The United States is undeniably the richest and most powerful nation ever on the face of the earth. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the U.S. is larger than the next two biggest economies combined, which in China and Japan. The U.S. economy outproduces the combined economies of over forty-seven poor nations, which account for 53 percent of the population of the world. These forty-seven nations include China and India. But on an individual scale, just how does the income of the average American compare to the average income of the poor of the world?
In 2000 the per capita income of the U.S. was 360 percent higher than the world’s average per capita income (CPI). The U.S. boasted a CPI of $34,100 while the average world CPI was $7,410 (measured in international dollars).
According to statistics from the World Bank, 56 percent of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty. They survive on an income of less than $730 per year or $2 per day. Half of the worlds poor who comprise 28 percent of the world’s population live on $1 or less per day. In comparison, the average American earns from 46 to 92 times more than the poverty stricken comprising over half the world’s population.
These statistics are staggering, this shows that the average American is not only wealthy in comparison to the rest of the world, but compared to 56 percent of the population we literally live like kings.
Now here we are in 2009 and the future of a once wealthy nation is now in question. Our politicians and our “wise men” are frantically running around trying to figure out a solution to America’s financial woes. Putting a band-aide here, plugging a hole in the dam there, desperately seeking ways to hold back what is coming. We now have the latest trillion dollar stimulus package passed by a democratic Congress and signed by our new president. If you ask me it almost seems like instead of finding a way to “bail” us out it actually seems like they have signed legislation that will deliberately sink us further into debt. It is as if they are deliberately trying to crash the American Economy permanently.
We are now living “in” the time of God’s judgment on America, he has given us leaders after our own heart, just as he did when he appointed Israel’s first King, Saul, in the Old Testament. Why would God’s judgments focus in on our economy? Why not allow us to be overtaken by enemy nations, like he did to Israel in the Bible. Why not more natural disasters that could permanently handicap us as a nation.
If we look into the Scriptures, which represents the perfect mind of God, we can get spiritual insight into any circumstance and any situation. Let’s consider a passage out of the Gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 19:16-26 (NASB)
16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”
17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 Then he said* to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS;
19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
20 The young man said* to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Look at the dilemma this young ruler finds himself in. He wants to enter into the Kingdom of God, upon questioning Jesus he realizes that he does not qualify, because he was one who owned much property and he was unwilling to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. It wasn’t that Jesus is commanding everyone to give up what they own, as this Scripture has been falsely interpreted over the centuries. Rather Jesus was telling the man this in order to show him what was in his heart. He was in idolatry, he had another God that he served, in whom he was unwilling to part ways with. It reminds me of a story of a young man who hears the gospel for the first time. He gets excited and goes tell his grandfather. As he began to explain what it was he heard concerning Jesus and how intrigued he had become, the man then pulled out a huge roll of money and waved it in his grandson’s face and said “this is my god”. What a perfect metaphor for this American nation, there are voices preaching Truth to those whom they love and all they can do is pull out their roll of bills wave it in God’s face and say “this is the god in whom we serve”.
Jesus told his disciples that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. To this statement they exclaimed ”Then who can be saved!” Jesus said with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Is it a possiblilty that the current judgments that we are entering into is a fulfillment of this very Scripture. God is at work, by tearing down our high and mighty financial status, God is actually bringing us low, humbling us to a place where money is no longer our God and all we can do as a nation is look up and cry out to God for mercy. In the mind of God, He knows that “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”.
In the famed “beatitudes” Jesus spoke forth “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God”. Obviously he was not talking about being poor in the natural, however he was talking about those of us who have come to a place of “spiritual bankruptcy”, these shall inherit the kingdom of God. It is not until we come to a place where we know that there is nothing we can do to pay off our sin debt, that we can be born again and enter into the kingdom of God. Because in realizing that there is nothing we can do, we come to the revelation that it is in fact Jesus who paid the price of our redemption! Is it possible, that God is bringing this nation to financial bankruptcy so that he can take us to a place of spiritual bankruptcy? Personally I don’t know for sure what the answer to that question is, however I am glad to have the mind of God in my house, so that when his judgments hit, I will not faint because I know that I know whom it is that keeps me!
Voice of The Revolution 