JULY 8TH 2009
Prophetic Brief
Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century
The Afghanistan Briefs
Afghanistan continues to be in the news
with new troops, a renewed push against
the Taliban and increased deaths. On
Monday, July 5th 7 U.S. troops lost their
lives in fighting. What are the issues that
are driving the U.S. war in Afghanistan,
and how do we formulate a Kingdom
view about events that are occurring?
 
In a series of short video briefings, Scott
Webster addresses Afghanistan from the
perspective of the Word of God. Included
in the video sessions are:
 
1.       Why Be Aware
2.       The Formative Process
3.       U.S. Involvement
4.       Key Players
5.       What Does the Future Hold
6.       Kingdom Insights
 
Visit scottwebsterministries.org, where
these videos will be available for viewing
soon.
for a miraculous sign, but none will be
given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus
then left them and went away.
When asked for indices to indicate what was
important, Jesus upbraided the religious
leaders for having the ability to get some
things right but for their focus on the incorrect
things. Deception is a church that is more
stimulated by the next sign or wonder, but
which has little understanding of the times in
which they live. It is an intense focus on the
wrong things, a focus that produces spiritual
dullness and eventually will result in God
abandoning a generation fixated on that which
is trivial – “Jesus left them and went away.”
Tomorrow’s weather is that which affects you
in the immediate, and it can be deduced
without spiritual sight. So these were people
who were primarily carnal in their motivation –
concerned about their immediate physical
environment and unable to interact with
spiritual realities and factors. Such is the focus
of a people who simply care about how soon
the economy will recover, and who look to the
various indexes of GDP, unemployment,
housing starts and manufacturing levels to
determine their view. But just as God was after
much more than a weather report when
speaking to the Pharisees, He wants far more
for us than simple knowledge of when the
economy will turn back around.
I fully understand that we have been affected
by job loss, reduced salaries and plunging
housing prices. However, our eyes must be
focused on the wider ramifications and
spiritual realities signified by the crisis. When
terminus or an end point. There will be a
culmination of history, and life today is
moving towards that point of finality and
climax. These are certainties that cannot
change, and therefore we know that the
events taking place around us are leading
towards this ultimate point. One of the primary
conditions that indicate that we are living in the
time leading up to the End is Babylon’s
universal economic system described in
Revelation chapter 18. In the last newsletter
we dealt with the first condition that identifies
that we are living in the time leading towards
the end: Babylon requires that there be a
highly functional globalized economic
system involving all of the nations.
But it is not simply the fact that commerce has
grown and that what used to be provincial
American capitalism has now become global.
It is the values behind the system of global
trade that earn Babylon the terrible judgment
we read about in Revelation 18. It is her
deficient values that we, the people of God,
are required to reject when we are told to
come out of her, my people, so that you will
not share in her sins, so that you will not
receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins are
piled up to heaven, and God has remembered
her crimes. 6 Give back to her as she has
given; pay her back double for what she has
done. Mix her a double portion from her own
cup (Revelation 18:4-6). The second condition
which indicates that we are living in a time that
is heading towards ultimate culmination is:
B) Babylon is a global economic
system driven by deficient values
which exploit men and degrade
human life.
When John the Baptist told people who owned
two coats to give to him who has none, he was
indicating that profit was acceptable
(ownership of two coats), but profiteering was
not (Luke 3:11). Profiteering describes a
person who seeks exorbitant profits especially
through the sale of scarce goods. A true
capitalist would not give coats away, he would
seek to corner the market on coats and then
pray for the coldest winter on record so that
the law of supply and demand would allow him
to grow rich on the backs of those who had no
coats – the poor. John banished this value
system while indicating it was o.k. to continue
to engage in a system of exchange. What is
required is that as we engage in the affairs of
this life, we do so from a different value
system. The basis of our work and business
dealings cannot be greed and the intense
consumerism that drives the surrounding
society.
Babylon is described as a system that has
become a home for demons and a haunt for
every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and
detestable bird (v 2). In the long list of
commodities that are being exchanged
between nations, the final things noted by
John is that Babylon trades in the bodies and
souls of men (v 13). This is a system of trade
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An Analysis of the Financial Crisis in the United States - 10
Deception & Interpreting the Signs of the Times
Two weeks ago the headlines pointed strongly could recite Steve McNair’s quarterback
to economic recovery, as I reported from the statistics, or the number of Woods’ and
headlines of a leading business paper in Federer’s championships, but who have
South Africa. In the last few days that changed
largely due to new unemployment figures
virtually no knowledge of the Word of God.
One political scientist posited the theory that
released in the U.S. in which more Americans big time college and professional sports was
lost their jobs in June than expected resulting part of a conspiracy to get the population
in an unemployment rate of 9.4%, the highest
in 26 years. While many economists expect
the rate to climb towards 10% and the
recession to continue well into 2010, even that
news was largely pushed off of the front pages
by the unexpected death of Michael Jackson.
A population that has an insatiable appetite for
the next big news story drives the media which
cannot seem to gather enough details nor
have enough pundits weigh in on every aspect
of Jackson’s life, death and impending burial.
Meanwhile over the last weekend, Roger
Federer won his record setting 15th Grand
Slam championship at Wimbledon in a historic
match against Andy Roddick, and Tiger Woods
won his own golf tournament near the nation’s
capital. Retired NFL quarterback Steve McNair
was found dead along with his girlfriend in her
apartment. Swinging back to the political,
American President Barak Obama arrived in focused on issues that would keep them
Moscow for a 2 day summit with Russian ignorant of manipulations in the political and
leaders. All of these things – Jackson’s and financial realm that had real consequences.
McNair’s deaths, victories by Federer and While that may be far-fetched, sitting in
Woods, Obama’s discussions with Medvedev Johannesburg and Durban restaurants last
and Putin – have some level of importance, week as drunken revelers from several
some more than others. I would personally continents cheered on their national rugby and
rank the increased unemployment rate and the soccer teams would make that claim hold
results from the Russian/American summit far vitality in the international realm as well.
higher in importance than sports victories or
entertainer’s deaths (and the sordid details of Deception is Focus on the Wrong
their lives), though I might be part of a
decreasing minority of American’s who hold
Thing
that view.
Matthew 16:2 -4
To troll the headlines is to engage in an 2 He replied, "When evening comes, you
exercise requiring keen discernment as say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is
red,' 3 and in the morning, 'Today it will
everything grabs for your attention. This is in
fact part of a work of deception that seeks to be stormy, for the sky is red and
hide things that are in plain sight by putting the overcast.' You know how to interpret the
focus on other, apparently important issues – appearance of the sky, but you cannot
interpret the signs of the times. 4 A
but which pale when held up against that
which has real meaning. There are many who wicked and adulterous generation looks
JULY 8TH 2009
Matthew 16:2-4
He replied, "When evening comes, you
say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky
is red,' 3 and in the morning, 'Today it
will be stormy, for the sky is red and
overcast.' You know how to interpret the
appearance of the sky, but you cannot
interpret the signs of the times. 4 A
wicked and adulterous generation looks
for a miraculous sign, but none will be
given it except the sign of Jonah."
Jesus then left them and went away.
Herod could not find the young Christ he
executed all male children 2 and under – Tomorrow’s weather is that
intense crisis described by Jeremiah as
Rachel weeping and lamenting over her lost whic h affects you in the
children (Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18), yet
also a prophetic indicator of the presence of
immediate, and it can be
Christ. The intense pain and suffering of those deduced without spiritual sight.
who lost a child did not excuse them from
recognizing the importance of the event. That
So these were people who were
which produced great difficulty for many primarily carnal in their
families was in fact an indication of hope and
redemption, one of the greatest signs of the motivation – concerned about
nearness of His coming. t h e i r i m m e d i a t e p hy s i c a l
Therefore our primary focus must not be environment and unable to
simply overcoming the immediate financial
crisis while we go unlearnt and unable to
interact with spiritual realities
discern what is happening in a wider context. and factors. Such is the focus of
We refuse to be Pharisees who look only at
our immediate physical environment based on a people who simply care about
natural factors – we must be a people who how soon the economy will
focus on the wider purposes of God in this
financial crisis and who emerge from the recover, and who look to the
difficulty with spiritual sight and
comprehension. By doing so we are moving
v a r i o u s i n d e xe s o f G D P,
from the former prophetic order which was unemployment, housing starts
driven by personal demand for blessing, to the
New Prophetic Dimension concerned firstly
and manufacturing levels to
with correctly discerning the context and times determine their view. But just as
in which we live.
God was after much more than
Pointers Towards the End a weather report when speaking
The economic crisis is one of the primary
to the Pharisees, He wants far
indicators that we are moving towards the time more for us than simple
of the End. Jesus said that no man knows the
day nor the hour, not even the angels in knowledge of when the economy
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father will turn back around.
(Matthew 24:36), history does have a
JULY 8TH 2009
that results in the merchandising of human
beings. It is trade that ravages humanity; it is The Architecture of the
an economic system that is so corrupt that it
destroys human life. That is because it is a New Prophetic Dimension
system that has become completely taken
over by satanic principles – it has become a A revolutionary
home for demons and a haunt for every new look at
unclean thing where the quest for profit reigns
supreme. prophetic
reality as it
The values that drive the system of exists in the
globalization match this description perfectly:
values of competition, scarcity, hoarding, 21st century
consumerism, profiteering, etc. Anything will church.
be bought and sold for a profit. There are even
human trafficking systems in which people are get this book>
literally bought and sold in a modern day slave
trade, often exploiting the weakest of society –
women, children and the poor. The border
between Mexico and the U.S. has become a
war zone as highly profitable drugs and
weapons pass back and forth in order for
some to make a profit. Humans also are
smuggled across, some to be left to die by the
guides who they paid, wandering in the
merciless deserts of the American southwest
without water. 2778 Cumberland Blvd
But even innocuous things like manufacturing Suite 163
of goods is done by a system that is built on Symrna GA 30080
deception and greed. For example, luxury Tel: 678.302.3052
items like Gucci and Hermes bags used to be
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made by small family companies in Europe
who produced beautiful items made of the www.scottwebsterministries.org
finest materials. It used to be a niche business © 2009 Scott Webster Ministries.
for an elite clientele, until these family All Rights Reserved.
concerns were bought out and turned into
global brands for purchase by the middle
class, who covet signs of wealth and privilege.
Marketing executives play up the companies
old world heritage and claim the items are still
made in Europe by hand, but such labor is far
too expensive to allow the goods to be priced
for mass consumption. Manufacturing has
been exported to China, where a luxury brand
name leather handbag can be assembled very
cheaply and still sold for $1,200. How do the
brands get away with this? Some hide the
“Made in China” label in the bottom of an
inside pocket or stamped black on black on
the back side of a tiny logo flap. Some bypass
the “provenance” laws requiring labels that tell
where goods are produced by having 90
percent of the bag, sweater, suit or shoes
made in China and then attaching the final bits
— the handle, the buttons, the lifts — in Italy,
thus earning a “Made in Italy” label. Or some
companies just blatantly lie and replace the
original label with one stating it was made in
Western Europe.
We are living in a time in which the economic
drivers of greed, consumption and globalized
commerce determine what life is like in every
nation. We can see that the systems of the
earth are being molded to fit into a scenario
that is described in Revelation 18, and we
know that regardless of the amount of time
that passes until Babylon’s cup of iniquity is
full, we must live by a different standard and
value system.
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