Tariffs on China ‘the end of days’ & ‘apocalyptic,’ tariff prepping, and be prepared to lower your standard of living?
Chinese COSCO Freighter (Fletcher6)
There are costs to tariffs. Some business owners see those imposed against Chinese imports as disastrous:
Trump’s China tariff shocks US importers. One CEO calls it ‘end of days’
April 12, 2025
Rick Woldenberg thought he had come up with a sure-fire plan to protect his Chicago-area educational toy company from President Donald Trump’s massive new taxes on Chinese imports.
“When he announced a 20% tariff, I made a plan to survive 40%, and I thought I was being very clever,” said Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, a third-generation family business that has been manufacturing in China for four decades. “I had worked out that for a very modest price increase, we could withstand 40% tariffs, which was an unthinkable increase in costs.”
His worst-case scenario wasn’t worst-case enough. Not even close.
The American president quickly upped the ante with China, raising the levy to 54% to offset what he said were China’s unfair trade practices. Then, enraged when China retaliated with tariffs of its own, he upped the levies to a staggering 145%.
Woldenberg reckons that will push Learning Resource’s tariff bill from $2.3 million last year to $100.2 million in 2025. “I wish I had $100 million,” he said. “Honest …, no exaggeration: It feels like the end of days.” …
“There is so much uncertainty,” said Isaac Larian, the founder of MGA Entertainment, which makes L.O.L. and Bratz dolls, among other toys. “And no business can run on uncertainty.” https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-china-36df035fc02b45e498cc50f213536e79
It is not just businesses that will be impacted by the tariffs on Chinese goods, now at 145%. Consumers will be impacted:
‘Addicted’ to low-price Chinese goods
April 12, 2025
It might at least be the end of an era of inexpensive consumer goods in America. For four decades, and especially since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, Americans have relied on Chinese factories for everything from smartphones to Christmas ornaments. …
“American consumers created China,” said Joe Jurken, founder of the ABC Group in Milwaukee, which helps U.S. businesses manage supply chains in Asia. “American buyers, the consumers, got addicted to cheap pricing. And the brands and the retailers got addicted to the ease of buying from China.” …
“The consequences of tariffs at this scale could be apocalyptic at many levels,” said David French, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Retail Foundation. https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-china-36df035fc02b45e498cc50f213536e79
A Wave Of Panic Buying Has Suddenly Erupted At Retailers All Over America
Do you remember the panic buying that we witnessed during the early days of the pandemic? It’s back, and I have a feeling that it is only going to intensify in the days ahead. As more Americans begin to realize that products made in China will soon more than double in price and that some may no longer be available at all, there will be a feverish rush to purchase Chinese-made goods. …
Our stores are now teeming with products that were made in China, and thousands of our supply chains simply cannot function without equipment, parts or products that come from China.
But our leaders refused to listen to those of us that were sounding the alarm, and now we have a real mess on our hands. …
Because we have become so deeply dependent on China, the trade war that has now begun is really going to hurt, and everyone should be able to see that.
On Thursday, the White House confirmed that the total tariff rate on Chinese imports has now risen to 145 percent…
The price hikes that we will soon see will be quite a shock to the system, …
What we are witnessing is going to cause a tremendous amount of disruption.
Apparently lots of other people see things the same way, because a wave of panic buying has now started…
Across the country, people have been rushing to stores or going online to buy everything from iPhones to coffee to designer bags and jewelry in anticipation of the toll the tariffs will take on their wallets.
If there is something that is made in China that you really need, I would get it now while you still can. …
This crisis with China is a far bigger deal than most people realize, and it could have some very serious unintended consequences. 04/10/25 https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/a-wave-of-panic-buying-has-suddenly-erupted-at-retailers-all-over-america/
How to Prep for the Trade War
We’ve talked before about the pain of making the significant economic changes that the United States needs to prosper in the future. We’re in for a bumpy ride as consumers. But the good news is, we can anticipate some of these effects and prepare for them if we do it now, before the tariffs are in full effect on May 2. Prepping for the trade war should be number one on your list of concerns right now. …
Amazon has canceled orders for things like beach chairs, scooters, and air conditioners. After May 2, companies like Temu and Shein will no longer be able to use the handy De Minimus loophole to sell directly to American consumers, which will send the price of “fast fashion” items skyrocketing.
How it all affects us
The obvious way this affects us is that we will face higher prices for what’s available, and fewer choices will be available. If the prices are so outrageous that vendors like Amazon, Target, and WalMart are not making purchases, we’re going to be looking at some very limited store shelves in the not-so-distant future.
Think back to the days of Covid, when cargo ships were halted and our store shelves were greatly depleted. We faced store limits on things like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and eggs, if you could even get these things at all. It was partly panic-driven – shoppers cleared out the stores in one crazy weekend. But after that, it took a long time for our shelves to become full again as the supply chain shuddered under the weight of the changes. …
The best way to prepare for potential scarcity and skyrocketing prices is to purchase what you can now. …
Keep a positive attitude.
One of the most important things to remember in times of economic strife is your mental well-being. Keep a positive attitude by focusing on what you have instead of on what you don’t. Be creative with workarounds. Learn to make or use different products than you are accustomed to.
Most importantly, remember that the things that truly matter most don’t come from China. 04/10/25 https://www.theorganicprepper.com/trade-war/
The standard of living in the USA has long been subsidized by nations such as China. Prices of many items will rise in the USA.
China is not the only nation that will be affected by these tariffs.
As far as the standard of living dropping in the USA, the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote the following:
Prepare to Greatly Reduce Your Standard of Living
It’s time you knew the real meaning of the present inflationary spiral, rising interest rates, and fears of entering a severe depression. There is far more to all this economic concern than appears on the surface. Its roots even penetrate back into ancient history and biblical prophecy. Where are the United States and British nations mentioned in Bible prophecy? What is prophesied about these very conditions?
What does it all really mean? What does it portend for the relatively immediate future? We in the United States have enjoyed the most prosperous living standard of any nation in all the history of mankind. There is a reason for this unmatched prosperity that came to us. There also is a reason for the devaluation of the dollar in foreign markets, for our present abnormal inflation, and the fear in financial and government circles that we may well be in the beginning of the most severe economic depression in history. …
There is a far greater CAUSE that is now starting in rapid descent to BRING DOWN YOUR PRESENT STANDARD OF LIVING.
It is true that even though Britain as a former world empire has lost her national greatness, yet today there is a moderately larger diffusion of what prosperity they have left. British labor has come to receive probably slightly more than half of America’s present labor income. But Swiss, German, Swedish and other European living standards have risen markedly.
The real CAUSE, however, for the rise and fall of Britain and the U.S. dates back to centuries before Christ.
Our Ancient Roots
There is a far more significant reason—both for American ascendancy to the highest living standard ever enjoyed by any nation in earth’s history, and our sudden PLUNGE we are now entering. …
Now the Prophecies
In the 26th chapter of Leviticus we find God’s promises and prophecies to Israel beginning in Moses’ day.
God through Moses specially put emphasis on avoiding idolatry and keeping God’s Sabbath.
Then He said that IF they would keep His commandments and His national statutes they should receive and enjoy the national and material promises of the Birthright in their time. He gave them NO PROMISE of inheriting, in the days of ancient national Israel, the spiritual promises (the Sceptre).
Even though the promises were made UNCONDITIONAL to Abraham for his future descendants, God now promised ancient Israel ONLY the material promises of the Birthright—and even that was CONDITIONAL. …
Where the U.S. Is Mentioned in Biblical Prophecy
Prophecy mentions that Britain (Ephraim) would lose her first colony. The colony that grew into the United States was that colony. Now the 2520 years the Birthright was to be withheld from ISRAEL because of their continued disobedience, breaking their part of the Old Covenant, expired in the years 1800-1803.
The big colony Ephraim was to lose was the United States—descended from co-Birthright holder Manasseh. The United States became the ONE promised GREAT nation. Britain became the great COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS.
Neither Britain nor America deserved the unprecedented wealth, greatness, and national power of Abraham’s BIRTHRIGHT. But God had promised it UNCONDITIONALLY to Abraham. It was CONDITIONAL to ancient Israel. Though our two great peoples did not deserve it, God was bound, and kept His PROMISE! Yet, once God had FULFILLED His promise to Abraham by giving us that national wealth, power and greatness, it became CONDITIONAL on us whether we should retain it!
As ancient Israel did not keep God’s statutes, commandments, sabbaths, NEITHER HAVE WE! …
Now Prophesied for the U.S.A.
The United States and the British peoples did inherit the NATIONAL and MATERIAL promises of the Birthright promised unconditionally to Abraham. Therefore God has FULFILLED His unconditional promise of the Birthright to Abraham.
Once fulfilled, in the British and Americans, retention of it by us became CONDITIONAL on our performance.And WHAT HAVE WE DONE with all this vast wealth, economic prosperity, and world power?
We have made physical SCIENCE the new Messiah—our false God—which boasted we no longer needed to wear the swaddling clothes of superstition, or lean on the crutch of religion. SCIENCE promised to deliver us from all our troubles! But it failed utterly, and only produced the weapons of mass destruction that can now erase all humanity from the earth.
Our educational systems worshiped at the shrine of the false god of EVOLUTION, making it the foundational approach and basic CONCEPT upon which all KNOWLEDGE iS based! Evolution is the atheist’s attempted explanation for the presence of a CREATION, without a CREATOR!
Our governments have been corrupt. Our business, industrial, economic and commercial systems have been shot through with deception, dishonesty, selfishness.
We have adopted the WAY OF LIFE of Satan—utter selfishness, lust and greed, envy and jealousy, competition in every walk of life—business, politics, sports, society—leading to violence and destruction! We have rebelled against the authority of
GOD over us, worshiping the false gods of science, evolution, and greed. We have gone the WAY of SATAN! And Satan is the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4).
And now, FOR OUR OWN GOOD, an all-wise and all-loving God is about to PUNISH our nations, in order finally to bring us to HIM!
I will use just one prophecy here. In Leviticus 26:19, God said of OUR PEOPLE, TODAY: “And I will break the pride of your power.”
God has given the U.S. more national POWER than any nation ever had! …
But already the noose is around our necks, and is almost daily tightening! Skyrocketing inflation, devaluation of the dollar in all foreign markets, other economic ills are starting GREATLY to reduce our standard of living! I warn you, PREPARE greatly to reduce your standard of living! Even GREATER punishments are to follow! (Armstrong HW. Prepare to Greatly Reduce Your Standard of Living. Plain Truth, January 1980.
While his timing was premature on the lowering of the standard of living, the prophecies he referred to will come to pass.
There are other issues than living standards being affected by USA tariffs on China and other nations.
Look at the following:
12 April 2025
The chaos unleashed by Donald Trump’s tariffs has fuelled speculation of an imminent rapprochement between the European Union and China. …
For the European Union, an export-oriented powerhouse and staunch advocate of free markets, the Trump tariffs have hit like a slap in the face. Despite the White House’s surprise reversal, the bloc will still be subject to the 10% baseline rate. Additionally, steel, aluminum and cars will be under a punishing 25% levy. Trump has threatened further duties on foreign-made pharmaceuticals, a precious sector for the Europeans.
With transatlantic relations plunging at a vertiginous pace and the American market becoming increasingly prohibitive, Brussels is on the hunt for economic opportunities that can offset, even if partially, the shockwaves unleashed by Trump.
China has quickly emerged as a prospective option.
Thanks to a vast middle class that is increasingly wealthier and, therefore, increasingly able to afford foreign-made goods, China represents a lucrative business partner that can provide European companies with new clients and fresh investment – exactly what they need at a time of stagnant growth at home and political turmoil abroad. …
The impression of a diplomatic thaw deepened a few days later when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez flew to Beijing and met with President Xi Jinping. Sánchez described China as an “essential partner” in tackling modern-day challenges and made a plea to turn the page on the confrontational approach.
“Spain is in favour of more balanced relations between the European Union and China, of finding negotiated solutions to our differences, which we have, and of greater cooperation in areas of common interest,” Sánchez declared.
Then, on Friday, the Commission delivered more news: Brussels and Beijing have agreed to take a second look at the option of “price undertakings” (minimum prices) to resolve the long-running dispute on China-made electric vehicles. The option was repeatedly floated last year but quietly abandoned due to a lack of progress.
Diplomats from member states, which have been traditionally split on how to deal with China, have taken note of the developments, without rushing to issue a verdict.
“The EU wants and needs to be seen as a reliable partner in the world,” a diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “In that sense, the discussion with China is evolving because China is looking at us differently. I don’t think the European approach towards China has changed completely, but the winds are moving.” https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/04/12/as-trump-brings-the-eu-and-china-closer-reality-keeps-pulling-them-apart
China’s leader Xi Jinping told the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday that his country and the European Union should “jointly resist the unilateral bullying practices” of the Trump administration.
Sanchez, in turn, said that China’s trade tensions with the US should not impede its cooperation with Europe. 04/11/25 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjew7y4j724o
The United States risks isolating itself by pursuing unilateral trade restrictions, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Friday during a visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Beijing. …
Xi called on China and the European Union to “jointly resist unilateral bullying” in order to protect their legitimate rights and interests, and uphold international rules and order.
The EU, which has been targeted with a 20% tariff by the US, has warned of significant global economic repercussions and has vowed to take countermeasures. …
China has slammed Trump’s “abnormally high tariffs” on Chinese products as “unilateral bullying and coercion.” The move by the US president represents “a serious violation of international economic and trade rules, as well as of basic economic laws and common sense,” Beijing stressed. 04/11/25 https://www.rt.com/news/615613-xi-warning-us-tariffs-isolation/
In December 2024, I posted in my article 25 items to prophetically watch in 2025:
Donald Trump’s reelection is a major concern for Europe and its trade. …
Europe will reach out to various ones in Asia and Africa, as well as Latin America. In the next several years, deals and more trade will occur with Africa, Asia, and Latin America. …
Yes, world events are aligning with properly understood biblical prophecies.
That said, in 2025 Europe will work on getting more of the world to accept its standards and trading matters. This will help Europe ultimately dominate trade.
The reelection of Donald Trump will motivate many to trade with each other because of his threats of tariffs, etc. …
The final time of the Gentiles is approaching. We are seeing BRICS, the Global South, the EU, and others working on ways to trade and not have to deal with the descendants of Ephraim (UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) and Manasseh (the USA).
The Europeans will work with many nations to secure stronger trade agreements.
We are seeing world events align with what I posted.
That said, how the current tariffs align with nearer term biblical prophecies is covered in our latest sermonette video:
Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …
US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Then listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.
Here is a link to our video: Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …
Church of God warnings on trade are coming to pass.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Trade Wars – and the Winner will be … US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in to this video as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Also listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
25 items to prophetically watch in 2025 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 25 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related sermon video: 25 Items to Watch in 2025.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
The Two Trees: Only Two Ways of Life This is from a two-part radio broadcast from Herbert W. Armstrong. Here is a video on: Cause and Effect: Two Trees, Two Ways.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in over 1,500 languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.
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