The Rich Have Stolen the Economy

Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury and former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, wrote an excellent economics essay for the secular world putting together the pieces of a picture that actually confirms what the very last days of the economy in the Great Tribulation will look like. I am taking his outline and interspersing scripture to illustrate that in the last days of the Tribulation, contrary to most peoples' belief, there will be riches upon the earth and mighty men wielding power and economic clout, while the rest of the world suffers. The economic disparity shown in Revelation between the very rich and everyone else, has begun.

We know that in the very last days that people will still be buying and selling. The antichrist institutes the mark so that as the age-old buy and sell mechanism continues, he will be worshiped. The very rich will be largely unaffected by the coming famines and disruptions in food supply etc. "When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” (Rev 6:5-6).

From Jack Kelley: "Two things result when the world is plunged into uncertainty and wars erupt. First comes inflation, causing the prices of everything to skyrocket. When John wrote this, a denarius was the average pay for a day’s work, and that’s what it will cost to buy a quart of wheat, about enough food for one day. Think of it. For many, a whole days wages will barely buy enough food for that day. The next day it starts all over again. No money left for anything else."

The disparity between rich and poor in America, and elsewhere, is growing like never before.

Long-term unemployment spiking exponentially
Just when you think you've seen every absurdly terrifying unemployment chart - closing in on 9 million: Civilians Unemployed - 15 Weeks and Over. source- St. Louis Fed.

15% vacancy rate on Fifth Avenue
But as New Yorkers have drastically cut back, the shops that line the streets, from chain outlets to family-run shops, have started to disappear. The storefront vacancy rate in Manhattan is now at its highest point since the early 1990...

New York City and the Homeless 
New Yorkers in and out of government should be concerned by new statistics showing that homelessness has reached an all-time high and that 120,000 men, women and children resorted to the shelter system during the fiscal year that ended this summer.

Lost Vegas: Hundreds of homeless living under storm drains
Because, along with hundreds of others, the couple are part of a secret community living in the dark and dirty underground flood tunnels below the famous [Las Vegas] strip. 

From Jack Kelley: "Of course, the wealthy always benefit from inflation. When they see it coming, they’re able to convert their wealth into things that are either inflation proof, or actually increase in value during periods of inflation. The earliest example of this is comes from the Book of Genesis, when Joseph, who gained control of the world’s wheat supply on Pharaoh’s behalf, eventually acquired the entire wealth of Egypt in exchange for it. That’s what John meant by not harming the oil and wine, commodities that in his day were symbols of wealth. The vision he saw was famine amidst plenty."

to wit, while homeless population in New York expands to the size of Topeka KS, the very rich are lining up to buy gold at Harrod's in London.

Harrods to sell gold bullion for the first time
In a sign that the credit crisis has left his gilded customer base largely untouched, Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed has teamed up with Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux (PAMP), the Swiss refiner, to sell gold in the store. Aimed at private investors, the gold will be sold at the Harrods Bank branch on the lower ground floor of the West London store.  Harrods, famed for its gold and green livery, has never sold bullion before.

And the banker buddies of high muckey-mucks in the US grow only richer:

Geithner Aides Reaped Millions Working for Banks, Hedge Funds
Some of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s closest aides, none of whom faced Senate confirmation, earned millions of dollars a year working for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and other Wall Street firms, according to financial disclosure forms.

The gifts of billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money provided the banks with an abundance of low cost capital that has boosted the banks’ profits, while the taxpayers who provided the capital are increasingly unemployed and homeless.  JPMorgan Chase announced that it has earned $3.6 billion in the third quarter of this year.  Goldman Sachs has made so much money during this year of economic crisis that enormous bonuses are in the works. There is so much mega-money floating around that the Financial Times has launched a magazine titled "How to Spend It."

Not that there is anything wrong from earning wealth through diligence and hard work! But only to show the disparity is growing and will only widen as the world counts down to the inevitable moment when all will end. Back to the bible. Not only will there be "buying and selling" as described in Revelation 13, but in Revelation 18, that buying and selling is in luxury items. Since most of the world is so poor that they work all day to pay for one meal, and in no way can afford these luxuries, the items must be for the very rich, who still exist even in the latter days of the Great Tribulation.

"And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--
cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives." Revelation 18:11-13.

'Human lives.' The price of a life is becoming increasingly worthless...on earth. But the value of a life to God is priceless. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Mathew 6:19

The very rich discover too late that they have clung to the wrong treasure. So, gentle one, if you are in want, if you are homeless, if you are on the edge emotionally or physically or mentally, cling to the One who will wipe away your tears and will receive YOU as His greatest treasure. This privation and struggle is for but a short time. Know that at the end, "They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD." Ez 7:19. You, Christian, will dine with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You will never know want again, for you will dwell in perfect love and total joy.