European and American Debt: No Easy Way Out

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

European and American Debt: No Easy Way Out

article by Good News Editor





The huge debt problems in Europe and the Unites States are creating enormous problems on the world geopolitical scene.







Source: Photos.comFinancial Times columnist Gillian Tett declared in FT Magazine, a supplement to the weekend edition of the newspaper: "Another week, another bout of wailing about global debt woes. In Europe, there is panic about the finances of places such as Italy or Greece. In America, the US debt headache gets ever worse. And, on a more mundane level, millions of people (like me) have just returned from holiday feeling uneasy about their next credit card bill" ("Debt: It's Back to the Future," Sept. 10-11, 2011).



The lead editorial in the Sept. 12, 2011, International Herald Tribune took Europe to task over its management of the eurozone debt. It stated: "Europe's leaders believe they can stave off economic disaster without taking real action. They keep pretending that they will not have to ask taxpayers to help shore up fragile banks . . . and that Europe can continue to reap the benefits of monetary union without the shared responsibilities of greater fiscal union.



"No one else believes this—not credit markets, which have bid up interest rates on sovereign debt; not the International Monetary Fund, which has warned repeatedly that major banks appear undercapitalized; and not the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which last week forecast negative growth in the coming quarter for Germany, France and Italy, the euro zone's three biggest economies.



"The immediate fear is that one or more major European banks may fail. Confidence is plummeting because they have large holdings of Greek, Spanish and Italian bonds. A major bank failure would damage America's economy as well—which helps explain the urgent pleas from Washington last week for Europe to come up with a strategy for recovery and growth" ("Europe's Fiscal Fantasies," emphasis added throughout).



Desmond Lachman, resident fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in The Wall Street Journal about the financial crisis in Europe possibly diminishing President Barack Obama's reelection chances. The U.S. financial system suffers from "massive exposure to the European banks . . . of over a trillion dollars—or roughly 45% of money markets' overall assets" ("The Euro's Problems Are America's Too," Sept. 9-11, 2011). Lachman fears Greece will default on its sovereign debt before year's end.



He also stated: "Judging by recent events, the euro zone's end-game may not be far off. Greece's economic and fiscal reforms appear to be seriously off track, and the debt crisis has now spread from Greece, Portugal and Ireland to Spain and Italy. These latter two countries are aptly described as being both too big to fail and too big to bail."



These huge debt problems are creating enormous problems on the world geopolitical scene. At this point no one can say with certainty how it will all shake out. But while an individual realistically can do nothing about these great problems, as an individual you can still apply time-tested biblical principles to your personal life.



If you are in debt, or just want to exercise better financial control over your economic affairs, request or download for our free booklet Managing Your Finances.



A companion booklet, Making Life Work, expands these biblical principles to subjects such as "Finding Success in Your Job and Career." These two publications work well together to bring the Bible into the problem-solving aspects of your life.

.

The World's Financial Turmoil: What Are the Root Causes?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

The World's Financial Turmoil: What Are the Root Causes?

article by Ewin Barnett





Nothing has dominated the news over the last few years like the economic crises still battering many nations. What, fundamentally, is the problem? Let's examine some financial basics from a biblical perspective.







Our desire to live beyond our individual and collective means has enticed us to engage in individual and collective coveting.



Source: iStockphotoRegardless of where they live, nearly everyone has taken a hit in the wallet due to rising prices or rising taxes, with more likely on the horizon—not to mention budget crises, staggering debt and unemployment problems that threaten more and more governments and citizens alike.



What's at the core of so many of these problems? Let's look at some basic realities about economics to gain a better understanding of the world's financial turmoil.



Economics is about behavior and choices

All economic interaction springs from human beings expressing wants and needs by deliberate action to improve their circumstances.



At the heart of economic decisions are our limitations in terms of resources and mortal time constraints. How we allocate and prioritize resources reflects our thoughts, appetites and values. Thus, economics is far more about our behavior and choices than it is about money.



Jesus said that out of the abundance of one's heart his mouth speaks (Luke:6:45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.)—a person's words reflecting the values that motivate his thoughts. Similarly, we could say that out of the abundance of one's heart his wallet speaks, as people use money for what matters to them.



Respected economist Carl Menger opened his 1871 book Principles of Economics with the statement, "All things are subject to the law of cause and effect." This parallels Scripture, which is full of spiritual cause and effect, such as in the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 and the fact that we reap what we sow (Galatians:6:7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.). Our behavior and choices always have spiritual consequences. They often have economic consequences as well.



How is wealth created?

From man's beginnings, people have grown and made things. They harvested fish and game and raised domesticated animals. They extracted minerals from the earth. They created works of art. While people have many different preferences, the things we value make up our wealth. Some of our wealth is in the form of our home, our furnishings or other possessions. Our wealth also includes our job skills and ability to earn a living. Some forms of wealth are readily convertible into money; others are not.



A wonderful place to see many of these forms of wealth creation is in the praises for the resourceful and hardworking wife in Proverbs:31:10-31[10]Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.[11]The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.[12]She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.[13]She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.[14]She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.[15]She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.[16]She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.[17]She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.[18]She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.[19]She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.[20]She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.[21]She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.[22]She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.[23]Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.[24]She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.[25]Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.[26]She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.[27]She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.[28]Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.[29]Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.[30]Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.[31]Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.. While this wife has many skills, carpentry is not listed. We may suppose that when she expanded her sewing room, she hired carpenters. Yet those carpenters might have chosen to hire a blacksmith for something made out of iron. People deciding their own occupation leads to "the division of labor," a vital factor in wealth creation.



Another factor in the creation of wealth is free exchange. In fact, free exchange is the only form of economic interaction through which the wealth of all parties is increased. Free exchange can be seen in many of the parables of Jesus, such as that of the pearl of great price (Matthew:13:45-46[45]Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:[46]Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.).



The last main factor in wealth creation is savings. Wealth used to purchase new equipment or to start a new business can only come from what people have saved. The greater the savings, the more wealth is available for capital investments, resulting in higher worker productivity and new opportunities to create more wealth.



Of course, total wealth is increased only by activity that produces more wealth than it consumes. And we need to realize that wealth and money are not exactly the same. Indeed, confusion on that point is one of the causes of the present financial crisis.



That crisis illustrates that wealth can also be wrongly acquired by sinful means—through taking from others, whether by violence, coercion, fraud or dishonesty perpetrated by private individuals or government.



The role of God in wealth is primarily in blessings—by intervening to enable earning or wealth creation in harmony with His law and by giving those who love Him clarity of vision and understanding by which they can be skilled and prudent in the conduct of their personal affairs (see Exodus:35:31And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;; 1 Kings:4:29And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.; Psalm:111:10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.; Daniel:9:22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.). While God wants those who love him to prosper, He is focused on our spiritual wealth far more than our material wealth (Hebrews:11:24-26[24]By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;[25]Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;[26]Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.).



God also decrees the rightful possession of wealth, placing such importance on private property that He directly protects it in two of the Ten Commandments—the Eighth, which forbids theft, and the Tenth, which forbids coveting (Exodus:20:15Thou shalt not steal., 17).



What is money?

The concept of money came about in part because it was impossible to divide a large item of value like an ox when it was bartered for something of far lesser value. Money must be easily divisible, durable and difficult to falsify. Money has three roles—a medium of exchanging value, a way of storing wealth and a unit of accounting. Again, money should not be confused with the wealth it represents.



God shows in Deuteronomy:14:23-26[23]And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.[24]And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:[25]Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:[26]And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, that wealth in the form of grain or livestock can be exchanged for money, which can later be exchanged for food. Notice that the wealth is retained even though its form is changed. Today, it's common for people to keep only a fraction of their total wealth in the bank, and an even smaller fraction in the form of cash in their pocket.



When money is made of something that itself has value, such as gold or silver, the money has its own intrinsic value apart from government. Such money is acquired by exchanging value for value, and that value would be hard for any third party like government to influence or manipulate.



When the money is just a piece of paper, its value is initially determined by government decree. Of itself, a piece of paper money or a plastic card has almost no value. Electronic money doesn't even exist in physical form. For example, 10 bushels of grain is exchanged for $100 in electronic money in a bank account that exists only in a computer. There is no intrinsic value.



While money itself is subject to the law of supply and demand, because it's not used up it's not a commodity like oil or wheat. If the supply of money in circulation increases, its value declines, so it takes more of it to buy the same items. Paper money can be printed at will. The supply of electronic money can be changed with the click of a mouse button. But if gold or silver is used as money, the amount available for use cannot change rapidly or at a politician's whim.



Inflation is a form of theft

When government spends money newly created by mere decree, the wealth that money represents comes from all the existing holders of that currency by dilution of the value of their holdings. More dollars (or euros, or yen, or rubles) are chasing the same amount of goods and services. This results in rising wages and prices, an effect we call "inflation." It's actually a subtle form of theft, because the money is then worth less than it was before. And there are other consequences.



Since people place higher value on receiving something now instead of later, money has a time value. When combined with risk, this leads to the concept of interest. When people borrow money, what is really being borrowed is the wealth the money represents. The lender will only freely lend if he can expect to be repaid and to be compensated for the risk he took.



However, if over the life of the loan the money is inflated, then the borrower will be repaying with less valuable money. This works to the lender's disadvantage and the borrower's advantage. When borrowing stretches over decades, even a modest amount of inflation can destroy a substantial fraction of the wealth repaid to the lender. For example, at a 4 percent inflation rate over 20 years, $1 declines in value to 46 cents.



In Deuteronomy:25:13-15[13]Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.[14]Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.[15]But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. God instructed Israel to keep honest weights and measures. When government inflates the value of money by deliberate policy, this destroys the amount of wealth being paid in long-term contracts and loans. It is the same as having dishonest weights and measures—again, a form of stealing.



The largest amount of long-term debt is issued by governments. Government officials openly talk of printing new money with which to pay the interest on previously issued debt. But none of this money printing creates any new wealth or resources. Money printing can only induce a temporary mirage of prosperity that fades when the money printing stops.



What about prices?

Prices have two functions in an economy. They facilitate value-for-value exchange. We equate money with wealth because when we go shopping, we look at monetary prices, not prices in terms of hours worked or bushels of wheat or barrels of oil.



Prices also inform every other participant in the broader economy about the relative value of things, sending signals that help everyone adjust their own expectations and plans. They also help businesses set production levels.



Prices then allow us to easily make judgments about relative value. Should we work an extra hour or go to the movies? Is this pair of shoes a better value than that other pair?



When any third party intrudes in the economy, this distorts the signals about relative values of the myriad of goods and labor skills. These distortions cause faulty decisions and plans about possible investments. This is especially true when government intrudes in the monetary system and distorts the time value of money by manipulating interest rates. These decisions cause what prominent 20th-century economist Ludwig von Mises called malinvestment.



For example, in recent years when people thought housing was a good investment and home loans were easily available, many malinvested in a home that was bigger and more expensive than they otherwise would have purchased. In advancing its policy goal of increasing home ownership, governments also relaxed lending standards.



Many loans were granted to people with a poor credit record. This easy money allowed buyers to bid up home prices. Homebuilders saw this as a signal to build more new homes with upscale features. Building supply companies then built new factories. Investors saw these price signals as verification the economy was sound, and so on.



At some point, many realized that home-owners could not sustain the level of debt they had incurred and that many would default on their loans. This caused a cascade of signals through the U.S. economy to retract and contract. Home prices in some areas fell to almost half of what they were at the peak of malinvestment. We suffer from a boom-bust business cycle exactly because we have disconnected money from wealth.



In Luke:14:28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?, Jesus asked, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it."



Yet even when you can count the cost of a big project down to the penny, if the value of the penny changes over the life of the project, you cannot count the cost in terms of wealth. Worse, you cannot reliably anticipate if that new business or factory or apartment building will create more wealth than it consumes. This is how uncertainty and risk are introduced into private economic calculation by government manipulation of the value of money or as a result of its efforts to directly influence prices.



If erroneous price signals fool people into approving a project that diminishes their wealth, they may eventually have no wealth at all. Von Mises explained that an economy with significant levels of government intrusion was unsustainable—a pattern we have seen repeated around the world through the years.



Government intrusion at work

Governments come up with funds to spend by taxing, borrowing, or creating money. Spendable funds also come from expanding credit. This is done by allowing banks to lend out the same deposit multiple times. America's recent housing bubble was funded mainly by allowing government-related corporations, like Fannie Mae, to lend money based on corporate assets subject to dramatic market value change (in Fannie's case, home mortgages).



As of March 31, 2008, Fannie had borrowed $804 billion (short term) to buy more mortgages (mostly long term) while its stockholders provided it with only $39 billion in equity to serve as capital, a ratio of 20:1. At its peak, the ratio may have been 30:1 or worse. While such massive borrowing allows the rapid creation of new lendable funds as misleading market signals cause a malinvestment upswing, it doesn't take much of a decline on the eventual downswing to completely wipe out all corporate equity. And that is exactly what happened.



The Federal Reserve has swapped hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of low-quality bank debt and created money and money instruments like bonds for banks to hold as reserves. Bloomberg News reported on August 11, 2011, that in 2008 the Federal Reserve created a total of $1.2 trillion to lend to banks in addition to other government bailouts.



The various ways the European Central Bank is bailing out banks in Greece and other member countries are all a form of money printing—leading to dilution of the value of the euros held by others. Experts fear that this rescue program is too small for anticipated future bailouts. Economists who follow in the footsteps of Menger and Von Mises warn that old debt cannot be paid off by new debt—that any proposed solution that involves the issuing of more debt will eventually fail.



Any expansion of credit by a central bank results in the creation of new debt that carries an obligation to pay interest. When a government attempts to stimulate an economy by inflating or borrowing to finance projects and those projects fail to produce enough economic benefit to pay their costs, the public must pay the interest. This becomes a budgetary issue when revenues are insufficient to pay for ongoing needs like defense, upkeep of roads and the care of the truly indigent.



The root causes are ultimately spiritual

Without property rights, a free market, price information that allows calculation of profit, the ability to save and invest those savings, and honest money, a growing economy is impossible. And the roots of the present financial crisis are found where these points touch God's laws.



People as individuals cannot broadly destroy property rights or distort the value of money. But governments can. Yet governments often reflect the character and values—and demands—of the peoples they represent.



James:1:14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. warns that "each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." Here are the roots of our present financial crisis. Our desire to live beyond our individual and collective means—or to require that others bail us out if we run a failing business—has enticed us to engage in individual and collective coveting.



We think we can live at the expense of others, even if government must print or borrow money to pay for it. But no one has the authority to take from others what he can provide for himself. The sin of coveting ripens into the sin of theft.



It matters not that we sanitize and legalize this through a democracy. We are told we can all be more prosperous when we spread the wealth of others around. But this does not lead to increased prosperity—except for the few beneficiaries of government favoritism.



And so we must live with the consequences of our collective behavior and choices, consequences we would have avoided had we followed God's laws individually and collectively. As Galatians:6:7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap., cited up front, tells us, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."



As nations and individuals, we all need to repent and make sure we are following what God says when it comes to our economic choices and interaction—and humbly look to Him to deliver us from the mess we have gotten ourselves into.



To Learn More...

Would you like some sound financial guidance in dealing with your personal finances, especially in this time of financial uncertainty? We’ve prepared an important booklet, Managing Your Finances, to help you better handle your household finances and budget. Download or request your free copy today!

.

America's Debt Debacle

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632

America's Debt Debacle


article by Mike Kelley





The recent debate over raising the U.S. debt limit showed a national leadership bitterly divided over the country's priorities and how to address its debt explosion. What are the larger implications of this debacle?







Source: Photos.comMany have seen the growing gridlock in the U.S. Congress between the conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats.



That gridlock played out in a deplorable way in late July during the debate to raise the U.S. federal debt ceiling from its present $14.3 trillion to $14.6 trillion or more. The historic tradition of compromise in Congress evaporated as conservatives and liberals refused to budge from their firm positions on efforts to trim billions in federal spending over the next decade.



Each side dug in its heels as the clock neared midnight on August 2, when the Federal government would supposedly shut down if a debt ceiling compromise was not reached.



With less than a day to go before the threatened shutdown, Congress managed to agree on a deal that would raise the debt ceiling by $1 trillion immediately and an additional $1.7 trillion in four months. The increase in the debt ceiling would be offset by budget cuts over the next 10 years, a condition demanded by Congressional Republicans, while leaving the larger picture of significant budget cuts to a Congressional "super committee" of six Democrats and six Republicans.



They have until late November to develop a plan acceptable to Congress, with the alternative being automatic cuts of $1.7 trillion over the next decade. Of that amount, roughly half would come from U.S. defense spending.



Ground rules for the super committee are few—everything is on the table, including cuts to entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. On the revenue side, the super committee could eliminate certain tax breaks to corporations and wealthy individuals, a matter Republicans refused to consider during the debt limit debate.



So just what does this mean to the United States?



What really got cut?

After all the hype and drama, it was soon apparent that this was not a big deal. Actual cuts to the 2012 Federal budget amounted to only $21-25 billion out of a budget of $3.7 trillion—a paltry 2⁄3 of 1 percent.



With the super committee idea approved, Congress was able to kick the tough choices down the road. It neither solved the debt crisis, which has ballooned to become a threat to the very viability of the U.S. government, nor helped the creation of jobs desperately needed in an American economy mired in three years of high unemployment.



However, avoiding major, immediate budget cuts probably saved a number of jobs for the time being. And some economists argued that an already feeble economic recovery could be threatened by large cuts to federal spending. The first half of 2011 marked the worst six-month economic performance since the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009.



Around the world, political and economic watchers labeled the deal "America's budget debacle." Congress demonstrated to the world a broken system that could not solve the reality of the debt crisis. To quote the famous movie line, they could not handle the truth.



But the largest of the international credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor's, did understand the truth that the United States will not address the harsh reality of its ballooning national debt. S&P promptly downgraded its rating on U.S. treasury securities from AAA to AA, the first bond rating downgrade in U.S. history. The news reverberated through the world's financial institutions, and the U.S. stock market plunged.



But, as some have pointed out, America has done this to itself!



Insignificant as the true budget cuts were, it must be pointed out that the deal was done, clearing the way for a rise in the U.S. debt ceiling from its current $14.3 trillion limit. Default was averted for the moment, which likely would have had catastrophic effects on U.S. borrowing. Future Treasury securities buyers would demand higher interest rates

to compensate for the perception that America, now the world's largest debtor, was no longer the world's safest debtor.



Stark realities no one wants to admit

So we come back to the question of what the deal means for the country.



Remember that figure noted above—only $21-25 billion cut from a $3.7 trillion budget. The compromise was only a speed bump on the road of runaway debt. The 2010 budget deficit of $1.29 trillion was the largest in U.S. history to that point, but the deficit has grown to an estimated $1.7 trillion for fiscal 2011.



Since August 2, there has been no slowdown in government borrowing. With the restraints off again, the debt quickly jumped to $14.7 trillion as of Sept. 9. CNN pointed out that the debt is forecast to burgeon to more than $23 trillion by fiscal 2021, and keep rising thereafter.



Interest on that debt will also grow. The United States was on the hook for more than $383 billion in interest on the debt in fiscal 2009, which grew to more than $413 billion in fiscal 2010, and is projected to be $434 billion for fiscal 2011.



At the current rate of increase, and with somewhat higher interest rates as a result of the credit rating downgrade, that annual interest could easily amount to more than $700 billion by 2019. Within a few years, then, the interest on the debt alone could equal or surpass the current U.S. defense budget of about $665 billion.



Burgeoning debt to force crippling choices

All this has major implications for America's future. It means saddling future generations of Americans with ongoing debt payments that have no end in sight. By the end of this decade the vast majority of federal tax revenue is projected to be eaten up by interest on the debt and payouts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Little would be left for vital national defense and hundreds of other areas of the federal government.



The debt burden also reduces the ability of the nation to make future investments in infrastructure, energy and other crucial physical needs. America achieved the prosperity of the post–World War II era in part because it invested in interstate highways, modern airports and a growing electrical grid. But this infrastructure is crumbling.



For more than a decade, the American Society of Civil Engineers has sounded the alarm on our deteriorating infrastructure. By its estimates, $2.2 trillion is needed to fix America's infrastructure. But any funds to address these urgent needs would have to be borrowed, only worsening the debt problem.



Also curtailed is the nation's ability to respond to the rash of natural disasters that have struck the United States this year. Like a plague, disasters such as Hurricane Irene and a destructive wave of tornados in April and May swept across the land, taking hundreds of lives and causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. September saw wildfires raging throughout Texas, parched by the worst drought in nearly a century. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is nearly broke, its cash reserves less than $800 million as of early September 2011.



A deeply troubled future outlook

A growing worldwide fear of American default has killed the confidence of millions of investors. The value of stock portfolios has plummeted, with new two-year lows in both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 stock averages.



Just when the economy desperately needs the natural stimulus of consumer spending, millions of consumers are closing their wallets, too fearful to spend and apprehensive about the future. The phrase "double-dip recession" has become all too frequently used of late.



Three years after the autumn 2008 mortgage meltdown, the housing market continues to limp along as builders refuse to start new homes in markets still flooded with foreclosures. Banks hold billions in cash but are leery of making new mortgage loans. With new home construction at depressed levels, the economic ripple effect has also reduced demand for new furniture and other household items.



Seniors of retirement age and baby boomers looking to retire soon are worried over the growing chorus of influential voices that has zeroed in on entitlement reform as part of the answer to America's burgeoning debt.



Social Security, enacted in the 1930s, is widely seen as a retirement plan by millions who have no other source of income once they stop working. It certainly can be argued that people who have worked all their lives and paid into the Social Security system should get the benefits they have paid for. But the consensus is growing that major adjustments to these programs are inevitable if the federal government is to take a serious stand on reducing the runaway debt.



In short, the debt deal averted disaster for the moment, but nothing more. Mohamed El-Erian, who heads the gigantic bond fund Pimco, gave the deal a grade between an incomplete and failure. "Other than eliminating default risk emanating from a self-manufactured crisis, there is nothing good about America's debt ceiling debacle," he wrote (quoted by Fareed Zakaria, "The Debt Deal's Failure," Time, Aug. 4, 2011).



No good choices—only bad and worse

Economists are noted for their disagreements over economic policy, but nearly all agree that the nation now faces a simple dilemma. Cut taxes, and many government employees and those who rely on government contracts could be out of work. Raise spending in another round of Keynesian-type economic stimulus, and the national debt balloons even more. But major cuts in federal outlays would increase hardship for the millions who rely on government aid programs, possibly exacerbate the unemployment problem and potentially drive the economy back into recession. The choices are painful.



But perhaps more troubling than these stark choices is the diminishing of America in the eyes of the world.



Fareed Zakaria, originally from India, served as the managing editor of Foreign Affairs and editor of Newsweek International before becoming editor-at-large for Time magazine and hosting a CNN program covering domestic and international affairs. In the column cited above, he pointed out the damage America suffered abroad in the recent circus that masqueraded as public policy:



"The world once looked at America with awe as we built the interstate highway system, created the best public education in the world, put a man on the moon and invested in the frontiers of knowledge. That is not how the world sees America today.



"People watched what happened over the past month and could not comprehend it. We have taken something that the world never doubted—the credibility of the U.S.—and put it into question. From now on, every time the debt ceiling has to be debated, the world will wonder, Will America honor its commitments? Will it keep its word? Will the system break down? We have taken our most precious resource, the trust of the world, and gambled with it."



"Is something fundamentally wrong with America?"

Across America and around the world, more and more voices echo Zakaria. In The Global Post, an international news blog, writer Phillip Balboni poses the question, "Is something fundamentally wrong with America?"



He goes on to say: "America has a deep political malaise. Seldom before in the nation's history have the two main parties been so bitterly divided and so unable to find common ground in the national interest. Average Americans are worried and deeply frustrated. Many are angry."



Your Bible, believe it or not, has something to say about America's economic condition. Take a few minutes and turn to Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, known as the "blessings and curses" chapters. Notice especially Deuteronomy:28:43-44[43]The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.[44]He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. and ponder this fact: America has gone from the world's leading lending nation to the greatest debtor nation in human history, all in the space of less than 20 years. Do the verses here seem to read exactly like our situation today?



The warnings in these chapters describe a series of curses that read remarkably like our national headlines—curses of agricultural failures, disease, war, drought, military failure, mental illness, emotional distress, confusion, exploding debt and finally national collapse. It's a sobering and terrifying glimpse into the future if we do not wake up, repent of our many sins and turn to the God who made us and so abundantly blessed the nation for so many years.



History shows that the crushing weight of government debt can bring about national decline and downfall. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon, has for nearly two centuries been the classic work on the why Rome fell. Gibbon cited excessive taxation and mounting government debt as a major cause of the empire's collapse.



Beyond disaster, a bright future

The recent debt debacle in the U.S. Congress failed to solve the problem of America's growing debt and all it portends. But the good news is that there is hope. While America's leaders have created these problems and now have utterly failed to solve them, you have a choice in the decisions you make in your life.



Moreover, unbelievable as it may sound to those who read today's headlines, a new world economic order is coming. It's not one that people or nations must work to bring about—in fact, it would be impossible for human beings to bring it to pass.



This magazine has for years taught the true identity of America, Britain, Canada, Australia and other major English-speaking countries. This vital key in understanding just how things will worsen before finally working out positively in the end is revealed in our booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. Request your free copy or download it from our website.



The good news is that a new economic world order is on its way, and it's like nothing you have imagined. Regardless of whether or not the United States gets a handle on its debt and resulting economic malaise, you can ensure your place in the exciting, prosperous world to come!



To Learn More...

Is the United States really mentioned in Bible prophecy? While Bible prophecy mentions several rather insignificant nations by name, are major nations left out? Or are they identified in ways that few people understand? You need to know! Be sure to request or download your free copy of The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy today!

.

A Buying Self-Test

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

A Buying Self-Test


Before committing to a major purchase, give yourself this self-test to determine whether your purchase would be a wise decision.



1. Do I really need this?

2. Do I need this now?

3. Can I get a better price elsewhere?

4. If this is a bargain, is it a current or suitable model?

5. Can I get by with a less expensive version or model of the product?

6. Is the item of good quality?

7. Will I still be pleased with my purchase in 30 days?



Answering these questions will help you decide whether this is an impulse purchase or one for which you have done sufficient research.

Why the Euro Crisis is My Crisis-and Maybe Yours Too

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Why the Euro Crisis is My Crisis-and Maybe Yours Too




by Darris McNeely

Submitted November 4, 2011





Source: Photos.com"So why aren't people out buying homes and at least looking at homes for sale", I asked my real estate agent with only a small hint of frustration. This was the second phone call in a month telling me I should consider lowering the asking price for my home. I am relocating to a new assignment and need the cash to buy a home when I move. We have had no action on our sale. No one is looking. The local real estate market is frozen.



"Fear" was his reply, "people are living in fear today".



It's true. People are afraid they might lose their jobs and afraid the United States might dip back into a second recession. They fear Congress will not come up with a viable deficit reduction plan. They fear the unknown problem of Europe's ongoing crisis. They frankly fear there is a lack of political will and leadership to produce effective solutions to our economic problems. This fear is keeping them from making even sound some sound financial decisions.



While applying for a mortgage loan yesterday the lending officer I am working with gave her take on the current housing crisis. "First time home buyers are afraid to step into the market and buy a home even when it makes economic sense to buy rather than rent" That's true too. Interest rates are at historic lows making monthly housing payments for modest homes very affordable–much cheaper than rent. Now I know home ownership is not for everyone but today there are some bargains in today's housing market that could pay future dividends. But if fear rules, then nothing happens.



Fear may be the biggest part of our dilemma. We have some big problems facing us but they are not insolvable. With some moral, ethical and political will the United States and other world economies could climb out of the sinkhole of economic malfeasance that has brought us to the brink. But if fear locks up the mind and will then it will be very difficult to work our way to a solution. Fear immobilizes and closes down possibility and opportunity. Like him or not, Franklin Roosevelt hit upon the core of the issue when he said, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself".



Folks, there is a lot of fear on the today's street.



Since I am buying a home out of state I am working with another agent at our destination. She is like many who are looking for hopeful news in each days economic report. Like us, she has seen many years of good times and believes the good times will return. Most of us think the same way, we have no real choice. And I do hope we soon see the end of rough times and a stabilizing in world markets that will cause the numbers to go up.



I look at Europe's economic problem and understand how it impacts Main Street in America. American Banks are exposed to Greek, Italian and Spanish debt. If any one of those nations default on their debt it could bring down another large American financial institution. The ripple effect through the economy is unknown. This keeps banks from making loans out of fear, even as they sit on billions of dollars in cash. And that locks up capital and expansion of business which in turn keeps jobs from growing and puts in jeopardy existing jobs. And that explains why a lot of people are afraid to step out in a large long term commitment like a home mortgage. And so, Europe's crisis becomes my minor "crisis" as I wait for someone to buy me out of my existing home.



But life goes on and we have to make decisions. I am reminded of how the prophet Jeremiah was instructed by God to buy a field in Jerusalem as the city was about to fall to the Babylonians and the citizens killed and led off in captivity. It didn't make economic sense. Buying real estate in the midst of an entire cultural collapse is pretty risky if not outright stupid. But Jeremiah bought the field from his cousin and filed the deed in a clay jar in the ground. God said, "houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." (Jeremiah:32:15For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.)



Talk about hope and confidence–there it is. Jeremiah made a decision and put down his money based on confidence in God. He made a statement to live, to move forward in hope without fear. With this action he said there is a future. Jeremiah was a pretty positive man when you scrape away the outer anxiety we sometimes see.



The world economy is going through some rough waters right now. America's leadership role is changing. Europe is seeing its biggest crisis since going to the single currency more than ten years ago. But Europe will hold together and the Euro will remain in place. They have too much invested to see it all collapse. Too much history is pushing Europe toward a solution that will bring them to an even larger role in world affairs. Don't count them out.



And don't count America down and out just yet. For reasons most do not understand, America still plays the key military, economic and political role in world. God is bringing this world to a moment of decision. Keep your eyes and heart focused on Him. Put your hope and confidence in Him and keep fear at bay

Will a Loving God Punish People Forever in Hell?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Will a Loving God Punish People Forever in Hell?

Millions believe that God is loving and merciful, but also that He has condemned millions to suffer torment for all eternity. Is something wrong with this picture, or is the problem a distorted belief about hell?



Take this simple test. Or perhaps it's better if you just imagined it, since the actual test would prove quite painful.



Light a match, then hold your finger in its tiny flame for five seconds. What happens? You'll likely scream involuntarily and suffer misery for several days from a painful burn.



Perhaps you've seen a burn victim who was disfigured in some horrible accident, his flesh gnarled and misshapen. Imagine being trapped in flames that would char and burn away your skin in the same way. What would that kind of agony feel like if it went on for a minute? For a year? For a lifetime? For ever and ever?



Most people would find the idea horrifying almost beyond imagination. They would understandably be aghast and sickened that anyone might willingly torture another person in that way.



Why, then, are so many willing to accept the idea that the God they worship and hold in highest esteem would willingly inflict such punishment not on just a few, but on a great multitude of people who die every single day? How can such a belief possibly square with the Bible's description of a God who is infinitely loving and merciful?



Just what is the truth about hell?



Hell through the centuries



The traditional view of hell as a fiery cauldron of punishment has been taught for centuries. Perhaps one of the earliest to expound this view among Christians was the Catholic theologian Tertullian, who lived around A.D. 160-225. In the third century, Cyprian of Carthage also wrote: "The damned will burn for ever in hell. Devouring flames will be their eternal portion. Their torments will never have diminution or end" (quoted by Peter Toon, Heaven and Hell: A Biblical and Theological Overview, 1986, p. 163).



This belief has been officially reiterated over the centuries. An edict from the Council of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 543 states: "Whoever says or thinks that the punishment of demons and the wicked will not be eternal...let him be anathema" (D.P. Walker, The Decline of Hell: Seventeenth-Century Discussions of Eternal Torment, 1964, p. 21).



The Lateran church council in 1215 reaffirmed its belief in eternal torture of the wicked in these words: "The damned will go into everlasting punishment with the devil" (Toon, p. 164). The Augsburg Confession of 1530 reads: "Christ will return...to give eternal life and everlasting joy to believers and the elect, but to condemn ungodly men and the devils to hell and eternal punishment" (Toon, p. 131).



Teachings on the subject of hell have by no means been consistent through the centuries. Beliefs about hell have varied widely, depending on which theologian's or church historian's ideas one reads. Generally speaking, the most common belief has been that hell is a place in which wicked people are tortured forever, but never consumed, by ever-burning flames.



Hell's location has been a subject of much discussion. Some have believed it to be in the sun. For centuries the common view was that hell is inside the earth in a vast subterranean chamber.



The most comprehensive description of hell as a place, as man commonly views it, is found not in the Bible but rather in the 14th-century work The Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. In the first part of this work, called "The Inferno," Dante described an imaginary journey through hell replete with its fiery sufferings.



A more modern interpretation rejects the idea of physical torment and asserts that the torture of hell is mental anguish caused by separation from God. A recent survey of modern attitudes revealed that 53 percent of Americans embrace this perspective (U.S. News and World Report, Jan. 31, 2000, p. 47).



Pope John Paul II "declared that hell is 'not a punishment imposed externally by God' but is the natural consequence of the unrepentant sinner's choice to live apart from God" (ibid., p. 48). Still others have rejected the doctrine of hell outright and believe everyone will be saved.



Why do we see so much diversity in beliefs about hell? Like belief in the immortality of the soul, common misconceptions of hell are rife with the ideas of men rather than the teachings of the Bible.



The popular concept of hell is a mixture of small bits of Bible truth combined with pagan ideas and human imagination. As we will see, this has produced a grossly inaccurate portrayal of what happens to the wicked after death.



An angry God



One of the most graphic descriptions of the torments of hell as conceived by men was given by the Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards in a 1741 sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."



He said: "The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrows made ready...[by] an angry God...It is nothing but His mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction! The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked: His wrath towards you burns like fire; He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire...



"You are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended Him...and yet it is nothing but His hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment...



"O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of God...You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder."



This human concept of hell was so terrible that the prospect of such a fate caused great anguish, fear and anxiety for many Puritans. "The heavy emphasis on hell and damnation combined with an excessive self-scrutiny led many into clinical depression: suicide seems to have been prevalent" (Karen Armstrong, A History of God, 1993, p. 284).



The Puritans were not the only ones tormented by fear of hell. Many people have been terrorized by the thought of hell ever since this non-biblical concept crept into religious teaching. Other ministers and teachers have, like Jonathan Edwards, used a similar approach to frighten people into belief and obedience.



One of the reasons this concept of hell survived is because theologians believed the teaching deterred people from evil. "It was thought that, if the fear of eternal punishment were removed, most people would behave without any moral restraint whatever and that society would collapse into an anarchical orgy" (Walker, p. 4).



Could a compassionate God torture people forever?



Is it possible to reconcile this view of a God who terrorizes people through the fear of eternal torment in hell with the compassionate and merciful God we meet in the Bible?



God is a God of love who does not want any to perish (2 Peter:3:9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.). He tells us to love our enemies (Matthew:5:44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;). "He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (verse 45). Yet the traditional view of hell would have us believe that God vengefully torments evil people for all eternity—not a few decades or even centuries, but for an infinite length of time.



The idea that God sentences people to eternal punishment is so repulsive that it has turned some away from belief in God and Christianity.



One such example is Charles Darwin. In his private autobiography he wrote: "Thus disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete...I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe...will be everlastingly punished. And this is a damnable doctrine" (quoted by Paul Martin, The Healing Mind: The Vital Links Between Brain and Behavior, Immunity and Disease, 1997, p. 327).



The problem is not that the Bible teaches this "damnable doctrine," but that men have misunderstood what the Bible says.



Other aspects of the traditional teaching of hell simply offend the senses. One such belief is that righteous people, who are saved, will be able to witness the torments of the wicked. As one author explains the view some hold, "part of the happiness of the blessed consists in contemplating the torments of the damned. This sight gives them joy because it is a manifestation of God's justice and hatred of sin, but chiefly because it provides a contrast which heightens their awareness of their own bliss" (Walker, p. 29).



This scenario is especially revolting for several reasons. According to such twisted reasoning, parents would inevitably witness the suffering of their own children and vice versa, relishing in it. Husbands and wives would feel joy in seeing unbelieving spouses tortured forever. Worst of all, the doctrine paints God as sadistic, cruel and merciless.



Those who insist that the Bible teaches eternal torment by fire should ask whether such a belief is consistent with what the Bible teaches us about God. For example, how could God justly deal with those who have lived and died without having ever received an opportunity to be saved? This would include the millions who died as babies as well as the billions of unbelievers or idolaters who lived and died never knowing God or His Son. Regrettably, the vast majority of all those who have ever lived fall into this category.



Some theologians reason around this difficulty by assuming that those who never had the opportunity to know God or hear the name of Jesus Christ will be given a sort of free pass. The rationale is that since their state of ignorance is due to circumstances beyond their control, God will admit them into heaven regardless of their lack of repentance. If true, this raises a troubling possibility—that missionary efforts to such areas could be the cause of people who do not accept their teachings being lost!



Quandaries such as this have painted many theologians and other Christians into a corner. Accordingly, some have challenged the traditional concept of a hell of eternal torment through the centuries. "In every generation people keep questioning the orthodox belief in everlasting conscious torment" (Four Views on Hell, William Crockett, editor, 1996, p. 140).



Nevertheless, as we have seen, church councils through the ages have upheld the doctrine. Firmly rooted in traditional Christian belief, it's an idea that will not go away. A U.S. News and World Report poll from not too long ago shows that more Americans believe in hell today than in the 1950s or even the 1980s and early 1990s (Jan. 31, 2000, p. 46).



The prospect of hell will continue to haunt people. As U.S. News and World Report concluded, "Hell's powerful images will no doubt continue to loom over humanity, as they have for more than 2,000 years, as a grim and ominous reminder of the reality of evil and its consequences."



More than one hell in the Bible



So what is the truth about hell? What does the Bible really teach? Many are surprised to learn that the Bible speaks of three hells—but not in the sense that is widely believed. Let us discover why there is so much confusion about hell.



From the original languages in which the Bible was written, one Hebrew word and three Greek words are translated "hell" in our English-language Bibles. The four words convey three different meanings.



The Hebrew word sheol, used in the Old Testament, has the same meaning as hades, one of the three Greek words translated "hell" in the New Testament.



The Anchor Bible Dictionary explains the meaning of both words: "The Greek word Hades...is sometimes, but misleadingly, translated 'hell' in English versions of the N[ew] T[estament]. It refers to the place of the dead...The old Hebrew concept of the place of the dead, most often called Sheol...is usually translated as Hades, and the Greek term was naturally and commonly used by Jews writing in Greek" (1992, Vol. 3, p. 14, "Hades, Hell").



Both sheol and hades refer simply to the grave. A comparison of an Old Testament and a New Testament scripture confirm this. Psalm:16:10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. says, "For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption." In Acts:2:27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption., the apostle Peter quotes this verse and shows that it is a reference to Jesus Christ. Here the Greek word hades is substituted for the Hebrew sheol.



Where did Christ go when He died? His spirit returned to God (Luke:23:46And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.; see "The Spirit in Man" on page 14). His body was placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. The two passages, in Psalms and Acts, tell us Jesus' flesh did not decay in the grave because God resurrected Him.



Many scriptures that use the term hell in the King James Version are simply talking about the grave, the place where everyone, whether good or evil, goes at death. The Hebrew word sheol is used in the Old Testament 65 times. In the King James Version it is translated "grave" 31 times, "hell" 31 times and "pit"—a hole in the ground—three times.



The Greek word hades is used 11 times in the New Testament. In the King James translation, in all instances but one the term hades is translated "hell." The one exception is 1 Corinthians:15:55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?, where it is translated "grave." In the New King James Version, the translators avoided misconceptions by simply using the original Greek word hades in all 11 instances.



One word is for demon imprisonment



A second Greek word, tartaroo, is also translated "hell" in the New Testament. This word is used only once in the Bible (2 Peter:2:4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;), where it refers to the current restraint or imprisonment of the fallen angels, otherwise known as demons.



The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words explains that tartaroo means "to confine in Tartaros" and that "Tartaros was the Greek name for the mythological abyss where rebellious gods were confined" (Lawrence Richards, 1985, "Heaven and Hell," p. 337).



Peter uses this reference to contemporary mythology to show that the sinning angels were "delivered...into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment." These fallen angels are now restrained while awaiting their ultimate judgment for their rebellion against God and destructive influence on humanity.



The place where they are imprisoned is not some dark or fiery netherworld. Rather, their confinement is on the earth, where they wield influence over the nations and over individuals. The Gospels record that Jesus Christ and His apostles had very real encounters with Satan and His demons (Matthew:4:1-11[1]Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.[2]And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.[3]And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.[4]But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.[5]Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,[6]And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.[7]Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.[8]Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;[9]And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.[10]Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.[11]Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.; 8:16, 28-33; 9:32-33; John:13:26-27[26]Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.[27]And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.). Jesus even referred to Satan as the ruler of this world (John:12:31Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.; 14:30; 16:11).



The term tartaroo applies only to demons. Nowhere does it refer to a fiery hell in which human beings are punished after death.



Another word for burning—burning up, that is



Only with the remaining word translated "hell," the Greek word gehenna, do we see some elements people commonly associate with the traditional view of hell—but not in the manner portrayed in the hell of men's imagination.



Gehenna refers to a valley just outside Jerusalem. The word is derived from the Hebrew Gai-Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom (Joshua:18:16And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,). "Religiously it was a place of idolatrous and human sacrifices . . . In order to put an end to these abominations, [Judah's King] Josiah polluted it with human bones and other corruptions (2 Kgs. 23:10, 13, 14)" (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament, 1992, p. 360).



At the time of Jesus this valley was what we might call the city dump—the place where trash was thrown and consumed in the fires that constantly burned there. The carcasses of dead animals—and the bodies of despised criminals—were also cast into Gehenna to be burned.



Jesus thus uses this particular location and what took place there to help His listeners clearly understand the fate the unrepentant will suffer in the future. They would have easily grasped what He meant.



Immortal worms in hell?



In Mark:9:47-48[47]And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:[48]Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched., for example, Jesus specifically refers to Gehenna and what took place there. But without a proper historical background, many people draw erroneous conclusions as to what He said.



Notice His words: "It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell [gehenna] fire—where 'their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'" Any inhabitant of Jerusalem would have immediately understood what Jesus meant, since Gehenna—the Valley of Hinnom—was just outside the city walls to the south.



Without this understanding, people commonly end up with several misconceptions about this verse. Some believe the "worm" is a reference to pangs of conscience that condemned people suffer in hell: "'The worm that dieth not' was nearly always interpreted figuratively, as meaning the stings of envy and regret" (Walker, p. 61). Many believe that the phrase "the fire is not quenched" is a reference to ever-burning fires that torture the damned.



This scripture has been notoriously interpreted out of context. Notice that the phrase "their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" appears in quotation marks. Jesus is quoting from Isaiah:66:24And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.. A proper understanding of His statement begins there.



The context in Isaiah 66 refers to a time when, God says, "all flesh shall come to worship before Me" (verse 23). It is a time when the wicked will be no more. What will have happened to them? In verse 24 we read that people "will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind" (NIV).



Notice that in this verse Jesus notes that the bodies affected by the worms are dead. These are not living people writhing in fire. When Jesus returns, He will fight those who resist Him (Revelation:19:11-15). Those who are slain in the battle will not be buried; their bodies will be left on the ground, where scavenging birds and maggots will consume their flesh.



According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (1980), the original Hebrew word translated "worm" in Isaiah:66:24And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. and Mark:9:47-48[47]And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:[48]Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. means "worm, maggot, [or] larvae."



Neither Isaiah nor Christ is talking about immortal worms. The vermin of which they speak, maggots, would not die while maggots because, sustained with flesh to eat, they would live to turn into flies. The flies would then lay eggs that hatch into more maggots (the larvae of flies), perpetuating the cycle until there is nothing left for them to consume.



This background information helps us better understand Jesus Christ's words. In His day, when the bodies of dead animals or executed criminals were cast into the burning trash heap of Gehenna, those bodies would be destroyed by maggots, by the fires that were constantly burning there or by a combination of both. Historically a body that was not buried, but was subjected to burning, was viewed as accursed.



What does Jesus mean in Mark:9:48Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. when He quotes Isaiah in saying, "the fire is not quenched"? With the preceding background we can understand. He means simply that the fire will burn until the bodies of the wicked are consumed. This expression, used several times in Scripture, refers to fire that consumes entirely (Ezekiel:20:47And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.). An unquenched fire is one that has not been extinguished. Rather, it burns itself out when it consumes everything and has no more combustible material to keep it going.



When are the wicked punished?



But, we might ask, when does this punishment take place?



As we saw earlier, Jesus quotes from the prophet Isaiah, who wrote of a time after the Messiah establishes His reign on earth. Only then would all humanity "come and bow down" before Him (Isaiah:66:23And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD., NIV). Only then would this prophecy be fulfilled.



Jesus uses a common site of trash disposal in His day—the burning garbage dump in the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem's walls—to illustrate the ultimate fate of the wicked in what the Scriptures call a lake of fire. Just as the refuse of the city was consumed by maggots and fire, so will the wicked be burned up—consumed—by a future Gehenna-like fire more than 1,000 years after Christ returns (Revelation:20:7-9, 12-15).



Peter explains that at this time "the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" (2 Peter:3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.). The implication is that the surface of the earth will become a molten mass, obliterating any evidence of human wickedness.



What will happen after that? The apostle John writes: "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Revelation:21:1). The entire earth will be transformed into a suitable abode for the righteous who, by that time, will have inherited eternal life.



The destruction of soul and body in hell



Another place where Jesus speaks of gehenna fire is Matthew:10:28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna]."



We should notice that Jesus does not speak of people suffering everlasting torment. He says that God can destroy—annihilate—both the body and soul in Gehenna fire.



Jesus here explains that, when one man kills another, the resulting death is only temporary because God can raise the victim to life again. But when God destroys one in hell (gehenna), the resulting death is eternal. There is no resurrection from this fate, which the Bible calls "the second death."



The Bible explains that unrepentant sinners are cast into the lake of fire, or gehenna, at the end of the age. "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation:21:8).



This verse and others like it show that the doctrine of universal salvation is false. Not everyone will be saved. Some will, in the end, refuse to repent—and they will suffer punishment. But that punishment is not to burn in fire without ending. Rather, it is to die a death from which there is no resurrection.



As we discussed earlier, the wicked will be destroyed. They will not live for eternity in another place or state of everlasting anguish. They will reap their destruction in the lake of fire at the end of the age. They will be consumed virtually instantaneously by the heat of the fire and will never live again.



The wicked burned to ashes



Another passage that graphically illustrates the utter destruction of the wicked is found in Malachi:4:1For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.: "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'that will leave them neither root nor branch.'"



The time setting is the end, when God will bring retribution on the wicked for their rebellious, reprehensible ways. To those who surrender to God and live in obedience to Him, God says: "'You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,' says the LORD of hosts" (verse 3).



God, speaking through the prophet Malachi, makes clear the ultimate fate of the wicked. They are to be uprooted like a nonproductive tree, leaving not so much as a root or twig. They will be consumed by the flames of the lake of fire, leaving only ashes.



The Bible does teach that the wicked will be punished by fire—but not the mythical hell of men's imagination. God is a God of mercy and love. Those who willfully choose to reject His way of life, characterized by obedience to His law of love (Romans:13:10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.), will die, not suffer forever. They will be consumed by fire and forgotten. They will not be tortured for all eternity.



Remember that eternal life is something that God must grant, and He will grant it to only those who repent and follow Him—not those who persist in rebellion against Him.



Realize that the final death of the incorrigibly wicked in a lake of fire is an act not only of justice, but of mercy on God's part. To allow them to continue to live on in unrepentant, eternal rebellion would cause themselves and others only great sorrow and anguish. God will not put them through that, much less torture them for all eternity in excruciating torment without end.



The encouraging truth of the Bible is that God is indeed a God of great mercy, wisdom and righteous judgment. As Psalm:19:9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. assures us, "The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."

Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/ or call 1-888-886-8632

Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven?

Have any human beings ever ascended to heaven?




In Revelation:19:1, relaying what he experienced in a spiritual vision, the apostle John states, "After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!'"



Must the great multitude praising God here be throngs of saved human beings now living in heaven? Have any human beings ever ascended to heaven?



The popular teaching is that when Christians die they immediately go to heaven, where they take up residence in their permanent abode. But can we find such a teaching in the Bible?



To understand the truth on any biblical teaching, we must consider all the passages on a subject. When we do, the truth then usually becomes clear. We must also look at plain biblical statements and passages first, and from them come to understand the meaning of those that are less clear.



Notice one such clear statement in John:3:13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.: "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] who is in heaven."



John wrote these words decades after Jesus died and ascended to heaven—and well after many of Christ's followers had died—but he still affirmed that no one other than Jesus had gone to heaven.



Whose voices, then, could John have been hearing when he recorded in the book of Revelation what he heard and saw? He refers to voices many times in the book. Let's notice one example in particular:



"Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!'" (Revelation:5:11-12). So there are at least hundreds of millions of angels, and the voices in Revelation 19 could well be theirs.



Moreover, we should remember that John in the book of Revelation was receiving a vision of the future—with Revelation 19 concerning events at the time of Christ's return and the resurrection of His followers. Even if verse 1 were referring to saved human beings appearing briefly before God in heaven and praising Him at that time (just after their resurrection), this would not mean that they are doing so today.



Indeed, those who have died are still dead and in the grave—unconscious and unable to praise God (Psalm:6:5For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?; 30:9; Isaiah:38:18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.). Scripture, as we have seen, shows that no human being except Jesus Christ has ever entered heaven, and that remains so today. The voices referred to in Revelation 19, then, cannot be those of saved human beings now in heaven.