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A
common religious view is that Jesus will return and take out his people
before "all of the bad stuff" will happen in a future time of
tribulation.
Therefore,
many sincere Christians think that the U.S. dollar (FRN) will continue to
exist until the return of Jesus, or again, stated another way, they think
that the present fraud of the dollar can only end with the supernatural power
and might of the return of Jesus.
But
let me point out a few quick facts from history.
1.
Paper money failed in America when it was issued to soldiers who fought in
the American Revolutionary war, and was devalued to about zero. And
Jesus did not come back.
2.
Paper money failed in the USA on both sides, north and south, during the
American civil war, as it was issued to excess. (Inflation of 100% on
the union side, & currency destruction on the Confederate side).
And Jesus did not come back.
3.
Paper money failed in the USA in the 1930's when, during the depression,
banks collapsed by the thousands, there was a bank holiday, and paper money
was devalued against gold, which rose from the official price of $20.67/oz.
to $35/oz. And Jesus did not come back.
4.
Paper money failed in the USA in 1964, the last year silver was issued as 90%
coinage. After that, there were a few years of 40% silver half dollars
issued, but that was a debasement, because paper money was failing next to
silver, which rose above the cost of the coinage, or $1.40 per oz. And
Jesus did not come back.
5.
Paper money failed in the USA in 1968, the last year that silver certificates
were redeemed for silver. And Jesus did not come back.
6.
Paper money failed in the USA in 1971 when Nixon stopped the redemption of
gold to foreigners who were, formerly, still able to redeem gold certificates
for gold. And Jesus did not come back.
7.
The current paper money in the USA known as the dollar has already lost 99%
of its purchasing power since the time that a dollar was a silver dollar and
a day's wage, as a day's wage is now more like $100. And Jesus did not
come back!
Do you
note a running theme here? If history is any guide, American USA paper
money will fail once again, and it might just fail long before Jesus comes
back.
In
fact, I think paper money will have to fail, world wide, before Jesus comes
back, and this study explains why.
So if
you are wondering where all the Christians are, and why they are not taking
more action to fight against fraudulent money, and support Biblical honest
weights and measures, I think it's likely that they are simply deceived.
Worse yet, many Christians try to use government force of fraud and
theft to cram
their unscriptural views down other people's throats, not
only wasting their time, but bringing down a bad name on God and other
Christians.
I
agree with the "pre tribulation rapture" view, and I have spent
years as an advocate and defender of the view at my other site, www.bibleprophesy.org,
where I clarify many common misconceptions.
But it
is grossly inaccurate to think that there will be no tribulation at all prior
to the "great tribulation" to come. Just look around, there
is plenty of tribulation in the world today.
In
order for me to appropriately address and refute a common religious
viewpoint, I must go to the Bible, and present a more scripturally complete
prophetic view. If you are uninterested in the discussions that
Christians have over such things, you are free to stop reading.
I
think Jesus will let the fraud of paper money fail, world wide, and let the
world enjoy the fruits of honest money one last time, before the mark of the
beast.
There
are several prophetic reasons, besides the guide of history, to suggest that
paper money will fail, and not be a feature of a world economy, but
rather, gold and silver will be used as money, and will be very
important at the time of the end.
I will
list three key scriptures that show the importance of silver and gold as it
relates to prophecy.
First,
the wealth of the world will be gold and silver and it is said to be
collected to Jerusalem by the time of the end.
Zech
14:14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The
wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected — great
quantities of gold and silver and clothing.
Second,
gold and silver appear to be used in the economy of Israel. Their wealth
in gold and silver is the cause of the invasion, in Ezekiel 38-39, which many
people place at the time of the return of Jesus, whether they believe in a
pre, or post tribulation return of Jesus.
Ezekiel
39:13 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?"
Third,
the antichrist is said to control "the treasures of gold and
silver".
Daniel
11:43 But he shall have power over the
treasures of gold and of silver, and over all
the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at
his steps.
While
Daniel says "Egypt," it is important to note that the term
"Egypt" is sometimes used to describe Jerusalem in scripture.
Revelation
11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually
is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our
Lord was crucified.
Clearly,
Jesus was killed in Jerusalem, hence
the gold and silver is to be gathered to Jerusalem by the time of the end,
as indicated by those three verses.
Today,
however, it appears that the gold of the world is being dispersed to and
among the people of the nations, not gathered to one central location.
For
example, in recent years, India has been importing about 800 tonnes of gold
per year, while world mining produces 2500 tonnes per year, and central banks
may be selling about 500 to 1000 tonnes per year on top of that. In
dollar terms, world gold mine production is $80 billion, and India imports
$25 billion in gold.
To help put India's gold imports into perspective, India's average per capita
income is $1016 per year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_India
India's
economy is $1209 billion, making gold still an insignificant portion, 2%, of
the economy of one of the world's poorest nations, and world's largest gold
importer.
Yet,
India, one of the world's poorest nations by capita, consumes nearly one
fifth, or twenty percent, of the world's gold.
This
is a dispersion of gold, or gifting of gold, towards the poorest people in
the world.
If the
poorest people of the world are buying 1/5th of the world's gold, it implies
that gold is cheap. It is also being dispersed surprisingly equitably,
or evenly. India has over 1 billion people, about 1/6th of the world
population!
This
more even distribution of gold would seem to be a necessary first step prior
to setting up a world monetary system that used silver and gold! Isn't
that interesting?
God
advises his people to buy gold at the time of the end, and he even says why,
"that thou mayest be rich".
Rev
3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see.
Most
people in the Church today say this is a "spiritual" message, and
not literal. But obeying the literal message is a spiritual
action. Buying gold is an act of obedience to hundreds of instructions
and passages in the Bible, to avoid fraud, avoid false weights and measures,
avoid idols, avoid usury, that men will reap what they sow, etc.
Another
scripture shows that most of the world's gold will end up in Jerusalem, and
that silver and gold become extremely valuable.
In
Revelation 18, we see that at the time of the end, Jerusalem will be buying
the world's gold and silver to a large enough degree that when she is
destroyed, and can no longer buy gold and other luxuries, the merchants of
the world cry over it.
Revelation
18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man
buyeth their merchandise any more: 12 The merchandise of gold, and
silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and
silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and
all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
In any
market, if the major buyer stops buying, prices go down. That implies
that if there is a major buyer, like Jerusalem, that buyer was making the
price go up.
When
the flow of gold turns and reverses, from being dispersed to poor people as
it is today, to being gathered to Jerusalem, the price must go up.
Again,
for the gold to get dragged out of these hands who are buying it
"religiously" today in India and gather it back into one central
location in Jerusalem, the cost will be enormous, and the price of gold will
have to skyrocket.
How
will Jerusalem get the gold?
Bible
prophecy suggests to me that the way that the gold will be re-gathered will
be as
gold is monetized, and used as money again, and if the
world powers begin making loans
in paper gold, and collecting interest payments in real gold.
Usury is the power of compounding at interest and has been called the most
powerful force in the world, and so, usury is likely to be the
force used to gather the world's gold to Jerusalem, in my
opinion.
It
could take about a generation, or maybe two.
There
are several other reasons I see this as a necessary event, prior to the
return of the Lord.
Money
is a major theme of prophecy. Specifically, the failure to observe
God's laws on usury (lending at interest), lead to becoming enslaved by
conquest.
God's
wrath and punishments were said to be tied to the monetary crimes of failing
to observe the sabbath rests of debt forgiveness, which are a way to stop the
continual compounding of usury. (Note, there is little need to obey
these "debt forgiveness" laws on the 7th year if you never borrow
or never lend, because you would be observing debt forgiveness all the
time. Likewise, there is little need to "rest on the 7th day"
if you rest from your own works to do the Lord's work.)
Daniel
understood this. In Daniel chapter 9, when he heard from an Angel, who
spoke to Daniel about the punishment of God increasing 7 times, Daniel saw
that the punishment of 70 years of Captivity in Babylon became 70 weeks of
years. The final 70th week is to be the future 7 year tribulation of
prophecy.
Where
in the Bible does it speak of God's punishment increasing 7 times?
Leviticus 26.
Leviticus
26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will
bring seven times more
plagues upon you according to your sins.
This
decree by God, a 7 times worse punishment for rebelling against God and not
listening to God, is interesting. It forms the basis of prophecy today,
the basis for the upcoming 7 year tribulation.
This
decree of a 7 fold punishment is confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45,
where Jesus describes how if a man is cleansed from an unclean spirit, he may
find 7 more spirits return and end up worse off than before.
Getting
back to the punishment of God back in Daniel's day, predicted in
Leviticus. The reason for the punishment is because the people never
obeyed the sabbath times of debt forgiveness. They may have
"rested on the 7th day" as most Jews today do, but they probably
never set free all debtors and slaves on the 7th years, and 50th years, as
required by God's laws. The sabbaths were times of MONETARY DEBT
FORGIVENESS, or USURY RELEASE. (Leviticus 25, and Deuteronomy 15)
The
Babylonian captivity (going into slavery) allows the land to rest, and is a
fair and just punishment for enslaving others through usury, it's literally,
"an eye for an eye".
Leviticus
26:34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies
desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest
and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate, the
land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.
It
makes historic and economic sense. A free people will fiercely fight to
be free. An enslaved people would tend to welcome "foreign
liberators". Slaves tend to not fight very well in battle, because
they have nothing to fight for. Also, a people who falsely think, "God
will save me" without having to lift a finger, will find themselves
overwhelmingly surprised.
God
may work miracles of salvation, but it's usually, if not always, when men act
in faith. Not even Jesus could heal when men lacked faith.
In
summary, prophecy is about the punishment upon God's people (and ultimately
forgiveness) for failing to observe the restrictions on usury, as all debts
need to be forgiven, forgotten, and wiped out, for everyone in society, every
7 years. Debt forgiveness is also prophetic for our forgiveness of sins
by Jesus.
Revelation
17-18 brings further clarification. There will be three major players,
all different. There will be two beasts, a 7th beast, and an 8th, and a
woman who rides the 7th beast. This speaks of two world kingdoms that
come one after another, the 8th beast is the world kingdom of the
antichrist. Nebuchadnezzar of Daniel's day acted like a beast for 7
years, the length of the tribulation, the length of time that appears to be
allotted for the 8th beast. The economic system of the 8th beast is
"the mark of the beast".
This
implies that there will be a 7th beast world kingdom, set up, and lasting for
perhaps a generation, prior to the return of Jesus at the start of the
tribulation.
World
kingdoms have similar features, and Nebuchadnezzar was said to be the
"head of gold" on the statue in his dreams. All world
kingdoms in human history have used gold as money, and they create a
temporary "world peace", as there are no nations left to fight.
Both
features of world government appear to be the signs given in Ezekiel 38, just
prior to the invasion, and start of the 7 year tribulation. Those two
features of world government are world
peace, and a high value for silver and gold,
Today,
the nations of the world are in debt to their eyeballs, and so are the
people. They are increasingly less capable of fighting off a world
government.
Remember,
the punishment for not forgiving debts is enslavement; so it appears the
world will become enslaved to a 7th beast, due to the sin of paper debt
money.
The
7th beast appears to be dramatically different than the 8th beast.
The
7th beast is ridden, and controlled by the Harlot, Babylon the Great.
The kings of the 7th beast turn on the Harlot to destroy her, and then power
is given to the 8th beast.
Revelation
17:16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will
bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her
with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose
by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are
fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules
over the kings of the earth."
Who is
this harlot, and how does she rule the kings of the earth? I believe
she rules through lending to the nations, at interest, or usury.
Deuteronomy
15:6 For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt
lend unto many nations, but thou shalt
not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign
over thee.
Proverbs
22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the
borrower is servant to the lender.
I
believe this woman is Jerusalem, or Israel.
http://www.bibleprophesy.org/rev1718.htm
She
lends to the kings of the earth for "security", rather than
trusting in the king of kings (God) for her security. That's why her
actions are called "harlotry" -- she is an unfaithful wife.
To pay
the interest on the national debt, the IRS resorts to extortion. A
house built on violence against its own people will not stand.
So, I
see that the current world system of "paper usury" will fail, and
out of that failure, the world will set up the 7th beast kingdom, which will
likely have a monetary system of gold and silver being lent at usury, which
will ultimately gather the bulk of the world's silver and gold to Jerusalem.
Then,
after most of the gold is gathered there, it creates the lure, the occasion
for a "pre Armageddon-like" conflict from Ezekiel 38, that starts
the 7 year tribulation. Then, the antichrist arises "after the
false armageddon", promising peace, like Christ is expected to do, and
likely blaming gold and silver for the world's troubles (when really it was
usury), and he brings in his solution, an economic system of the mark of the
beast, (probably called "the seal of God") which could be an
electronic credit based system, entirely without gold or silver.
And
yet, so many tell me that the Bible is "all spiritual" and has
"nothing to do with money". What book are they reading?
Did it
all really change in the New Testament? No. Nearly all the
parables of the kingdom that Jesus told were about money, and result in
inconsistent interpretations if you take them as anything other than about
money.
See:
http://silverstockreport.com/email/parable_treasure.html
A main
feature of the millennial kingdom is to restore monetary fairness in the
world, and prevent property and monetary theft by thieves, governments, and
usurers.
Isaiah
65:21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and
eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in
them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days
of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the
works of their hands.
There
are, of course, many other blessings of God's kingdom, such as long life, no
sickness, (God's free health care plan), no war.
America
spends 14% of its economy on health care. Imagine if it had no health
care costs, and imagine of all the people who needed health care, and who
provided health care, could be productive members of society, instead.
America
spends about 7% of its economy on national defense. Again, imagine if
all that money were spent on productive things, instead, and if all the
people involved in that entire industry could be productive members of
society, instead.
As with all things having to do with Bible Prophecy, I've only just scratched
the surface. There are many more dimensions, points of view, themes,
etc.
Here
are a few of my best Bible Studies on the topic of money, I often point
people to such articles in direct response to common questions:
- 666 Mark of the Beast 1998
- Gold
and Silver in Bible Prophecy December,
2001
- The
Great Harlot of Rev 17-18 is Jerusalem, & what that means.
October,
2002
- Usury
Enslaves Jan 19, 2004
- Freedom
from Usury Jan 23, 2004
- Bible Verses on how to Manage Money
November, 2005
- The Use of Paper Money Violates All of the Ten Commandments
July 2, 2006
- The Stumbling Block of their Iniquity
April 9, 2008
- Biblical
Political Positions February 7, 2009
Many
say that a central theme of Prophecy is Jesus. I agree. Sin is
like debt. When we sin, we owe an unpayable debt to God who decreed
that sin leads to death, and thus, demands a blood sacrifice. Jesus
came to settle our debts, to end debts, to buy back us slaves, and to tear
down all authorities and powers.
Jesus
bought us by paying his blood for us.
Acts
20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over
the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood.
There
is one final reason to suspect there will be a time of peace and prosperity
that a world government using silver and gold as money would bring.
Many
people today are in dire poverty, too poor to even have time to read or have
anyone teach them the gospel.
Matthew
24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come.
What
greater witness than to have the world experience the provision of God, an
economy based on gold and silver, which will allow great wealth the world
over, to be able to hear what God says about his kingdom, and money.
But
just as all times of freedom and prosperity do not last, and just as God's
people fell back into bondage time and time again as described repeatedly all
through the book of Judges, it will cycle again just the same.
Then,
the great squeeze on gold and silver will begin. The people of the
world will, once again, grow poor by usury, as they always do after they
experience great wealth and freedom, and Jerusalem will grow rich by usury.
The
people of the world will blame gold for their misery instead of correctly
blaming usury. Gold is described as their "stumbling block".
http://www.silverstockreport.com/2008/stumblingblock.html
Ezekiel
7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall
be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be
able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they
shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the
stumblingblock of their iniquity.
Even
in this verse, gold is described as something of extremely high value, as not
even gold shall save them. The phrase has no meaning if gold is worth
little, but only has meaning if gold is worth quite a lot.
The
world will then turn on Jerusalem and God, and be deceived by the mark of the
beast.
Finally,
Jesus will return to restore an honest free market economy based on silver
and gold, with no usury, or at least with proper Biblical limits on usury,
for the rest of the millennial kingdom.
While
owning gold cannot save an unrighteous person from the wrath of Jesus, it is
important to note what gold is. Gold is God's provision, his gift, his
tool for us to conduct peaceful and honest trade with others, and could very
well be his holy mechanism to fulfill prophecy in many ways, particularly
further the gospel in the last time.
Yes, I
own paper money cash, too, and I don't know how to avoid it. I can't
force supermarkets and other stores to take silver or gold, so I must have
some cash. And for people who want to sell silver or gold to me, such
sellers only take cash, which I must have. So, yes, I do have, and use,
some paper money, but I try to limit it as much as I can.
By
using paper money, I admit that I violate all of the ten commandments.
http://www.silverstockreport.com/email/commandments.html
Thank
God Jesus died for my sins, because I need the forgiveness badly.
Rom
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
1John
1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us.
1John 1:9 If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
Rom
10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation.
Mat
10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess
also before my Father which is in heaven.
I
suppose I could avoid the use of unrighteous money altogether if I became a
wanderer with a group of 12 disciples like Jesus did, but I simply don't have
the courage.
Knowing
what sin is, by the study of the Old Testament, I find I cannot avoid it, but
I can try to minimize it in my life.
This
paper was written Jason Hommel and I'm not affiliated with any relgious
organization. This is a non-denominational study. So, is it
reliable?
How
does the Bible say to determine the truth of such things? Here's one
way.
1
Corinthians 14:29 Let the prophets speak two or
three, and let the other judge.
Therefore,
please print out this document (using the printer friendly link at the top
of:
www.silverstockreport.com/2009/gold-gather.html
And
please share this
document with your pastor of your Church, and ask him
what he thinks. Don't accept any sort of glib dismissal such as
"there are no signs before the imminent rapture", which is
contradicted by Rev 3:3, AND 1 Thess 5:4. Why would we be told to
watch, if there is nothing to watch for? Ask him to put the verses
above into a better context than I did. Ask him how could there be a rapture
before a 7 year tribulation, and what is the tribulation based on, if
not Ezekiel's mention of 7 years in Ezekiel 39, and Daniel's 70th week in
Daniel 9. Ask him if Paul's reference to "peace and safety"
in 1 Thess 5:3 is not a direct reference to Ezekiel 38, and if it's not a
reference to that, then what other passage?
Sincerely,
Jason Hommel
www.find-your-local-coin-shop.com
www.silverstockreport.com
www.miningpedia.com
www.bibleprophesy.org
Read
all the other articles written by Jason Hommel
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