The second bill signed into law by President Obama is an expansion of the Defense Production Act of 1950.  Typically this original act of 1950 gives the President sweeping powers of command and control over all the resources of the United States during the time of war or national emergency. What makes this law different is that it’s no longer limited to wartime implementation, as one of the order’s functions includes the command and control of resources in peacetime. Additionally, each cabinet under the Executive Branch has been given specific powers when the order is executed, and includes the absolute control over food, water, and other resource distributions. When you read the law you see clearly that nothing happens without the approval of the cabinet under the direction of the Executive Branch. If one wants to buy or sell it would need approval from a specific cabinet that’s under the direction of the Executive Branch or President Obama. Friends, I don’t know about you, but that is definitely enough for me to take pause. One must ask: what is their motive for wanting to have command and control over all the resources of the United States, even during peacetime? Is there a looming crisis that we are not told anything about?

Think about the power we have just given the Executive Branch.  If they don’t like what you say then you can be arrested and charged with a felony. If you don’t do what they ask then they can control all the resources that are obviously at your disposal in a free country. This country has typically only experienced gas shortages since the last great war and even then I am sure we had more than most. Will food be used as a weapon to control the masses? Will energy be used to keep people in their designated areas? Will health resources, civil transportation, materials and services be limited to only those who blindly follow the party line? Any interference in the economic process by the government could quickly lead to shortages, rising prices, and civil unrest.  Could this be the reason why the first bill was passed and signed into law to control the masses?

Dear friends, this indeed is a time when we all need to stand firm and not be easily shaken by future events. If there is a crisis on the horizon then we all need to prepare, not just by hording food, but by building strong relationships with your neighbors. I suggest it’s time to start selling those non-essential items and start thinking about the things that are important for your survival. However, the most important thing you can do is to prepare spiritually. Walk closer to God through prayer, meditation, and loving the household of God. Seek to do His will in all things and by all means spread the word before it’s too late.

It’s clear that the Obama Administration wants to keep a large portion of the population dependent upon the Government and allow the rich to pay for it through excessive taxation.  If re-elected this could become a mandate to save the empire. Many call this progressive capitalism with a bent toward pure socialism, but the truth is it follows more closely the model of the ancient Roman Empire who kept its population in bread and entertainment (the Circuses) as a means of control. It is exactly at this point where I take issue as a Christian Minister of the Gospel. I listened to President Obama who spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast and circulated on the internet for all interested parties to hear.  It was not long before it became clear that his proposal was to raise taxes on the wealthy and used the teachings of Jesus Christ to justify it.

President Obama made it very clear from his speech that no one but the rich could “shoulder the burden” and take on the “shared responsibility” which to him would make good economic sense for the wealthy to give up some of the tax breaks. He continued by saying, “But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with, Jesus’ teaching that, ‘for unto whom much is given, much should be required.’” Let me be clear I am not taking issue with taxing the wealthy, but I am taking issue with using the words of Jesus Christ to justify it. This quote taken completely out of context comes from Luke’s Gospel (12:48). To put it into its fuller context Jesus is talking about being ready when He returns by continuing to be a faithful and wise steward. The spiritual leaders in God’s Church were to take their responsibility seriously especially in lieu of the pending judgment. The more they received in the way of revelation truth or spiritual gifts the more they should share for the edification of all.  “For unto whom much is given, much should be required.” But again we see President Obama using this to his political advantage by driving a wedge between the 99 percent and the 1 percent.

As a Christian minister here is my biggest concern, that once again we see clearly our President at the National Prayer Breakfast deny the exclusiveness of Christianity. Once again, just like he did in Cairo we see God’s Holy Word in the Christian Bible put on the same level as the Koran and Jewish doctrine. So why is this a concern? As we fast approach the end of days the new tolerance for all world religions will be mandated by the new world order. Just like in the time of Ancient Rome it makes little difference which god you serve as long as you did not make one more superior than the rest. Obama is clearing a path to the new world order by instigating the Arab Spring with his speech in Cairo and now with his comments at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. To stand firm in the coming days we must understand the truth of what lies ahead and not fall for the lie that all world religions are equal with classic Christianity. We must resist the temptation to become dependent upon the State but rather bravely proclaim our dependence on Jesus Christ alone.

So it will be up to big brother, our government, to determine from what we write if that information is creating a rapidly evolving situation. How big is our audience who is listening and to what degree would they be motivated to follow the information delivered to them by the blogger, Facebook page and tweet is entirely left up to the discretion of the Department of Homeland Security. Until now, information gathered under the SNMC was used in a limited capacity; however the Department of Homeland Security has expanded this to include the regular and consistent monitoring of journalists, and their social media channels. The official purpose of tracking journalists through social media due to journalists using ”social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed,” which can assist the DHS in “ [identifying] an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or linkable to that individual.”

As the Department of Homeland Security moves its social media monitoring of journalists into a fast paced, real-time, continual tracking system, rather than a system devised to monitor developing situations, the agency will be able to use gleaned information to push its boundaries into seeking information not available in public social media spaces. The DHS’s move to continually monitor journalists and their activities through social media will make sourcing information challenging and leave social media content potentially open to misinterpretation or leverage the intimidation of a journalist. And let’s be clear a journalist is anyone writing a blog, a Facebook page, or a Tweet and would now come under the scrutiny of big brother. Also, it is clear that they now have the power to leverage the intimidation of the author.

One must ask the question how far they can go in leveraging their intimidation. Would it be limited to removing a post from Facebook or bringing down a website or could be something even more sinister. Would the government now have a legal justification to arrest and detain the author of a blog or a post that does not meet their acceptable criteria or party line of the government elite. Unfortunately this will only make additional challenges to authors when reporting or writing on sensitive issues, issues of national security, homeland security or issues of a political nature. I wonder how long this post will stay up on Facebook or on my blog. As we fast approach the end of days information is invaluable to the safety and wellbeing of the Church. Even though God has promised to providentially care for His Church, it does not negate the fact that revealed truth must be propagated. Help spread the word.

If the churches are incapable of feeding their poor during an economic collapse then the State will be the only one left standing to offer assistance. Unlike the churches who offer a message of hope with their assistance, one must ask, “What will the State offer or what will it expect?” In the First Century Rome offered bread and the circuses to the poor and what they expected in return was unfeigned allegiance to the emperor. They were told to simply burn a little incense and publicly acknowledge Caesar as god. To offer food and circuses was Rome’s way to control the masses so they would not do what we see beginning to happen today with the occupy movement and rioting in the streets of our inner cities. I am afraid the occupy movement will only force the hand of the government to exercise control over the masses by implementing its national health care system expediently and expanding its welfare rolls.

So we are forced to ask the question, “What would the State require from the Christian poor for the State’s assistance?” Maybe it will start with required secular psychological counseling and a prescription for psychotropic drugs to induce a level of control. Try taking away the drugs and see how they cry out to the State for help. We have seen this in almost every national disaster where the population is left alone without their psychotropic drugs. This was especially evident during Katrina. Then it could move on to something even more sinister like taking a mark (visible or invisible) to be registered in the national health care system prior to receiving any assistance from the State. When folks are hungry and lack the basic necessities of life it would become a small step for most to publicly acknowledge the world leader as a god. Especially if they can convince the entire world that we are all gods – god is in every man.

But let’s return to our original question; “Who will help the Christian poor during a total economic collapse?”  Can we convince the local church to take a second look at how they manage their priorities? There are many questions that need to be asked: “Do we really need that new building project;” “Can we skip the remodeling;” and, how about the staff’s salaries; “are they above or below the medium income of their church members?” Perhaps what is needed is a line item for the Christian poor. It grieves my heart when a Christian in need of assistance is told by a pastor that he will only pray about it and not offer the needed assistance.  But can we go further? Yes, I believe every believer in Christ can do his share by cutting back his own expenses to the absolute essentials. Doing so will enable him to put back money at the beginning of each week to be used for those Christians who are truly in need of basic necessities.

For the American Christian we may need to understand what our absolute essentials are so that we can cut back wherever necessary. Do I need two cars or will one do? Can I get by without my cell phone or does it replace my landline? How often do I eat out instead of cooking at home? How many sets of clothes do I need in the closet? Friends the list could go on further, but it is really up to every Christian to determine what his absolute essentials are. Unlike the example given to us by our government, we do not need any debt! To pay monthly finance charges on a debt that should have been settled long ago is incorrigible for a Christian who should not let any debt remain outstanding.  The first step in becoming debt free is stop charging on credit unless you can settle the debt when it becomes due and of course I am talking about the full debt not just the minimum charge given to us by the credit card companies.

Finally, when the economic collapse arrives every Christian should be prepared to help his neighbor to the best of his ability and especially his Christian neighbor. Christians will need to network together by trading absolute essentials and by all means keeping them from going to the State. We will need to practice the spirit of hospitality and give to those who ask. Those with land will need to learn how to grow crops and store food for the winter. I can still remember my aunt putting in a garden every year and canning enough food for the entire family along with giving to those in the church who had a need. We may need to return to those days and do everything possible to keep the Christian poor from taking anything from the State. To do so will demonstrate true Christian love.