Prophesied in 1973 by pastor David Wilkerson.
ECONOMIC CONFUSION
A CRASH IS COMING
It is not really a depression I see coming... but a recession of such magnitude that it will affect the lifestyle of nearly every wage earner in America and around the world. Countries that now control huge amounts of Western currency are going to be in very deep trouble also. Arab countries will especially be hurt. Without a doubt, there are lean years ahead full of monetary confusion and despair. How soon is not clear, but it is not far away. The world's greatest economists will be at a loss to explain the confusion, and an international crisis of fear will develop. A false economic boom will precede the recession...but it will be short-lived.
A FEW GOOD YEARS TO PREPARE
In spite of all the danger signs around us warning of impending economic disaster, the next few years (from 1973) will be among the most prosperous in the history of mankind. They will be fat and flourishing years. In spite of tight money policies, people will continue to spend freely. Sales will continue to break records and people will spend more than ever in modern history. Credit debt will become nearly uncontrollable.
I see, very clearly, just a few years of tremendous affluence and continuing economic prosperity. Church budgets will increase, wages will increase... missionary giving will also increase.
Inflation, costs, and wages will spiral higher and higher. There will be a few minor adjustments in prices, but the world economy will become white-hot. When I received this vision in April of 1973, I also received clear instructions from the Holy Spirit to believe God for sufficient finances to clear all debts of our organization other than necessary mortgages. The message I received from God was very clear and to the point. It was simply this:
There is great economic confusion coming and
lean years just ahead. There will be a few short,
fat, and flourishing years to prepare for the lean
years. Work and pray to clear off all debts and get
ready for drastic cuts in budget. The money will not
be flowing as it was in the past and if you are free
of debt, you'll be able to maintain your programs
even in the difficult years. Don't panic... don't be
afraid... just prepare for it and expect it!
BANKRUPTCIES OF MAJOR CORPORATIONS
I believe we are going to witness the bankruptcies of some of this nation's major and most popular corporations. I see tremendous difficulty arising for credit corporations. There are going to be many people unable to pay off their heavy obligations to major credit card companies, causing near-chaos.
Thousands of small businesses will be forced into bankruptcies. Three, and possibly four, of the major religious denominations will be forced to operate with a skeleton organization due to a lack of funds. More than a few churches are going to go bankrupt and a number of independent missionary societies and church organizations are going to have to pull back. All but a few of the radio and television ministries will have to be abandoned.
Tight money will trigger a wave of uncertainty and fear. Those who have money will hold it in reserve. The United States government is going to "overreact" to the confused economical developments. I see a flurry of near-panic decisions being made by various government agencies... but these hasty efforts to shore up the economy will backfire.
The President of the United States will make one, and possibly two, national radio and TV appearances to reassure the nation that all is well, and that the best of economic times is just ahead. It will not work. People will distrust these statements, and their fears will lead to a revolution at the polls.
The auto industry is going to be hurt badly. Makers of recreational vehicles are going to get hit very hard. Appliance inventories will pile up, and sales will fall off drastically. Almost every economic indicator will be gloomy. It will be spotty at first... but will eventually affect nearly all industry.
A RUSH TO THE COUNTRY
There will be a sudden rush to buy farms, ranches, and homes in the country. Thousands will attempt to flee from cities, hoping that a return to the land and nature will provide security. There will be a growing urge to "get away from it all" ...and much money will be invested in land and acreage in rural areas by people who have secret dreams of raising their own food and cattle and of becoming self-supporting. The price of open rural land will continue to soar. Acreage within 100 miles of most major cities will skyrocket out of reach to all but syndicates.
UNIONS TO FACE DILEMMA
Unions will face new pressures not to strike. No longer will workers be able to afford to be out of work for even one week. The government is going to take a hard line against strikers, and striking union members will no longer be able to get food stamps and other benefits once allowed. Inflation will force a new crisis between labor and management, and strikes by union members in some areas will lead to a complete shutdown of plants and a total loss of jobs.
Labor leaders are also going to be caught up in this wave of economic confusion. Many are going to be at a loss as to what action they should take. They will face an almost impossible situation because they will not be able to afford a strike... and yet, at the same time, they will not be able to afford not to strike.
Long strikes could paralyze industry and add to growing economic confusion.
The details are not clear to me... but I see terrible union problems ahead. Labor peace is just a dream, and there is nothing but real trouble ahead. We may soon experience the most devastating strikes of all times.
THOSE WHO DO NOT PREPARE ARE GOING TO GET HURT
People who spend recklessly and buy unneeded material things will suffer the most. Speculators face difficult times ahead, and a good number of big developers are going to be completely wiped out.
The greatest building boom of all time is still in the future... and the Bible predicts it will come. But before that... soon... the building industry is going to face many setbacks. Housing starts will level off. There is a terrible squeeze coming for the entire building industry. Ministers who build expensive buildings in the name of God, without a clear mandate, will be seriously hurt. Those who undertake ego trips, who get involved in huge projects involving large sums of money, and who have not moved in the perfect will of God will face financial disaster.
If man has a clear mandate from God to build or move ahead... he should proceed. But let him be absolutely positive that he is moving ahead with clear and positive direction from God. Otherwise, the project will not survive, and he will go bankrupt.
It is not time to go into debt. It is a time to prepare, a time to get clear and out from under heavy financial burdens.
When I first received this vision, I argued with myself that I dare not hinder the initiative and vision of people who want to do great things for God and who, in the process of doing them, must invest huge sums of money. I have known the satisfaction of building institutions to the glory of God. I have always preached faith and positive action, and I would never dare to advise a man or woman of God to draw back or delay when God had clearly given direction to move ahead. But this vision is so clear to me that I must speak out. I sense a kind of divine obligation to warn ministers and church organizations to take a long, hard look at all expansion programs and projects that require large sums of money. There are some building programs that must be delayed or abandoned.
The time has come now for Christian organizations to become more people-conscious than building-conscious. Most of the growth in the lean years that lie ahead should be in the areas of people-to-people ministries. Without a doubt, many religious organizations are going to survive the lean years by paying only the interest on their huge loans. This will result in a constant hassle to raise money just to meet maintenance budgets, which, in turn will cause missionary projects to suffer.
NOT EVEN GOLD WILL PROVIDE SECURITY
Gold prices are soaring, but those who are investing in this commodity, hoping to find security, are in for a tragic surprise. The price of gold is going to rise astronomically, but it will not be sustained over a long period of time. Silver will also become a very precious metal, and its price will go wild. But neither silver nor gold will offer real security. The fluctuating and uncertain value of gold and silver will be a part of the total picture of economic confusion that grips the world.
Believe it or not... even gold will not hold its value. Gold hoarders are going to get hurt... badly. This is one of the most significant predictions in this book.
A NEW WORLD MONETARY SYSTEM
There will develop a call for revamping all world monetary systems into one uniform system. And even though the dollar will appear to be gaining strength just before the coming major recession, a new crisis will develop that will shake the entire financial world. It will be years before faith in the American dollar will be restored.
I believe a revived Roman Empire will eventually become the power base for a super world leader who will arise to restore economic order. He will no doubt institute a worldwide "walking credit card" system. Invisible numbers will be implanted on the forehead and forearm, and only photoscope scanners will be able to detect the numbers. The numbers could be assigned in three stacks of six digits each. This "mark" would be required by all and no one could buy or sell without this invisibly tattooed number.
Some kind of world credit system will develop and nations will be able to utilize blocks of credit. Although a universal money system may be far off in the future, a world credit system between nations will soon develop, setting the framework for the future monetary and trade system.
Be prepared to hear of world trade agreements "policed" by an international governing committee. Strict guidelines for international trade will develop and a "world market" will be closely monitored by big power interests.
To put it plainly... we will soon witness the development of a world trade policy, supervised by a super secretary vested with unprecedented powers by all nations involved in international trade.
SUICIDE BY OVERDOSE
Economic setbacks and confusion will catch many unprepared for the consequences. Suicide will follow. There will not be a repetition of scenes so familiar during the Great Depression when businessmen committed suicide by jumping from windows. Nor will they be putting guns to their heads and pulling the trigger. The new method will be suicide from overdoses of sleeping pills and other chemical sedatives. This trend is already developing and will get worse. Some very well-known people in the business world are going to commit suicide through overdoses of narcotics.
Because so many wealthy businessmen have private physicians, the general public will not be informed about the manner of these "accidental" deaths. In many cases the cause of death will be generally known, but suicide by overdose will become so widespread that hiding it will become impossible.
A BACKLASH AGAINST ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND ECOLOGISTS
The economic confusion that is coming will lead to a backlash against strictures imposed by environmentalists on the business community. The environmentalists have been well accepted and admired when they have dealt with generalities. But when they begin to affect the pocketbooks of the men and women of this nation, they will come into disrepute.
I see coming a tremendous backlash against ecologists and environmentalists, with experts speaking out against many of the findings of those in these agencies. On talk shows, in magazine articles, and in other public discussions, an undercurrent will develop against those who are warning about the dangers of pollution and those who advocate environmental control. It will become popular to debunk the findings of these committees and to speak out against the programs proposed by federal, state, and local environmentalists.
Environmentalist groups like the Sierra Club and others are going to come under severe criticism. They will be accused of hindering the development of our resources, and they will be blamed for the growing economic confusion. These groups will become the scapegoats for an energy crisis, meat and food shortages, and loss of jobs.
Believe it or not, the environmentalists and ecologists are going to be challenged, repudiated and, for the most part, rejected in the days to come. Powerful forces are already at work to rally public sentiment against the far-reaching proposals of the new environmentalists.
CONFUSION FOR THE "POSITIVE THINKING" PREACHERS
Those who preach that all success is the end result of positive thinking are going to discover that there is another side to the coin. Great losses, confusion, and reverses will shatter the thinking processes of many well-meaning people who falsely believe that their successes and economic well-being are the result of their own positive thinking. Jesus Christ Himself was an advocate of right thinking. God states that He has not given us "the spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind." But many good men have become worshipers of the power of the mind. Those who preach positive thinking in line with the concepts of Bible teaching will be able to offer men truths that will sustain them through the coming crises. Those who have minimized the sovereignty of God and who have substituted mental attitudes for reformed hearts will be exposed as false teachers. Positive thinking, without godly living, offers no hope in time of world and personal crises.
Anyone can be an advocate of the power of positive thinking when economic conditions are favorable and all things are going well. But when things begin to fall apart and everything is going into reverse... and when supernatural intervention alone can help... it is then that the real truth will surface. The truth is that all the positive thinking in the world will not change the fact that we are going to have a major recession. No preacher, no philosopher, no author will be able to change the direction God has ordained.
MORE RIOTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS
The rioting and demonstrating, the looting and unrest of the sixties are now history. But the riots are not over. Another wave is coming. This time I see Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans deeply involved. The coming economic confusion will ignite another round of demonstrations, riots, and civil disorder.
Social aid programs are going to be cut back and curtailed, and minority groups are going to be affected the most. These cut backs, along with the curtailment of many government projects, will cause widespread unemployment among these groups. I have never once believed that we have seen the end of violence and bloodshed and rioting in our streets. I abhor it and pray that God will spare us. But more than ever I am convinced that the worst is yet to come.
Also, I see great riots coming to many major cities in South America. In the next decade, South America will become a powder keg, exploding in all directions.
THE UNITED STATES TO BE BLAMED
Although economic actions in Europe will trigger the coming recession, the United States will be blamed by most nations for what happens. France will become one of the most vicious ant - American nations in the world. Politicians and businessmen in Europe and Japan will place the blame on Washington and the American bankers.
Drastic troop withdrawals from Europe will cause even more confusion. Leaders of the European Common Market will capitalize on this anti - American sentiment to establish a firmer power base and grip on world trade. The world's economic power base will shift to Europe.
RECOVERY FROM RECESSION
There may be a full recovery from the coming recession, and there may still be another cycle or two of fat and lean years. Only God Himself knows the future... I have received only a hazy glimpse beyond the next decade. I seem to see a picture of a partial and almost complete recovery from the coming recession... but the world economy will continue in confusion until the time of the Antichrist. From this day on, there will hang over the entire world a sense of fear and uncertainty about future economic conditions. Never again in the history of the world will there be a time of complete confidence and trust in world economies. Every little boom period will carry with it a strong threat of bust. Men's hearts will begin to fail them from fear after they watch the devastating effects of crippled economies.
There will come a time in the future when men will be obsessed with buying, selling, planting, marrying, and divorcing... but it will be a time of false prosperity, Jesus Christ will appear in the clouds to evacuate the Christian.
BEWARE: HOARDING WILL NOT HELP
It is not a time to hoard money, because it will not provide real security. It is still possible that we can face the time when even government - insured savings will not be paid. The only real security is in land. Money that is hoarded will disappear like sand out of a bag with holes in it.
This is also a time when the Christian must pray about his giving to the church and to missionary causes. Every cent that is now given to God's work must be given with a purpose. Indiscriminate giving just to ease the conscience or to unload God's tithe on the church will no longer be acceptable to the Lord. Those who obey God's Word and give willingly during the fat years will never have to beg for bread during the lean years. Those who see the hard times coming and prepare are wise.
Proverbs 27
12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
TO BE CONTINUED... if the Lord is willing
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