A great gulf fixed: goodbye middle class!

It is commonly supposed that the Tribulation will be rife with poverty, starvation, and famine. And that is true. When the Third Seal is opened, a black horse rides, with scales in his hand and famine will be on the earth. A loaf of white bread will cost as much as a day's pay. (Rev 6:6). Jesus said in Mt. 24:7 that "There will be famines." People will be poor, starving, and desperate.

But that is not the total picture. That is only half the picture. There will be riches on earth, too. Though most of the world is crying out for relief, or marching with pitchforks against employers who cheat them of their pay while resting in their luxuries, (James 5:1-5), the rich will be very rich. How do we know this?

Revelation 18:11-
And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’
There ARE luxuries on earth during the terrible time of most of the Tribulation, but we can see that the gap between rich and poor, compassion and selfishness has widened beyond measure even now in the end time prior to the Tribulation.

For many Third World countries, a middle class is non-existent. In Ecuador, where I traveled in the mid 1990s, the middle class was slipping into oblivion. In First World countries such as America, the middle class felt permanent and comfortable. Not so anymore. Most people are hanging on to Middle Class with their fingernails.

At least the climber has a rope. Many Americans don't and the one safety net they do have, unemployment benefits, food assistance, or Social Security, are rapidly fraying. In this article, titled, "Game Over for the American Middle Class – Inflation Adjusted Wages up 20 Percent in Last 20 Years While Housing Costs are up 56 Percent and Healthcare Costs are up 155 Percent," the struggle "for average Americans to keep up is largely becoming an act of will power and force in this current grand recession. In fact, many more people are simply trying to stay afloat let alone pursuing the middle class ideal. Over 37 million Americans are now part of the food stamp program, not only is this the highest number ever but also the highest percentage of Americans ever to be on food assistance."

The picture in Revelation of the luxuries being sold to the very rich while the employees cry and wail because they are cheated out of their wages and are dying for lack of bread illustrates not only the wealth gap that is upon us now, but the compassion gap, too. If nothing else, these three videos show the very rich and powerful are awash in their sins, whether it is power, ambition, or lust, and are immune to the very real problems their own constituents face. Watch them and the I'll comment below. Note: prurient parts are blurred out.

Fl. Senator Bennett watches porn while in session
When approached by the reporter, Mr Bennett said he was sent the pornographic image in an email from a woman 'who happens to be a former court administrator'. 'I was just sitting there, bored as they were debating the abortion bill,' Mr Bennett said. 'I opened it up and said holy s***! What's on my screen? and clicked away from it right away,' he told the Sunshine State News. A Senate spokesman said Mr Bennett had thought the email was relating to the abortion bill. It is unclear if he thought the video of the dog was also in relation to the bill. He refused to show the Sunshine State News the original email on his computer after consulting with the Senate's top lawyer. And when asked if he would ever watch porn on the Senate floor, he replied: 'You'd have to be insane to do that. It all goes through a server. I don't think anybody would be doing that.' [watch the video to determine for yourself if Sen Bennett quickly looked away from the e-mail attachment]




Romanian Senator Marius Nicoara [ PNL party ]



Sen Nancy Pelosi's bodyguard says "We have to leave, they're throwing things"
Nancy Pelosi is heckled at Code Pink event:


If you notice the reactions of the three, first Sen. Bennett: When asked about the pornography he is looking at on the laptop, he is quoted as saying that since the servers are public he would have to be crazy to view porn at the senate chambers. He didn't say that pornography is a sin, that is it offensive and in no way would he engage in it. He said it is an activity better done in private and therefore since he isn't that dumb he wasn't REALLY looking at porn.

As for the Romanian parliamentarian, his goofy grin and unabashed wink wink at the camera, while immediately returning to his activity knowing the camera was upon him, speaks to how deeply our leaders fail in every ethical and moral stance. It is heartrendingly evident that our world's leaders are not engaged in the world's problems, but are partying like there's no tomorrow on the backs of the poor.

As for Mrs Pelosi...the crowd is so angry they are throwing things at her. And those are not Republicans in the audience, make no mistake, those are liberals shouting her down and throwing things. It's quite a testimony that body guards are even needed, never mind suggesting that she be hustled to her armor plated car and whisked away.

Despite leading two wars, is in the midst of the Second Great Depression, and our southern coastline is being slowly ruined by chemicals and oil, our Resident Obama parties, and parties, and parties, and parties.

All middle ground is falling away. There will be the very rich, and the very poor. Home owners (behind gates no doubt) and homeless. The starving and the fat. And the most important gap of all: the saved and the lost. Jesus is removing all earthly safety nets with the result that the gulf widens inexorably. It is a great gulf fixed, "so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us." And that gulf is finally coming into view. The faithful will fully rely on Him and the faithless will see just how far one can fall when relying on human folly. No middle ground. The powerful are not listening, and the oppressed are sharpening their pitchforks. O, Lord, come quickly!

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