#897

?

Pinching Your Pennies

If you are of a certain age you recall a comedian named Jack Benny who portrayed himself as a miser. It was an act and Benny played the part very well. It was a schtick that he owned as we see in a short blurb from this article:

Masterful, much-loved comedian and comic actor, an influential yet essentially inimitable staple of radio and later TV for half a century. Benny's star persona was famous for its cynical, worrisome nature; its miserliness; and for Benny's insistence on playing the violin (poorly) at social gatherings.

Of course it was all an act:

In real life Benny was actually an accomplished violinist--hence his ability to butcher it so well. Among many comic mannerisms Benny perfected were a highly deliberate, leisurely paced line delivery; and, best of all, a withering, long-suffering stare at the camera as he endured other characters' many intended or accidental insults.

But in real life we all know people who we lovingly call cheap skates. It’s not a serious trait overall, but it actually could come in handy if these folks have set aside funds and the coming prophesied economic earthquake occurs. And if current headlines are any indication, setting aside some money below your mattress might be a very good thing.

But Maybe Not

See I set you up for that “but then” line. Actually if the next panic moment in the financial world is what some are predicting based on the signs or indications that anyone can see, only the very rich could be prepared and even then, it might have to be the very, very, very rich that weather the coming storm. In an article from Prophecy News Watch they paint a picture of that moment:

Imagine waking up one morning to find that your savings are frozen, your credit cards stopped working, and the dollar bill in your wallet isn't worth the paper it's printed on. It sounds dramatic--something from a dystopian novel or a bad Hollywood thriller. But behind the scenes, in the hushed chambers of central banks and the chaotic pulse of financial markets, warning bells are sounding. The global economy isn't just vulnerable--it's one crisis away from a devastating reset.

Well, that was stark. And yet it not only could happen but the stage is already being set:

Let's cut to the heart of the matter: national governments are drowning in debt. The world's sovereign debt now exceeds $100 trillion. The U.S. alone accounts for roughly 35% of that total, followed by China at 16%, and Japan at 10%. These aren't just numbers; they're red flags flapping violently in the wind.

For years, governments enjoyed virtually free money, borrowing at near-zero interest rates with abandon. But the era of cheap debt is over. Investors, no longer willing to play along, are demanding higher returns for the risk of lending to increasingly unstable borrowers. This has triggered a dramatic spike in bond yields and thrown global credit markets into a state of unsettling uncertainty.

Japan Is One Sign

The article calls Japan the canary in the coal mine:

Start with Japan. The country's bond market--once the most placid in the world--is now on the verge of convulsion. Just last week, a weak auction of 20-year Japanese government bonds rattled investors. The yield surged to its highest level this century. The gap between the average and lowest-accepted prices, known ominously as the "tail," was the widest since 1987. This isn't just a hiccup. It's a symptom of deep market unease.

Now to many of you including myself, that doesn't really cause a panic, mainly because it doesn’t make sense. I don’t live in Japan so I need a little more information to believe that Japan is giving us pause:

Why does this matter to someone sitting in New York or Berlin?

Because Japan's bond market is a foundation of global finance. If it starts cracking, investors around the world will rush for the exits--pulling out of other government bonds, sparking panic sales, and setting off a global chain reaction. Picture it like this: when the most stable domino begins to wobble, the rest don't stand a chance.

So Japan is a financial harbinger of things to come if nothing changes. But there are other signs:

Europe And America

According to the article they see issues with Europe and the US:

Europe's markets are not faring much better. Long-term bond yields are rising across the continent. Germany's 10-year bond yield--a benchmark for the Eurozone--has been creeping upward, and the U.K. is following suit. As yields rise, borrowing costs for already-indebted governments soar, turning routine budget issues into potential fiscal disasters.

And then there's the United States. Moody's recently downgraded the U.S. credit outlook, citing unsustainable debt and dysfunctional political gridlock. Investors took note. The yield on the 30-year Treasury briefly topped 5.08%, the highest in years. That's particularly alarming, given the U.S. now spends around $1 trillion annually just on interest payments--more than the defense budget.

Think the new budget deal just passed addresses these issues? Think again:

Even worse? The new federal spending bill could pile on another $20 trillion in debt over the next few decades. This isn't fiscal management; it's economic roulette.

Great. Just Great. But it can get worse.

Downright Dangerous

As if we can’t trust people to see the dead end of the current financial path, enter Artificial Intelligence or AI:

Markets today are not just controlled by humans. They're driven by AI-powered algorithms designed to react in nanoseconds. These bots don't weigh consequences or practice restraint. When fear enters the system, they can accelerate a sell-off into a full-blown meltdown before regulators even wake up.

So actions are taken without consideration of the human element of fear. When investors see blood in the water they will panic:

Imagine a scenario: A bond auction fails in Japan, panic spreads to European markets, and U.S. yields jump. Trading algorithms trigger massive sell-offs, derivatives explode in value, and banks begin to collapse under the weight of margin calls. Credit markets freeze. ATMs go dark.

And when people panic, in steps the governments to fix the problem. Just like in the pandemic, freedom will have to yield to security to survive a full-blown financial meltdown. Think a digital currency that can be controlled to avoid the collapse of any currency dragging down the others. That’s right – everyone will have to use a world wide bank. If that sounds a lot like Revelation 13 and the mark of the beast, well get in line. To avoid chaos, the world leaders will offer stability if we give up our sovereign money. And the fear will be the driving influence:

What happens if the whole system crashes? Governments will scramble to restore order--but likely with a new kind of control. Enter Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)--the digital replacements for cash already being tested around the world.

In a full-scale economic reset, a CBDC could be introduced to "stabilize" the economy. But this new digital money would come with strings attached--programmable spending, expiry dates, and unprecedented levels of surveillance and control. Your ability to spend could be regulated based on your behavior, social status, or carbon footprint. What sounds like a lifeline could quickly become a leash.

Just like the terrorist attack on 9/11/2001 led us to pass the Patriot Act, this financial crisis will lead to all of us giving up the ability to spend as we like and ceding that freedom to a board of world leaders deciding who can buy and sell and even earn. So tell me again how this matters to you and me, you know the ones will so little monetary skin in the game? But more importantly is there any way we can prepare for it?

It's Complicated

We depend on the current system for so much or our lives:

Your mortgage rate, your retirement fund, the price of gas, your job stability--they all hinge on the stability of the financial system. If confidence collapses and panic sets in, ordinary people suffer first and hardest. The people at the top have parachutes. You don't.

Just one financial crisis can and will push us over the edge we’re already teetering on:

We are living in a time when the global economy is balancing on a knife's edge. One crisis--whether a failed bond auction, a major cyberattack, a geopolitical shock, or a derivatives explosion--could tip the world into an economic dark age. We've defied economic gravity for a long time. But gravity always wins.

The bottom line is that we can’t make a dent in things when the financial earthquake hits:

This isn't fear-mongering. It's realism. The warning signs are blinking red in every direction. And while no one can predict the exact spark that will light the fuse, the gunpowder is already in place. We are one crisis away from a global economic reset. Whether that reset ushers in stability or control will depend on how prepared we are--and how much we're paying attention now. Because when the financial earthquake hits, it will already be too late to move.

So again I ask, what can we as Christians do when facing what is a major step to a one world government occurs?

It May Sound Like Escapism

This whole one world financial system is an integral part of Bible prophecy and I really see the Rapture as being the world event that triggers all we’ve just talked about. There may be birth pangs leading up to this and we can prepare to some degree for it, but from what I see in the Bible we simply won’t be around for its implementation. Also, Christians living in China are already living under this kind of system and we can take page from their survival plan. And to be fair, the early church did too. So it’s more than possible to deal with such a system now. The main difference is that this will be global and it will be the first time that can be said. I like how an article from gotquestions.org advises us for this coming period of time and the first thing is not to worry:

How should a Christian respond to the Great Reset and other worldly plans to, as it were, rebuild the Tower of Babel? First, refuse to worry. In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus helps us navigate unsettling times. Even if you literally don’t know where your next meal is coming from, do not worry; God provides for the birds, and He will provide for you. Even if you are literally facing destitution, do not worry; God clothes the grass of the field, and He will clothe you. Pray for His provision and expect Him to provide. Having a mindset free of worry allows us the freedom to set our minds on His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

The next important piece of advice is that things will truly work out for believers:

Second, remember that all the schemes of the godless will come to naught. “Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes” (Proverbs 12:2). The child of God is only in this world temporarily and will one day be situated in a much better and permanent home: “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). Our future is known, our residence is heaven, and our hope is eternal.

The last thing is to do what the Apostle Paul told us when he and the early church was living under a similar iron-fisted government:

Third, pray “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2).

Even in Roman times a good leader could be found to allow the environment Paul alluded to. How much of this last days system we’ll see is not for us to determine. The only stability we will ever know comes from Jesus and it always has been. I’m cool with that.