Time for a 2nd Tea Party
On December 16, 1773 many crates of tea were dumped into the Boston Harbor as a direct protest against the British government. This became known as the Boston Tea Party and was a major catalyst for the American Revolution.
What a strange event.
This really wasn’t a party at all but a direct protest against the British parliament who implemented a tax on the very popular export of tea to British settlers in America. Tea was very popular among the Europeans who set up British colonies and parliament sought to tax the colonies directly from tea imported from Great Britain and the East India Company. This had two effects on those living in America. One, if they paid the tea tax the British parliament would enforce more taxes on other things. And two, the people were upset because the government started to tax the colonies without their permission.
This catalyst helped transform America to become the land of the free and home of the brave and bring about the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, which declared independence from Great Britain and corrected the glaring problems that were mounting in regard to the government doing whatever it wants.
Friends, we have revisited the past. The government is becoming more ubiquitous in our lives without the consent of the people. I would purport we are ready for a 2nd Tea Party.
The Bible says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:20-21).
The Scripture declares that the blessing for obedience to God was, “You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none” (Deut. 28:12) and that the “Wicked borrow and do not repay” (Psalm 37:21). Our government is making egregiously catastrophic moves by becoming more involved in the banking, home building, automotive and in so many other areas that have become overextended through debt, leverage and creative financing.
In Genesis 41 Joseph interpreted a dream God gave to Pharaoh that foresaw “seven years of famine will follow. Then all abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe” (Gen 41:29-31).
When the Lord set the nation of Israel free from Egyptian bondage, He gave them some instruction before they headed out into the desert for forty years. “Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians” (Ex 3:22).
Imagine millions of people leaving Egypt carrying all the gold and silver they could handle thinking that they were richer than they ever imagined. What they did not know is that they were headed into the desert for forty years. When do you think they admitted that the silver and gold they were lugging around was more of a burden than a blessing?
True wisdom, true knowledge, true riches are found in the Word of God, nowhere else. King Solomon said to choose God’s instruction over silver, knowledge over gold, for wisdom from God is more valuable than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with her (Pr 8:11-12).
Our government is acting in the interest of the government, not the people. Beware. Marilyn Vos Savant has the worlds highest IQ. Her book Brain Building was written to help people think and to discern objective reality, specifically in regard to the specious behavior of our government. May we use our minds and think about what our government is doing.
Our elected officials are not thinking Biblically. They are thinking politically. This is bad. This is actual a horrible commentary on where our nation is headed.
The problem really is not the banks, credit, housing, etc; these are all symptoms of a greater problem. The greater is we have forgotten the Lord and have elected men that neither fear Him nor obey His commands.
The politicians believe they have power to act outside of the best interest of the people. This is wrong. They really have no power other than that which has been given to them. Pontius Pilate stood over Jesus and said, “Don’t you realize that I have power?” Jesus responded by saying, “You would have no power over me if it were not give to you from above” (John 19:11).
Deuteronomy 8:17 says, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’”
No nation is powerful outside of recognizing the One Sovereign King who reigns over all and He is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 8:18-20 continues, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.”
The government is putting us more and more in debt. They are selling our nation into slavery. Proverbs 22:7 says the borrower becomes a slave to the lender. Take heed.
The things that are happening are mirroring many of the decision made by the Hoover administration with today’s TARP (troubled asset relief program) equivalent to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. This was a horrible move with the result being the Great Depression. By the way, in the bear market from 1929 to the bottom, stocks declined 89% as government debt grew higher and higher. Unemployment rocketed to 25%+. We are down about 40% and headed much, much lower.
Martin Luther King said, “Measure a man not where he stands during times of comfort and convenience but where he stands during trial and controversy. This is where his true character will be revealed.”
All things become exposed through tests, trials and tribulations. Get ready to see the true character of many people you thought you knew.
The question to answer is, “What must we do?”
My prognostication for the economy in the days ahead is bleak, very bleak. The type of leverage (debt) being used in the commercial sector ranges from 3:1 to 100:1. With cash flows and credit markets tightening, this will constrict money flow and spending will decrease with savings increasing. Cash is like oxygen to many corporations, without it, they cannot breathe and will die. I am not even going to touch on the trillions of dollars of debt our government is accruing. This is axiomatic. The path of pain is awaiting our nation as a consequence to their impetuous and humanistic decisions apart from the counsel of God’s written word.
My prognostication for the body of Christian believers is filled with inexpressible joy. Persecution is coming for those continuing to build their life with a focus on obeying Jesus above all things. Christians will experience a peace that surpasses all understanding as we let the word of Christ become a lamp unto our feet. False converts will drift away and it will be evident that their allegiance was really never to Christ but to their own avaricious agenda.
True Christians will become more and more distinguishable by the love they have for one another (John 13:34-35). Those who exalt God’s Word will be exalted (Isaiah 66:1-2) while the world is abased. As the Psalmist writes, the righteous will not be forsaken nor their children begging for bread (Ps 37:25).
Church attendance will soar with new challenges of wolves coming in amidst the sheep.
Glorious times are in store. I am ebulliently excited to watch God work. I believe we are headed for some severe famines in our land and all the previous abundance will be forgotten because the famine will be so severe. People will see that wealth is worthless in the day of God’s wrath and this type of brokenness will hopefully lead to a 2nd Tea Party.
However, I see this Tea party being led by Christians who protest against the evils our government is embracing and purporting. May we join together and throw out the foolishness of stimulus packages and vote out politicians that neither fear God nor obey His commands.
May we implore one another toward the study of God’s word and prayer. May we publicly read the Scriptures and let no one look down on us for our youth. May our words and life align with the precious promises God has given us not to fear man but to worship the Lord acceptably with reverence and awe (Heb 28-29).
By the way, I do like my tea English breakfast style with a little bit of cream and some honey. Anyone who would like to join me for a private little tea party, it’s on me. Just bring your Bible and a thankful heart ready to give praise give thanks in all things for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:16-18).
Prayerfully yours,
Todd Sinelli
PS Dow 8280, S&P 500 868
