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“…WEEP WITH THOSE WHO WEEP” (Rom. 12:15b, Amplified Bible)

 

Will You And Your Family Be Next?

 

A few days ago I watched a heartbreaking news report on the CBS news program “60 Minutes.” It told of the economic tragedy that has befallen many people in the town of Wilmington, Ohio (pop. 12,000). In a segment entitled, “Economic Storm Batters Ohio Town” the reporter Scott Pelley related these sobering facts:

 

“In 1980, Airborne Express turned Wilmington's abandoned Air Force base into a hub for overnight shipping. Eight thousand people found work at what they call ‘the air park.’ Then, in 2003 a German company, DHL, bought Airborne in an effort to win a big piece of the U.S. market. It didn't work. The merger was rocky, there were service disruptions and customers left in droves. With last fall's economic crash, DHL was losing $6 million a day in the U.S.; layoffs started coming by the hundreds.” 

 

Then in the interviews that followed, one family after another spoke about the stark reality that now faces them. Mortgage payments are overdue, children away at college are having to come home because tuition costs cannot be met, and new jobs that pay enough to live on are simply not available. Shocked and trying to hold back the tears, mothers and dads voiced essentially the same sad lament of “What can we do?!!!”

 

Unfortunately they are not alone because the same scenario is being played out all across America today as multiplied thousands are losing jobs that once provided them with a good living. And to make matters infinitely worse, our government is throwing money it does not have at the problem! Continuing the trend of putting ridiculously large debt on the backs of our children, they are keeping the printing presses rolling day and night turning out fiat money that is backed by absolutely nothing.

 

In many ways this current crisis has the potential of being much, much worse than the “Great Depression” of the 1930’s. In that era approximately twenty percent of the populace was engaged in farming and their relatives who lived in urban areas could often rely on such family farms for food. Also many who lived in the cities knew how to till the soil and thus were able to grow gardens in their back yards or on empty lots. But that simply is not the case today. Very few would know what to do with seeds and vegetable plants even if they were available in large enough quantities to meet an increasing demand—something that could possibly take several growing seasons to achieve. And if the current food supply system is significantly compromised, things could reach critical mass in a hurry!

 

Should we panic? No, but we definitely ought to heed the warning signs and pray for God’s forgiveness. We the people have “lived high on the hog” for well over 60 years (a rural expression derived from the fact that some of the most desirable cuts of pork are near the backbone) and as a nation have turned away from truly following Jesus Christ. The good times have obviously played a part in making us forget the fact that Almighty God caused them to be good! And what the entire world is now experiencing is just a portent of things to come, because the Bible warns us that sooner or later His judgment is going to fall upon mankind during the Tribulation Period.

 

Every one of us should be touched in our hearts and praying for those who are facing a very uncertain future due to loss of jobs. Many of them are having their misery compounded by being forced to move out of their homes with nowhere to go! Families are being traumatized by the thousands and it is only by the grace of God that the rest of us have not yet experienced a similar fate.

 

“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not” Lamentations 3:22 (Amplified Bible).

Many are retired and Social Security checks must be relied upon to help pay the bills. So the stark reality is that our economic status rests in the hands of politicians and thus could go belly-up at any time. Also financial security is only as good as the currency upon which it is based and if the dollar goes the way of the dodo bird (always a very real possibility), no one is totally safe from losing everything they have.

 

Therefore, we should pay attention to the following admonition given by the Apostle Paul to his young protégé Timothy:

 

“As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment” Timothy 6:17 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

An old saying is that only two things are certain in this world: death and taxes! But the Bible adds one that is infinitely more important: All men—with the sole exception of Jesus Christ—will be required to stand before God and give an account for the deeds done in the body.

 

Believers will do this at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

 

“For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing]” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (Amplified Bible).

Unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne of God.

 

“Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [ their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books” Rev.20:11 (Amplified Bible).

 

Making a living is vitally important and we feel great empathy for those who are experiencing such heartache, but as bad as these things are—please understand they are actually mild when compared to the judgment God will unleash upon our sin.

 

Are you and your family among those who are being overwhelmed by circumstances beyond your control? If so, is it possible that God is trying to tell you something? Perhaps your situation could be similar to that of an old yarn about a “mule and a two by four.”

 

As the story goes, years ago a man bought a mule that had been “broken to the plow.” It had been trained to work in the fields and obey commands to “gee,” “haw,” or “whoa” (turn to one side or the other, thereby plowing a straight furrow—then stop on command). Well, as it turned out he could not get the mule to do anything! So he immediately took it to the former owner and demanded that he refund the purchase price.

 

“Oh me, I forgot to tell you something important,” the old farmer said when confronted by the irate buyer. He then walked over to his barn, picked up a short piece of two by four lumber, and proceeded to whack the mule between the ears with it! Then he told the owner to hitch up the animal and see if it would obey his commands. After it performed flawlessly the farmer explained, “This mule is about as stubborn as they come and won’t plow a lick until you get his attention!”

 

Is America paying attention? Sometimes drastic measures are required.

 

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.

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Finally, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at:
Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466

You can also E-Mail  Pastor Ronald Riffe  regarding questions or comments about this article.

God bless you