Using pictures from our earthly world, the book of Revelation reveals to us the spiritual world and spiritual truth from heaven’s viewpoint. Showing us the grand scheme of history from the Garden of Eden to the new heaven and new earth, it also informs us comprehensively about Satan’s strategy of deceiving man by imitating God in virtually everything. Today’s money system plays a vital role in his bogus scheme filled with lies and trickery and aimed at luring us away from God as long as he still can. Rev 13, 17 + 18 e.g. relate how Babylon, a symbol for today’s unrighteous world monetary/economic system, subtly entices man to serve and worship money instead of God Almighty. And its dire ramifications.

Right from the start work was part of God’s plan for us (Gen 2:15), but since the Fall we are to earn our living by the sweat of our brow (Gen 3:19). So in a way economic activity is an integral part of man’s daily life ever since. Yet what once was solely based on real productivity (labour, products, assets) and its exchange, has today turned into a full throttle focus on the arguably ingenious invention ‘money’, a mere exchange tool with no intrinsic value.

In the eyes of the world money makes the world go round (opposing Col 1:16) and has become a valid replacement of God as source of income (opposing Lev 26:1-13, Eccl 5:19, Matt 6:33, John 15:5). The Indoctrination that money can work for us so that we don’t need to anymore (opposing Gen 3:19, 2 Thes 3:10) is a subtle counterfeit of God’s promise to send us rain, growth and harvest in season, enabling us to make a living as long as we are obedient to Him (Lev 26:1-13). Satan never tires trying to convince us that we can create something out of nothing, a destructive counterfeit to God’s sovereign act of creation.

The US dollar($) is a private currency and virtually created out of nothing by the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), the US central bank, completely owned and run by private high finance groups. The Fed prints the $$$ and lends them to the US government for interest (!), so that in turn the government can provide it to its citizens as legal tender. Apart from the period 1944-71, when it could be officially changed into gold, the $ has never been backed by anything or anyone to date. In other words, neither governments nor banks are obliged to give you some physical value in return for notes you want to return. A Fed brochure openly states that the $ can’t be exchanged for gold or any other asset! Put differently: its worth nil. Strangely, refusing to accept this paper phantom in exchange for goods and services might lead to criminal prosecution. To add insult to injury, this valueless $ became the world’s leading currency, still dominating the majority of our economies and markets.

But other currencies like the Euro also don’t carry their government’s or banks’ promise on their notes that the bearer can cash it in for any physical value, simply because there’s none backing it! And yet, everyone perceives those colored papers as valuable and without alternative. Its all truly scandalous and should make us think hard whats really going on here.

You might not like these statements and contest them as controversial. That’s ok. I’m happy to provide you with more resource info, if you like. But surely, uncontested is the fact that the world is largely driven and ruled by this paper money and its established rules. Every day the media scream it into our face and our worldwide ever so increasing financial challenges and economical battles in the private, corporate and public sector testify to it, too.

But why are we so convinced these notes provide security and stability to our lives, businesses, economies and nations when in fact they are often not even worth the paper they are printed on? I’m sure, stating that the world, by and large, has been skillfully deceived by Satan into relying on a lie as an incontestable truth (we need this money, or our economies won’t work) sounds outrageous and gives you the credibility of an idiot in the eyes of the world. Still, I’m not backing off stating exactly that and see myself backed by 1 Cor 3:19.

Why is everything revolving around unstable, unsecured, corruptible, fading pieces of paper instead of the only reliable, eternal, never changing Creator, Source and Sustainer of all life? Why are even our prayers to our omnipotent God more often than not prayers for a, strictly speaking, powerless money? Aren’t we in grave danger of idolizing, serving and worshipping our worthless, fading currencies instead of God Eternal, thus breaking God’s first two commandments (Exo 20:3-5) and ignoring Jesus’ admonition (Matt 6:24)? Even if it sounds ludicrous, but do we really need money, at least the way we know it today?

I freely admit that under current circumstances it is difficult to break free from the claws of this monetary system. At least straight away, for most of us and from a human perspective. Yet, nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37)! Perhaps we just need greater revelation?

Gottfried Hetzer

29 August 2010