[anatomy of a nation in decline] 03 – reference point: crisis is global, part 2

8/6/2019 [Anatomy of a Nation in Decline] 03 Reference Point: Crisis is Global, Part 2

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2011SCOTTWEBSTER MINISTRIES. Page 1 of 5

P r o p h e t i c B r i e f

Anatomy of a Nation in Decline - Part 3

Reference Point Crisis is Global 2

Prophets had keen insight into the rise and fall of empires. Jeremiahdeclared that God Himself was summoning the Babylonian empire to carryJudah off as slaves. Years later Daniel prayed and the heavens shook withspiritual conflict that did not even include the present Babylonian empire; itwas the princes of Persia and Greece, the spiritual architecture of futureempires, which fought against Gods messenger coming to Daniel. Empiresrise and fall and there is spiritual cause and effect behind their ascendancyand their decline. American empire dominated the 20th century, but it is

now in a serious state of decay at a time when the whole earth is lurchingtowards crisis.

No nation dominated the 20th century like American empire, though itsascendance was not without rival. Both Germany and Japans imperialambitions were broken in WWII, while the Soviets emerged from the wardeeply wounded but committed to compete with the U.S., something theyseemed to do on a military level. But empires must first have massiveeconomic strength, something the socialist experiment destroyed when theyseized the property of individual citizens and required them to work for thestate, undercutting the p r o f i t m o t i v a t i o ninherent in human

beings. For example, before the Soviettakeover of the Balticregion in the 1930s,Ukraine had served asthe breadbasket whichfed the entire region.However, by 1980when the Americanfarm worker producedenough food to supplysixty-five people, hisRussian equivalent turned out enough to feed only eight1. The socialist

system didnt create wealth, it produced shared poverty. The Cold War waswon on the economic battlefield, not the military one, and over a period ofdecades the superiority of American empire over the Soviet version becamemore and more apparent.

Yet even before World War II the U.S. had a decisive advantage and wasemerging as the dominant nation; in 1929, nearly half of all global industrial production 44.5% - was based in the U.S. (Germany had 11.6%, GreatBritain 9.3, France 7 and the Soviet Union 4.6). During the war years theAmerican advantage grew as U.S. GNP increased 60% between 1939 and

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in the earth; a time when crisis is

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Politicians and religious leaders areall weighing in on these events, but

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effectively in a day when so many

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View the full six episodes in the

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ISSUE 410 JUNE 1ST 2011

Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century

Ata%eredflagfollowingthetornadothatstruckJoplin,MO

1 Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military ConflictFrom 1500 to 2000 (New York, 1987), p 431
http://www.scottwebsterministries.org/category/prophetic-briefs/videos/what-in-the-world-is-going-on/http://www.scottwebsterministries.org/category/prophetic-briefs/videos/what-in-the-world-is-going-on/http://www.scottwebsterministries.org/category/prophetic-briefs/videos/what-in-the-world-is-going-on/http://www.scottwebsterministries.org/category/prophetic-briefs/videos/what-in-the-world-is-going-on/


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1945. As WWII drew to a close, America was firmly entrenched as the

center of global economic strength seen in the following measurements:

a) US exports were more than double its imports after World War II

b) America possessed almost 2/3rds of the worlds gold reserves

c) The nation possessed more than half of the worlds entire .manufacturing capacity

d) America ranked first in the world as producers of oil, steel, airplanes,automobiles and electronics

e) The dollar displaced the British pound sterling as the global reservecurrency

f) In 1948, American per capita income was four times larger than the

combined per capita incomes of Great Britain, France, West Germanyand Italy2

g) The U.S. used their economic and political influence to formalize aglobal order of trade through the construction of the Bretton Woodsinstitutions (IMF, the World Bank and GATT/WTO); allowing the U.S.to become the central arbiter of global finance and trade policy.

Economic Strength Equates to Military Dominance

Like empires before it, American economic strength was parlayed intomilitary dominance. After the Civil War in America, the U.S. naval fleetwas pathetic, consisting of 600 (wooden) vessels which sat rotting in theharbors. The United States Navy was ranked 12th in the world, behind

nations including Denmark and Chile3. U.S. policymakers understood thatto be a global power they had to control the sea lanes, and over a period oftime large and consistent investment was made not only in the navy butalso in a broad military industrial complex.

Some Americans dont like to think of the nation as an empire, butcomparisons indicate a strong similarity with historic imperial powers. Forexample, in 2005 the U.S. had 38 large and medium sized militaryfacilities spread around the globe mostly air and naval bases for bombers

Jeremiah 1:15 (NIV)I am about to summon allthe peoples of the northern

kingdoms," declares the LORD. "eir kings will

come and set up theirthrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;they will come against allher surrounding walls

and against all the townsof Judah


Jeremiah was clear that geopolitical changes werecoming to the nation. He saidthat kings would set up theirthrones at the gates of

Jerusalem, indicating that aforeign tribunal would judgelife in Israel, overtaking theirlegal system and imposinglaws from afar (1:14). That

would produce a clear andobvious impact in the life ofevery person.He also declared that thehedge that protected theirnation was breached (they willc ome aga i n s t a l l he r surrounding walls) and that theevery social class and sector of

society would be impacted(and against all the towns of Judah, 1:15). What if all thecities and towns of Americaare going to be impacted? Wehave to know what is going tooccur, and most importantlywe must know how God wantsus to respond.

2 Andrew Bacevich, The Limits of Power, (New York, 2008), p 253 Townsend Hoopes and Douglas Brinkley,Driven Patriot, The Life and Times of James Forrestal,(Annapolis, MD, 1992), p 341


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and fleets. This is almost exactly equal to Britains 36 naval bases and army garrisons possessed at its imperialzenith in 1889, and to the 37 bases required to police Romes empire at its height in 117 AD. These remarkablysimilar numbers prompted one analyst to speculate that perhaps the optimum number of major citadels andfortresses required for an imperial power to dominate the world is somewhere between 35-404.

Today America imports and consumes. The nation cannot subsist on its own productive capacity. It has gone from

being the earths largest global creditor to its largest debtor. In 1980 the average household indebtedness was 67%of disposable income; by 2005 it was 132% - people spent more than they produced. In 2005 alone, Americahouseholds extracted $750 billion against the value of their homes, 2/3rds of which was spent on personalconsumption cars, vacations, credit card debt, etc. Self-indulgence, the core of imperial expansion, has crippledevery empire to date and the America experience is affirming that we are not an exception.

China is on the Rise

In the meantime China is ascending. Their economy is so strong that they have more than $3 trillion in cashreserves; that amount of money would allow them to buy all of the real estate in Manhattan and Washington, DCand still have 80% of their foreign reserves left over. Or they could purchase Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Googlefor just one-third of their reserves. In 2008 Beijing outbid two Russian consortiums as well as American miningcompany Phelps Dodge to secure Afghanistans Aynak copper field. Expected to sell for $2 billion, China paid$3.5 billion for the copper field estimated to be the largest undeveloped field in the world, it has been virtually

untouched since the Soviet invasion in 1979. The investment involves the construction of a $500 million electricalplant and a railway from Tajikistan to Pakistan to support exploration.

The mine will be in full operation in about five years and will lead to the employment of 10,000 Afghans, while$400 million of royalties will accrue to the Afghan government yearly more than half of that countries presentyearly budget. In addition the EU has hired Chinese firms for various construction projects in Afghanistan,including road restoration activities and other infrastructure projects. President Karzai has publicly declared hisambition to emulate Americas democracy and Chinas economic success, and it seems that China is reapingeconomic and political benefits from U.S. efforts in Afghanistan while bearing none of the costs.

The rise of China is not just economic. They are building a J-20 stealth fighter as well as a deep water navy. Theytested the fighter in flight on the same day American Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was in Beijing to meetwith Hu Jintao, and in March and April of 2010 a flotilla of six ships from Chinas North Sea Fleet set sail,passing near Okinawa on its way to the strategic Malacca Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia; through whichflows much of Chinas inbound shipping, including vital oil and minerals. Once there, the flotilla conducted livefire and anti-submarine exercises. The clear message being sent from Beijing to Washington: there is more thanone big (military) kid on the block these days, a message reinforced by Chinas sinking of South Korean warshipslast year.

Some Other Realities

A multi-polar worldThe U.S. benefitted from its role as the uni-polar global power from the fall of the Sovietempire until it began to fade and other powers emerged. The poles that will compete for power on the global stage


4 Chalmers Johnson,Nemesis, (New York, 2006) p 138


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all have advantages as well as a set of challenges which they will have to manage. The U.S. is still powerfulmilitarily but weakening economically. China is emerging but fears that its red hot economy will overheat andmeltdown; they will also have to be very careful in choosing when and how to utilize military power to advancetheir aims. The EU has the largest GDP in the world, but someof its states are so weak (Greece, Ireland and Portugal) thatthey threaten the economic viability of the union. India isrising and is projected to become the worlds largest economy

by 2050, but it needs to solve internal impediments toeconomic growth as well as carefully posture themselves onthe world stage, especially in light of their location next tonuclear armed rival Pakistan to the west and China to thenorth. Brazil and South Africa are rising economic powers intheir respective regions and are seeking to influence events beyond their current spheres. You can read more about amulti-polar world in our newsletter from 2009.

A swiftly changing world: Rome was a great empire with a huge territory for probably 300 to 400 years; otherempires have come and gone much more quickly. One of the reasons that America's moment at the top was short-lived is that history is moving much more quickly than it used to, a reality that is partly fueled by technology ascountries that get into the digital age are propelled into fast-forward.

Developments in nations will occur quickly and balance of power amongthe nations will be in a constant state of flux.

A less stable world: The demise of the U.S. lessens their role as the global policeman. Europe has not had to spend much on defense in the last 60years, and NATO still is strongly led by the United States commitment todefend Europe and act. For example, when NATO declared a no fly zone inLibya they began military operations by launching 112 cruise missilesagainst Libya 110 of those missiles were fired by the U.S. at the cost of$1 million each. That does not include the cost of the fleet of ships, fuel,command staff, etc. and one has to wonder how long America can afford toengage in military spending before they run out of money? Their reducedrole will make the world less stable.

Dont Stop Reading!

I know some are wondering why I am writing all this stuff about empires rising and falling, their economies andmilitary developments what does it have to do with us? But dont stop trying to understand! Jeremiah was clearthat geopolitical changes were coming to the nation. He said that kings would set up their thrones at the gates ofJerusalem, indicating that a foreign tribunal would judge life in Israel,overtaking their legal system and imposing laws from afar (1:14). Thatwould produce a clear and obvious impact in the life of every person.

He also declared that the hedge that protected their nation was breached(they will come against all her surrounding walls) and that the every socialclass and sector of society would be impacted (and against all the towns ofJudah, Jeremiah 1:15). What if all the cities and towns of America aregoing to be impacted? We have to know what is going to occur, and mostimportantly we must know how God wants us to respond.

The American mind is a unique thing. We have been shaped by growing upin a nation that held global sway during our entire lifetime, but now thatthis reality is changing we have to know what our response must be. Asthose who have faith in Christ, is there a particular spiritual stance weshould have concerning the decline of the nation? How should we pray andthink about Americas role in the world? What about our role as believers?Important questions to be dealt with in the next article


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Releasing The New Prophetic Dimension Activating The Capacity To Build Obeying The Command To Finish

1. Crisis is GlobalA series of crises has been released upon the earth and all nations will beimpacted. There are three key reasons we are focusing on the U.S.specifically

2. God is SovereignHe is superintending the events of the earth, and will use both light anddarkness events to accomplish His purposes

3. We are Living in

the End Times

The dealings of God in the earth (and the U.S.) are part of end timemovements and realities. No man knows the day or the hour, but we are

intended to understand times and seasons

4. Behind Nations isa Spiritual Reality

Therefore behind the natural decline that we can see there is a spiritualsource. It manifests as political, economic and social but the source of it isunseen. What is pushing the earth is not natural and it cannot be perceivedby earths intelligence

5. Gods Heart is

Redemptive

Gods judgments are redemptive, and the heart ofAnatomy of a Nation inDecline is not anger or an anti-American stance, it is a redemptive

bringing of awareness and correctness

6. This is a Call toAwareness

This is not a call to repentance so that God will change the course of anation, it is a call for us to be spiritually aware so that we can prepare andmove into heightened levels of partnership with Gods end time purposes

Reference PointsIn order to correctly understand this prophetic analysis we must first deal with the context of our

knowledge about key principles and platforms. I am calling these Reference Points, and to benefit

from this prophetic word they must be understood, accepted and referred back to while reading.

[anatomy of a nation in decline] 03 – reference point: crisis is global, part 2

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