Many christians long to dissect the book of Revelation to decipher its message in a modern context. We may, at last, be appreciative how events support the believer’s heart cry for the imminent return of our Lord. Natural disasters suggesting climate change with crop failures, mystery pandemics, and “signs in the heavens” which might be connected to the global satellites modern technologies are dependent on [Luke 21:11]; the dissolution of the traditional family unit [Luke 12:53], and an apostate world at war against the people of God in the Near East [Ezekiel 38:15; Revelation 16:11-16] are all elements of this prophecy which now appear at least in embryonic form [I Thessalonians 5:3].
The coming sorrow is characterized by one more condition: The ultimate crash of a global market upon which all buying and selling was contingent.
“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore Revelation 18:11
Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?” ’ Ezekiel 38:13
The prophecy speaks of the final end of “the love of money” or greed [Luke 12:15] which has traditionally stood in opposition to simple faith [Matthew 6:24]. As such the “market” must be seen in a biblical context in opposition to God’s provisional care.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have…. Hebrews 13:5 NIV
The details of a collapsing market place could not even be imagined—let alone, explained—before globalization became a key concept. The globe has shrunken down into a virtual one country, one “peoples,” central marketplace. The Stock Market has become active across economically poorer, developing countries in Africa and the Far East. These are known as emerging markets. These in effect are dominoes just waiting to be toppled by a lawless greed.
Few still cannot imagine the prophecy gaining any traction since world markets seem to be expanding, but some economists may now envision the possibility since the civilized world redefined what money is. We went off the gold standard in ’71 and decided to put our future profits in “land.” Real estate is a limited resource with respect to a demand for housing. Buy old houses, fix them up and resell them for a profit. Sounds good but most people don’t have the business acumen or resources for it. So investors decided to make money itself worth buying and selling.
There is a new word to learn: Seigniorage. Money is now simply printed, bid on, and bought and sold like any stock, bond or other market vehicle. But what do you buy money with? Buy Euros with dollars or Yen with British Pounds, etc. The Mercantile Exchange in Chicago introduced currency futures as a derivative to hedge against large swings in the price of the currency of choice.
I picture the day when paper money (and specie) will no longer exist. (It’s beginning in Scandinavia.) Wealth will be only a ledger entry on possibly a “bitcoin” or e-currency balance sheet. Money always was three things: a source of wealth, a medium of exchange, and the standard of value. But this description no longer works.
Seigniorage is the profit from creating money. $5.3 trillion per day is done in trading currency. — George Gilder , “The Scandal of Money: Why Wall Street Recovers but the Economy Never Does” p.66.
Money as a measuring stick—a measurement of wealth—now is constantly changing [a floating currency]. The value of any currency now fluctuates with the market. It is no measuring stick it all.
Just a footnote here: A free market or capitalism only thrives in a democracy which is culturally faithful to the rule of law. Anarchy, autarky, and communism see an advantage in greed (which is the market’s governing passion) and does not have the moral or ethical fortitude to allow—or even want—a global prosperity to work.
The stage is near set for the seals to be broken and the prophetic scrolls of Revelation to be read by the Lamb of God at His pending return.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20
