Armageddon, 666, and the USA Debt Ceiling?

Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama brought up that the USA faced ‘Armageddon’ if it did not raise its debt ceiling (see Obama Says He is Trying to Avert ‘Armageddon’). He is not the only one to do so, nor is it the only term from the Book of Revelation being used related to this situation:

Debt-ceiling drama: Have politics gone apocalyptic?

Washington Post – July 26, 2011

Have you noticed a trend in some of the terms coming out of the debt-ceiling talks? Things along the lines of “The Pontius Pilate Plan,” in reference to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, (R-Ky.), plan and the “666 Plan” introduced by the Gang of Six. Have politicians finally taken the old adage “the devil is in the details” to heart? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/for-gods-sake/post/debt-ceiling-drama-have-politics-gone-apocalyptic/2011/07/26/gIQA7lRtaI_blog.html

Dollar Will Suffer With or Without Financial Armageddon

Wall Street Journal – July 25, 2011

Financial armageddon will probably be avoided in the U.S.. But, that won’t necessarily be good news for the dollar.

On the contrary, protracted negotiations on raising the U.S. debt ceiling could well increase the threat of a ratings downgrade, and at the same time talk of further U.S. monetary easing is likely to return. http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2011/07/25/dollar-will-suffer-with-or-without-financial-armageddon/?mod=google_news_blog

As far as 666 goes, even though this really has nothing to do with fulfilling the passage about it in the Book of Revelation, I would like to quote the passage and provide some comments:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

Although the US debt ceiling issue is not a fulfillment of the above, let’s somewhat pretend that it is. If it is, then the implication is that without the ‘666 debt ceiling plan’ no one in the USA will be able to buy or sell. Apparently, once the plan is approved, we would all have to wear something that we acknowledge the power of the ‘666 debt ceiling plan’ to exist financially. Now, 666 is really the identification of another human (Roman) system (see Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666), but it is sadly a little humorous that 666 is being brought up in conjunction with the fact that the USA still is convinced that it needs to INCREASE DEBT to continue. One cannot continue to increase debt into perpetuity, especially if one is dependent upon sometimes unfriendly foreign nations to do so (cf. Habakkuk 2:3,5,6-8).

Interestingly, the Congressional Budget Office found that the two most recent plans will not save as much as the promoters claims:

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office announced Wednesday morning that Senate Democrats’ plan to raise the debt ceiling would save the nation $2.2 trillion over the next ten years — $500 billion less than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claimed when he introduced the plan.

The news follows the CBO’s report late Tuesday that the House Republicans’ proposal also fell short of claims: The CBO said that plan, which is broken into two steps, would initially save only $850 billion over a decade, not the $1.2 trillion claimed by House Speaker John Boehner. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20084159-503544.html

Furthermore, both of the above plans still allow for significant increases in total debt.

Now, back to the term Armageddon. While US President Obama and others have mainly using the term ‘Armageddon’ for emphasis, there are three problems with that.

The first, and most obvious biblically, is that Armageddon is mainly a military matter and is not directly dependent upon US debt ceiling talks. Biblically, it is clear that Armageddon will not be averted:

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12-16)

The above would not be part of sacred scripture if it was not going to happen.

The second problem with the US President’s statement that I would like to address is that while the USA will likely take steps to get past its current debt ceiling issue, the reality is that every proposal I have seen from the Obama Administration results in an increase of debt for the USA basically in perpetuity (proposals that supposedly balance the budget after he is out-of-office are not credible to me or many others)–thus a financial crisis may be pushed further into the future, but it will be worse because of it.

And the third problem, is that partially because of the debt situation, the USA will not be around by Armageddon (cf. Habakkuk 2:3,5,6-8). The USA, the land of the “strongest fortresses” (NKJV) will cease to exist nearly 3 1/2 years before troops gather at Armageddon (cf. Daniel 11:39).

Right now, the USA crisis is that it wants and hopes to increase debt and borrow more from its foreign creditors, yet its leaders believe that not increasing debt will be a greater calamity.

The USA is setting itself up for financial ruin, and even worse. Watch (Mark 13, Matthew 24).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Prophecies of Barack Obama? This article has eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. It includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? This is the longest and most complete article at the COGwriter website on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”. Might Bible prophecy be fulfilled since he is to be the USA president?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
SDA/LCG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The Living Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White. Did Ellen White make prophetic errors? Did Ellen White make false prophecies?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This link also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, world events have aligned with at least 15-16 predictions in the book (including some related to Barak Obama ) and many more will to come to pass.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em Português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 14 já começaram a acontecer.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Brazilian Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel. Edição em português do Brasil. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 16 já começaram a acontecer.