And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:11-18, King James Version)
Technology is advancing rapidly in our times at a seemingly exponential rate. This advance in technology is making possible the advent, in the not too distant future, of events prophesied in the book of Revelation and other books of the bible. The ‘Mark of the Beast’ is a highly debated topic as to what exactly it might be, a tattoo perhaps, as for example the prisoners were tattooed with in the Nazi camps, or an electronic or computer chip implant. I have my own view as to why the mark is almost certainly going to be an implant - all those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life will be required to worship the ‘IMAGE’ of the beast. In my estimation this ‘IMAGE’ will not be a statue as that of Nebuchadnezzar in the plains of Dura but rather a HOLOGRAM or computer ‘IMAGE’ that will be projected directly INTO the brains of the beast's subjects via this implanted chip INSIDE their bodies under the skin, not ON the surface of the skin like a tattoo. This is the only way that the beast can cause everyone to worship him, and know that his orders are being obeyed because this chip will keep track of what these subjects are doing at all times. Talk about a perfect surveillance society, Orwell is turning over in his grave seeing his Brave New 1984 world become a reality in ways even he could not have begun to fathom.
The bible tells us that the ‘Image’ would be made and given life; this could imply a Frankenstein type creature brought to life by ‘mad’ scientists. These days this scenario is very much in the realm of the possible, even probable, so it should not be discounted. However this ‘Image’ has certain properties that make it seemingly omnipresent so the more logical conclusion is that the ‘Image’ is holographic in nature, being that it is worshiped by all who have the mark of the beast all over the Earth it is more reasonable to conclude that it is literally a TV image, three dimensional though it may be. The beast was badly wounded so he may not be in a position to move about as freely as he might desire to but no such limitation would be placed on his computer generated ‘Image’.
This is the only way whole Earth could see the Image of the beast at the same time.The ‘IMAGE’ also comes alive and speaks; again most likely as a hologram that will be projected directly on to the brains of the beast lovers! Just as our God is a personal God, these beasties will have their own little personal beast god speaking directly to them, talk about nightmare on Elm Street and Oak Street and Maple Street and every other street out there. It is also almost certain that this beast will be space based maybe in orbit around the earth (ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION?) Have you ever wondered what the heck they are doing with this ‘international’ space station that has seemingly been in manufacture for decades? His image will be everywhere making him seem to be omnipresent (again trying show himself as God.) After all, the false prophet does cause fire to come down from heaven (to prove it’s coming from the beast) so being space based is not out of the realm of possibility! Also if the beast is on Earth why does he require people to worship his image, why not just have them worship him directly? So I believe this beast will make his appearance, and then conveniently retreat to his headquarters, most likely in space above the Earth and let all his ‘fool’owers keep doing the worship thing not even aware that what they believe to be real is only a Matrix virtual reality being projected directly on to their brains.
What I have written above is speculative but the technologies exist today that we know about that make this very possible, I have no idea what's possible with technologies we do not know about. Movies and TV shows such as The X-Files and Stargate and just about all Sci-Fi series show technologies that move from the realm of fiction to fact in seemingly no time at all these days. The X-Files in particular focused a great deal on human-machine hybrids such as those created by implanting of chips and nanobots in humans. Since microchip implantation is already a reality not just virtual reality it makes total sense that far more advanced technologies that blend machine with organic material are already extant, just not in the public domain yet. So it is not a far-fetched idea but rather a foregone conclusion that the day of organic machines is not that far off. The Xylons of Battlestar Galactica for example are organic machines, and so are human beings for that matter. We are really not that much different than machines from a bodily perspective, we have mechanical parts, we need fuel and the machine of the body wears out over time. If God had not given us a conscience we would be nothing more than robotic machines. Our brain is a computer processor that is not silicon based like our current computers but nonetheless it is a processor. So it is not out of the realm of possibility that some technology can be introduced into the brain that would allow the downloading of information directly into it without actually being attached to wires or other devices, it would be all done wirelessly. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/25/total.recall.microsoft.bell/index.html A virtual reality could be created that would make the person believe that what he was seeing was real. As for the image of the beast speaking to him directly it would be nothing more than a hologram being projected from somewhere out there, the quality of the hologram would be very life like so that it would appear to be a real person. Believing the image to be alive and real, those chipped with the mark of the beast micro implants will become worshipers of the beast and head straight to perdition along with the beast. This implant has some kind of virus in it as well that will cause all the chipped ones to become infected with a disease that will be very painful if not fatal. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome andgrievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. (Revelation 16:2, King James Version)
When given the choice between the ‘chip’ and death, do yourself a favor and choose death. Our God is the God who alone can raise the dead and bring them back to life forever, so have no fear, you will live again and live forever you will. And that is a promise! Not mine but that of the Creator of the Universe, Him whose breath keeps you alive!
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1-5, King James Version)
The following video is from Alex Jones' website www.infowars.com. I am no fan of Jones for I believe he is a fear mongering establishment insider. However this video is pretty accurate as to the information presented in it.
With each passing day it seems that the year 2012 is seen more and more as the ‘doomsday’ year. According to the Mayan calendar time itself ends on Dec. 21, 2012, on the exact day of the winter solstice. Now we need to keep in mind that the interpretations of this Mayan calendar are subjective and the conclusion about the end of time based on this calendar may or may not be accurate. Nonetheless the date seems to be gaining a firm foothold in popular culture even though there is still a period of some three plus years that separate us from ‘Dooms Day’. It is likely that as we move closer to this date it will also gain a firm foothold in the mass psyche in the vein of Y2K. The soon to be released doomsday movie, 2012, the trailer for which may be seen below, will surely move this date from the realm of the ‘outer fringe’ to the mainstream. 2012 also happens to be the ‘Year of the Dragon’, according to the Chinese zodiac. Those who believe in the bible put no faith in either the Mayan calendar or the Chinese zodiac; their faith ought only to be in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So this 2012 fervor needs to be analyzed critically in the light of biblical prophesies to determine if there is any truth to the claims of the many dooms – dayers .
According to the book of Revelation, the last and most apocalyptic of all the books of the bible, there will a brief period of time just prior to the return of Jesus Christ to Earth that could be the termed ‘the time of the dragon’.We also understand that the Devil or Satan, also known biblically as ‘The Dragon’ or ‘The Serpent’ is a master of subtility and deception. The best of his deceptions are very close to the real thing and therefore the most effective. Judging the state of our world from current events it seems that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are at the gate, ready to ride the winds of war, and of famine, and of disease, and of economic ruin on a scale never seen before in history. ‘The Dragon’ with the definite article or Satan with a capital ‘S’ is the head of the federation that has opposed Jehovah God through past ages, and will continue to do so through the end of this age and into the end of the next, that being the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on this present Earth. It is necessary to understand that Satan is not an independent power but is literally the servant of Jehovah God and under his absolute control. He serves the purposes of God for which he was created. The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. (Proverbs 16:4, King James Version)
It is also necessary to understand that Satan is not a resident of this Earth although he is the ‘god of this world’, also called the ‘prince of the power of the air’. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2, King James Version) Satan rules this world not the Earth, the difference between world and Earth is an important one; understanding this difference allows us to understand that the bible does not teach that Satan is the ruler of planet Earth. Biblically speaking ‘The World’ means the system or systems that govern life on Earth. So all systems whether political, economic or even religious are truly Satanic in nature because they have been devised by Satan and his bureaucracy that is headquartered in the heavens above as evidenced by scripture: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12, King James Version) The words ‘high places’ in the preceding scripture literally mean ‘Celestial’ or ‘Heavenly’ places.
Without doubt the high command of Satan resides not on Earth but somewhere up there although Satan personally visit his worldly domains from time to time as proven by the dialogue between God and Satan in the book of Job: And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7, King James Version) In physical form whether current or former, Satan is a serpentine dragon, much like the Chinese dragon. I say current or former physical form since it is a distinct possibility that Satan is a disembodied spirit at present although he once was very much a corporeal creature (in a past age). The bible also gives a distinct hierarchy of Satan’s kingdom as follows: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16, King James Version) The four primary divisions in Satan’s kingdom are:
The highest are ‘THRONES’ equivalent to kingdoms or nations in Earthly terms. The rulers of each individual kingdom, or the ones that sit on the thrones of Satan’s many kingdoms, both terrestrial and celestial, are kings of the spirit world. Satan himself is the emperor that rules above all the kings. Just as there were many powerful and somewhat independent kings that ruled under the emperors of Rome, so too there are many spirits almost as powerful as Satan himself that rule under him in both terrestrial and celestial realms. In all likelihood the more powerful the spirit the higher up in heavenly realms is its kingdom. The original Greek word, ‘thronos’ used in Col. 1:16 means ‘Potentate’.
The next level of the satanic hierarchy after ‘thrones’ are ‘DOMINIONS’. The original word in the Greek language for dominions is the word ‘Kurios’ which means Lord. As in Earthly kingdoms there are lords that reign below kings so too is it in the invisible spiritual dominions that control Earthly dominions. These ‘kurios’ or lords are powerful spirits that control many other spirits beneath them but they themselves are subject to the ‘Thrones’ or kings that are higher up in the hierarchy than they are.
The third level of the hierarchy are less powerful than the first two yet not the lowest. The bible terms this level ‘PRINCIPALITIES’. The Greek word for principality in the bible is ‘Arche’ which is a prefix for words such as Archangel, Archbishop, Architect and also a suffix in words such as Monarch, Patriarch, and Matriarch. The use of ‘Arch’ in all such words indicated preeminence, it means ‘first’ or chief. Next in order of cosmic satanic hierarchy after Thronos or thrones and Kurios or lords come the Archspirits that are lower in ranking but not the lowest.
The lowest levels of the satanic hierarchy are biblically termed POWERS, in military parlance these would be the equivalent of ‘foot soldiers’, or ‘privates’ in modern terminology. These are Earth dwelling spirits that control and influence individuals as opposed to cities or states or nations that the spirits of higher rank control and manage.
Even for people that profess to be ‘Christians’ the idea of unseen powers controlling life on Earth seems farfetched although the bible clearly states this to be true, that the ‘Real World’ is unseen not the visible ‘Matrix’ world that the majority believe to be real. There are real political divisions, governments and bureaucracies in Satan’s kingdoms. These are based not just in other dimensions but may well have existence on other heavenly bodies such as the moon. For example the word LUNATIC literally means Moon Struck, so it is possible that devilish influences are exerted upon terrestrial inhabitants from space based powers whether in Mother Ship type crafts or heavenly bodies such as planets and their satellites. In all mythologies, planets, constellations and stars have been associated with intelligent human like beings. Throughout human history celestial bodies have commonly be seen as anthropomorphic, and the real reason behind such claims that are commonly dismissed as mythological fantasies is that these celestial bodies have had in the past, or still have intelligent beings dwelling on them that have had interaction with mankind. These kings, lords, principalities and powers are satanic and exert their negative murderous influences not only on Earth but on other planets and worlds in the universe. Man has been so conditioned by the ruling hierarchy of the Matrix world he lives in that he absolutely refuses to believe that the universe is teeming with intelligent life. The real universe more closely resembles a Star Wars movie with intelligent life in countless forms inhabiting both visible and invisible worlds than being limited in mere human form to this Earth only. Now these conclusions of mine although biblically accurate are impossible to prove because we have no access to technologies that would be necessary to prove such claims. Other than the Matrix movies, John Carpenter’s movie’ They Live’ paints a pretty accurate picture of how human beings are manipulated and controlled by an unseen hand, or should I say an unseen claw.
Satan being the god of this world has a political, military and religious hierarchy upon which all the systems of man are based. Except for a brief period of true Theocratic government that ruled the nation of Israel after the exodus from Egypt, all of man’s political, economic, military and religious institutions have been patterned after the systems first introduced to man by Satan in ancient Babylon some 4500 years ago. These systems and bureaucracies did not originate in Babylon but are very ancient predating modern man by many ages of time. It is an undisputable ‘biblical’ fact that human ‘powers that be’, whether Presidents or Popes, Military Generals or CEO’s of multinational corporations are not only influenced by Satan, they are knowingly worshipers of Satan, what motivates them, what drives them is the love of money no matter how philanthropic their public image may be. This is the reason why the history of this world stretching back thousands of years is a blood soaked one, and in all likelihood, in almost all certainty more blood will be shed this century than ever before in history. This is why the more things change the more they stay the same! No matter what garb the powers that be garb themselves in, warfare, hunger, disease, famine, genocidal atrocities and unspeakable cruelty of man towards man are the rule of life on Earth not the exception. This has been a direct result of the god of this world being Satan who was a murderer from the beginning. He comes not but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10, King James Version)
The horror that is life on Earth for the majority of its inhabitants stems directly from the evil, greedy, and selfish nature of man that he derives from Satan, his unseen master and lord. I say not that it is only the top hierarchy of man’s world that is evil, no, greed and selfishness spread right across the spectrum of all income and age groups. Given half a chance those at the bottom of the pyramid would gladly devour all those above them so that they can be at the apex instead of the base. However it is the top hierarchy that formulates policies, both economic and military that work to the detriment of billions of their fellow humans. These policies that bring such pain and suffering worldwide are nota result of miscalculation or chance as they would have us believe, no they are carefully evaluated and tested by the very intelligent spirits that reside in heavenly places using technologies far beyond the most advanced technology available in the public domain of man. These policies are then transmitted to their human counterparts on Earth to become ‘official policy’ that spreads worldwide in no time, as for example the ‘Green Earth’ policies so much in vogue at present.
Getting back to the topic of this blog, the year 2012 seems to be gaining significance as a watershed year in the history of man. Doomsday prophecies abound on the net and in print; as mentioned earlier even a major Hollywood ‘doomsday’ movie is in the works and will be released in a couple of months (see trailer below.) What I find of interest is that this year 2012 in the Chinese zodiac is the ‘YEAR OF THE DRAGON’. No I have not suddenly become a believer in the Chinese zodiac or any other form of astrology for that matter. However the bible does tell us that very shortly before the end of this world system through the total destruction of its economic systems by warfare and other catastrophes, there will come a time when The Dragon or Satan will be forced to abandon all his heavenly kingdoms and will take up residence right here on Earth. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9, King James Version) This is the event that will bring about the revelation of the antichrist and the mark of the beast because ‘The Beast’ will have literally come down to Earth, and woe to the inhabitants of the Earth living at that time, almost overnight their utopian dreams will become nightmares that would scare the living daylights out of Freddy Kruger himself. The question that arises in my mind is whether 2012 is the year of the dragon’s fall to Earth to be followed shortly thereafter by the revelation of the antichrist beast of Revelation, chapter 13, in 2013? Since Satan has to be cast down to Earth sometime soon, it would appear then that this may be the defining event of 2012 not the end of time as the Mayan calendar supposedly predicts. Time itself is never going to come to an end although this present Earth and the present heavens will one day pass away.
I speculate based on the following scripture that tells us the day of Jesus’ return and the events leading up to it should not overtake us by surprise: But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (1 Thessalonians 5:4, King James Version) That day will indeed come as a snare, as a thief in the night for the majority of people in this world but not for those who watch and pray. If you set a watchman outside your house at night and keep it well lit then a thief cannot break in and steal from you; so it is in the realm of the spirit, those who are in the light, are watching and praying will know almost to the day when Jesus will return and what to expect in the years preceding this earth shattering event. So if 2012 does turn out to be the Year of the Dragon then we can expect some major fireworks in the next 3 years, then the four horsemen of the apocalypse will soon be riding fast and furiously across the globe. And what will the four horsemen bring the world?
Warfare on an unprecedented scale
Civil unrest, political turmoil, anarchy
Economic collapse, famine, food shortages
Death, disease, pandemics, ‘natural’ and even ‘cosmic’ disasters such as asteroid collisions
As spiritual warfare intensifies in the heavens above and around Earth, unseen by human eyes like something out of a Stargate SG-1 episode, so too will warfare and other disasters multiply on Earth. When Satan has finally been expelled completely from the heavenly realms, he will come to Earth in the guise of an angel of light. The beast will come bearing gifts of ‘Peace and Safety’ for all, now where have we heard that before? Haven’t there been a phenomenal number of ‘Peace Talks’, ‘Peace Summits’, and ‘Peace Making meetings’ between heads of state in the middle east for decades now, yet the region is more volatile today than it has ever been in history? Satan may offer temporary peace but murder is first and foremost in his heart. So for a short time, possibly in early 2013 there will be cessation of worldwide hostilities and a peace solution will be offered; the whole world will be made subject to the beast that will be seen by the masses as an angel of light because he will have a ‘peace solution’ to offer the world. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3, King James Version) Little will the deceived masses realize that peace can come only from the Prince of Peace not from the prince of darkness.If indeed over the next three years the world faces massive warfare, pandemic disease, famine, and ‘natural’ disasters on an unprecedented scale, then it is a distinct possibility that Satan’ short time on Earth will begin towards the end of 2012 and continue for a few short years culminating at the battle of Armageddon. Nonetheless the world seems to be faced almost directly with time of Jacob’s trouble and of such tribulation as has never been on Earth nor ever will be again. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21, King James Version) The antidote to the coming poisons that will infect the whole world was provided by Jesus long ago and it would behoove us to pay heed to these words, to watch and pray! Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36, King James Version)
The above link further reveals the true state of the world economy today. In economies, as in life things just don't get better just because someone says they are better, be it the President or chairman of the Federal Reserve. The world economy is still on a collision course with the biggest iceberg it has ever met and this Titanic has no lifeboats, at least not for the little folks!
Firstly I want to clarify that reporting economic, political, medical and ‘natural disaster’ related news on what is obviously a bible centered blog is not an anomaly. The signs that Jesus gave in Matthew 24 and the revelation to the apostle John regarding the time of the end of the world include a fair amount of detail regarding economic and other events that will overtake the world in the comings months and years. There has been a fair bit of news lately that we are experiencing a robust growth, economically speaking, and that good times are just around the corner. This is in direct contrast to the biblical viewpoint that there will be an unprecedented worldwide economic collapse that will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. Therefore when we watch for events occurring on the economic, political, military, global and cosmic landscape that qualify as signs of our Lord’s return then we ought to take heed and concern ourselves more and more with ‘watching and praying’ rather than the cares of this life. Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
I do not subscribe to CNBC or Bloomberg or BNN for ‘real’ economic news just as I do not waste time on CNN or CBC for ‘real’ news. As opposed to mainstream media that presents mostly fiction as ‘news’, the internet is littered with information that has a great deal of truth but that is also mixed with misinformation and disinformation. So it becomes a challenge to separate fact from fiction, truth from fantasy. During the years I have spent educating myself on the ‘real’ world I have found some sources on the net that are more reliable than most for the simple reason that the information they present makes sense. Politics, economics, banking and investing are subjects that are not nearly as complicated as the paid media and academic ‘experts’ make them out to be. And it is not just of academic interest for us to learn about events that are transpiring in the ‘economic world’; accurately understanding what is going on will prepare us for what is coming in the near future and thus help us not fall prey to unsound economic decisions that the majority or the masses make at the instigation of the almost always wrong mainstream media that seem incapable of predicting a rainstorm while they are in the middle of one let alone from a distance afar off. Since the track record of MSM is so poor, much worse than the weather man’s why would anyone want to us their information when making important financial decisions?
The Double Dip Recession, or the “W” shaped recovery that a minority of economists, such as Joseph Stiglitz, is now stating as a strong possible outcome of this current rally, should not be discussed in the realm of economics but rather in the more apropos realm of financial fraud. The fact that the upleg of the “W” shaped recovery that is occurring now will inevitably crumble in spectacular fashion will not be a result of any free market principle, but rather the direct consequence of a fraudulent scheme executed by an elite global financial oligarchy, otherwise known as Central Banks. If the mission of this current manufactured leg-up in Western stock markets was to fool the world into believing that global economies are recovering, then clearly, up until this point, the mission has been a resounding success. For those unfamiliar with the term “blowback”, it's a CIA term that was first used in March 1954 to describe the unintended consequences of US government international activities kept secret from the American people.
Though this term has primarily been used to describe the consequences of covert military operations, “blowback” is an appropriate term to use to describe the coming consequences of banking fraud because the US government, US Federal Reserve, Wall Street, the US Treasury, and the Exchange Stabilization Fund have all engaged in domestic and international financial and monetary transactions that have been kept secret from the world, and that will have severe and negative consequences in the not so distant future. In fact, I predict that the blowback of these activities will not only exceed, but far exceed, the fallout the world experienced in 2008 at the prior apex of this current crisis. Most people today can not even fathom how bad the situation will become primarily because of all the secrecy that the banksters have engaged in – in US Treasury markets, the gold markets, the US dollar markets, agriculture commodities, stock markets, and financial markets – in hiding reality from the people.
In an article I wrote three months ago, on June 10, 2009, titled, “Can Rising Stock Markets Serve as a Confirmation of a Crashing Economy?”, I stated, “Whether I am right or wrong about US markets tanking by summer’s end/fall’s beginning, if [we] position [our] investment assets based upon an understanding of the fraudulent monetary system, [we] can still continue to create wealth.” While true, I was a bit early in raising the proposition of a stock market correction the month before; I amended my prediction in June upon realizing the breadth of the manipulation schemes occurring in Western stock markets. In today’s markets, only a complete investment novice would try to predict market behavior without accounting for the massive government intervention schemes and forays into stock markets as well as the computerized manipulation of daily trading volume. One of the main reasons, but not the only one, that I amended my target for the end of this rally this past June to the fall season is the fact that fall normally marks the return of much higher daily trading volume from the traditional summer lulls.
Thus, it is a much more difficult proposition for Central Banks and computerized trading programs to manipulate a continued rise in stock markets in the face of higher daily trading volumes.
However, should daily trading volume remain surprisingly low or muted this fall, as is also a possibility, I have no doubt that this market rise can persist for an extended period longer before these false gains are eventually flushed away (but, of course, not before all US financial executives have had ample time to exit their positions quietly). In fact, the development of this false rally was the main topic of my article. The other scenario, one that includes a significant rise in daily trading volumes that trigger the start of a second massive decline in Western stock markets, would not surprise me either. It’s just a matter of observing the signs that forecast the waning efficacy of the fraudulent stimulus of Western markets (or for this matter, the fraudulent stimulus of Chinese stock markets too).
Remember that it is only the timing of this decline that I am uncertain of, but I am very certain that a significant decline of a shocking nature is coming. The last time I issued an adamant warning of a similar nature was on April 23, 2008, when again, the only issue about a market crash was timing, though the US S&P 500 index peaked just 18 business days after I wrote that article and proceeded to fall by more than 50%.
To truly gain more clarity regarding this recent Western stock market rally, consider a hypothetical scenario in which a person was kept ignorant of any action in the US stock markets for the entire previous six months. Instead, imagine that he or she was given the task of predicting US market behavior over the past six month period solely based upon cold, hard US financial and economic data stripped bare of any of the media-slanted headlines that perpetually spin bad economic data as positive or “less bad” than it truly is. Based upon the economic data produced from the last six months, what do you think this person would conclude? That stock markets have soared during this time or that they had crashed?
Of course, factor in the plethora of evidence about numerous PPT interventions to “save” markets during this time, and the strong US stock market rally no longer seems so illogical. But strip away any evidence of free-market manipulation and interference and in the face of true, undistorted economic data, our current market rally would be enormously puzzling. And this point alone should be sufficient to tell you how this rally will end. The inevitable conclusion of this rally isn’t just about the unsustainability of the massive bailout programs implemented by global Central Banks that have engineered this current market rally out of thin air, but its manifestation should trigger an investigation into the outright fraud committed by Wall Street, banking institutions, and Central Banks that has been aided and abetted by financial journalists.
For example, consider the following stories:
Demographers recently reported that Florida, the state known as the “mecca” for wealthy retirees in America, suffered its first population decline last year in more than 60 years, an event that delineates the collapse in wealth of American retirees and an event that is likely to repeat this year.
At the end of this past July, one of the largest ports in America, Long Beach, reported that the 20% year-over-year cargo business decline is among the sharpest since the Great Depression. This is not a trend specific to Long Beach. “It’s phenomenal how much things fell away even since December,” said Paul Bingham, managing director of global trade and transportation for IHS Global Insight, the business research firm that monitors North America’s biggest ports for the National Retail Federation.
As of September 4, 2009, shadowstats.com reported that unemployment in the US is now near 21% and is showing no signs of improving any time soon (when factoring in discouraged workers, part-time workers that can’t find full-time work, unemployed workers that have fallen off the unemployment roll, etc.). In fact, yesterday, Manpower’s Employment Outlook Survey reported that US employers’ hiring plans for the upcoming fourth quarter dropped to the lowest level in the history of its survey which dates back to 1962.
On August 15th, when BB&T (BBT) purchased failed US bank Colonial Bank, it wrote down Colonial Bank’s loans and real estate collateral by 37% and Colonial Bank’s construction loans by 67%. Yes, 67%! The severe markdowns of Colonial Bank’s assets should have set off warnings akin to a five-alarm fire among the financial media, but it did not, for the media increasingly caters to the interests of the elite bankers of this world at the cost of truth and freedom. If there are several things we can deduce from Colonial Bank’s failure, it is the following.
Though the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) refuses to disclose the names of the banks on its “watch list”, it can be safe to assume that a bank just does not go bankrupt overnight and that the process of going bankrupt can be predicted many months in advance by personnel with access to a bank's financial statements and knowledge of its true financial condition. In fact, various newspaper articles reported that Colonial Bank was in negotiations with the FDIC as early as March, 2009, yet not one time, did the FDIC force Colonial Bank to come clean regarding its true financial health before it finally shuttered the bank five months later.
The fact that the FDIC is spotting massive trouble in the American banking system and covering it up should be massively worrisome to Americans. Because revelations regarding the truth about a US bank’s health only seem to occur after it fails, the favored handling of American banks with kid gloves by the FDIC should immediately beg the question, “How many more US banks are legitimately bankrupt today and just operating on fumes?”
Personally, I would not be surprised if sometime within the next six months, a considerably larger US bank failure causes a massive ripple effect of much greater consequence. Banks that are currently struggling with unreported and covered-up deepening problems of loan delinquencies such as Wells Fargo (WFC), may be among the large banks that are candidates for future bankruptcy despite the public categorization of such institutions in the “too-big-to-fail” category. Unfortunately, Wells Fargo, from a political standpoint, does not have the “most favored bank” status of a Citigroup (C) or JP Morgan (JPM), two institutions deserving of bankruptcy but clearly favored by the US Federal Reserve and the US government.
When one considers the fact that all government or state produced economic statistics have been massively distorted towards the side of optimism and away from reality throughout this global financial crisis, one should be even more worried when the occasional sparse negative statistic is reported, for it is likely that these statistics too are misrepresenting the truth.
Thus, in the face of all negative news that points to zero foundation and zero economic structural improvements, how has a multi-month stock market rally been able to spread across Asia, Europe and the US? Again, the answer is fraud, and thus should be analyzed through the prism of fraud and not the false prism of “economics”. There is no “economics” behind this latest global stock market rally, only fraud.
For many weeks in August, just four stocks accounted for as much as 40% of composite volume on the NYSE: Citigroup, Bank of America (BAC), Freddie Mac (FRE) and Fannie Mae (FNM). In early 2007, Citigroup, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accounted for roughly 1% -3% of NYSE volume, a far cry from its recent 35%+ collective weight of the composite NYSE volume. Remember that this huge volume anomaly persisted not just for one day but for weeks on end during August. If Citigroup, Bank of America, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were a pharmaceutical collective that just discovered a cure for cancer and AIDS, then such volume anomalies would make sense. However, such massive trading volumes, as a percent of composite volume for the entire NYSE index, makes zero sense for companies, that for all intents and purposes, are on government bailout lifelines. It makes no sense, that is, unless massive free-market intervention is occurring in an attempt to save these firms.
Again, when viewed through the “fraud prism”, such activity makes complete sense. It is obvious that the “Rise of the Machines” has created markets that are now dominated by computerized high frequency trading programs that can execute trades as quickly as 0.5 milliseconds and have as their sole purpose the creation of short-term market distortions driven by statistical arbitrage that can be used to game the system and cheat their clients. Though this link describes how this scheme works in commodity markets for those that have been following the New York Stock Exchange, the use of high frequency trading programs to game the system at the expense of the retail investor has been glaringly obvious especially in the trading behavior exhibited this past summer.
The ironic part of this huge scam that has merely just re-inflated another massive stock market bubble is that the segment of the public that is so easily angered by government bailouts, billion dollar bonus plans for Wall Street executives and the chicanery of JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs (GS) (and justifiably so), are the very same people that so passively accept the mountain of lies that passes for financial reporting today (inexplicably so). It is ironic that this same collective of people, instead of rejecting this mountain of lies, continues to listen to their financial advisers at global commercial investment firms, even though these advisers are the same group of people that miserably failed to see the crash that started in the spring of 2008, when the factors behind the pullback back then was just as clear as the factors behind the future pullback that will occur in the near future. It is ironic that this same group of people continues to support, participate and fund a system that cares only about using their clients' money to lie, cheat and steal from them when a simple withdrawal of funds from the system is the antidote to ignorance-induced paralysis that will once again create massive crisis-induced losses in the future. Pulling one’s money from one’s current firm and switching to another firm that participates in this web of lies and deceit is not a solution either.
It is ironic that it is the same group of people that so readily accepts the Western media’s correct analysis of China’s stock market as a huge bubble through the lens of Austrian economic principles that simultaneously rejects any similar notion as applicable to US or UK stock markets, and instead, readily embraces heavily flawed and unsound Keynesian economic principles when evaluating Western stock markets. It is ironic that the same group of people that foolishly equates being “American” with blind support of the US stock market (i.e. “being bearish on the US market is un-American!”) is also completely ignorant of both the massive fraud that is perpetrated in US stock markets as well as the tenets of the US Constitution that sound great objections and warnings to the ruinous and foolish monetary policies that are implemented by bankers as their “solution” to our current economic crisis. And finally, the greatest irony of all is that the anger that brews inside those that have been tragically hurt by this crisis can coexist with the failure to recognize that it matters not in America if the President has the last name Clinton, Bush or Obama – that monetary and fiscal agenda inside the US for the last 17 years has not wavered nor changed one iota during this period of time because it was not these men that have been in charge of the economy but the men that manufactured these men’s rise to power and that control the US Federal Reserve and the world’s Central Banks, and thus the global monetary policy.
If one can not see the connection between Presidents, Prime Ministers and the banking families that rule Central Banks, one merely needs to open up a newspaper and follow their lives after they leave government office. It is not just a coincidence that ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, after leaving office, took a part-time consulting job with JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon that reportedly pays him $5 million per year as well as another well-paid consulting position with Zurich Financial Services. In office, Mr. Blair was a consultant to the banking oligarchs in secret; out of office, he is free to be a consultant publicly. And one can be certain that current UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US President Barack Obama will be offered very considerable salaries and fees by the world’s top financial oligarchs as thanks for their current and past service to them once they leave office as well (especially Gordon Brown, for selling out his countrymen and selling more than half of England’s bank reserves to ensure that the financial oligarchs could maintain the US dollar as the de-facto international currency for 10 additional more years than it deserved to hold this status).
In the end, what is the most frustrating facet of these huge con games executed by the financial oligarchs is that the group of people that this article is most intended to help is often the group of people that will take most offense to this article and most steadfastly refuse to see the truth. Instead, they will only realize the truth when the economic future unfolds to the blueprint of those of us the media labels as “gloom and doomers” because we base our predictions on reality instead of fantasy and lies. Instead of labeling us as “gloom and doomers”, if the media at large ever conducted an unbiased analysis of the predictions of the “gloom and doomers” for the past 3 years, they would discover that the “gloom and doomers” have been spectacularly accurate in the majority of their calls while the financial demagogues they continually fawn over (that only serve the interests of the bankers) have been spectacularly wrong in the vast majority of their predictions. Yet, those that serve the international banking cartel with glowing and rosy predictions of economic recovery never suffer the negative consequences of being wrong all the time as the mass media all too happily continues to provide the largest public platform and the loudest voices to these people. Perhaps, if it is accurate to label “gloom and doomers” as realists, then one should label the optimists that make their calls based upon perpetrated fraud as banking shills and cogs in the investing machine, for their societal contribution of greatest significance is an opiate cocktail for the masses that is a mixture of deceit and lies mixed with unbridled optimism.
As they often say that life imitates art, I close my article today with a speech from the film “V for Vendetta” that is frighteningly relevant if you listen to this speech with a critical ear and replace the references to the war on terror in this speech with the current war the bankster fraudsters are committing against the people. A sound money backed by precious metals, can be the people’s liberation from this war. Anything that falls short of such a solution will be just another scam in an already long line of scams, of a solution sold to the masses, that in reality, is no solution at all.
