck with us. No matter what we do, you’ve got to keep loaning us more money, endlessly.’ Our creditors swallowed hard and tolerated this message for a while. But not now. Now they’re fed up. They can’t take it anymore.” (Money and Markets, May 25, 2009).

Millennia ago God warned Israel: “Woe to him who increases what is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges. Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the people shall plunder you…” (Habakkuk 2:6-8, emphasis ours). What goes around, comes around, and for the United States and many Israelite-descended nations, “the chickens are coming home to roost.”