An Analysis of the Financial Crisis in the United States - Part 1

We are living in a very significant is at the center of the crisis based

time in the earth, a time that is
causing confusion, concern and
uncertainty. The last quarter of
2008 has been filled with
bankruptcy, global economic
destabilization and the very real
possibility of a global financial
depression. Central banks in the
U.S., Europe and Asia have
moved to guarantee deposits and
investments to prevent a potential
collapse of financial markets, and
the stock exchange fluctuates
wildly on an almost daily basis
leaving investors agape at what do
to.
After an election process that has
been one of the most unique in
modern memory, Barack Obama
will take the oath of office in
January 2009 and will be
immediately thrust into a milieu of
major issues that are long standing
– or have been long in the making
– and which are now intensifying
and coming to a head. The new
president will have to formulate
policy to deal with issues that
include global warming, the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, domestic
policy issues which could fracture
the nation if handled incorrectly, an
international scene with rising
powers in China and renewed
hegemony by Russia, and
countless other major and minor
concerns that are crucial to both
U.S. and global developments.
This new administration will need
to act immediately and decisively
in order to lead this nation and the
inter-connected world of global
finance through some very
turbulent waters.
The economic and political experts
frankly don’t seem to have clear
answers to the troubling issues
facing the world. The U.S.
economy
on the nation’s historically formative
role in global financial markets, so
what is happening now in the U.S.
has immediate global
repercussions.
What is needed at this time is a
correct prophetic perspective.
The church must not be blind to the
reality that lies behind the actual
events and activities taking place in
the earth; we must develop the
ability to view them from God’s mind
This newsletter will be the first in a
series of that will address these
issues, with a specific focus on the
economic crisis now facing the
nations of the earth. These articles,
published once per week for the
next 10-12 weeks, have been timed
to follow the elections to indicate
that what is needed in this instance
is not so much a predictive
prophetic dimension as much as a
correct prophetic assessment and a
trend analysis that will provide
insight to the people of God.
The prophetic is meant to provide
insight and does not necessarily
have to be futuristic; Joseph was
given insight into his past and the
structure

of his family relations from God’s The Nature of God

viewpoint. He was given
understanding about disparate and
chaotic events which took place
around him including betrayal,
slavery, the failure of the legal
system to ferret out a false
indictment and an unjust
imprisonment, etc. This prophetic
insight empowered Joseph to
function effectively as a governor in
Egypt, and events which could have
crippled him instead provided a
platform for influence in the nations
of the earth. Like Joseph, if we are
to stand upon the earth with
solutions for a world in darkness we
must possess clear insight into how
things have evolved into this
present situation, as well as offering
correct solutions.
Before we can begin to understand
what is occurring from heaven’s
perspective, we must establish
some key realities which will
undergird our prophetic analysis. I
am calling these realities Required
Perspectives, they are Biblical
realities which are established and
unshakeable, and they provide the
proper context from which we must
view these present events. The
first Required Perspective has to do
with the nature of God and His
sovereignty.
All prophetic analysis and a correct
world view must begin with God.
Our worldview begins with a gaze
into another dimension and with
receiving and accepting core
elements of the nature of God
Himself as it relates to making
sense of the nature of life here in
the mortal realm of Man.
- Sovereignty
In considering a “worldview” we
are not dealing with God in His
more personal aspects of his
interaction with Man on an
individual level. Rather, we are
looking at the nature of God at the
macro level of His interaction with
the broad sweep of human activity
down through history and up to
today.
Isaiah 45:1-7 "This is what the
LORD says to his anointed, to
Cyrus, whose right hand I take
hold of to subdue nations before
him and to strip kings of their
armor, to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut: 2 I
will go before you and will level the
mountains; I will break down gates
of bronze and cut through bars of
iron. 3 I will give you the treasures
of darkness, riches stored in secret
places, so that you may know that I
am the LORD, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name. 4 For
the sake of Jacob my servant, of
Israel my chosen, I summon you
by name and bestow on you a title
of honor, though you do not
acknowledge me. 5 I am the
LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God. I
will strengthen you, though you
have not acknowledged me, 6 so
that from the rising of the sun to
the place of its setting men may
know there is none besides me.

I am the LORD, and there is no There is a requirement for us to be

other. 7 I form the light and create
darkness, I bring prosperity and
create disaster; I, the LORD, do all
these things. (NIV)
Here we see the sovereign dealings
of God with a heathen king named
Cyrus raised up to accomplish
divine purpose, even though the
king did not acknowledge the Lord.
The geo-political movements that
would result in Cyrus giving a
decree for the captive Jews to
return and rebuild Jerusalem were
orchestrated by God even though
Cyrus was himself not a believer.
Empire was a tool in the hand of
God, therefore the events which led
to Cyrus assuming the throne of
Persia and deposing Babylon as the
dominant military power of the earth
were also orchestrated by God.
Isaiah emphasized repeatedly that
God was firmly in control of all
outcomes and eventualities, and
that not only was a heathen king
commissioned by Him, but God
also utilized light and darkness,
prosperity and disaster. The stated
purpose is so that humans would
know and acknowledge the
sovereignty of the Lord over all
things.
able to seamlessly comprehend
both the redemptive and the
sovereign nature of God at the
same time. Tragedy and vast loss
of fortunes must do nothing to
impugn the sovereignty of God.
Death and calamity are both firmly
under his sovereign control and
ultimately all these things do
produce His purpose.
We are dealing with a God who: a)
destroyed the peace and security
of every family in ancient Egypt,
and devastated the economy and
the socio-political order in order to
bring liberty and joy to an enslaved
people within the nation; b)
allowed every child under the age
of 2 years to be murdered in Judea
at the birthing of His Son; c)
allowed almost every apostle who
walked with him to be brutally
killed; d) sacrificed Stephen as a
martyr to allow his church to
spread in to the regions of
Europe/Asia; e) permitted the
Roman soldiers to crucify Jesus
(God in the flesh) in order to
release the power of personal
redemption to all of mankind…and
yet He still maintains that He is
Good!

In this time of financial calamity a The goodness of God is leading

primary requirement is for us to “lift
up our eyes and look” and instead
of seeing meltdown, tragedy and
pain we must be able to see past
the crisis and into God’s purposes
being worked in the earth. We must
understand that God is sovereign
and firmly superintending the
events of the earth and moving
them towards a predetermined end.
the earth towards the Finish of all
things, and the Church has a vital
role to play in the end of the age.
To impact the nations we must
have clear insight into the nature of
the One who is superintending the
affairs of mankind towards a pre-
determined end point.
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Releasing the New Prophetic Dimension • Activating the Capacity to Build • Obeying the Command to Finish
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