Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The Late Great USA

Of course that title is stolen from Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth", and it sounds somewhat sensational; I realize that.

However, those words just kept ringing in my mind as I reviewed the news this morning. For years, so many of us who have studied prophecy and followed the pertinent news, have speculated on what would cause the downfall of America. We felt this way because America isn't mentioned once in the Bible's detailed descriptions of end times world events. The major powers (the revived Roman Empire, the "Kings of the East", Russia (MaGog etc.), the "Kings of the South" etc., etc.) are mentioned many times but no mention of the U.S. - not even tangentially.

The assumption had always been that the Rapture of the Church would be that defining event which would take down America, as the thinking had been that the Rapture would disproportionately affect the U.S.

That vision is changing rapidly.

First to the Gulf.

This situation is becoming more and more ominous by the minute. The oil "volcano", the methane, the benzene and other toxic chemicals which have been dumped into the Gulf (aka "dispersants"), the lack of oxygen in the water, the dying sea life, the illnesses that are affecting coastal citizens, the expanding methane gas bubble under the ocean floor seem scary enough. And these items are very real and growing by the day. The disaster has just begun and we are only getting a trace of what is to come.

But what is now more ominous is how the U.S. administration is reacting:


"First Amendment suspended in the Gulf of Mexico as spill cover-up goes Orwellian"


As CNN is now reporting, the U.S. government has issued a new rule that would make it a felony crime for any journalist, reporter, blogger or photographer to approach any oil cleanup operation, equipment or vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Anyone caught is subject to arrest, a $40,000 fine and prosecution for a federal felony crime.

CNN reporter Anderson Cooper says, "A new law passed today, and back by the force of law and the threat of fines and felony charges, ... will prevent reporters and photographers from getting anywhere close to booms and oil-soaked wildlife just about any place we need to be. By now you're probably familiar with cleanup crews stiff-arming the media, private security blocking cameras, ordinary workers clamming up, some not even saying who they're working for because they're afraid of losing their jobs."

The rule, of course, is designed to restrict the media's access to cleanup operations in order to keep images of oil-covered seabirds off the nation's televisions. With this, the Gulf Coast cleanup operation has now entered a weird Orwellian reality where the news is shaped, censored and controlled by the government in order to prevent the public from learning the truth about what's really happening in the Gulf.

If all this sounds familiar, it's because the U.S. government uses this same tactic during every war. The first casualty of war, as they say, is the truth.

Now the same Big Brother approach is being used in the Gulf of Mexico: Criminalize journalists, censor the story and try to keep the American people ignorant of what's really happening. It's just the latest tactic from a government that no longer even recognizes the U.S. Constitution or its Bill of Rights. Because the very first right is Freedom of Speech, which absolutely includes the right to walk onto a public beach and take photographs of something happening out in the open, on public waters. It is one of the most basic rights of our citizens and our press.

But now the Obama administration has stripped away those rights, transforming journalists into criminals. Now, we might expect something like this from Chavez, or Castro or even the communist leaders of China, but here in the United States, we've all been promised we lived in "the land of the free." Obama apparently does not subscribe to that philosophy anymore (if he ever did).

So how does criminalizing journalists equate to "land of the free?" It doesn't, obviously. Forget freedom. (Your government already has.) This is about controlling your mind to make sure you don't visually see the truth of what the oil industry has done to your oceans, your shorelines and your beaches. This is all about keeping you ignorant with a total media blackout of the real story of what's happening in the Gulf.

Yes, this is happening right now in America. This isn't a hoax. I know, it sounds more like something you might hear about in Saudi Arabia, or Venezuela or some other nation run by dictators. But now it's happening right here in the USA.

Without the light of media scrutiny, corporations and government will get away with unimaginable crimes against both humanity and nature. That's what's happening right now in the Gulf of Mexico: A crime against nature.

Obama doesn't want you to see that crime. He's covering it up to the benefit of BP. He's keeping you in the dark by threatening reporters and photographers with arrest. How's that for "total transparency?"

The loss of life in the Gulf of Mexico isn't the only catastrophe taking place here, you see: Now we're losing our freedoms while our government tries to intentionally blind us all from the truth of what's happening on our own public beaches.

When those who seek truth are branded criminals by the government, it is only a matter of time before that government expands its criminalization labeling to include anyone who disagrees with it. These are the seeds of tyranny, and Obama is planting them at your doorstep right now.



Also see this article:

"BP and Coast Guard bans all media access to spill, boom, cleanup sites and workers"


Under threat of a federal felony, National Incident Commander Thad Allen HAS BANNED ALL MEDIA ACCESS to boom operation sites and clean up sites. Allen's orders effectively bans all media - print, television, radio and Internet bloggers from talking to to any clean-up worker or to even come close to take pictures or videos of booms, clean-up workers, oil soaked birds, dead dolphins, dead marine life, burned and dead endangered sea turtles.

Under threat of a federal felony, National Incident Commander Thad Allen HAS BANNED ALL MEDIA ACCESS to boom operation sites and clean up sites. Allen's orders effectively bans all media - print, television, radio and Internet bloggers from talking to to any clean-up worker or to even come close to take pictures or videos of booms, clean-up workers, oil soaked birds, dead dolphins, dead marine life, burned and dead endangered sea turtles.

Allen has issued a blanket order that bans anyone from getting close to any spill clean up site, boom site, areas where there are clean up workers or any other oil disaster related area or persons effectively shutting down the first amendment rights of the media. The zone of exclusion is 65 feet. There was rumor that Coast Guard bosses wanted to impose a 300 feet exclusion zone but later relented to a 65 feet no trespass and exclusion zone.


Also see:

"More bad news for BP as arsenic levels rise in seawater around the Gulf of Mexico"


BELEAGUERED energy giant BP was hit with further bad news this morning as it emerged dangerous arsenic levels have been found in seawater around the Gulf of Mexico.

British scientists warned that the oil spill is increasing the level of arsenic in the ocean, and could further add to the devastating impact on the already sensitive environment.



"Louisiana department of Health and Hospitals close 7 oyster harvesting areas in response to oil spill"



In the best case scenario, perhaps much of this can be explained by the fact that the U.S. Administration simply doesn't want its ineptitude exposed and is simply attempting to downplay the magnitude of this crisis on that basis. But even in that "best-case" scenario, the sense that they can simply ignore our basic rights, in this case the First Amendment, and impose what amounts to martial law on the press and citizens of this country creates a very ominous tone and it fuels the conspiracy theories which are metastasizing by the minute.

This situation in the Gulf is an epic, "biblical" disaster and now the Obama Administration is attempting to keep the information from the public. Period.

Why?

And now we see more bad news in the Gulf - because we know that a hurricane will substantially worsen the situation, spreading oil throughout a far wider region and creating conditions for the toxic mixture to become airborn:

"Storm off Louisiana packing tropical force winds"

It said the storm, centered about 50 miles south-southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana, was already packing sustained winds near tropical storm force.

There was a "high chance" it will become the second named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season before it makes landfall in the Terrebonne Parish area near Caillou Bay early Monday evening, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

Forecasters at the hurricane center were also keeping close watch over an area of disturbed weather in the southeastern Gulf that could strengthen into a tropical depression later this week, potentially hampering oil spill clean-up efforts.




"The Late Great USA"? Isn't that just a little extreme?


Perhaps. But we now turn to the financial crisis in the U.S. and much of the world (these articles contain a lot of information; too much to even try and quote) - the headlines tell the story:


"Howard Davidowitz: U.S. Economy 'Is a Complete Disaster"


"With the US trapped in depression, this is really starting to feel like 1932"

"Dow Repeats Great Depression Pattern"

"Analyst: Obama has U.S. economy in 'death spiral'"


Perhaps this article explains a few things:

"Institutionalized Gangster Government"

Who knows where all of this will lead. But it sure seems that the U.S. is being removed from its "world-power" status and removed from being able to support Israel as its home problems mount.

It must be part of the overall stage-setting as the world prepares to meet their new leader, the biblical antichrist. The U.S. is crumbling before our very eyes. What is even more amazing is the rapidity with which it is happening.

The situation in the Gulf is only beginning. The financial meltdown is just beginning.

And the U.S. government's response is just beginning.

So far, it doesn't look very good. Perhaps we are no different from Israel. God is in the process of placing Israel in a position that they will have nowhere to turn but to God. We already know - when the epic invasion of Gog-MaGog occurs, Israel will only have God to turn to - as the rest of the world will abandon them completely.

Maybe that is our fate as well: Only God to turn to, as we await our deliverance.

20 comments:

Expected Imminently said...

Scott
I have just re-found an aquaintance, who was a superb researcher. She is midtrib, and with all the news, is it any wonder she thinks the third seal has now been broken! This in spite of the fact the a/c hasn't been revealed yet or the Temple rebuilt.
However I do admit one 'departing' (from the faith) is under way; I am just longing for our Departing to be with Jesus. :)
Sue

Tasarwen said...

Scott, this is just a guess. I can't help but wonder if (due to the Gulf disaster), "they" will declare marshal law and not allow elections in the fall. That will pretty much guarantee the continuous reign of the powers that be.

Scott said...

Tas - Thats a HUGE fear of mine. In fact, a ran across an article to that effect this morning (I'll see if I can dig it up)...Even w/o martial law, I fear that elections could be rigged (like the now infamous Al Franken stolen election).

Sue

No way. The AC hasn't brokered the Daniel 9:27 peace deal. Thats one of my problems with Mid-Tribbers - they should know some of these basic/fundamental facts. :)

hartdawg said...

concerning americas destruction... i always thought at the time of the rapture the church, and the world would be eating, drinking...life as normal. if america falls that would NOT be the case cuz it would have global reprecussions BUT...

hartdawg said...

...then i realized its at the DAY OF THE LORD (the start of the tribulation)When the world will be asleep (due to false peace by anti-christ) then overtaken by tribulation judgements. there is no reason xept Gods staying hand why america cant implode today. it could happen.

Scott said...

Hart
Thats a good point. But I also think that the threshold of "eating, drinking and giving in marriage" is a low threshold. We could see financial collapse to some degree and even something as draconian as martial law in the gulf region, and even then, it could still classify as meeting those requirements/

I believe those scriptures are there to draw a contrast to the Tribulation, when the persecution of the saints and the destruction of the 21 Judgments reaches full force - in which case, the "saints" won't be eating, drinking and marrying normally, as they will be in hiding and on the run - and won't be "eating" normally, or participating in "public" events such as the marriage ceremonies.

Those are just my thoughts however - and subject to being incorrect as I am most capable of :)

Tasarwen said...

Sorry, I meant "martial law". At times the fingers get ahead of the brain. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Scott,

I really appreciate your comments. In light of everything that is going on, and Im sure that you've heard it before - but you may want to reconsider your pre-trib rapture belief. It certainly appears to be at the very least pre-wrath; and maybe even post trib. Please read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8. It's very clear about the falling away occuring first, then the Antichrist being revealed before our gathering unto Him (Rapture). Take care, and God Bless!

Scott said...

I'm not sure I understand the point re 2 Thess 2.

The falling away means one of two things:
- In the first case (what I believe) is that "falling away" references the "catching up" or the church. In fact the term "departure" was the translation up until the KJ version suddenly changed to "falling away".
- If "falling away" refers to apostasy, that would have been a strange way for Paul to have given the church reassurances that they were not (at the time) living in the Tribulation. They were experiencing major apostasy at that very time, so that would have been an odd way to give reassurances.
- none the less - IF this "falling away" was indeed used to indicate apostasy before the appearance of the AC - then the passage would simply refer to a falling away in faith before the AC is revealed.

This passage doesn't indicate any revealing of the AC before the Rapture - I'm not sure how one can infer that from the passage.

Additionally, the best point of reference in in Daniel 9:27, as the AC "confirms" the covenant. Since we con't have a "confirmed covenant", then the AC hasn't been revealed and then by definition, we aren't in the Tribulation yet.

Thats my reasoning anyway :)

jamie said...

Actually there has been a 7 year confirmed covanent with many, including Israel! It is the Barcelona process that was agreed on and negotiated in 95 by Javier Solana when he was the head of Nato. He then became the head for Common Forien Security Policy in the EU and actually confirmed and strengthened the agreement putting in into force for 7
years as the ENPI or otherwise known as the Euro-Mediterranian Agreement. He office was given its power through his own introduction of Reconmendation 666. This theory has almost ran out of time though I must admit, and if the AoD does not occur by July 20 this year then we hav not entered the final week of Daniel. Coincidentially this July 20 is the 9th of Av- This is the date where alot of the worst events in Jewish history have occured and it is 1260 days from the end of the 7 year agreement. Javier Solana has retired but Ashton has such low approval levels and if some crisis were to occur such as say the Psalms 38 battle that Solana might be asked back to sort it out for lets guess 42 months as he has much experience in middle east affairs. I for one will admit though that once July 20 comes that if there is no AoD then this theory is incorrect, but its the only strenghtened and confirmed 7 year treaty with Israel and many by some one
from the Revived Roman Empire ever and hia power came from Reconmendation 666.. Plus if he was to come back he would be the head of the WEU which
just happen to be a group of 10 nations that have a Military and defence pact that could hand there power to him for a short time after he uproots 3 of them by the roots. This 9th of Av could be very very interesting..

Scott said...

Man, you guys still haven't given up on Solana as the AC? He's probably on a golf course somewhere in Europe. Plus lets face it - he really doesn't match any of the descriptions of the AC, especially Daniel 8. I'm actually amused that someone out there still wants to believe that Solana could be the AC (I am teasing a little here :)

I can get behind the WEU, but any premise that they would have to evolve into the 10 kings seems lost with Greece present - why would anyone proactively take Greece into any future alliance given their problems now?

Also - The ENP isn't the type of peace deal suggested in Daniel 9:7 - come on. That will be a peace agreement relating to Israeli peace with her neighbors, the ENP never did anything remotely close to that - and if they did - it was never "confirmed" based on the simple fact that peace hasn't been achieved. That alone rules out the ENP - but more importantly, that wasn't the kind of covenant envisioned in Dan 9:27.

I know all about Recommendation 666 and Herb Peters etc...I've read the book. And Recommendation 666 could still come into play, that pony isn;t dead yet, but Solana as the AC? Come on :)

Scott said...

By the way - I have had dinner up at Petersberg Complex in Bonn, Germany. If you know Resolution 666 in detail, that will have meaning. It was kind of strange being up there.

Did you know that Bonn is also known as the
"City on Seven Hills" ?

Interesting footnote to Resolution 666.

Expected Imminently said...

Scott
You are correct about the apostasia originally translated as ‘departing’(see the first post).

This has to be brief! God willing, I shall answer your post on July 21st (if I am still here).

Newspaper exegesis strikes again!

The ten kingdoms who reign for only an hour, are not known as yet let alone operating. It is out of these ten toes that the a/c will emerge as an ‘eleventh’ horn and confirm a covenant with Israel as the first revealing of a/c. The second when he enters the as yet un-built Jewish Temple similar to Antiochus sp?

MARANATHA!
Sue

Anonymous said...

Scott,

There is absolutely nothing about Daniel 9:27 that mentions, or even implies a so-called "Peace Treaty". Perhaps you have fallen into the status quo in believing that idea. Also, if you can't see that 2 Thessalonaians 2:1-8 isn't mentioning that the Antichrist is to be revealed before our gathering unto Him or the Rapture.....then I don't know what to say.

Scott said...

Well, the nuances of the covenant aside - do you really believe the ENP was the covenant of Dan 9:27?
The ENP isn't even a factor anymore with the Med Union -- not to mention that if the ENP was really the "covenant" then why hasn't anything else happened (that should have if we were in the Trib)

- Where are the two witnesses?

There is almost universal agreement that their 3.5 years comes during the first half of the Trib.
(I assume you must believe that the Seal Judgments don't occur till the second half of the Trib). To place the Two Witnesses anywhere BUT the first 3.5 years would require some major gymnastics IMO.

Honestly - IF Solana turns out to be the AC - I'll make trips to the Dessert Tray for you during the Wedding Supper. :)

hartdawg said...

2 thess ch 2 "concerning the coming of our lord (2 coming) AND (and meaning sperate event) our gathering together (rapture) i dont want you to become easily unsettled (alarmed or frightined)bu a letter (they recieved a forged letter)...saying the DAY OF THE LORD(tribulation) had come (they thought they were in the tribulation).

hartdawg said...

why would the thessalonians be unsettled or frightened if they were in the day of the lord if they didnt believe in a rapture?

hartdawg said...

it says that day (the day of the Lord or tibulation) will not come til the ac is revealed. again, if there was no pre-trib rapture the would be excited that the day of the lord had come, not alarmed or frightened. 2 thess proves a pre-trib rapture.

Anonymous said...

Scott, to answer your question concerning the ENP.... First, No I don't think that the ENP is the covenant of Daniel 9:27 - I believe that the 1995 Euro-Med Partnership is; and the ENP is an extension of that (which was literally a Covenant with Many). The ENP only confirmed or strengthened it, and ironically it is funded for a period of 7 years - Javier Solana is responsible for confirming it. As far as the Med Union, it is only an extension of an already in place ENP.

Scott, I challenge you to look further into the dynamics of the ENP, and the relationship that Javier Solana has with it. This man is said to be "retired" but yet he still remains active in European Politics. I really don't know that he will be the prophesised Antichrist; only time will tell, but he sure remains a very crucial person of interest; at least in my opinion. We must remember that the coming Antichrist has to remain hidden, until that time he can be revealed.(2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)

As far as the two witnesses, and the so-called "universial agreement" that they are to appear in the 1st half, I would say show me in the bible where there is a 7 year tribulation period mentioned. Then I would challenge those who believe that the two witnesses are to appear in the 1st half to prove this with Scripture, and not man's "universal agreement". The two witnesses will appear at or around the "midst" of the 7 year agreemtment; vice the understanding that they appear at the 1st half of a non-existant 7 year tribulation period.

The dynamics of the 70th week are still unknown to us at this point. This is to include it's timing as far as events that we "think" are to transpire. I would venture to say that a wise person would not quickly rule out the ENP - at this juncture, as it has so very much fulfilled what is written in Scripture.

It is our pre-conceived ideas that often gets us in trouble.

Scott said...

I'm on the run right now so I don't have much time for an appropriate response. But if you don't believe that there are 7 more years left on the 490 years defined to Daniel, then we are so fundamentally apart, its probably a waste of time to discuss.
God Bless