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Death by Debt

'WorldWatch' by Joseph B. Baity

On December 29, 2023, the U.S. government's total public debt outstanding surpassed $34 trillion for the first time, marking a historic milestone as reported by the Treasury Department. This staggering national debt represents the cumulative amount borrowed by the federal government over its history that remains unpaid. Each year, deficit spending—when the government spends more than it collects in tax revenues—requires additional borrowing, often through bond sales, causing the national debt to grow. Interest on this debt accumulates, significantly increasing the financial burden on America. Historically, the national debt has existed since before the first national election, starting at just over $71 million under George Washington. It fluctuated until Andrew Jackson reduced it by over 99 percent to under $337,000 by 1837. Since then, the debt has risen, reaching the billion-dollar mark under Lincoln and the trillion-dollar threshold under Reagan. The last debt decrease occurred under Calvin Coolidge before the Great Depression in 1929. Significant increases have occurred recently, with over $8 trillion added during the Obama administration, nearly the same in four years under Trump, and almost $5.5 trillion in the first three years under Biden. There are no signs of slowing the spending that drives further borrowing as the nation struggles to avoid economic downturns. Until 1971, the U.S. government was constrained by the gold standard, limiting borrowing and spending to the gold reserves held. However, in August 1971, President Nixon severed the U.S. dollar from the gold standard, transforming it into a fiat currency. This allowed the Federal Reserve to issue unlimited dollars to fund government expansion, selling debt based solely on the full faith and credit of the United States. Since then, the national debt has spiraled out of control, accelerating with events like the War on Terror, the 2008-2009 recession, the green energy transition, and the governmental response to COVID-19. Despite predictions of a catastrophic collapse of the U.S. dollar, America has so far avoided such an outcome. However, with the debt ballooning and interest rates rising to combat inflation, interest payments alone now cost the government about $2 billion a day. Without drastic fiscal restraint, these payments may soon exceed annual defense spending. The rising cost of credit is also harming American businesses, with private companies facing shrinking profits and increasing bankruptcies, while layoffs and insolvency filings surge among corporations and individuals alike. Total bankruptcy filings rose to 445,186 in 2023 from 378,390 in 2022, with expectations of further increases in 2024 due to high interest rates, rising delinquency rates, and historic household debt levels. Washington continues to spend as if resources are unlimited, but experts warn of a grim outlook. The Treasury expects to borrow nearly $1 trillion more by the end of March, and adding trillions in debt year after year signals a dire warning for the future. The exact timing of a potential crisis remains uncertain, but significant consequences could emerge rapidly if the situation deteriorates. Without immediate fiscal restraint, America faces the risk of economic disaster driven by its mounting debt.

The Money Has Failed (Part Four)

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

National debts worldwide now exceed gross national incomes in most cases, rendering current levels unsustainable and exposing the systemic theft of wealth by governments, banks, and corporations through excessive money creation. This debt accumulation forms part of the largest debt binge in history, particularly in the United States, where the dollar itself functions as a Federal Reserve note representing nothing more than an unsecured obligation. As these obligations mount without resolution, globalists recognize that only a cashless system can mask the insolvency and impose total control over transactions. The resulting debt bubble guarantees a future reckoning that will accelerate the failure of money, independent of political changes or temporary optimism from artificial liquidity measures. Individuals are therefore urged to eliminate personal debt promptly to avoid its weight during the coming economic contraction. This development ties directly into the broader call to redirect effort away from temporary acquisitions toward what truly sustains, as illustrated by the question of spending wages on what fails to satisfy while neglecting the source of genuine abundance.

An Incredible Debt

Sermonette by Ryan McClure

Because all people have sinned, we must all emulate the gratitude displayed by the woman who sacrificed the expensive alabaster bottle of fragrance for Christ.

Distress of Nations

Sermonette by Clyde Finklea

Before Christ's return, we will see dramatic signs in the heavens, while on earth distress of nations and uprisings will be symbolized by roaring waves.

Individual State Bankruptcies (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

California, Illinois, and Minnesota, while levying confiscatory taxes for liberal programs, are hemorrhaging productive taxpayers to more responsible states.

Skyrocketing Indebtedness

Commentary by

47% of Americans are dependents of the Federal government, which, because of incompetency, is also cash poor. Most are ignorant about the causes of this demise.

No Money, No Empire

'WorldWatch' by Charles Whitaker

World news, trends, and comment in light of Bible prophecy for May 2004.

The Fear Has Shifted

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A family, a company, or nation cannot keep spending beyond its means without consequences. It is illogical that we need to spend money to get out of debt.

The Last Throes of Capitalism

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Capitalism is based on the ability to own land, making it possible to produce wealth. In the new socialist economic system, we are becoming economic marionettes.

Is This How to Fix a Broken Economy?

'WorldWatch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In the name of turning the economy around, the government is destroying American capitalism.

A Prophecy for Our Time

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The 'change' that was promised has turned out to be national bankruptcy as we plunge into insurmountable debt, leaving us at the mercy of others.

Individual State Bankruptcies (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Productive, middle-class Americans are emigrating from highly taxed, nearly bankrupt states to more tax-friendly and fiscally responsible venues.

The Money Has Failed (Part Three)

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

The Globalist war on cash is underway with the ultimate objective of taking away freedom and privacy for all.

Economics in Prophecy

'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Many doubters think that the Bible is not sophisticated enough to comment on modern ideas, but God's Word factors economics into the end-time prophecies.

Universal Basic Income

'WorldWatch' by Joseph B. Baity

Some politicians are proposing legislation to give cash handouts on a regular basis - a new, permanent entitlement program without regard to employment.

Biblical Finance

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Bible is not an economic text, but it does include financial principles that all should know and follow as well as they are able. Here are a few.

An Important Reality (Part 1)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Government unions are unwilling to sacrifice, but feel that their pay is an entitlement. Do we also feel that we are entitled to God's blessings?

The Money Has Failed! (Part One)

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

When it comes to eating or starving, money has no value compared to food. During the famine in Egypt, the value of money had fallen to zero.

Fiddling While America Burns

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Similar to the story of Nero's fiddling while Rome burned, the attitudes of our own citizenry are comparable, focusing on trivial distractions.

A Gift Opens Doors

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The bribe seems to be the magic elixir designed to turn a moral man into a pragmatic amoral man.

Liberal Lunacy (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A large percentage of American citizenry has been hopelessly dumbed-down, totally oblivious to the demise coming upon this nation for national sins.

Greece, America—Whatever

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. If America wants to avoid following Greece down the economic drain, we must take action now to stop the money leak.

Money: A Gauge of Character

Sermonette by

If God cannot trust a person to properly handle a small amount of money, He will not give him responsibility over more crucial matters.

The Money Has Failed! (Part Two)

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

The motives of those who desire to create a cashless society are not pure; behind them lurks the sinister goal of controlling and stealing.

In the Wake of an Unnatural Disaster (Part Ten)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

No longer do we have a true representative democracy, but a small group of wealthy elite are pulling the strings, transforming our government.

Is Redistribution of Wealth Biblical?

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Bible shows that economic disparity is a given. Scripture teaches that we should voluntarily help the poor rather than be coerced by the government.

Breaking Israel's Pride

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Modern Israel has not yet learned that 'there ain't no free lunch.' The reality of the depth of this crisis has not really hit the national psyche.

America's Imminent Perfect Storm

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Is there a leader in the wings who will have the fortitude to face the coming crisis? Perhaps there is, though it appears that he has not shown his face in public.

The Present and Future Crisis (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The United States' enormous debt, coupled with its escalating trade deficit, is inevitably leading to what economist call economic Armageddon.

Money Is Power

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

If we are untrustworthy with a paltry sum of money, we will be untrustworthy with the vast resources of God's creative power.

Why Hebrews Was Written (Part Thirteen): Hebrews 2 and the Next Five Years

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

We must keep God's Word fresh in our minds through diligent study and practice of His way of life to keep from drifting spiritually during perilous times.

Political Correctness in Spades (Part Five)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Political correctness is a kind of programmed conditioning by progressives to convince people to override their common sense and clear evidence.

Why Governments Can't

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

While working for the government may provide a feeling of security, it can also breed complacency and laziness, inspiring a wholesale lack of motivation.

America at 250

'WorldWatch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The United States government now operates under a massive debt that has accumulated even as taxation has funded highly effective armed forces, weapons systems, bases, and technologies surpassing those of rivals. This financial burden has not yet diminished the nation's domestic and international power, evidenced by naval control of the seas and army presence at dozens of global bases ready for peacekeeping or strikes, along with possession of a nuclear deterrent and the historical precedent of nuclear use in warfare. Internally, however, the same debt contributes to a state of bankruptcy that stands in contrast to outward strength, wealth, and global influence. At 250 years, America appears robust externally yet suffers from division, insolvency, and immorality, with its moral state at a historical low and continuing to sink. This condition of indebtedness arises within a broader pattern of decline rooted in the forsaking of God and the truth He reveals about righteous living, a pattern that mirrors the biblical account of ancient Israel's fall into iniquity and desolation as described by Isaiah. National debt thus signals the weight of accumulated sin that, without wholesale repentance and a return to obedience, seals a trajectory of further deterioration rather than restoration.

Germany's Dilemma

'WorldWatch' by David C. Grabbe

Germany is an industrial powerhouse, the richest economy in Europe, but it must prop up several poor-performing economies throughout the rest of the EU.

The Handwriting is on the Wall (2008)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We must allow God to change our lives. The blessings and cursing principle of Deuteronomy 28 remains unchanged, applying to all who have made the covenant.

The Present and Future Crisis (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We need to exercise diligence, acquiring economic stability by submitting to God's counsel, sacrificing now before forces usurp our economic substance.

Are We Already In Captivity?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Major curses, including economic oppression, famine, pestilence, mental illness, alien invasion, the scattering of modern Israel are yet to occur.

Surreal Events

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

We need to keep our eyes open and not let ourselves be deceived by the professional, state-run media spin masters.

Intensity is Increasing: Are You Listening?

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

It is far more important for God's called-out ones to be ready than to know the time of Christ's return, an event to which even He is not privy.

A Search for a Singular Truth

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A political party has the trappings of a religion, trying to get adherents to their beliefs and ideas. America is being torn apart by two false religions.

An Important Reality (Part 2)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We, as employees of God's government, are not owed or entitled to anything. Pride blinds from seeing the destruction ahead if we refuse to sacrifice.

Follow the Herd?

Commentary by Mark Schindler

Greed has caused panic buying and selling of pharmaceutical stocks and has spawned a booming vaccine industry coupled with shameless scientific fraud.

Preparing for Bad Times (Part 1)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Both the watchman and the one who hears have a responsibility to make preparations for bad times, helping themselves and others through the tough times.

Prosperity

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid

We still suffer the consequences of Israel's request to have a king like other nations and to adopt political and economic systems like every other nation.

Are Things Upside Down? (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The USDA has paid costly subsidies to farmers and has mandated that they grow hybridized, gene-spliced corn and wheat, which produce a high gluten content.

Lessons From a Sandpile

Commentary by David C. Grabbe

Inspired by a sandpile, physicists developed a computer model to simulated the critical juncture when a single grain of sand would cause an avalanche.