7 Years of Plenty, 7 Years of Lack
The MONEY IS FAILING. Jan. 24, 2008
Genesis 47:ll the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth. As the "money faileth" many will begin to cry out for deliverance and for the "... bread of life.
And now a prophetic Word from our Sponsor:
"Because my people have not used my blessings of abundance to meet the needs of their brethren,
they will learn to meet the needs of others from the little they have left.
When they had much, they gave little,
and that into the hands of those who decieved them.
Now I will fill their world and their eyes with those in need
and thus will they be purified of their greed."
-We heard this in prayer the morning of January 23, 2008.
My thoughts had then been directed to the passage in Genesis, chapter 41 regarding 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of lack. Later in the morning, the seven year pattern kept coming to mind and as I prayed, that is what I believe the Lord communicated to me.
God gave a dream to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, in Genesis 41:
2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven heifers, well-favored and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass.
3 And, behold, seven other heifers came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other heifers upon the brink of the river.
4 And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed heifers did eat up the seven well-favored and fat heifers. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven good and full ears.
5 ... and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
6 And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.
7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
For the past 7 years, the USA and the world have seen unparalleled economic prosperity unknown in the history of the world. From stocks to real estate, from retail sales to restaurants, we have wallowed in material abundance. Even the poor have participated in home ownership thanks to sub prime mortgages, and many millionaires were created among the middle class due to real estate ownership. Anyone who could borrow appeared to become wealthy.
Are we watching history repeat?
2001 began the new millenium with 7 "good years". But as we write, the world's financial system is reeling, real estate is in a historic collapse, other financial dominoes are falling, the food supply is threatened, and rumours of war abound.
Because Pharaoh's dream was doubled, that is twice illustrated, once with the heifers and again with the corn, it was being shown to occur two times. The first time was before their 7 year tribulation, the second time before ours.
Today, much of what calls itself "Christian" has swallowed the materialistic lie as blatantly evidenced on "Christian" television, in book stores, and the internet. Only yesterday I read this quote by one of the "Prosperity Gospel" preachers when asked about his private jet, he says he "needs it, like a carpenter needs a hammer, as a tool to carry out God’s work". (he also teaches tithing and his church took in $69 million in 2007). Much of the church is become materially rich but spiritually poor as history repeats in the words of the prophet: "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. " -Isaiah 9:16
Today, the people of God who are told to "watch and pray" are too busy, too distracted by entertainment, and blissfully unaware of what God says in His word and what is taking place around them.
In the fall of 2007, I sensed an ill-wind of change in the air. It had become clear to me that the prosperity and abundance all around us was an illusion built upon debt. As the bills are now coming due, a literal kingdom of financial wealth created from computer data and paper is vaporizing. And the illusory wealth of the world is going with it.
A mountain called "Derivatives", valued at $450 trillion (i.e. 3x the entire world's economy) is about to fall, and when it does, our current financial system will be replaced by the one found in Revelation 13. Apparently, the mountain of "derivatives" has become the storehouse for most of the worlds debt, and banking insiders are becoming panicked as they recognize most of it is now worthless.
"why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth" Gen 47:15
History is about to repeat.
For God's people then, famine led to bondage, bondage led to judgement, judgement led to deliverance. The Bible tells us there is a seven year time of trouble called the great "tribulation" in which God will try and purify His people. We have just witnessed seven years in which Christianity has been tested by prosperity. We are now entering the cleansing phase from which a remnant will come forth. -And we will learn what it is to walk in the scripture in meeting the needs of others.
The king of Egypt located a man of God to understand both the dreams and the times that were coming upon them all, Joseph was brought forth from years of obscurity to give the understanding:
26 The seven good heifers are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
27 And the seven lean and ill-favored heifers that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine.
Genesis 47:ll the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth.
As the "money faileth" many will begin to cry out for deliverance and for the "... bread of life".
Begin to "store up" the living bread of God's Word today. Fill your barns with scripture and learn to stand in faith in what is written.
"Now all these things happened unto them for our examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." -1 Corinthians 10:11
