The headlines are blaring this morning: Trump will send American troops to Gaza and cleanse the land of Palestinians! That’s not exactly what Trump said, of course, but it does reflect the shocking words and actions of our President.
The tariffs he announced last week sent the stock market into a tailspin. We expected the lefties to throw a fit, but even conservative economists are complaining: Trump Bites the Hand that Feeds Us says Peter Schiff. You can find similar noise from the likes of Michael Hudson and others.
Let’s be clear: By no means do I defend Trump’s actions. Rather, I want to respond to what’s happening from a biblical point of view. Also, I want to help our parish members prepare for what God is doing in this time of tribulation.
I’ve already pointed out that the core policy for Trump seems to be a return to the Monroe Doctrine as a way to face a multipolar world. That part in itself is not a bad idea, in the sense that it’s probably the best he could do in the circumstances. That doesn’t mean good things are coming. The various commentators are quite correct that a Monroe-based tariff war with the world is going to hurt us economically.
Without getting lost in too many details, the outline goes like this: It will make the dollar very strong against other currencies, at least temporarily. It will cut us off from a very large portion of our current imported goods market, as Schiff notes in his story about apples and oranges. We can grow tons of apples just fine, but oranges have to be imported to keep the price down. We simply do not produce enough oranges for our own consumption, so the price will soar. It’s a small example of a much larger problem Schiff sees.
This is the kind of whining you expect from materialists. It’s accurate, but it’s also not that important. The bottom line is that economists are just about the ultimate in materialism and worshiping Mammon. Americans at large won’t be happy, but Covenant people should know better.
God favors decentralization; that’s a primary lesson of the Tower of Babel. God knew that “world peace” would foster such catastrophic wickedness that humans must be tribal and compete for resources. A global economy is anathema. God demands that we learn to live with what He provides locally. If we want something else, we have to move and fight whoever is already living there.
That’s how it works outside the Covenant. We don’t care much about this world, except as it offers opportunities to promote Eternity. The Covenant demands that we carry an eternal focus in all we do in this life. Human conflict is simply not a concern in itself, only how conflict should be done. We oppose a global peace and trade in the first place because God opposes that.
Humans demand a return to Eden, but they assume Eden is supposed to be here in this world. They don’t realize that entering Eden means leaving this world. Thus, all human ambition is misguided and rejects God’s offer. A means of global government and trade is a flat rejection of God’s Word.
So, sure, buy the stuff offered at the grocery store when you can afford it; it’s not a big deal either way. But don’t be surprised when the day comes you can afford only beans and grains, and maybe locally grown veggies on the side. That’s about all God ever promised in the first place. If you do a good job of walking in the Covenant, He will surely provide more than that, but as long as people ignore/reject His Covenant, things will appear to swing upward until He gets tired of it.
God has gotten tired of it, okay?
While He promised in general terms that His children would at least have bread and beans to keep His message alive, those outside the Covenant will get whatever the Devil wants to give them. It’s a signature of the Devil to sucker people, bait-n-switch. He offers all kinds of luxury. Once he has people trapped, he destroys them. He delights in their suffering and death. It works somewhat on the small individual scale, but Satan’s real focus is the human race at large, and he works across multiple generations. You have to see it at the larger scale.
America has been baited into the trap, and the switch is here. It will take time from our point of view, but Satan does not suffer from the time-space orientation of a human lifespan. You must see beyond yourself in order to understand. God takes care of His Covenant children; He brings them Home when their lives have served His glory. Don’t get wrapped up in this life — that’s what Satan wants for you.
