How an IMF Bailout of Europe Would Put Your Money at Stake

European leaders are currently looking for ways to enhance their ability to contain the growing sovereign debt crisis that has now pushed Italy’s borrowing costs close to 8%, which is a level that compelled Greece, Portugal, and Ireland to seek financial assistance from the E.U.

There has been speculation in recent days that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may play some role to help support European leaders’ efforts to contain the crisis. This past weekend there was a rumor that the IMF would provide up to $800 billion to help Italy. The rumor was quickly refuted by authorities, but the potential participation of the IMF has not been ruled out. In fact, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the Euro Group (a gathering of Euro zone finance ministers) and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, mentioned on Tuesday that Euro zone finance ministers were interested in getting the IMF more involved [added by me]

“We also agreed to rapidly explore an increase of the resources of the IMF through bilateral loans, following the mandate from the G20 Cannes summit, so that the IMF could adequately match the new firepower of the EFSF [Europe’s financial rescue fund] and cooperate even more closely".

The potential involvement of the IMF is a noteworthy topic to focus on because a lot of people do not know that the participation of the IMF means that their money would be put at stake.

• Today’s article will discuss how people’s money would be put at stake if the IMF participates in the bailout of Europe.

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Will There Be Any “Safe” Places to Hide from the Antichrist?

The great tribulation is going to be an unprecedented time of difficulty on Earth. The Antichrist and his followers will seek to eliminate virtually anyone who opposes him and his one-world government, economy, and religion.

Regardless of what your position on the Rapture is, there will be some people on Earth at that time who will oppose the Antichrist and will try to seek refuge from the extreme persecution that will take place on Earth at that time.

• The intent of today’s article is to provide my thoughts on whether there will be any safe places for people to hide from the Antichrist and his followers during the great tribulation in hopes that it will give people who may be on Earth at that time something to think about.

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Some Top European Leaders Are Now Calling for Fiscal Union and Even Political Union

Clarification for why I write about the European sovereign debt crisis for new readers: There are a lot of people who believe that the European Union could someday be a significant End Times player. If the European Union were to become a significant End Times player it would likely need to have much more political cohesion amongst its member countries than it has now. The process to create more political cohesion in Europe is a complicated one that is likely going to require more cohesion in areas like fiscal policy (taxation and spending) first as political union often represents the final step of integration.

I sometimes write about issues relating to the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis because I believe the crisis is a potential catalyst that could push European leaders to agree to more cohesion in areas like fiscal policy. In other words, the ongoing turmoil in Europe is a potential event that could help Europe become more like the Europe that many people envision it will resemble during the End Times. With this clarification out of the way, I now share today’s article relating to the European sovereign debt crisis.

Today I want to share some interesting statements that some major European leaders have made in recent days concerning the future of Europe because we have reached a point where major European leaders are now openly discussing the need to push Europe towards fiscal union (the merging of taxation and spending policies) and eventually towards political union.

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An Observation About Egyptian Elections as Unrest in Egypt Rises Again

Many of you are probably aware that the current unrest in Egypt is at the highest level since the uprising that brought the ouster of Hosni Mubarak back in February. The following video from STRATFOR does a good job summarizing and analyzing the current situation in Egypt in case you have not paid close attention to what has recently taken place in Egypt:

The one thing I’ll add which was not mentioned in the video (since it was released on Monday) is that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Egypt's current military rulers) has offered to transfer power to a civilian government by the middle of 2012. The issue is that the people protesting do not want to wait until the middle of 2012 to see the transfer of power. They want the power transfer to take place as soon as possible.

Today I want to share an observation about Egyptian elections that I find particularly relevant to the current situation in Egypt.

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Revelation 9:13-16: Analyzing the Four Angels Bound At the Euphrates

I am currently working on a series of articles about a major, wide-scale conflict that I see unfolding during the latter portion of the End Times along with the series articles about Ezekiel 38 & Ezekiel 39 I previously mentioned. I noticed while working on these articles yesterday that I had written enough about the four angels who will be released from the Euphrates River after the sounding of the sixth trumpet to devote an entire article to the topic.

• Today I’ll share what I have written about them with you.

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My Thoughts on China in Bible Prophecy

After posting a video about China’s naval rise, I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts about China in Bible prophecy. I will share my thoughts with you about this topic in today’s article.

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Insightful Video About China’s Naval Rise

Today I want to share a video I watched last night with everyone because I found it fascinating and insightful. The video is a conversation between geopolitical expert George Friedman and author Robert Kaplan about the naval rise of China and whether China will pose a naval threat to the United States in the future.

While not located in the Middle East, China could be an important country as we approach the End Times because it is a rising economic, political, and military power. In fact, some believe that the United States and China could engage each other in war at some point in the future.

The video is available here:

The video is almost 35 minutes in length. I understand that some people may not have 35 minutes of free time to watch this video, but I recommend those who have the time to watch some of it. Here are some of the topics that Friedman and Kaplan discuss:

• How China’s recent past makes it feel insecure by its surroundings

• China’s top naval goal, which Friedman and Kaplan say is to make it difficult for the U.S. to access and block sea areas that China is dependent on, such as the South China Sea.

• China’s ongoing efforts to rapidly build its naval forces and the prospects for China to continue its rapid naval expansion in the future.

• China’s ongoing efforts to obtain and secure access to ports nearby Middle East.

• China’s ongoing efforts to gain more influence over Taiwan.

• China’s growing influence over Southeast Asia.

• China’s weaknesses, including its chief strategic problem: its heavy dependence on its customers, such as the U.S., to keep its economy growing. Friedman compared China to Japan before its economy began its downturn a couple of decades ago.

Friedman and Kaplan ultimately conclude that there is unlikely going to be a war between the U.S. and China.

• Kaplan thinks that the U.S. and China are too economically dependent on each other to fight, but the two will have a tense relationship like the U.S. and Soviet Union had during the Cold War.

• Friedman thinks that China may take a step back after 30 years of growth and lacks the ability to fight the U.S. at the present time. He’s more concerned about Japan...

You may not agree with their conclusion (I can see the U.S. and China engaged in war with each other over a variety of issues), but they make a lot of observations about China that people do not typically hear about from the media. For instance, most people don’t hear about how a large percentage of people in China live at poverty levels comparable to Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, even if you don’t agree with Friedman and Kaplan’s conclusion, you probably will hear a lot of information about China that you have not heard before.

Where the Efforts to Bring Mideast Peace Stand On November 14, 2011

No matter what happens in the world, the Middle East will always be a region to watch closely because it is the region where many Bible prophecy-related events will take place in the future. Perhaps the key Middle East issue that people who study Bible prophecy should monitor closely is the ongoing efforts to formulate a Middle East peace deal because there is a strong possibility that a future Middle East peace deal will represent the “covenant with many” mentioned in Daniel 9:27.

Today I provide a summary of the latest in the efforts to bring peace to the Middle East as it is a topic which has not been covered too closely by the mainstream media since the latter part of September.

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Informative Graphics that Summarize the Ongoing Crises in Europe

Clarification for why I write about the European sovereign debt crisis for new readers: There are a lot of people who believe that the European Union could someday be a significant End Times player. If the European Union were to become a significant End Times player it would likely need to have much more political cohesion amongst its member countries than it has now. The process to create more political cohesion in Europe is a complicated one that is likely going to require more cohesion in areas like fiscal policy (taxation and spending) first as political union often represents the final step of integration.

I sometimes write about issues relating to the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis because I believe the crisis is a potential catalyst that could push European leaders to agree to more cohesion in areas like fiscal policy. In other words, the ongoing turmoil in Europe is a potential event that could help Europe become more like the Europe that many people envision it will resemble during the End Times. With this clarification out of the way, I now share today’s article relating to the European sovereign debt crisis.

I’ve spent a lot of time this week working on my series articles relating to Ezekiel 38, Ezekiel 39, and other related passages.

• I’ve made some progress towards writing down my answers to the several questions I posed last week concerning Ezekiel 38:8-12. The Word document which contains my answers to these questions is currently 19 pages in length, but it is probably going to get even longer as I work on it some more this weekend.

My concentration on writing these articles concerning Ezekiel 38, Ezekiel 39, and other related passages has not given me as much time as I like to focus on other topics.  However, today I would like to share a very good resource that provides graphical summaries of the European sovereign debt crisis & the European banking crisis and to comment on a few of the graphics that the resource provides.

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My Thoughts On Whether An Asteroid Will End All Life on Earth In the Future

Many of you probably heard that an aircraft carrier-sized asteroid passed by Earth yesterday. The asteroid attracted a lot of media attention as it reportedly was the largest asteroid to approach close to Earth since 1976. According to a Purdue University computer simulation, the asteroid would have triggered a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and a 4,000 megaton explosion if it impacted the earth or created a gigantic tsunami if it crashed into the ocean.

Reading about the giant asteroid and the amount of destruction it could have caused if it struck Earth led me to think of the speculation about a giant space object crashing into Earth and wiping out all life in the future. I concluded after thinking about the speculation that it would be a good idea to write an article about the topic because the topic is probably going to be something that is discussed a lot more by the media as we approach December 21, 2012.

• Therefore, today I share my thoughts on the possibility of an asteroid/comet/meteor destroying all life on Earth in the future.

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My Thoughts on the Parable of the Fig Tree

I’m sure a lot of people have interest in the “Parable of the Fig Tree”, which was first introduced by Christ in Matthew 24:32-25 (and also found in Mark 13:28-31 and Luke 21:29-32). Here is the parable described in the Book of Matthew:

• Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
• Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
• Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
• Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

A belief that many people hold today is that Israel represents the fig tree in the parable and that we are the generation that will see the return of Christ after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. This viewpoint has led to speculation over the past few decades about when Christ will return.

• One popular theory was that Christ would return in 1988 as some argued that a “generation” represented 40 years and that the final generation started with the creation of the state of Israel.
• Another popular theory was that Christ would return in 2007 as some argued that a “generation” represented 40 years and that 1967 marked the start of the final generation.
• A current theory is that Christ will return between 2011 and 2018 as some argue that a “generation” represents 70 years and the final generation started with the creation of the state of Israel.

Today I provide my thoughts on this popular subject.

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Ezekiel 38:8-12 Questions and More

Today I want to provide an update on where I am in my study concerning Ezekiel 38, Ezekiel 39, and other related verses since it’s been awhile since I’ve discussed my progress.

I mentioned before that I believe it is essential to understand Ezekiel 38:8-12 in order to have a good understanding of the timing of the many events described in Ezekiel 38 and a good understanding of Ezekiel 38’s relationship with Ezekiel 39:

The key to understanding the context of the main invasion described in Ezekiel 38 is to come up with an understanding of when the conditions/details described in Ezekiel 38:8-12 will exist in Israel and an understanding of who will be responsible for creating the conditions that exists in Israel when Gog’s invasion transpires. Every explanation concerning the events described in Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 must be able to account for the details described in Ezekiel 38:8-12 in a manner that is biblically possible.

I recently formulated a list of questions during my study of Ezekiel 38:8-12 which I think are relevant to gaining a solid understanding of Ezekiel 38:8-12. I now offer you these questions as something for you to consider if you are studying Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 yourself and as something to give you a better idea of what details I see as particularly relevant from this important passage:

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Harold Camping Reemerges and It Seems He May Issue Another Prediction

Recall that I attempted to provide some closure on the Harold Camping subject in an article last week entitled “My Final Article on Harold Camping (Unless He Makes Another Prediction)”. I mentioned at the end of the article that I did not plan to write about Harold Camping again unless he reemerges to make another prediction. I thought it was unlikely that Camping would make anymore public statements or predictions after the non-events of May 21 and October 21.  However, after the events of October 28, it sounds to me like Camping is not yet done issuing predictions about the end of the world.

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