One of the tests for a prophet in Scripture is that of earlier prophecies he’s made that have been fulfilled.  Pastor Matutis prophesied the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1988.  It was so remarkable that a newspaper in West Berlin made note of it, for no one expected it.  It was a very short time before this prophesy was fulfilled.

Personally, I’m trying to live as close to my Lord as possible and anticipate His soon return.  I am constantly trying to find out what He wants me to do with these days.  I believe that the Lord is guiding me and speaking to me, but not in any way that approaches prophecy.  This word is consistent with the way I believe the Lord to be directing me.

Those who read my blog know that I have had things to say about the direction I think America should take, now that the Obamanation is upon us.  I have lately come to believe that the direction should be spiritual, not political.  Still, I don’t take issue with those who are working for a better America.

The Finnish word for trumpet roughly translates to trombone, but is the long trumpet you see heralds holding in medieval Europe.  A man could hardly hold a trumpet or trombone that would be much longer than that.  The tone of such an instrument is lower than what we Americans call a trumpet.  So, how long would be a trumpet that an angel might hold, and how deep it’s tone?  Maybe Pastor Matutis has given us a clue.

Here is the message that I received:
_________________________________________________________________

The Lord gave me a very important vision. I must inform you of them. Perhaps it is important for you and helpful?

Pastor Joh. W. Matutis, (Berlin / Germany)
http://www.nnk-berlin.de (English menu)

While praying this morning, God gave me a vision. He showed me a great, world-wide “mobilization”.

I saw myself strolling along a beach. Suddenly, there sounded a loud boom, which became stronger and more massive. It was not the noise of the sea or of the wind. It was completely still outside. The sea water was as smooth as glass. The deep booming sound which was like the sound of the mountains about to cave in, a banging sound which I had up till now never heard in my whole life, came from the other side of the ocean, from far away. It became so strong and mighty, that the earth began to quake and shake. It sounded  like the blasting of a deep bass trumpet. I had never heard this sort and depth of bass sound before now. The whole air vibrated. I holed myself up in the dunes of the embankment, face down, and waited to see what would come out of this natural spectacle.

When the booming refused to stop, and instead became stronger, I saw myself begin to pray in the vision, and to speak with my God. Then I heard a voice saying, “my child, fear not. That is my mobilization call, a signal, from the other world. I am calling my people out from all peoples. I myself am shaking the earth and the sea. The sinners and godless will pass away for fear and the fearful expectation of the things which are to come. Understand, my child, that all these have been initiated by the financial crises. That was just the beginning of ruin. The foundation of today’s society will be so shaken that the people will lose all that they have acquired, and saved up til l now.  Every infrastructure and welfare will collapse with time. Life will be very difficult for very many people. The general security will get out of control and there will be a proliferation of crime such that life on earth will be massively threatened.  But you, who fear my name will I save from ruin. I am holding my arm of protection over you.”

Although not even a silent wind blew, and not even a small wave was seen on the sea, the booming was so mighty, that my heart threatened to stop beating. Then I thought to myself, “I will now also die.” And then the Lord said to me, “My child, do not fear. You are to live and continue to declare my works. Arise, go home and tell your loved ones. Let them know that the coming of my Son is very close at hand, at the doorstep. I am setting everything in motion in order to take my people home, and I am now stripping them of everything that is holding them back, or blocking them.”

As I stood up to obey God’s voice, starting to make my way homewards, I saw very many people, lying in the dunes. They had come out from their houses, racing towards the sea to see and experience this extraordinary natural spectacle. They lay on their faces as if paralyzed, exactly as I had lain a few minutes before now. As I passed by them on my way home, despite the continuous distant booming sound, these people called to me saying: “You are crazy; you cannot make it home in this situation. It is too  dangerous”. They then buried their heads even further in the dunes, because they feared what would happen next. They no longer wanted to hear or know of anything.

And then said the Lord to me: “for you, my children, who fear my name, this is the day of my ‘mobilization.’ For you my “sun of salvation” arises, with which I gather my true children, and bring them together. Go, my son, and tell this everyone you can reach.”

Then I asked the Lord “What shall I tell them?”

“Tell my children,” He said, “they are no longer to occupy themselves with perishable things, but rather, much more with the immortal, the eternal things. They are to seek me and study my word. They should forgive one another, so long as there is still time, and make peace with one another.  They should stop being envious of, and pointing fingers at one another.  They should neither accuse nor suspect one another. Everyone should do what he is supposed to, and can do. Tell them to free themselves of every  unnecessary thing, and to stop fighting spasmodically (intermittently) for their rights. From now on, I will ensure your rights, and provide justice for you. Great changes are about to occur all over the world, in every area of life. Adjust yourselves therefore and be prepared. Nothing is going to be as it has been before now…”

The further I moved from the beach, the less of the booming sound I heard, even though I was of the opinion that the sound had become stronger and even more massive. I felt as if I had been secured in a glass case.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying “I will bring my children into safety in my own way. You will see everything I will do in the world, which will experience all the “plagues of Egypt” before I withdraw my children unto myself, before Pharaoh releases you forever. My people hold together!  Stay with one another, encourage one another. Soon, you would have made it!”

That was the last thing I took with me from this vision.

As I thought about all that I had seen, and what I should do with it, the Lord spoke to me saying “spread this revelation I have given you this morning about my ‘mobilization’ further to all my children, and encourage them to do likewise, for I am at the door (I am coming soon). And tell them, especially my people, that they should be serious about their relationship with me (God), before it is too late….”

Do help me spread this message overall. Send it to your friends and acquaintances. Spread it your churches and house fellowships.  Translate it into other languages.

Maranatha! Our Lord comes.

Pastor Joh. Matutis

http://www.nnk-berlin.de (see the English menu.  Here you’ll find more about me and my ministry.  And even more prophetic words.)

E-Mail: pastor@matutis.de
Write me a few lines.  I would like to pray for you, and bring your name to God’s throne.

Postal Address: Pastor Joh.W.Matutis
Postfach 65 06 65
D - 13306 Berlin (Germany)

And those same “justices” are now going to determine whether the vote that declared their declaration of the law to be unconstitutional is now in the Constitution are going to decide whether or not the Constitution is constitutional.  Arg-g-gh!  Oh, what a tangled web we weave…

The electorate needs to decide that one of two views should predominate in law, both at the federal and state levels.

1. The words of the Constitution mean exactly what they say, no more and no less.
2. The words of the Constitution have no intrinsic meaning.  Only the structure does.

In the first instance, we’ll need far fewer lawyers and the judges will be “reduced” to declaring as truth what anyone with an eighth grade education can see with his own eyes.

In the second instance, which is the prevailing one today, judges have the very powerful position of deciding not just what the Constitution says, but what it “implies”.  This case is whether or not judges can decide that the words of the Constitution are in violation of what the feelings of the judges about the Constitution are.  This makes the judges the de-facto rulers of the people.

There is an ongoing contest between these two views.   Can both be implemented within the same country?  The obvious answer is “No.”  Only one can be implemented. One will make the other of no effect.

We are asking the same judges whose power is at stake to decide whether they themselves are all-powerful or not.  I can almost guess how they will decide.

Secession, anyone?

With this in mind, I have updated the preamble to the Declaration of Independence.  I have brought the language up to date from 18th century English and have modified it for present circumstances.  I am asking readers to help me complete the document.  This may be done in two ways:

1. Help improve the text that has already been written.
2. List what you believe to be grievances that should be included.  Please don’t attack anyone personally.  Quote passages from the Constitution that the government has violated. Quote portions of political speeches that illustrate a disregard for the Constitution.  Don’t include what you wish was in the Constitution.  That will come later.

I will use these comments to modify the text.  If you include your name and contact information, should we have the opportunity to present a formal document at some forum, your name and signature will be used to sign the completed document.

Here is the preamble:

<><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><

From time to time, it becomes necessary for a group of people to separate itself from its country and to establish a new country with a new government for themselves.  Human nature and the Western understanding of God’s ways declare this to be a right of any people.  Because they wish to be accepted as a nation among the other nations, they need to respect the others enough to give the reasons why they feel the need to separate themselves from their existing government.

We believe that it is obvious that each human being is created equal to every other human being.  Their Creator has given them certain rights that cannot be taken away by any other person or government.  Among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  The legitimate purpose of government is to make certain that people are safe in those rights.  A just government, therefore, gets its rightful power from those that they govern.  When any government does not recognize and protect these rights, the people have the right to change or destroy it.  They have the right to create a new nation with a new government that is most likely to ensure the safety and happiness of the people.

Any intelligent person will recognize that established nations and governments should not be changed for trivial reasons or for reasons likely to soon change.  Experience has shown that people are more likely to endure a defective government than to abolish the government that they are used to.  But there are limits to what people can be expected to endure.  When there is a long history of governmental abuse, when the government ignores established law and continually deprives people of their liberty, people have the right, people have the duty, to throw off this corrupt government in favor of a new one that will secure the rights of the people and respect the law.

This is the situation of the people of the United States of America.  There are politicians entrenched in power, politicians who have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution, that regularly, unashamedly and continually violate its clear statements so that the establishment of a new government that will honor the words of the Constitution has become necessary.  These politicians intend, and to too great a degree have already been successful, to change the United States from a republic of free people with a limited government to masses enslaved by tyrants who are ever expanding government control for the supposed good of a people incapable of governing themselves.  To prove this to fair minded people, we will list in detail what these politicians have done and are still doing.

It is a good thing to try to frighten people about what an Obama administration would bring. The fact is that the possibility of a Socialist States of America is a very real possibility. Socialism lite is already a part of our governmental policy, even though it is unconstitutional.

The question is, “What are you going to do about it?” Bellyache? Cry? Some (including me) are talking about setting up a new national government — secession. I’ve seen a lot of naysayers who claim that it can’t be done. If you believe that something can’t be done, then you won’t try to do it or support those who are trying. So you are back to bellyaching.

Submit yourselves to God. Seek His will in every detail of your life. Then live your life in faith, not in fear. The Bible says that the fearful are among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Then claim the freedom that God gives.

Kwitchurbellyachin!!

Lord, make me aware of any sin that I commit.

It’s a bit much to ask the Lord to live a sinless life here on earth.  It is written (in I John 1:9) that “If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  But if I have deceived myself into thinking that I was right in the sin that I committed, I will not confess it and will not avail myself of God’s cleansing.  Therefore, I pray that the Holy Spirit will always convict me of my sin.

Lord, I acknowledge that, because I am just a man, that I will never get to know You fully and completely.  But this one thing I ask.  Whatever I do learn about You, Your nature, Your desires and Your expectations of me, please let it be accurate.

There are a lot of people who have a lot of opinions about Who and what kind of Person God is.  To some people, He’s that great overindulgent grandpa in the sky Who likes to give us toys, but doesn’t care about our character or our behavior.  To others, he’s the stern, scowling parent Who is waiting just out of sight for us to make a misstep so He can clobber us with His club of judgmental tragedy.  And there are all shades of opinion in between.  Many people claim to get their view of who God is from the Bible.  If they did, they’d all have the same view of Him, but they don’t.  I’ve heard it said that we view God as an extension of our father.  Having known of some fathers’ behavior, I shudder to think of people getting their sense of who God is from them.  My ability to use my intellect to discern truth from error is just as faulty as anyone elses and my experience with father figures… Well, let’s just take a pass on that one.

How then, can I get to know what kind of Person God really is?  Can I honor or glorify Him if I don’t know the real Him?  No.  If I am going to give Him what He really wants from me (my love, my obedience and my worship), I must get to know Him as He is.  He reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures, especially in the life of the Lord Jesus.  While His revelation of Himself is perfect, my receptor is tinged with sin.  Therefore I pray that His Holy Spirit reveal Himself to my spirit.

Lord, we (my wife and I) acknowledge that the love we have has been and still is a gift from You.  Therefore, we dedicate it to You, that you might have glory and pleasure in it.

I wonder what would happen if every Christian couple prayed that prayer every day and each time that they sensed a conflict coming?

God has announced a coming period of seven years when He will play hardball with rebellious and self-centered humans to get their attention to His claim on their life and loyalty. He knows that many people will turn to God in desperate times that will not turn to Him when things appear to be going good. If that’s what it takes, that’s what they’ll get. During this time of trouble, some will turn to Him. Other people will harden themselves against the Holy One, blaming Him for their troubles. They will be hardened in their rebellion, so that their condemnation at the last judgment will be seen to be just. But there will be no need for those who acknowledge Christ during this so-called Age of Grace to go through the Great Tribulation.

There is the Biblical promise that Jesus will return to “rapture” His church. Some of us believe that this will occur just before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. But this coming will be so sudden and so quick that no one will have a chance to change his mind at the last second.

Skeptics like to point out that the word rapture doesn’t appear in the Scripture. What we are told is that those Christians who have died will be resurrected as immortals in preparation for what He has planned that is to include all who are Christians in their hearts. Then, those Christians who are alive will have their mortal bodies changed into immortal ones and we shall “be caught up together with” the resurrected Christians to be forever with our Lord. This phrase caught up is the meaning of rapture. It’s not an emotional thing, but a physical reality.

My wife and I have the desire to see as many people as possible turn to Christ before the rapture. Because we believe that this time is immediately upon us, we feel a sense of urgency to get the word out. But here’s the problem. If we wait until we are sure of when the rapture will occur to warn anyone, it will be too late to warn anybody. We’ll be gone. But, by warning people when we think it might be soon put us in the position of possibly being wrong. Technically, we weren’t wrong, because we only said that He might rapture the church at the time we speculated. But, I know that many thought we were nuts for even speculating about something that we weren’t sure of.  One thing we are sure of is that Jesus will return and that every knee will bow to His Majesty — even the knees of His enemies.

Because I thought that my Lord might return on Rosh Hashana of this year, and the stakes are so high, I put myself in a position where I might be ridiculed. My wife translated my speculation in the post “World’s Greatest Crisis – Next Week?” into Finnish because we live in her country. Other voices expressed the same ideas in English, but we saw nothing in Finnish, so we filled that gap. She, too, was ridiculed. A Christian radio network ignored our plea that they consider letting people know of the possibility. I understand that people want to play it safe. Had they known that He would come on the Feast of Trumpets this year, they’d have said something. But nobody knew for sure.

We let all of our contacts: family, friends, business contacts, everyone know. It was actually an afterthought to publish it on my blog, but then we sent SMS messages to everyone in our address lists here. Some people responded by suggesting that we see a doctor. One doctor told us that the Finnish translation was so poor that it looked as though it had been done by a machine. Finnish is my wife’s native language. She is college educated, licensed as an adult education teacher. I don’t read Finnish, but I’m sure that the translation was good. By believing as I do and supporting me, my wife was subjected to ridicule also. I feel badly about that.

Some folks said that by being wrong, even though we were conditional in our speculation, we damaged our credibility and cannot say anything any more and expect to be believed. But those who are not saying anything about a particular time, but are only saying “soon” in terms of our Lord’s return for His Church, are not communicating the sense of urgency that is appropriate for this time.

Had our Lord come on September 29 or 30, no one would have ridiculed us, whether or not they believed us. We still believe that His coming is imminent. It could still happen tonight. Oh, I’d like to be vindicated in my message of urgency, but this whole business is not about me, it’s about Jesus, His Word, and His desire that all turn to Him. He will receive those who turn to Him in the Great Tribulation, but I’m sure that He’d prefer that people respond to a gentle entreaty and a warning.

We feel that if only one person turned to the Lord with his or her heart as a result of seeing that blog post, the ridicule was worth while. I told my wife that I’m a little discouraged because I know of nothing positive from our sticking our necks out. She replied, “Yeah? So?” I think she’s right.

What is your opinion?

My wife and I believe in the soon return of Christ for His church.  We believe that His return might be this week.  We have prepared an explanation for our family and friends here in Finland, so that, if it does happen this soon, they will understand what has happened and not be subject to the deception of the antichrist.

I am putting this text here in this post, just in case any of my readers want to take it, modify it and give this message to your friends and relatives who are not committed to Jesus Christ as their Lord.

Last Warning…

I am Alan Lake, an American believer in Christ.  I came to faith in my Lord Jesus at the age of seven years and have had a close walk with Him these sixty years.  I came to Finland in January of 2006 to marry my bride, Pirjo.  I have always felt that there was more reason for me to come here than just for our marriage.  I think I know this reason now.

I knew nothing about your country until shortly before I came. I soon learned some Finnish history.  I learned of the day in November 1939 when Finns listening to their radios heard that the Soviet Union had bombed Helsinki. My wife’s aunt was a teenager who had ridden her bicycle from her childhood home in Vihti to Helsinki about six months before. The bombing was a total surprise to her as it was to most Finns.

It was not a surprise to all Finns. The government officials who had rejected Moscow’s demand for Finnish territory probably figured that Stalin would do something. If they had told the Finnish people of Stalin’s demand and Finland’s rejection, some people would likely have moved out of Helsinki that did not move because they didn’t know. Perhaps the authorities didn’t tell the people because they didn’t know for certain that the Soviets would attack and they didn’t know when.

There is another event that is going to change life in Finland and in other countries to a greater extent than did the Winter War and the Continuation War. We don’t know when it will happen, but we can make an educated guess. My guess is very soon. Rather than to let it be a total surprise, I choose to share what I’ve observed and what I know so that when I’m not here to give an explanation after the fact, you will know that I said something beforehand. This event is the promised return of Jesus Christ.

Some theologians say that you cannot believe the Bible as it is written. You must have experts to interpret it for you. Others of us choose to accept the Bible text at face value, that is as it appears that the writers intended for us to take it. There are books written about Christ’s second coming. What I am sharing with you is a bare bones short version, so you can know what to expect.

Most people ignore God until they get into trouble. Then they cry out to Him. God hates to be ignored. If trouble is what it’s going to take, then trouble is what man will get. In the Bible, the prophets of God have said that there is coming a time of trouble on the earth that is more severe than any that has ever come before. It is His last call. This time will be seven years long, divided into two 3 ½ year periods.

Last summer, I was in a park in Jyväskylä talking to my wife about the last days that the Bible predicts. We were discussing the fact that natural disasters have been happening all over the world with greater frequency and greater intensity, like a woman’s labor pains. Jesus used that exact simile to describe the end of the age. Could these be a sign that the world as we know it is about to end?

A young Finnish man came from his nearby group of young men and asked me if I knew anything about 2012. I did not. It appears that there are some who believe that it will mark the end of the world. The planets will all be in a straight line from the sun for the first time in 26,000 years. The Mayan Indians of southern Mexico once had a great civilization. They created a calendar. This calendar ends suddenly in 2012.

A news article from the United States said that the year 2015 is a time when there will be great disturbances in the sun, moon and stars that will cause great trouble on earth.

Those who read the news know that there has been an economic collapse in the United States due to foolish decisions by politicians and financiers. When a similar collapse occurred in 1929, the ordinary person didn’t come to feel it until 1933, about three years later. The people who are in charge of minimizing damage over there are the same people who caused the problem in the first place! There are tough economic times ahead. You Finns know that when America stubs her toe, Finns often feel the pain. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.

Let’s look at the years we’ve mentioned. From some time in 2012 to some time in 2015 is 3 ½ years. Three years earlier than 2012 is 2009. Three and a half years could well be in 2008 – this year!  These two time spans of 3 ½ years each could well be the aforementioned seven years, the years of the Great Tribulation. The events in the economy and in natural disasters, not to mention the threats from terrorists in the Middle East, could well be the predicted time of trouble.

Your writer is among those who believe that the Bible teaches that Christ is going to catch those with a personal faith in Him up into Heaven shortly before the Great Tribulation begins. With them will be those who are too young or too mentally challenged to be able to be held responsible for their sins. In other words, millions of people will just vanish from the face of the earth. If you choose to wait and see what happens without putting your life into the Hands of Christ, you need to know who it is that has disappeared and what the disappearance means. It means that you can still turn to God, but that you will see more trouble than you can now imagine.

When might the believers disappear? It may be as soon as the morning of the twenty-ninth of September 2008! But, it may not be this year at all. We don’t know for sure. If it does happen this year, we want you to understand it.

Why 29 September 2008?

When God was organizing the Jews into a nation thousands of years ago, He had recorded in the Torah seven holy days, or “feasts”. (Some of these were more than a day long.) There were four in the spring season and three in the fall season. These holy days were to cause the Jewish people to remember things that God had done for them. They were also shadows of things that God planned to do.

One example is that Passover was to be observed as a memorial of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery. But Christians note that Christ is our passover, as He has delivered us from the control of sin. Each of the four spring holy days had a fulfillment during Christ’s first advent. He fulfilled them on the very day of the Jewish calendar that the Jews remembered what God had done for Israel in the past.

We don’t know what year He will come, but considering the years 2012 and 2015 and the trouble that has already started to happen, this day may be Rosh Hashana 2008. The calendar date changes each year, because it begins with the new moon. This year it begins at 11:12 A.M. (Jerusalem time) next Monday, 29 September.

I am not predicting that Jesus is coming within a week. The signs indicate that the likelihood is high that He will. I’d rather tell you that He might and have Him not come until later, than to tell you nothing and have Him come sooner.

It is only reasonable to think that a fulfillment of the three fall holy days will occur on the exact day of the feast. The first fall feast is called the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashana. If the pattern of fulfillment in the past continues, the Lord will come for his own on this feast day.

I Thessalonians 4:13-17 reads:

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from the heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

There will be a reign of evil and terror after the Believers are caught away. You will be lied to about what happened. But you will remember that it was explained to you before it happened.

P.S.
After I posted this, my brother shared with me the fact that there are many who expect the Lord very soon.
http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_second8.php
http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_second10.php

There are only two meaningful ways to interpret the Constitution. The originalist theory is that the words mean the same thing today as they meant when they were written and ratified. This is an approach that is necessary if we believe in both self-government and the rule of law. Self-government requires us to accept the meaning from the elected officials who made the law. The rule of law requires us to accept the rules established by the law as fixed principles until such time as another law of equal rank formally amends the first law.

The other theory of constitutional interpretation is the “living Constitution,” which asserts that the meaning of the Constitution changes over time. Words no longer have a fixed meaning. They now mean whatever the judges of today think they should mean. This is the rule of men, not law.

Obama’s theological wanderings may be interesting, but we have all that we need to know for voting purposes by the revelation that he is unwilling to address or follow the original meaning of the Constitution.

If he is unwilling to following the original meaning of the Constitution on life and death, why would we think he will follow it on anything less important?

Mr Farris makes a valid point, but what he points out about Obama is also true of Mr. McCain. McCain may be more “constitutional” in some of his views, but that is only because the Constitution agrees with McCain, not because McCain agrees with the Constitution.  Where McCain disagrees with the Constitution, his voting record shows that he is willing to ignore the Document.

America is defined by the words of the Constitution.  Because the Constitution is being ignored in all three branches of our federal government, the America that our founding creationists gave us is dead.  The idea is still alive in the hearts of some people.

http://www.selfgovernment.us/aip

In the responses to an article in World Net Daily, California bans ‘brides,’ ‘grooms’, about the fallout of a California Supreme Court decision wherein the Court made a law(!) that overturned the will of the people by legalizing sodomite marriage.

The story is about a couple being denied a marriage license under the new law because they wanted to be Bride and Groom instead of Party A and Party B.  Among the Digg comments about the story are two links that give information I wish that I had known many years ago.  They point out that the government has no legitimate role in a God ordained marriage; only in one that excludes God.  Here are the two links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiTGhQOYZv4

http://www.mercyseat.net/BROCHURES/marriagelicense …

Regardless of what it might be called, the economic policies of Finland’s government results in a different life experience for those who live under it.  Whether that’s good or bad depends upon one’s point of view.  America’s politics has moved her economic policies far from those established by our founding creationists in the Constitution.  This move is in the same direction as that in which Finland has gone.  An American friend has asked me what it’s like.  Here’s my answer.

I think that Finland is poorer than the U.S.A. in natural resources, so it’s understandable that the job that pays $5,000 a month in the States will pay only 2,000€ in Finland.  That’s 60% less.  Consider that the shelf price of most goods here is about the same number of euros as the same item is in dollars in the States.  Enough items cost more that a recent American visitor noticed it right away.  Consider the pay difference and things cost about twice as much per hour worked.

It isn’t obvious that the higher prices are partially due to high taxes, for the sales tax is included in the price, although the total sales taxes on purchases are listed on receipts.  The base sales tax rate is 22%.  Food has a sales tax of “only” 17%.  A trip to the barber, only 8%.  (Haircuts are more necessary than food, aren’t they?)  Fuel taxes are charged by the liter, just as American fuel taxes are by the gallon. There are different taxes for different fuels and different grades of fuel.  Finland was the first country to impose a carbon tax. I buy gasoline, so I’m taxed 0.627€ on every liter, which is 2.37€ of tax per gallon.  Gas prices fluctuate here, just as they do in the States.  Currently, in my city, the cheapest gas sells for 1.469€ per liter or 5.56€ per gallon.  Depending on emissions, new car taxes range from 10% to 40%.  A 2007 Ford Galaxie 1.6 liter, 110 hp sedan costs 26,122€ including the tax.  You might say that this isn’t too bad, but keep in mind that the person buying it is making less than half of his American counterpart.

Finland has a significant income tax, too.  The poorest pay 13.5%.  A person with a salary of 2,000€ a month will pay about 25% in income tax.  A salary of 3,000€ a month will be taxed at 35%.  The government estimates how much they think you should pay.  If you disagree, you have to prove that you should pay less according to the law.  There are some deductions available.  As in America, if you spend the money you work for the way the government wants you to, they won’t take it from you (and vice versa).

I don’t know what the church tax rate is.  Church tax?  Uh, huh.  If you’re a member of a church, the government will tax you and give the money to your church.  Some churches are opposed to this tax, so their members aren’t taxed, but 81% of all Finns are members of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, so the church does well, considering that most members seldom “bother” the church with their presence.

The cost of living here is affected by other things, too.  In Finland, if one attends a commercial driving school to get his first license and can pass his driving test the first time, this will cost a minimum of 1,510€.  Sure, parents can teach their kid to drive, but the cost of being trained as a driving teacher and the cost of equipping the family car with dual controls discourages most.

One thing that the newcomer to Finland notices are the block houses, the apartment buildings.  I could be wrong, but it appears that most Finns live in these apartments.  Many own their apartments, so they could be thought of as condominiums.  Finnish apartments are considerably smaller than what one would expect to find in America.  An nice apartment for two people in central Finland (Jyväskylä) is about 500 sq. feet and costs less than 600€ a month.  The same apartment in Helsinki would cost more.  One such apartment building (ours) has refrigerators the size that one would expect to find in a camper.  But, it has a walk-in refrigerator at the floor level.  The apartment complex also has a sauna and small swimming pool, as well as laundry room.  (The swimming pool is a rarity among block houses.) There’s no extra charge for the washer in our building, but water bills here are 22€ per person per month where the normal charge would be 15€.  The spin dryer is separate from the washing machine, so the equipment is not as automatic as an American might assume.  The dryer is a room with clothes lines in it.  It has a heater on a timer to keep the air moving.  It can take two to three hours to dry your clothes.

If a Finnish family “moves up” economically, it’s likely to buy a row house.  Just as in America, row houses have a common wall between dwellings.  In a land with snow up to six months of the year, this is probably just an economic measure to save on heating costs.  Why aren’t there more single-family homes?  I suppose that the price of gas discourages commuting.  Single family homes are more expensive, too.  Property rights as Americans used to know them, and as the Constitution defines them,  are unknown here.  If the government thinks that you have too much land and wants to use it for something other than what you had in mind, they will offer to buy it from you.  You will accept.  This fact of life is a part of the mindset that the government provides what you need.

Parking in Jyväskylä discourages driving.  Street parking here costs 1.50€ to 2.00€ per hour.  Bicycle parking is free.  The city prides itself in being a “walking city”.  Yeah.  You can’t afford to use your car.  One could explain the popularity of bicycles here by the presence of the University, but that wouldn’t explain why you will see the elderly riding bicycles in the countryside.

That explanation, whatever other factors are involved, includes the fact that the elderly have a lower income and a higher tax rate.  Aren’t there buses here, you ask?  There sure are.  Tax subsidized, too.  A pensioner can’t afford to ride them.  In my city, a bus ride starts at 3.20€.  Out of my league, that’s for sure.  When we lived in a small village, it was common to see elderly people riding bicycles while empty buses went past them.  I suppose that the government bureaucrats congratulate themselves because they have made sure that there is plenty of public transportation.  I’ll have to admit that it bugs me to think that these elderly folks riding bicycles in the rain are paying some of the taxes that keep the empty buses on the road, but I’m a reactionary.

One thing that Finland has in common with the U.S. is that it’s cheaper for a person to drive his car somewhere than it is to take the train.  That shouldn’t be surprising though, considering that Finland has a state owned railroad and America’s railroads, although private, are government regulated up the ying-yang.

Regulation.  Finland has a highly regulated economy.  Most businesses are private, but are highly regulated by government bureaucrats that have no stake in the success of the business.  This will sound familiar to most Americans, even though there’s no authorization for it in the Constitution.  One thing I’ve noticed is that most “small” business is owned by a few large corporations.  Some individuals are able to start their own businesses, but many are discouraged by the regulations.  It often takes some time after a business is established before it becomes profitable, but there is no start-up wiggle room in a regulated economy.  Rules are rules.  Service people, such as barbers, beauticians, electricians and plumbers are often small businesses.

Finland has few motels.  I think I saw one on a hundred mile trip.  Cities will usually have one or more hotels, depending on their size, but these are used mostly by business travellers and tourists.  With the vast open spaces in this country and the price of gas, few are going to take a motoring vacation.  It’s the same with flying.  Our city of 120,000 people has an airport with one runway.  Finns like to travel, but they usually do so out of the country.

On the flip side, there are far more government benefits here in Finland than there are in the States.  We can start this part of the discussion with universal health care.

Unlike Canada, private health care is legal here, but it’s so expensive that only the very rich can afford it.  Most people use the public system.  Each resident is assigned to a local health center.  Mine is only a few blocks away.  Each doctor is assigned a certain geographic area.  No choices.  No second opinions.  But, I’m not complaining.  The first four visits to my doctor cost 11€ each.  After that, visits are free.  My specialist has his office at the hospital.  It costs me 26€ to visit him.  If I get hospitalized, I pay 9€ a day for the food.  That’s all.  (I asked the specialist about his training.  It is what I’d expect a U.S. doctor to have.)

About a year ago, the nurses in Finland decided to strike for higher pay, among other things.  Because most nurses work for the government, the government simply forbade them to strike.  Not to be outdone, the nurses organized a plan of mass resignation.  The government’s power play was to recruit replacement nurses from other countries.  Most folks in other countries don’t study Finnish.  Can you imagine what it would have been like to be cared for by a nurse who couldn’t speak your language?  It turned out that the pay the nurses were getting was so low that the government couldn’t recruit foreign nurses.  I’m not sure what resolved this crisis, but I think it had something to do with the fact that the Prime Minister got sick and needed nursing care while the negotiations were in progress.

Finland is heavily unionized.  Labor is organized, but so is business.  When labor and business work out their differences, the government enters into the agreement and passes laws requiring the same wages and benefits across the country.  What this means is that there is no job hopping for better pay or benefits, for it’s the same everywhere.  If the agreement isn’t realistic, the whole economy suffers.  The down side of this arrangement is that people are questioning why they should join the unions.  So, the unions are offering benefits that go beyond collective bargaining.  I can’t tell you what they are.

One group that isn’t unionized are the retirees, the pensioners.  Laws have the effect of requiring retirement at around 65.  (If you’re a truck driver and your license to drive trucks is revoked when you turn 65, what are you going to do?)  When a person retires, his income goes down and his taxes go up.  I was 64 when I arrived here.  The state employment office wouldn’t help me find work because I was so close to retirement age.

Finns get a lot of paid vacation, compared to Americans.  This cynical old boy has the idea that people don’t want to earn more, because that would just put them in a higher income tax bracket.  They want more time off with no reduction in pay.  Holiday (including vacation) time is not taxed.  Makes sense to me.

Education, whether it be university, technical school or trade school, is paid for by the Finnish taxpayer.  A student even receives a subsidy to study.  It’s very small, so students rent an apartment together, live at home or work while they study.  The government encourages students to take out educational loans so they can graduate more quickly.  Finns don’t graduate from school with as much debt as American students.  Unemployment rates are fairly high, so most students are afraid to go into debt, for fear that they may not get the jobs to pay the debt back.

Unemployment insurance is more in Finland compared to America and is available for a longer term.  Some Finns have adjusted their living expenses for their unemployment insurance and remain unemployed for a very long time.

Companies here pay sick leave, just as they do in America.  The difference here is that when your company sick leave runs out, the government (the taxpayer) will pick up the tab.  All you have to do to stay on the dole is to get a doctor to say that you’re too sick to work.  One would think that doctors, being on the government payroll, would hesitate to give someone who was not really sick a free ride, but 40,000 young men (0.8% of the population) are on government sick leave.  The government realizes that there is a problem here, but, as far as I know, they haven’t figured out what to do about it.

There’s a joke in Finland that says that if you see a man on a sidewalk smiling, you know that he is crazy, drunk, American or all of the above.  Another one says that you can identify a Finnish extrovert by the fact that he’s looking at your shoes instead of his own.  Humor has its roots in reality.  Jokes like these would go nowhere in America, but in Finland, they are funny.  But, humor aside, you get the common picture of an unsmiling Finnish male walking down the street with downcast eyes greeting no one along the way.  Why is this?  I don’t presume to know, but I can guess.  Male nature is innovative and risk taking.  The nanny state emphasizes safety and security.  In Finnish, safety and security are the same word.  You do what you’re told, obey the rules, don’t think outside the box and the government will take care of you.

Are all Finns like that?  No.  But those Finns usually move to America.  Two cases in point.  Eero Saarinen designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO.  Linus Torvalds organized the creation of a free computer operating system (Linux) that leaves Microsoft Windows (any version) in the dust, in the humble opinion of this computer professional.  The father of Nokia cellphones is one who didn’t leave.

But there is a difference between Finns and Americans.  Finland has never been free.  (Read the rest of this paragraph before you object.)  The original settlers were the Sami, who settled the northernmost regions of Finland, Sweden and Norway.  But most of Finnish society was settled about 1000 years ago by migrants from eastern Europe.  (The Finnish language is similar to only a few other languages, such as Hungarian.)  For 800 years, Finland was ruled by Sweden.  For another hundred years, she was ruled by Imperial Russia.  When Lenin led the Bolsheviks to victory, he set the Finns free to decide for themselves whether they wanted to be communist or not.  A year later, a civil war was fought over that issue.  The non-communists (Whites) won.  That’s a technicality.  Because Finland has so much of a collective nature in her government, it would be legitimate to think that the Reds won.  Finland is independent of foreign domination, but that doesn’t mean that she’s free.  When you’re free to do only what the government tells you to do, that’s not freedom.

When regulation of the details of one’s life becomes government policy, the mindset seeps down into all levels of government and private authority as well.  I have the sense that many Finns approach life with “What rules cover this activity?”

When you have a lot of regulation, you have a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of paperwork to help administer it.  When I wanted to marry here in Finland, the government wanted paper certification from my government that I was free to marry.  I had marriage licenses, divorce decrees and a death certificate, but this wasn’t enough.  I had to get a letter from the American Embassy stating that America doesn’t issue the document that the Finnish government wanted.  Privacy, American style, is unknown here.  How can the government regulate your life and provide for you in a “fair” system without knowing the details of your life?  A paperwork trail dodges the day-to-day life of the Finnish people.  The tragedy of this, in my opinion, is that Finns think that this is normal!

When there is so much regulation and paperwork, somebody has to administer it. There are many Finns who contribute absolutely nothing to the Finnish economy. These are the bureaucrats who shuffle papers, make certain that regulations are followed and who make sure that the tax money is “fairly” distributed among the Finnish people. My experience is that their prime concern is to make certain that there is enough in the treasury for the pay and benefits that the bureaucrats receive. It’s a shock when a Finnish taxpayer, who has paid high taxes for many years thinking that he’s helped to provide for poorer Finns, needs help. He then finds himself disqualified for that help on a technicality.

Americans, on the other hand have a legacy of small government, personal responsiblity and maximum freedom, but they are getting more and more accustomed to supporting more and more bureaucrats. In America, though, there is no Constitutional authority for most of these “workers”.  There are many who don’t want the nanny state in America and they are resisting collectivist efforts that will take their privacy and freedom.  Perhaps a solution would be to move those Americans who want the nanny state to Europe and to relocate freedom loving Europeans to America.

If a Finn says to himself, “Enough already!”, he must leave his country.  It’s easier to do these days, for the last several generations of Finns have studied English in school.  In America, if a state’s taxes and regulations become oppressive, the people can move to another state without much hassle.

California is so overtaxed and so over-regulated that businesses are leaving.  People are leaving, too.  So, the wisdom of the California legislature is to raise taxes and increase regulation.  Some Californians are not leaving, but are fighting.  But the U.S. Supreme Court’s “one man, one vote” decision made fighting the left coast a losing proposition.  This one-man, one-vote decision did away with the functional bicameral legislature where the House (or Assembly) seats were allocated by population and the Senate seats were allocated by county, thereby giving people in more rural areas a voice in their government.

When the over taxation and over regulation of Americans is done by the Federal Government, there is no country more free that most Americans can move to.  The only options are submission, political fighting, revolution or secession.

The Bible says that (the quality of) a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of the things that he possesses.  This means that you can be poor and happy.  You can also be rich and miserable.  There are happy Finns.  As an older man, I have some comfort in the government services that are available here in Finland.  But the fires of freedom still burn in this old chest.  I respect Finland and like the Finnish people.  I love one particular Finn with my whole heart, but my blood still runs red, white and blue.

Note: This article has been approved by my Finnish wife.