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endtimes

is this the end times?

Lou Passi taught a 5 week class on the end times in the summer of 2008.

Below you will find some resources from the class that you can download. Lou is also posting a blog. Please consider interacting with him!

PowerPoint Presentations (Opens as a PDF)

Week One: Three Questions

Week Two: Bible Prophecy

Week Three: Great Tribulation

Week Four: America I

Week Five: America II

Other Resources (Opens a PDF)

Lou’s Recommended Resources

12 Comments

Join the conversation and post a comment.

  1. Mikey

    so if a nuke were to go off in chicago, what would be the effects of the bomb on us?? And why do we keep printing money if the more we print makes it less in value??

    • Lou

      Thanks for your 2 questions, Mike.

      #1: If a typical one megaton nuclear bomb detonated in downtown Chicago during a typical workday, we could see complete destruction of all buildings for a 5-mile radius and a probable immediate death toll of at least 1 million people. The next 15-mile radius would be significantly impacted with the near destruction of all infrastructure and injury of another 1 to 2 million people, all of whom would eventually die near-term from their physical injuries or radiation poisoning. Since we live about 30 miles away from “ground zero”, we would likely experience some physical damage, and potentially receive deadly nuclear fallout. We could survive the fallout by living in our basement for a few days, provided it was sealed fairly tight with no outside airflow entering. Of course, once the air outside was safe to breath again in a couple of days or more, we would face new nightmares including no clean water, limited safe food supplies, no transportation/infrastructure or power grid, stores closed/looted, gangs/outlaws roaming the streets taking whatever they want or need, no effective police or law enforcement, and maybe little help from the federal government. If this seems a likely scenario, then I encourage you and your family to consider storing non-perishable food and water in your basement now, along with medical supplies and other necessities (radio, flashlights, batteries, etc.) in order to survive as best as you can.

      #2: The U.S. government keeps printing more and more money (dollars) because it has a spending addiction. Many politicians get elected and re-elected by promising new programs or tax cuts or entitlements, all of which cost money which we pay for with our tax dollars and government borrowing. The more our government spends, the more we owe (debt) and that means printing more money to pay off that debt and the interest owed on it. Endless wars like the one in Iraq/Afghanistan are very costly. Our huge government with numerous “pork projects”, enormous military spending, and millions of employees is very costly too. This excessive spending results in an excess of new dollars created, which actually makes the value of each dollar less, relatively speaking. Gasoline used to cost about $1.60 per gallon when George W. Bush first took office. Now it costs around $4. That’s price inflation, which always follows monetary inflation (the rise in our nation’s money supply). It’s like a hidden tax because everything we buy costs more just because the value of our dollars buys less today than before. Often, it takes a severe economic recession or depression to correct this situation. I believe we are in the early months of a very long and what could be a very painful recession here in America that could spread globally. Politicians just don’t have the will power to do the right thing, that is live within the means of our tax revenues, shrink government to a more reasonable (smaller) size, stop spending money we can’t afford on the military or promises (entitlements) for the future just to get elected. The way out of this mess would be political suicide for any politician bold enough to take such measures. They include raising taxes, cut spending, and raise interest rates — all of which would be very unpopular with most voting Americans. And so the problem worsens each year until a severe recession/depression forces a correction that will likely include a significant rise in unemployment, bankruptcies, home foreclosures and other economic pain. We are already starting to see this now.

      Lou

    • Tim

      Well while reading this ironically I was listening to “Mighty to Save.” I wouldn’t worry about this to much.

  2. alberto

    here is my next question:

    you mentioned that it is wrongful for the government to keep certain economic information away from the public. However, wouldn’t you agree that sometimes it’s better that people who don’t understand how the system works don’t know. I think we would have a crisis if the government were to throw out all the facts. we would have clueless people doing crazy things like selling all they have or buying all they can buy or starting lots of meaningless protests and wasting time. there would be more chaos when economically ignorant people try to take the problem in their own hands.

    now it is to my understandingt that the country runs on certain economical periods of about twenty years which include economic deppression sometimes inflation other times recession. what makes the difference this time if we have gotten out of all the other ones. and you must remember that although it appears we have used more money the value of money has dramatically changed over time eventually maybe even equallling out. infact the graph you showed us showed that so far our economic troubles almost perfect outline those of other periods of economic troubles, nothing special.

    • alberto

      I’m not necesserily picking a side with either one of these, just merely presenting some thoughts that crossed my mind.

    • Lou

      Alberto, these are some very interesting thoughts that you pose.

      Our government is a massive entity of people and power, but it is not infallible. In fact, our political leaders are men and women with flaws, just like us, who sometimes make mistakes too. Except, their mistakes can be huge, relatively speaking, and one big mistake has been excessive deficit spending that has plunged our country into irreversible debt and unfunded entitlements that force additional borrowing. Our economic troubles today are UNPRECEDENTED, and as you alluded to in Sunday’s class they are about to get much worse with a massive wave of baby boomers about to retire with little or no retirement savings to live on. And while our economy does tend to move in cycles, from long periods of boom to bust, I believe we are about to witness something worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.

      Should our country be honest about our woeful economy and the challenges we face? YES, in my opinion. I would like to elect govenment leaders to serve me and make our country stronger. Instead, our government lies to us about inflation, economic growth, jobs and unemployment in order to deceive us into thinking all is well when in fact they continue to weaken our country with more debt, endless war, and promises for the future (e.g., Social Security, Medicare) that they can never deliver.

      If our government were completely truthful, it’s likely our leaders would not remain in office for long because many people would vote them out or impeach them for their lies and even treason. So the deception continues with many Americans simply unaware or not wanting to learn the truth. Yes, some people might not be able to handle the truth in a rational manner and they might create significant chaos in reaction to the truth. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s called revolution and many bad governments (which are intended to serve the people) were eventually overthrown by the people in order to start fresh and clean.

      The fact is that many powerful people in government today are serving their own interests, not ours, and they have powerful friends in the media, industry, and banking to help promote this deception. This is similar to the old Roman Empire, once the greatest in the world, which eventually fell under the weight of excessive debt, military ambition, and corrupt leadership. I don’t think any one person can change all of this. One presidential candidate, Republican Ron Paul, often and frankly speaks about these problems, but “the establishment” would never elect such an honest candidate. So, maybe the best we can do is become aware of the deception and prepare for the worst. I’m talking about economic depression, hyperinflation, significant unemployment, bankrupt retirees, and the failure of government to solve these growing problems. What can we do for ourselves? Hold a secure well-paying job, reduce personal debt, spend less than you earn and save the difference, develop a skill that is in demand and can be bartered, educate family and friends about all this too, and of course pray for God’s guidance.

      Lou

  3. alberto

    hey lou, great teaching this sunday.
    i have a couple of questions.
    first, you would have to agree that God build a system in which there is freedom of will. in this system his followers are infact blessed but only after they themselves make the choice to follow him and do his teachings. Before that they are not necesserily cursed unless they turn away from the faith after knowing what it is like, even then like the prodigal sons they are loved by God. So then my question is how is it wrongful for the government to allow such things as gay marriages. After all, if God gives gays the freedom of choice, even though homosexuality is a sin, to all of them; so then who are we to take their right to freedom of will away. Shouldn’t our government mainly be a mold of God’s rules including the freedom of choice which means that we can choose to make mistakes if we want to?

    • Lou

      Alberto, I am so glad you are involved in this end times class. Your questions are very thoughtful and often challenging.

      I certainly agree that God has granted us free will and we sometimes use that free will to choose sin. But don’t make the mistake of substituting government for God when making the argument that our country should give us the same freedoms and rights to sin as we choose.

      I believe God wants us to follow God’s law and take a stand against any man-made laws that oppose God’s law. Within the last 50 years, our government has passed several blatant man-made laws that directly oppose God, in my opinion. The 1963 ban on school prayer and 1973 approval to legal abortion are two key laws noted in Sunday’s class. Recently, some states like California have also legalized gay marriage. In a way, these government-based man-made laws reflect our own free will granted by God to choose sin. But these are still sinful acts and laws and they do offend God.

      So, in answer to your question: “Is it wrong for the government to allow such “sinful laws” like abortion and gay marriage?”, I say YES. It is wrong in God’s view and we Christians should recognize it’s wrong. It was the free will of sinful lawmakers who passed these man-made laws and that demonstrates that Satan has a grip on our government just as he sometimes influences our own thoughts and actions.

      What can we do about it? It’s hard to change an American culture that enjoys its freedoms to sin by calling it the “right” to legal abortions and more recently the “right” to gay marriage. We may think its our “right” to do these things, but I guarantee that God does not think these are the right things to do. We can change man-made laws through our vote and acts of civil protest. Vote for candidates who support God’s law and oppose abortion, gay marriage, and the ban on school prayer. Eventually, those political representatives may appoint judges to the Supreme Court who also oppose and are willing to change these sinful man-made laws. Civil protests against these man-made laws will also help educate others about God’s law. It may cause some to call you a rebel or troublemaker, but why shouldn’t we be a rebel for God? Personally, I would rather be a vocal opponent of these sinful man-made laws than quietly accept them as mankind’s free will. But that’s just my opinion. I certainly respect those who may disagree with me.

      Lou

  4. Lou

    Preview of Sunday June 1st class on the U.S. in Bible Prophecy – Part 1.

    Before you were born, America was a much different nation. During its formative years, the gospel of Christ was a central part of our government and our founding fathers often quoted the bible in public. And God blessed America for her faithfulness by making us the wealthiest nation in the world.

    But things started changing about 50 years ago when liberal judges and lawmakers began removing God from our culture. When the U.S. Supreme Court banned school prayer in 1963 and legalized abortion in 1973, suddenly Jesus was no longer “politically correct”. And our once Christian nation began descending into a pagan spiral of violent crime, divorce, drugs, pornography, and sexual disease.

    The bible says that God will judge and punish the nation that abandons Him. He will withhold His blessings and protection too. Was 9/11 an early sign of this?

    Some bible scholars don’t think the U.S. will be relevant during the end times because we may be destroyed by our enemies beforehand or even self-destruct from within as a result of an economic collapse. The FBI reports that al Qaeda has already smuggled weapons of mass destruction across the Mexican border and are simply awaiting final orders to attack seven major cities simultaneously (yes, Chicago is one of them). Meanwhile, recently Congress reportedly discussed in a closed session the possible and imminent collapse of the U.S. economy from its burdensome debts and rapidly devaluing dollar. Rumored congressional plans for dealing with the aftermath will surprise you.

    We’ll address what the bible may say about the United States in Part 2 on Sunday, June 8th. That will include speculating on the physical effects that the Great Tribulation will have on America and whether our nation is the Babylon referred to in the book of Revelation. Babylon will be completely destroyed in the end. I’ll even give you some tips on how to better survive the Great Tribulation.

    All this and breakfast too, so don’t miss these last two Sunday School classes which begin promptly at 9:45 a.m. Meanwhile, feel free to post questions and other thoughts here for all to see. I promise to reply to all questions promptly.

    Lou

  5. clairebear

    so um i have a questions about that guy that u thought was the possible anti-christ… doesnt the bible say that satan was one of Gods most beautiful angels? n if so woulnd the anti-christ(satan) have to be a good looking guy? n let me tell u that guy that u told us about on sunday was one U-G-L-Y dude

    • Lou

      Thanks for being the first to ask a question here, Claire! It’s a good one.

      The antichrist is just a man, not Satan, who will be empowered by Satan to perform miracles and fool many into worshiping him. The bible doesn’t say the antichrist will be young or attractive, although I suppose it would help if he were to get people to follow him. Instead, Javier Solana is probably the man most capable of forging the peace treaty with Israel and her enemies that will kick off the Great Tribulation. That’s the very first thing the antichrist will do. Yes, Solana is old (65) and not very handsome, but when the world is in chaos and in need of a charismatic leader who can perform miracles and comfort people, will anyone care?

      One last point. You already know about the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But during the end times, there will be an unholy trinity: Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. Some believe the false prophet (who leads a global religion in end times) will be the last Catholic Pope. As for the antichrist, we’ll just have to wait and see who he really is.

      Lou

      p.s., Today I planted the plant sale flowers that I bought from Mike, Brianne and Ellery. I was surprised no one else asked if I wanted flowers this year.

  6. Lou

    Thanks to everyone who came to Sunday School last week for the first of five classes on End Times Bible Prophecy. I hope I didn’t scare anyone away from learning about God’s plan for our future. That first class was just an appetizer, to whet your appetite for the main course that follows this Sunday (May 18).

    Our second class this Sunday will examine a couple of major bible prophecies about Israel that have already fulfilled exactly as written. Jesus said in Matthew 24 that the generation who witnesses these things will see Him return. We’ll also take a look at what the bible calls “birth pangs”, significant events that increase in frequency and intensity, signalling that the end is near. Recent events like the 9/11 terrorist attack, the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and many, many more are signs that Jesus warned us to be watchful for, and they’ve been occuring in rapid succession lately. Just this month alone, we’ve seen the deadly Burma cyclone, a civil war erupt in Lebanon, and the China earthquake.

    One of my favorite parts of this Sunday’s class is to show you that many end time prophecies could never have been fulfilled (or even be understood) until now because the technology required did not exist until today. God tells us in the book of Daniel that many of these prophecies would not be understood until they are ready to fulfill. I will show you that many of these prophecies require today’s modern technology, including nuclear weapons, satellite telecommunications, plus much, much more.

    My goal is to convince you that we are already in the end times and that you could be God’s final generation. More importantly, I want you to understand how important it is to be saved right NOW and to help others receive God’s salvation too. If these classes seem scary or depressing, I guarantee things will be much worse than you or I can ever imagine or portray in a Sunday School class. But let’s never forget that we have a choice, to accept the gospel of Christ and lead a life pleasing to God, that will ensure an ETERNITY of happiness with Jesus in heaven. Sadly, most people will miss that opportunity by choice. Don’t be one of them.

    Consider inviting one close friend that needs to hear this message to this Sunday’s class. Breakfast will be provided too. I look forward to seeing you again on Sunday. Meanwhile, let me know if you have any questions. Call or email me anytime. Cell: 630-800-0655; Email: louispassi2004@comcast.net. Or simply use this blog format if you prefer.

    Lou

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