G'day Lee...

SA>I don't necessarily agree with every detail, such as the October 1987
SA>stock market crash being caused by Christians marching in London, but
SA>Labor MP James Bidgood seems to understand the "perfect storm" facing
SA>the Earth, as we move towards the End Times....

 LL> The more I look into this global financial crisis, the more I am
 LL> convinced it was contrived.  But for who's benefit?  That is the
 LL> question.

It may be contrived, but I have no evidence, just as I have no evidence
that such things result from God responding to prayers, but that said,
the time is prophesied when the global economic system will collapse,
leaving the rich merchants & shipowners in despair.

SA>=========================================================================

SA>Global financial crisis an 'act of God'
SA>By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney

SA>Last Updated: 1:05PM GMT 05 Dec 2008

SA>James Bidgood, who is already facing criticism for selling photographs
SA>of a protester threatening to set himself alight outside Parliament House,
SA>appears in a DVD arguing that God is punishing the world with recession,
SA>rising unemployment and economic instability.

 LL> I doubt that God is punishing the world, or anybody.  This global
 LL> financial crisis is manmade, not something done by God.  The world
 LL> has gone through recessions/depressions before, and survived.  The
 LL> present crisis is no different in that respect.

SA>In the undated speech, reported by the Australian newspaper, he says that
SA>Christian marches in London caused the October 1987 stock market crash.

SA>"When Christians pray, God does things", he said. "In 1987 there
SA>was another march for Jesus. That took place in April. And guess 
SA>what happened in Octobe 1987? The stock market crashed. All property 
SA>values lost one third of their value and over a million people lost 
SA>their homes."

 LL> In 1929 the stock market crashed in the USA.  Back then, only about
 LL> ten percent of all Americans held investments in the stock market.
 LL> Today, over fifty percent of all Americans held investments in the
 LL> stock market when it came tumbling down.  The crash in 1987 was
 LL> more of an adjustment than a crash, the market quickly recovering
 LL> and going on to heights unseen.  The housing market was built like
 LL> a house of cards, and when the bubble burst so did the housing
 LL> market. But what caused the crash?  Was it the housing market?  Was
 LL> it greedy CEO's?  Was it politicians?  Nobody seems to know.  Or
 LL> rather, nobody seems to want to say.

I know that the various Governments are handing out incentives to get
people spending, announcing big infrastructure projects etc to stimulate
growth & avoid a crash. Whether it will work or not, I do not know.

SA>Mr Bidgood, a Labor MP from the state of Queensland, went on to say God
SA>has played a role in the current economic downturn.

SA>"I believe what is happening today is as much to do with God in economics
SA>bringing judgment.

SA>"I believe there is God's justice in action in what is going on here.
SA>We haven't seen the end of it."

 LL> God gave man free will.  As such, how can anybody blame God for
 LL> what man has done?

I don't "blame" God for things that are taking place - most of it is
a result of man's actions, despite the prophecies warning of these
things coming to pass ... if God did not have foreknowledge, He would
not warn us, but it is still us digging our own hole, so to speak.

SA>Mr Bidgood then warned the world was ending.

SA>"I believe that there is God's justice in action in what's going on here
SA>and we haven't seen the end of it," he said.

SA>"The ultimate conclusion is like I say we look at Bible prophesy we're
SA>going toward a one-world bank and a one-world monetary system and if
SA>you believe the word of God and you read Revelations ... you will see
SA>clearly what's being spelt out and we are in the end times."

 LL> Man cannot bring about the end times, as that would make it a
 LL> self-fulfilling prophecy.  God will do things on His time, in His
 LL> own way.  IOW, man cannot force God to what man wants.  But having
 LL> free will, man can do what he freely chooses.

Still, I think we are seeing the "beginning of sorrows" and the events
leading to the Tribulation.

 LL> Consider this scenario -

 LL> Man has the capability to destroy Planet Earth and all life on it.
 LL> Suppose man sets out to do just that.  If he succeeds, that would
 LL> put an end to prophecy.  No more Earth, no more prophecy.  The
 LL> Bible is a lie.  God is dead.

 LL> If man does not succeed, having been prevented from doing so by
 LL> God, does that mean man does not have free will?  If that is so,
 LL> then the Bible is a lie.  God is dead.

 LL> Of course, man does the things he does because God allows man to do
 LL> the things he does.  That is what is meant by free will.  But would
 LL> God really allow man to destroy His own creation?  The last time
 LL> (Noah's Flood), God went about doing that Himself.

 LL> Now for the interesting part -

 LL> Notice what God told Noah after the Flood.

The Tribulation would continue until there is no flesh alive, unless
Jesus Christ returns to put a stop to the death and destruction.

Cheers, Steve..

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