We continue with our theme of 12 endtime fuses, covering the 8th in our informal list. As we have always pointed out, each of these so-called “fuses” identifies a shift in mankind’s beliefs. As such, we are not expressly listing endtime signs of various types, just those that relate to the new beliefs of mankind … namely, the individual and personal choices that people will make. We maintain that all of these shifts are global in scope, and taken together, are of “endtime” significance.

The last “fuse” (#7) that we reviewed was mankind’s insistence that “lying and stealing” be the foundation of global prosperity and human self-dependence. The Bible says that this approach carries with it a curse and will ultimately result in a complete breakdown of mankind’s global systems and societies.

The 8th fuse that we will discuss is a related offshoot—the set of beliefs that underlie the endemic widening of the world wealth skew. What we mean here is the increasing unevenness of the world’s wealth distribution, both between individuals and nations. Just how does this relate to an endtime shift in human beliefs?

The Road to Serfdom and the Ultra-Wealthy

It is only in the last 3 decades or so that major communist nations embraced many of the “free market” economic principles of the developed Western world. For example, the former mortal enemy of the United States—Russia—gave way to “glasnost” and radically shifted its economic orientations. China, too, shifted its focus in the late 1970s when Deng Xiaoping, leader of China’s Communist Party, led the nation toward a market economy.

These changes and others were seen to be so phenomenal that one political scientist even went so far as to pronounce the “end of history,” as he believed that democracy and free market capitalism had finally trounced the whole world.1 Viewing this as the pinnacle achievement of all time, no more history was seen to be necessary.

However, it is more than interesting to note that both Russia and China (the largest of previously non-aligned nations) were quick to adopt some of the worst characteristics of the Western world. Before long their societies were marked by massive wealth disparities. Today, 83 members of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) are US dollar billionaires.2 This is the largest concentration of billionaires in political office anywhere. (By contrast, the U.S. only has one billionaire in politics, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.) Russia, according to a 2013 survey by Forbesmagazine, has a total of 101 billionaires, and many of them have been dependent upon political linkages.

Such statistics are symptomatic of an unequal wealth distribution. Russia and China today have very high Gini scores. (The Gini rating has a scale from 0 to 1 and is named after Corrado Gini, an Italian economist. The higher the number, the more unequal the wealth distribution. For example, a measure of 1.0 would mean that 100% of all wealth was owned by one person.)

Wealth distribution in the U.S. is also very uneven. It has a Gini score that is nearly as extreme as Russia’s. The reality is that this phenomenon of increasing concentration of wealth is a worldwide trend. Wealth ownership may be more concentrated in the world today than perhaps ever before in human history. And, it is also interesting to note that this unprecedented wealth imbalance has occurred hand-in-hand with the growing focus of many organizations such as the United Nations, upon the eradication of world poverty (i.e. Millennium Development Goals).

Just why have these trends come about? Why at this time? Why would wealth distribution not be fairer and more even? Moreover, we will posit here that it helps to facilitate the emergence of a global elite … a small group of people who are extremely wealthy and powerful, and may control key sectors of the world economy and political spheres. Such conditions would not happen without explanation. Crucially, human beliefs and philosophies have played an instrumental role.

Anyone familiar with the board game Monopoly will have observed that one person ends up winning, often owning all the property. When that happens, the game is over and a new one must be started. The ultra pro-wealth policies that we see today are leading to a similar, winner-take-all imbalance.

This tendency of “wealth begetting wealth” today is viewed by many economists as a flaw of capitalism. They observe that over time, the competitive economic arena leads to winners who then become very large or wealthy, in turn having the ability to suppress new competitors. These trends eventually lead to instability and future economic destruction.

Eschatology and Wealth

Is the condition of the wealthy becoming richer and fewer, the relatively poor more so, an endtime trend? Is it prophesied? Yes; James specifically prophesies that an amassing of riches plays a role in the end times. He says, “Now listen, you rich people […] You have hoarded wealth in the last days” (James 5:1, 3). The King James translation, in this writer’s opinion, translates this condition of amassing wealth more accurately, stating, “Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (verse 3).

Here, we understand that not only has wealth increased overall, but it is also “heaped” or “amassed,” as is implied by the Greek word thesaurizo. This is an important distinction, as it gives evidence of a wealth skew. Wealth cannot be heaped and concentrated without there being a deprivation of someone else’s wealth. As we have often pointed out, for someone to become rich, someone else must be coaxed into becoming relatively poorer, or more indebted and indentured. Here, we see that indebted governments can play a facilitating role in the transfer of wealth from the masses to an opportunistic ultra-wealthy class.

These conditions are in alignment with the character described of the Antichrist of the “end” period. Greed and economic oppression are the prominent characteristics portrayed.  For example: “The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and he enjoys the choicest food” (Habakkuk 1:15-16).

Moreover, “[…] he is greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples” (Habakkuk 2:5). This endtime regime is motivated by greed and is global in span, as it takes “all the nations” and “all the peoples” captive. “Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion!” (verse 6). “Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain, to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin!” (verse 9). Habakkuk’s prophecies could not provide a more accurate description of the world’s emerging ruling structure of our times, and perhaps yet in the future.

Biblical Perspectives on Super Wealth

We do not wish to participate in any politicizing when making our observations; but rather intend only to contrast these trends against the benchmarks and principles that the Bible prescribes.

Consider God’s prescriptions for the Hebrew. They were required to observe the Sabbath year. Every seventh year, they were to allow their fields to lay fallow and settle all outstanding debts.  This convention, not surprisingly, served to slow this “winner take all” tendency of human economies. In a sense, it would serve to reprime the “Monopoly game” every 7 years. With a Sabbath year being observed, the development of wealth imbalances and economic inequality would be restrained, though likely not entirely eradicated.

In addition, there was the observation commanded of the great Jubilee Year. “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan.” The 25th chapter of Leviticus lays out a detailed set of rules as to how the Jubilee Year was to be observed.

In effect, every 50 years, a completely new game of “Monopoly” was decreed. Property was restored to its original owners. The year prior (the 49th year being a Sabbath Year), all debts would have been laid flat as well. The main difference of the Jubilee Year as compared to the Sabbath Year, was that land was returned to the original tribe and family and indentured labor (slavery) was broken. Together, these two Sabbath ordinances (both the 7th Sabbath year and the Jubilee Year) ensured that freedom, wealth distribution and incentives for production and income stayed in balance.

The practice of the Sabbath and Jubilee years was very effective. It did not bring about an economically dependent class of people with a sense of entitlement … who did not want to work for a living. Industrious and entrepreneurial people were still rewarded for their efforts. Individuals could still become wealthy. All the same, under this God-given 7-year and 50-year debt and economic cycle, it was much less likely that an oppressed class of indebted and poor could emerge.

Were the main principles behind these two Sabbath years observed today, our current globalized world of money would not be so dangerously imbalanced. It would be very different and not so vulnerable to an endtime development of a global elite. There was no basis for debt becoming a major asset of wealth, thereby ultimately facilitating the wealth skew that we see today. To illustrate this point in part, consider that more than 70% of the value of securitized assets in the world today are forms of debt.

The Jubilee Year ensured another benefit. There would be no permanent indentured slave class—either individuals or nation states. The maximum period of slavery could only be 50 years. As such, at least once in each person’s lifetime, one could be saved from slavery. All could be saved. Poverty, therefore, had fewer tendencies to fester as an intergenerational problem. That is not the case today.

The Endtime Super Rich in the Bible

The Prophet Daniel speaks of a class of elites in the very same verse that also refers to the Antichrist: “And he [the Antichrist] shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgethhim he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price” (Daniel 11:39, ASV).

Who are “them” that will “increase with glory” and “rule over many,” and play a role in the dividing of land “for a price”? The answer—those that “acknowledge him,” the Antichrist (which can also mean the Antichrist system of world rule). Virtually all English Bible translations use the word “acknowledge.” It means here that certain key people who recognize him and accept his authority will receive a reward—land. It should be noted that the original Aramaic word used for “land” in this verse can also convey the idea of property or economic domain as well as geographic area. After all, in ancient times, land was the main foundation of wealth and economy.

It only follows that these elites, whoever they are, must be a small group of people who likely will be influential in their own right. Why? They will be made rulers over many. As not everyone can be made a ruler over many, these will be few. Not only is this logical, but the Bible also specifically tell us what the reward will be for everybody else … in other words, all the rest of the masses that acknowledge and worship the Antichrist. They will not be killed (a negative reward) and will be allowed to “buy or sell.” He causes, “[…] all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell”(Revelation 13:15-16).

The elites, on the other hand, are bought off for their loyalty with further reward … the additional pay-off of power or economic domain, quite possibly. It is the same or similar deal that Satan offered Christ when he was being tested in the wilderness, promising “[…] authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours” (Luke 4:6-7).

These elites selected for reward must have something to barter in return … likely their fame or endorsement. We are given at least a few criteria with which to identify who these elites might be at that future date. In the first instance, they must be humans. Also, they must be capable of being rulers, already likely possessing some measure of power and authority. And, they must be willing worldly complicitors.

Although these final events play out during the future Tribulation period(and therefore really do not concern us), it may already be possible today to discern the power structures that these elites might command. Of course, we can only speculate as to whom these persons may be that the Prophet Daniel mentions. One possibility is that they could be powerful heads of large multinational corporations (MNCs). After all, some of these companies are already today larger than many individual nations in terms of their commercial influence and economic footprint. Or, these may be wealthy powerbrokers whose domains span many industries and countries. We can only speculate.

Thoughts to Ponder

Are our views to be seen as a vote for socialism? Not at all. Readers must remember that the ordinances that God commanded of the Hebrews (the Sabbath and Jubilee years, rules of Levitical lending …etc.) far precede the modern politicized idea of socialism (or any other “ism”) and have very little in common. God’s prescription would most certainly be more efficacious that any of the ideas of mankind.

The point to observe in relation to this 8th Burning Fuse, is that it is modern-day beliefs that have served to bring much of these conditions about. The rights of super-wealthy individuals or organizations to arrange their affairs to their maximum benefit, without consideration of the side-effects and fairness attributable to society, are out of balance. Indeed, the poor are still with us, as Christ said would be the case (Matthew 26:11).

The Israelites fell out of the practice of honoring the Sabbath and Jubilee years. Before long, they disobediently again chose to “work around the clock, 24-7,” instead of allowing God’s creation to rest. Prophets were sent to warn them of the consequences (e.g. Jeremiah and Ezekiel). Eventually, the Sabbath became nothing more than a ritualistic nuisance. Amos revealed the attitude of those times: “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?—skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat” (Amos 8:5-6).

In contrast, God commanded the Israelites not to be so overly taken up with productivity and the act of squeezing the last “mite” from every transaction. He told them to ease up. “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 23:22).

In time, God punished Israel and Judah for not observing this ordinance. The 70-year captivity in Babylon was directly proportionate to the number of Sabbaths that Judah had not observed for the previous 490 years, as Moses had warned (Leviticus 26:34). “The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah” (2 Chronicles 36:21).

A similar parallel could be seen to apply to the entire world. Mankind’s imperfect economies of oppression, poverty, greed, corruption and extremely unequal wealth distribution of the past thousands of years, will come to an end during the Tribulation. It will be followed by the Millennial world … the Messianic reign representing peace and justice.

1 Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, 1992.
2 Hurun Global Rich List 2013

We continue our theme of 12 Endtime Fuses Burning. They all represent a change in the beliefs or the idolatries of humanity. Crucially, all of these changes are relatively recent in the timeline of human history; and all have the potential for explosive impact.

We quote from an article written by Mr. Robert Kaplan, Chief Geopolitical Analyst for Stratfor, entitled “Machiavelli’s Virtue”:

What is modernity? Is it skyscrapers, smart phones, wonder drugs, atomic bombs? You’re not even close. Modernity, at least in the West, is the journey away from religious virtue toward secular self-interest. Religious virtue is fine for one’s family and the world of private morality. But the state—that defining political structure of modern times—requires something colder, more chilling. For the state must organize the lives of millions of strangers and protect their need to selfishly acquire material possessions. […] The state appeals not to God, but to individual selfishness. Thus, it clears the path for progress.

Mr. Kaplan may just as well have provided an exegesis of various Bible Scriptures, because his observations are correct. The Bible clearly does confirm the values upon which worldly affairs would be conducted—self-interest (or vested-interest). What Mr. Kaplan neglects to mention is that the world and its leaders would be “cursed” because of this state of affairs (for example, see Isaiah 24:3-6).

The world in this present state is surely run by self- and vested-interest. That’s not to say that there are not people who are other-worldly; to whom the things of this world appear strangely dim; or whose motives are inspired by love. It is just that there are much less of them. The values of the world, its societies and people, have been roundly turned toward materialism in recent times.

A century of humanistic influences has revised the definitions of human happiness, achievement, and progress. None of these are any longer defined by “eternal values” or from an eternal timeline. Success in these endeavors is defined solely in terms of material wealth, net worth, GDP growth, a rising standard of living or a rising MSCI World All-Country Index (representing the global stock market value).

By necessity, a world that is defined by the “need to selfishly acquire material possessions,” and is set apart from “private morals” or conscience and “religious virtue,” must be terrifyingly competitive. It would be a world of deceit and theft. And, indeed, such conduct and doctrine is accepted today in the world of geopolitics and political economy.

Not surprisingly, the Bible prophesies exactly such conditions. We find this message in the two visions of the Prophet Zechariah, found in chapter 5 of the book of the same name. Here are mentioned the two sins that would define the world of the last days—lying and stealing (verse 3). A two-part article series entitled “Flying Scrolls and Baskets: A Vision of Today,” outlines these connections (MCM May and June 2007 issues).

These sins tie in directly to the commercialized global corruption and political globalism that we see enveloping the world today. This short chapter in Zechariah of only 11 verses, contains two separate but important visions of the endtimes. Readers will recall the account of a giant scroll that is levitating in the air (verses 1 to 4). Right after this, the angel speaking to Zechariah shows him another vision. We then see a strange picture of an ephah (measuring basket) being transported by two women with the wings of storks.

We concluded that the false witness (lying) and the stealing being mentioned specifically had to do with the global idolatrous materialism and corruption of all human life on earth of the last days. Pinpointed were the two sins that are mainly responsible for the filthy idolatry that was shown in the flying ephah—lying and stealing.

Encompassed in these visions, we concluded, was everything from the elevation of manipulative and global monetary systems, fiat money, capitalism, competitive globalism based on the vested interest of intertwined worldwide trading systems, accounting shenanigans, corporatism and debt-based wealth to grand larceny. To this end, dishonesty and corruption must be accepted by the world as being the norm. All together it represents a humanity that denies truth. Yet, it is even much worse than that: It is a world which insists that untruth and deceit … for instance, a bit of inflation … is necessary to grease the wheels of daily life and progress.

According to Zechariah’s visions, we see that the corrosiveness and imbalances of these moral liberalities literally consumed “the timber thereof and the stones thereof” (Zechariah 5:4), this symbolizing the collapse of mankind’s societies. Policymakers and leaders fail to recognize that permissiveness and endorsement of such ungodly values must have an impact on the morality (actually a two-way cause and effect) of entire societies. Eventually a complete moral breakdown occurs, whether in commerce or sexual mores.

Lying and Stealing for Mankind’s Good

Let’s next examine the roles of these two endtime conditions of institutionalized lying and stealing.

Firstly lying—in other words, swearing falsely in the name of truth. It is the lubricant of our world’s economic and geopolitical systems. At the highest levels, lying is mirrored in the institution of contract law. Most contracts today are made on the premise of what is legally allowable as opposed to what is right or moral. The same attitude applies to the world of geopolitics. The “lie” is the most deftly used technique in the pursuit of a nation’s interests. Lying and deceit are definitely essential. The same applies to statecraft in dealing with the public.

What about stealing? In our time, stealing is more prevalent than ever before. Moreover, it has become much more sophisticated. There are numerous types of stealing that are institutionalized into world systems. For example, consider the phenomenon of inflation (the price of goods continually rising in currency terms). It is one of the biggest and most deceiving forms of stealing. Yet, every central bank in the world today will argue that some stealing (inflation) is necessary for the smooth and safe functioning of economies and financial systems. In fact, currently, a number of the world’s largest central banks are deliberately trying to encourage inflation.

Stealing is endemic and accepted in many other areas. Corporate executives steal from shareholders (like never before), and countries try to steal precious resources from other countries (oil, for example), although such motivations are couched in official policy-speak such as “securing our interests” or “gaining access through free trade.” Such techniques are the norm today.

Without a doubt, we see that swearing falsely and stealing are at the very root and apex of man’s global endtime edifice.

Returning to the earlier-quoted Mr. Kaplan, despite his cogent perspectives on the world’s state of affairs, he concludes: “This is not something to lament, however. For in the last analysis, self-interest can lead to peace while rigid moral principles can lead to war. Self-interest informs compromise with other human beings.”

He chooses to have faith that Global Man can tame and harness Mammon for the good of mankind by using Machiavellian techniques (namely, the endorsed lying and stealing among other ungodly tactics). He couldn’t be more wrong. One day there will be a new order, one diametrically opposite to what we have today. It will not be defined by self-interest or vested-interest. Truth, peace, justice and love will prevail. That will occur to an extent in the 1,000-year kingdom outlined in the Bible. The final perfect state occurs after this period when the eternal New Jerusalem descends.

Last Day Deceits and Corruption
Zechariah’s message aligns with that of many other prophecies in the Bible. Deception is shown to be a key characteristic of the last days in much prophetic Scripture (both in the Old and New Testaments). Of course, deceit has always existed. However, the book of Daniel clearly forewarns that the last regime—the one that ultimately gives rise to the Antichrist and the final rebellion against God—is one marked by great deception. “[…] a master of intrigue will arise […] He will cause deceit to prosper” (8:23-25); “It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground” (8:12).

Not only will there be rampant spiritual and religious deception during the last days1—clearly evident today—but deceit and corruption will infuse the entire world in every respect, including politics and commerce. The two go hand-in-hand.

The Bible tells of a similar time that met God’s great displeasure … so much so that He sent His prophets to warn about the consequences. Said Jeremiah:

“[…] Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it, and the old, those weighed down with years. Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand against those who live in the land,” declares the LORD. “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit” (Jeremiah 6:11-13).

Old Testament prophets decried the apostate and corrupt state of Judah. 2500 hundred years ago, there was no shortage of prophets willing to foretell sweet and pleasing falsehoods. “[…] Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things […]” (Isaiah 30:10). Said Micah: “If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!” (2:11).

None of these “pillow” prophets actually spoke the truth … actually heard from God. “[…] They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own mind,” said Jeremiah (14:14). These false prophets were all lying, endorsing the stealing that was being perpetrated by the elites. It lulled people into a comfortable complacency and moral laxity. Destruction and judgment eventually followed. It’s not much different today; in fact, it is a global phenomenon.

Points to Ponder

Deception is rampant today; many are deceived. And, there are plenty who seek to validate the dishonesty. Says one incisive observer, “There are two types of economic theologians. The first is an economist who functions as a theologian for progress by helping to provide an ethical foundation for society. If economic progress is the route to ‘salvation,’ these ‘priests’ will be the experts on how to achieve that progress. Because society looks to economists for this knowledge, they logically become the leading priesthood of the age. The second […] study economics from a theological perspective.”2

It is this second variety of theologian that holds to the boundary stones and pathways of that which is right according to Scriptures. The other variety has firmly set the ethical foundation that allowsdishonesty and deceit to be deemed necessary and irreversible today.

In fact, dishonesty and deceit have become so entrenched that society fears that if we eradicate them entirely, the economic strength of our nations will collapse. This perspective is illustrated in this comment by Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States. Referring to alleged criminal activities of large financial companies, he said, “I am concerned that the size of these [financial] institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy.”

What he basically said was that the government dare not prosecute any of the banks or other financial players for fear that rocking the boat in this way may risk bringing down the entire economy. That’s the state of affairs that we have today in many nations. The corruption is so endemic and deep, that to uproot these tares would risk jeopardizing the entire field, disrupting what prospects for prosperity that may remain.

Could it really have been as Jeremiah said—that it is possible that an entire society from “the least to the greatest” all practiced deceit? Those who believe the Bible as the literal Word of God will accept Jeremiah’s words for their plain meaning. But are things really different today? What can a little cheating, self-interest and greed hurt? The prevailing thinking is that it makes the world go around; it can pay the bills, lead to a better chance for prosperity, and faster growing and more competitive economies. That may be the popular thinking, but not with God.

We know from God’s dealings with Israel and Judah just what judgments will eventually follow. Little reward can be expected from the world for not conforming to this new norm. Jeremiah whined to God, “[…] I have never lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me” (Jeremiah 15:10). He was not participating in a commercial system that operated to oppress the poor and transfer wealth to the “experts in greed.” Apparently, because he wasn’t, people thought that Jeremiah was being judgmental. Not really. He was simply honoring God through obedience. We have the liberty to do the same.

1 “[…] Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he’” (Luke 21:8).
2 Nelson, Robert H. “Religion, Economics, and the Market Paradox.” Religion and Liberty, Volume 12, Number 1 (January/February 2002).