Church of God News

Demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela

COGwriter

Problems continue in Venezuela:

May 21, 2018

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Embattled socialist incumbent Nicolas Maduro won Venezuela’s presidential election by a landslide in a disputed vote marred by irregularities and mass absenteeism that led his main rivals to call for a re-run to prevent a national social crisis from exploding.

The National Election Council announced that with more than 92 percent of polling stations reporting, Maduro won nearly 68 percent of the votes Sunday, beating his nearest challenger Henri Falcon by more than 40 points.

As the results were being announced, residents of downtown Caracas just a few blocks from where Maduro supporters were celebrating banged on pots and pans in protest. Falcon accused the government of buying votes and dirty tricks to boost turnout among poor voters most hurt by widespread food shortages and hyperinflation in what was once Latin America’s wealthiest nation.

The election “without any doubt lacks legitimacy and we categorically refuse to recognize this process,” Falcon told supporters minutes before the results were announced, vowing to fight on instead of joining a growing list of beleaguered anti-government politicians who’ve fled into exile of late. https://www.apnews.com/619dd673396445c5917c7f97ba146bfc/Maduro-wins-Venezuela-election-challengers-call-illegitimate

May 30, 2018

CARACAS, May 21 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro faced fresh international censure on Monday after re-election in a vote foes denounced as a farce cementing autocracy in the crisis-stricken OPEC nation.

The 55-year-old successor to former president Hugo Chavez hailed his win as a victory against “imperialism,” but his main rival refused to recognize the result alleging irregularities. …

Declaring Sunday’s vote a “sham,” the United States is now threatening sanctions on Venezuela’s all-important oil sector, which is already reeling from falling output, a brain-drain and creaking infrastructure.

The European Union and major Latin Americans repeatedly warned in advance that conditions were unfair.

Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera was scathing about Sunday’s vote. “Venezuela’s elections do not meet minimum standards of true democracy,” he said. “Like most major democratic nations, Chile does not recognize these elections.”

Panama’s government followed suit, quickly saying it would not recognize the result. But fellow leftist-run nations Cuba and El Salvador sent congratulations. http://news.trust.org/item/20180521083259-dq52d

Venezuela has had serious problems for a number of years. Some hope the government will solve the problems there. One thing that may help the economy of Venezuela is that the price of oil has gone up in the past several months.

In other Latin American news, there was a presidential candidate debate in Mexico:

May 21, 2018

President Trump has had a lot to say about Mexico, and in a debate on Sunday, Mexican presidential candidates had some things to say about him.

In fact, Trump and relations with the U.S. dominated the discussion in the second of three debates featuring four candidates vying for the Mexican presidency in July 1 elections. …

The Dallas Morning News writes, “At play is whether Mexico will discard the neoliberal economic model it has shared with the United States for more than 20 years, the same one that Trump now rails against and that the leading Mexican presidential candidate questions with ominous warnings. The model, framed around the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, has served as a catalyst for deeper integration between the U.S. and Mexico, locking the two not just economically and culturally but also ushering in unprecedented cooperation on matters of security.”

Leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has a 20 percentage point lead over his closest rival in opinion polls, … would be quick to answer any insult from Trump. “If he makes an offensive tweet, I’m going to take responsibility for answering him,” Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor said. …

Independent Jaime “El Bronco” Rodriguez said of the United States that Mexico needs “to put them in their place.”

Meanwhile, former Mexican President Vincente Fox, who is not running, has continued firing colorful verbal salvos at President Trump. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/21/612949724/mexican-presidential-hopefuls-debate-relations-with-trump-and-u-s

May 21, 2018

The threats posed to Mexico by the Trump administration was the backdrop to the two-hour debate in Tijuana, with the four candidates discussing trade, immigration and cross-border security issues. Mexico and the United States are in the midst of a difficult renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and Trump has angered many in Mexico with his disparaging comments about Mexicans and blaming its government for not doing enough to stop Central American migrants from reaching the U.S. border.  …

“You can’t appease tyrants and bullies. You have to confront them,” Anaya said, adding that he would negotiate all aspects of the bilateral relationship if he were elected president.

So far in the election season, Trump has not proven to be an issue that separates the candidates, as all of them tend to criticize his comments as offensive and promise to protect Mexican migrants in the United States. None of the candidates made specific promises about how they would confront Trump or alter the dynamic in the relationship.

“Trump is going to have to learn to respect us. That I can guarantee you,” said Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the front-runner in the race. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/you-cant-appease-tyrants-and-bullies-mexican-candidates-take-hard-line-on-trump/2018/05/21/e0f0c03a-5ab7-11e8-9889-07bcc1327f4b_story.html?utm_term=.1dea0349a38e

Statements from Donald Trump, threats of sanctions against Venezuela, and threats of tariffs against Mexico have consequences.

The situations with Venezuela and Mexico will change. While they, like other nations, need the Kingdom of God, in this age, they will look elsewhere.

Expect Latin American nations to make deals with Europe and others.

Notice two items I posted back in 2008:

Negotiations will continue and some type of loose agreements will happen. In the spirit of accommodation and personal interest, many of the “standards” of the European Union will be adopted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, as well as by nearly all of the countries of the world. The Arab nations will most likely agree with many of the standards as they seem to be destined to form a brief end-time alliance with the Europeans (The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy).

However, over time, it will become increasingly clear that the British will be in more agreement with the Canadians and Americans and that the European Union in more agreement with the Mexicans than the EU will have with the English-speaking nations.

Trade wars and/or serious trade disputes will most likely arise.

The Brits will ultimately decide that they are more supportive of the Americans and Canadians. They will be so much more supportive that they will end up in a trading agreement with them (with the Australians and New Zealanders probably also becoming part of that agreement).

The EU will decide that Mexico and the rest of Latin America are in more agreement with it and thus make some type of serious trading agreement with most (or all) of Latin America. The Vatican will also have influence here as Latin America is highly Roman Catholic.

The Europeans and Americans, however, will continue to have military agreements, though many will be tense about them. (Thiel B. A Combined EU & North American Trade Block Coming? COGwriter.com, March 3, 2008)

Certain parts of Latin America are also politically quite connected to Europe. French Guiana is actually part of France and uses the Euro as its currency. Suriname still maintains close ties to the Netherlands. There exists certain legal connections between those of Portugal and Brazil which ties those nations relatively closely. Guyana used to be part of the British Commonwealth (however, because of ethnic reasons, I suspect that in the end it may decide to be more closely aligned with the rest of Latin America and continental Europe than with the UK). Most of the Spanish-speaking nations have ties to each other as well as Spain.

Because of the cultural, ethnic, language, legal, and religious ties between Europe and Latin America, the two regions will likely cooperate more in the future. These ties will be primarily economic, but also may include some type of military cooperation. …

Notice that the Bible says that all trading nations will become wealthy trading with Babylon (the restored European Empire):

For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury (Revelation 18:3, NKJV).

Thus, the resource (Mexico and Venezuela are major oil exporters), and even agriculturally (Chile and Argentina are leading exporters of agricultural products), rich Latin American countries, including Brazil (which is also one of the world’s most successful rising manufacturing nations), appears to be prophesied to attain wealth from the coming restored European Empire. (Thiel B. What’s Ahead for Latin America? COGwriter, October 22, 2008)

The fact of Brexit and the EU’s response to it have been pushing the Brits to conclude that they need to move closer to the USA, and farther from Europe, on trade. Last year, Germany’s Angela Merkel met with leaders from Mexico and Argentina on trade matters–partially because of concerns related to Donald Trump’s trade statements (see Germany’s Merkel is in Argentina making deals with Mexico and Argentina). And last month they tentatively made a deal (see EU and Mexico making a trade deal, partially to send Donald Trump a message).

After Donald Trump’s election, but before his inauguration, I wrote the following in my book, Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse:

Daniel 11 … 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. …

Furthermore, the dividing of the land of the United States, etc., for gain, will in no small way help prosper the King of the North’s empire. Many others may assist in this attack outside of those in Psalm 83. Mexico, who wants its lost land back, comes to mind. (Thiel B. Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse. Nazarene Books, 2017)

There are many reasons to consider that indicate that will happen (see EU and Mexico making a trade deal, partially to send Donald Trump a message).

Last year, we made a video related to Mexico, Donald Trump, and trade:

17:43

Donald Trump and Mexico’s future

Mexico has increasingly been in the news because of statements and policies of US President Donald Trump. Many in Mexico are not intending to sit back and accept whatever Donald Trump attempts to force them to do. What will happen to Mexico? Will it make trade deals with Europe? Will it ultimately go to war against the USA? Will the Mexican economy decline at times and then improve? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more.

Here is a link to our video: Donald Trump and Mexico’s future.

The Bible tells of a powerful trade empire arising in the last days in Europe, called “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 18). Mexico, and eventually the rest of Latin America, will support Europe (see also Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy).

Comments and policies of US President Trump are driving Mexico and Venezuela further away from the USA.

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 21st, 2018 at 6:00 am and is filed under Prophecy.

• AP: Venezuelan opposition says it has proof its candidate defeated President Maduro in disputed election
• Donald Trump on Castro and Cuba–Latin America concerned
• Hugo Chavez dies! Might this affect the Vatican election?
• Mexico again warns of negative consequences for Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs
• EU and Mexico making a trade deal, partially to send Donald Trump a message
• What’s Ahead for Latin America?
• Donald Trump issues threats to close border and trade with Mexico
• EU looking to make world’s biggest trade deal with South America
• Donald Trump wants $18 billion for a wall and again claims that Mexico will pay for it
• Mexico looking at retaliation if US places massive tariffs on its exports