Readers may be aware of yet another global financial bubble recently unfurling across the world. It was only a little more than a decade ago that the last outbreak of speculative distortions culminated in the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

The periodic speculative manias that occur, ultimately act to push the world step by step to a globalized financial system—one that is becoming ever more centralized. Previous columns have outlined the implications of these trends for us earthdwellers.

Viewing these unprecedented developments in light of the cosmological timeline of mankind, we have called it the “Endtime Money Snare.”

Both economic/financial crisis and frothy financial booms play their part in moving the Endtime Money Snare forward. Most people have little idea about this plot line. Many participants are co-opted through greed and the lure and pleasurableness of rising wealth and comforts. Indeed, today’s alluring images of wealth may prove to be false—and not real wealth. But that distinction seems not to matter to most people.

Author Edward Balleisen in his 2017 book Fraud, notes a characteristic of mania: “The most powerful means of getting people to view a fraudulent scheme as legitimate is the manufacture of upward price movements.” In other words, as long as wealth gains are imagined, people will willingly believe any mania.

During speculative financial booms, the most unimaginable and comical beliefs can emerge. Wealth gains are thought to be infinite and without any risk. Not to be denied is that some very useful technologies or developments may play a role in these booms. These provide the so-called “hook” for participants and investors. However, expectations of future prospects are then taken to absurd extremes. The new technologies and surging “humanist” confidence promote the belief that future prosperity will be boundless … perhaps even forever.

While the names, beliefs and contributing actors may change, the pattern of boom/bust remains remarkably the same. For example, the latest technological catalyst that has captured imaginations is the concept of “cryptocurrency” (the most well-known of these being the Bitcoin). Two decades ago, it was the “Dot-Com” bubble that played the catalytic role for that earlier manic financial boom.

While the original rationale for the invention of cryptocurrency may not be entirely without merit, greed and speculative fevers have since emerged. Says one well-known analyst: “Bitcoin is an old-fashioned fraud clothed in the new-age wonder of technology. Promoting Bitcoin is not so much about a new asset class as it is a class of felony, yet civil authorities have so far been unwilling to shut it down.”

We can conclude here that financial bubbles play an indelible role in the endtime whirlwind of money. The cycle of boom and bust, manic speculation and depressive crisis, work toward creating the urgency and agreement to form a centralized global financial control system. In fact, one can make the deductive argument that the Bible prophesies that this will occur in the later days. If there were no centralized monetary system, how would it be possible to limit the buying and selling of all earthdwellers at some point in the Tribulation?

 

The Prophesied Emergence of a Commercial Colossus

In Revelation 18, we find an account of Babylon the Great, an entity that appears to be involved with global trade. It certainly shows a worldwide impact. What is it … who is it? There are more than a few interpretations. Respected Bible scholars hold different views. In fact, there is so much debate on this question that many simply choose not to take a position. On our part, we will propose an interpretation that appears logical to us. Can we defend it? You will be the judge.

Let’s first look at the large number of identifiers for Babylon the Great found in verses 2-16.

‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries. Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.’ Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’ The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!’

Before we begin to examine the many obvious connections to wealth and commerce presented in the quoted verses above, we must point out a key distinctive.

Babylon the great is called a “city.” But is it really a city? To be more specific, we note that it is always called a “great city”—not just “city,” but “great city.” (There is one exception: It is also called “city of power” in addition to “great city” in Revelation 18:10.) So, we must keep in mind that Babylon is not a mere city—whether large or small, or of great repute or not—but rather a “great city.” The term “great city” is found exactly 7 times in the book of Revelation. What does the Bible mean to say with the term “great city”? We will come back to this question in the next part of this series.

Let us now review the activities of Babylon the Great cited in the referenced quote. We observe the heavy use of economic terminology. No less than 45 terms of commercial meanings are used in this passage, some of them numerous times. Many references are made to luxuries and precious items. Clearly, the functional essence is that of a great global trading entity that deals in both physical goods and money. By my count, a total of 28 commodities and products are mentioned.

There is more to note about this commercial/economic entity called Babylon the Great. First, it is both a source and distributor of great wealth. The merchants of the earth “grew rich from her excessive luxuries” (verse 3) and “gained their wealth from her” (verse 15), yet they also are identified as being part of this system. In verse 23 they are referred to as “your merchants.”

Furthermore, we note that this Babylon is the very embodiment of riches. Though it is called a “great city” (verse 16), it is figuratively dressed as a person in the most expensive clothes; glittering with gold and jewelry. Her luxuries, “maddening wine” (verse 3) and “magic” (verse 23) prove to be intoxicants for the world’s kings and merchants. Tellingly, there is no mention of the poor or the middle class. Strangely, the common person seems not to be mentioned. It appears that only the wealthy merchants and elites are benefiting from this system … apparently, an economy of plutocrats. Every nation and king has relations with it, committing “adulteries.”

Adulteries? Several interesting characteristics emerge here. First, why is Babylon the Great cast as a woman? Second, how is it possible that the entire world of elites has adulteries with her? For one, committing adultery is only possible if one is already married or betrothed. Then, what should we understand to be “adulterous” in a world trading system? It must be a spiritual adultery … a systemic worldwide abandonment of God and His Son … a rebelliousness claiming a “heaven-on-earth” humanism. It is the choice of Mammon over God. Mankind’s smug “elite” have developed a self-dependent worldwide economic (and monetary) system that suits them just fine.

 

Points to Ponder

How can we escape the clutches and temptations of the Endtime Money Snare … carried along on the great false wave of a global wealth explosion … being oppressed by the suffocating commercialism of ancient Tyre (of which there are many prophecies that we will explore in the next parts of this series)? As we always must answer: It is not possible to escape … at least physically. But spiritually, we need not fall into the blinded subservience as do most earthdwellers.

Most certainly, we should all be careful (including this writer) not to be swept away by worldly pied-pipers and popular delusions. Humans are easily persuaded to ignore facts and logic, and instead to pursue fantasy. The annals of history are chock full of examples of human delusion. As mentioned, most often these departures from good sense were either goaded by greed or pressured by economic fears. Both the educated and the uninformed can be susceptible when running with the herd. The psychology of crowds is powerful.

Accounts of human folly written by various authors testify to mankind’s vulnerability to deceit. Two books that document this history that I often recommend are as follows: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, an early study of crowd psychology by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay (first published in 1841). And later, Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises by Charles P. Kindleberger (1978). Accounts found in these two books about the actions and beliefs of maniacal human crowds test believability.

Human beings—especially so, crazed crowds of them—have the most incredible capacity for delusion. Does the Bible have any perspective on these challenges?

Yes. First, the Bible does not venerate crowds or popular majorities or a consensus of beliefs. It cares nothing for these. God says “[…] beside me there is no other” (Isaiah 45:6). When it comes to Truth, God represents 100% of the majority. God says that He is not a “respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34 KJV). Therefore, the crazed pull of the human throngs should have no hold upon us.

As for our anxieties and concerns in regard to the recent “financial bubbles” … the humanist beliefs … the lure to plunge into speculation, the Bible has this to say: “For the pagans run after all these things” (Matthew 6:32). “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you” (1 Peter 4:4).

The Lord knows what we need, “So do not worry” (Matthew 6:31).

In Part II, we will complete documenting the Bible’s prophecies of an endtime boom in commercialism and the associated Endtime Money Snare. And, we will address the question of whether the prophecies regarding ancient Tyre align with the manifestation of Babylon the Great City in Revelation 17—18.

The Lord approaches ever nearer!

 

About the Author: Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. You can contact him at staff@eternalvalue.com.

It is timely to again weigh in on the progress of the global financialization phenomenon … what we refer to as the Endtime Money Snare. The roots of this development extend back several hundred years. Notably, this encroach of financial materialism has made incredible advances during the past five decades or so.

We have written about the development of the Endtime Money Snare for well over 20 years (also producing a book on this topic in 2002, called The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free). There is much to update.

The endtime money trap continues to sink its claws of influence and control into more geography and peoples than ever before. The interim setbacks to globalization caused by the Global Final Crisis (which began in 2008) have hardly detracted from this rapid and long-running trend.

Not surprisingly, most of humanity is welcoming the Endtime Money Snare with open arms, entirely unaware of its future endpoint implications. They think it promises only good things … great comforts, greater freedom of choice, more wealth and prosperity, cheaper products, higher productivity, improved development for the world’s poor, more popular brands, Cokes and McDonald’s hamburgers … etc.

Many of these things are true. But there is a price. Christians should be aware of what it will mean for their faith … and the world. Their economic lives—decisions to buy and sell, attitudes of self-reliance and warm comfort—may increasingly clash with the fundaments of their faith.

What is this “endtime money manifesto” all about? In essence, it is this: To bring the world to the point where it either willingly or involuntarily pledges its allegiance (faith) to mankind’s humanist systems and philosophies. Global monetary systems become more centralized and interconnected. Ultimately, these trends open up a vulnerability to an evil (anti-God), worldwide system that is controlled by a very small number of rulers … eventually, the individual called the Beast (aka the Antichrist).

Of course, these days such views as expressed above are roundly branded as extremist, heretical and the realm of crackpots. Mankind denies the cosmological view of good and evil … of God and Satan … of the literal truths presented in the Bible.

To the secular mind, should there actually be a Satan, he is supposedly above taking advantage of any grand agendas that might serve to unify the godless actions and beliefs of mankind. People deny that there is a satanic world scheme to lead mankind astray.

On this last point, the Bible is very clear that it is “[…] that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). Furthermore, Apostle Paul tells us that, “[…] our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

Apparently, we also are to believe that money systems will be an entirely neutral factor in the vain plotting and conspiring of the world (Psalm 2:1) against Christ during the last days. Actually, the opposite couldn’t be more true. Money—expressly, its global interconnected systems which facilitate today’s intense commercialism—plays a role like none other. Money systems and the related financialization of mankind produce the most effective alternative to omnipresence. Only God is omnipresent; Satan is not. Thus, Satan must avail himself of a different means of global influence and control.

It must be noted how much of Bible prophecy refers to the economic and commercial conditions of the last days. All of these prophecies have been provided to us in order to allow us to discern the times and the seasons, and to guard against any spiritual complicity with an “anti-Christ” endtime world.

Very little is written about these biblical foreshadowings and warnings of materialism and monetarism and their placement in an endtime perspective. Sadly, any biblical references to money tend to be narrowly interpreted in the pursuit of wealth and prosperity—how to live materially blessed here and now. To the extent that this is the case, such a focus can promote endtime idolatries with a powerful world money system.

 The Design of the Snare

A new, modern-day Tower of Babel has been emerging out of the disorganized rubble of the old for quite some time. Its common language is a new international one—economic and monetary principles. It is not a simple linguistic matter as it was back then.

Today, the commonalities to all mankind are monetary systems (manipulated through central banking theories) and economic theory. These have rapidly converged globally in less than 50 years. And, as such, the reach of the money snare is becoming increasingly pervasive. An increasing portion of human action and activities are being driven and captured into a financial form (this being financialization).

Also integral to the development of the Endtime Money Snare is a change in the accepted form of wealth. This concept has developed into one that is much more transferable, transactionable, and subject to grand manipulation. Crucially, this type of wealth is technically controllable from a single command point.

The “endtime money manifesto” is already at a high state of implementation. Its advances are likely to continue (into the Tribulation period, we believe). In the meantime, there is no telling how extreme, perverse and invasive it may yet become. Why? Irrationality and delusion cannot be predicted. In Ecclesiastes 7:25, we read about the “stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.” Viewed from that perspective, much more stupidity and madness may lie ahead.

However, it should also be recognized that the Endtime Money Snare need not evolve much further … if at all. All the technologies and systems are already in place to allow for its prophetic utilization. We must not be lulled into the view that we have much time to “come out” of this Babylonian mindset (2 Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 18:4).

The Lord could return today. The start of the Great Tribulation—the seven-year period of God’s wrath—therefore could possibly occur in the very near future.

What moral and social mindsets of the endtime money snare are already evident? Witnessed today are these: Pride, haughtiness, massive deception, grand theft of wealth, hoarding and concentration of wealth, elitism, a boom in sensuality and materialism, more enslavement, greater indebtedness, “blessed” greed … etc. Clearly, these are not fruits of the Spirit. To the contrary, it is obvious that we are witnessing the traits of a worldly, anti-Christ movement … these being part of the plot of the “endtime money manifesto.”

Points to Ponder

We conclude that “globalization” influences are pandemic … evident in almost every aspect of human affairs. A flurry of footsteps has been taken over recent decades. Some of them have been small. Other shifts have been significant and epochal. The main point is that there have been more forward footsteps than there have been reversals.

What to do? The key questions for Christians are these: How can we continue to live out our faith, despite increasing economic and monetary controls in the future? How do we remain untainted from the ungodly, worldly affections that pull at us like a raging vortex? And lastly, how do we remain knowledgeable about the progress of the “endtime money manifesto”—to be aware of the times and seasons?

As we are in the world, we cannot escape the clutches of the manifesto … at least, not physically. It is already near impossible to survive without a bank account. (Later, in the Tribulation period, it will prove to be impossible to live outside the financial system.) However, our hearts must not be trapped nor idolatrous. While we may enjoy the conveniences of modern technology, we should not become proud and arrogant but rather maintain our faith in Christ and what He has done for us. We should be wary of anything that causes us to be complicit in godlessness and the insurrection of all nations against God.

Ultimately, God has the last laugh. “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:4). He brings judgement and punishment.

Commercialism will be extinguished. The fate of Babylon the Great provides a parallel to this. “[…] The great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. […] The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth” (Revelation 18:21-24).

Have you ever wondered what economic life may be like when Christ is reigning upon the earth in the Millennium age? We may have grounds to conclude that a greed- and self-interest-driven economic system will NOT be transferred into the Millennium period. It will be destroyed as all things will be restored (Matthew 17:11).

This analyst’s hunch is that the motivational drivers of economies in that day will be love and justice. This conclusion in part rests upon some deductive reasoning. Apostle Paul tells as that “love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). The second greatest Royal Law mentioned by Christ is “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). “Love does no harm to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10).

With love as the great motivator, doing things for others will then be the equivalent of “profit, gain, and self-interest,” the motives that operate in the present “fallen state” of the world.

A characteristic of that future time, according to the Bible, is this: “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid […]” (Micah 4:4; cf. Zechariah 3:10). This statement could be interpreted to mean that economic life will be at the individual level, and not through the great corporate structures that we see today.

Finally, we note Isaiah’s prophecy: “In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness” (Isaiah 16:5).

About the Author: Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. You can contact him at staff@eternalvalue.com.