Black Horse of Capitalism

Most people view life in the context of their limited view.  As Americans we judge what happens in the world in reference to our own freedoms and liberties.  Often our worldview is clouded by what is happening to us and individuals.  We do not see the greater picture of life because we a focused on our own self interests.

In the book of Revelation there are Four Horsemen that are riding over the earth.  There have been books, movies, CD's and DVD's made about these four horsemen.   I would like to take some time and give some thoughts that I hope challenge your thinking.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. (Black represents Capitalism)

A quart of wheat was the daily ration for a solider. The ration would cost a Denarius, a day's wage. This indicates that in the last days during the ride of the four-horsemen that in many parts of the world famine, and a lack of food would happen. That is what was indicated by the black horse. We are living in that time now. It is estimated that a child dies of hunger every 2 seconds. And that a 1/5 of the world goes to bed hungry every night.

The average world income is about $8,000 per year (per capita). However, less than 1/4 of countries enjoy this amount or more, because the median income is only about $2,000 per year. So although the total world GDP divided by the world population equals $8,000 per year, most people scrape by with a meager $2,000 per year income. That equals $5.47 a day.

Research reveals the stark inequality that drives the global hunger crisis, with the poorest people paying more than they earn in a day for a single meal.

A $1.20 plate of rice and beans in New York, which is just 0.6% of the New Yorker’s average daily income.  The same dish costs $8.27 in Guatemala, $27.77 in Nepal, and $72.65 in Haiti.

In South Sudan, the worst-ranking country in the study, the meal costs $321.70, or 155% of a person’s daily wages

Nearly 800 million people went hungry on the planet last year because they simply could not afford to feed themselves, yet we have enough food to feed everyone worldwide: the food we waste could actually feed 2 billion people,”

Oil and wine will be luxuries beyond the reach of all but the very wealthy, who are generally not harmed by economic problems to the extent the average person is.

56 percent of all Americans have a subprime credit rating, and that the average monthly car payment in the US is $474.

52 percent of homeowners are overextended on their mortgages and “cannot even afford the house that they are living in right now.”

Millennials are spending at least half their monthly paychecks on paying off debt.

That ever-increasing gap between income and consumption has been filled by borrowing.  This is America.

So many people spend their lives only chasing money.  We live in a free society where even the poor can become rich.  I personally know people who were so in the bondage of debt that they refused to answer their phone because of debt collectors.  They found something they were good at and today are very wealthy people.  However, the cost of that wealth was the price of their marriage, their family, and friends.  Wealth does not always bring happiness.

Most people hate their jobs but continue because of their debt. We exchange our time for money.  That money is never enough because we do not have enough time.  So, let me ask the question, how much money is enough?

 I’ve asked friends, this very question. I always get the same free answers. “More” “There’s never enough” “1 million dollars”.  That used to be me. I bought into the myth of more. It was an empty way to live a life. I was told early in my life that money is a scorecard. I was also told it’s a measure of how much value you have put into the world. But neither of those are true.  There is more to our lives than how much money we acquire in this life.

While Jefferson penned the words, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in our Declaration of Independence, the notion evolved from Locke's "life, liberty, and the pursuit of an estate" and Adam Smith's "life, liberty, and the pursuit of property." Smith's version even found its way into The Declaration of Colonial Rights, crafted by the First Continental Congress in 1774. We in the United States act horribly because, despite Jefferson's re-wording, we did not separate ourselves from Locke's and Smith's notions. We see a link between our happiness and the degree of material success we achieve. 

 Forged within the context of today’s capitalism, which has become unrestrained beyond understanding as it rages against its unavoidable self-destruction, our relentless devotion to our "inalienable right" to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. " We focus mainly upon enhancing our own lives, filling our heavily-mortgaged homes to the rafters with as much "stuff" as we can acquire, and gratifying every pleasure-seeking desire the law will allow, and then some. We rarely pursue the spiritual form of happiness to which Jefferson may have been alluding. In a nation where "I" rarely defers to "we" and property rights trump humanity, we US Americans tend to be all about "me" and focused on dying a winner by possessing the "most toys."  I have yet to see a U-Haul hooked to a hearse on the way to the cemetery.  We brought nothing into this world, and we take nothing out when we die.

The Apostle Paul gave us the warning about the last days:

This also know that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;5 Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The root cause can be laid at the feet of money. It is the love of money, and not money itself, that is the problem. The love of money is a sin because it gets in the way of worshipping God. Jesus said it was tough for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (see Matthew 19:16-22). By instructing him to give up his money, Jesus pointed out the young man’s main problem: greed or love of money. The man could not follow Christ because he was following the money. His love of this world interfered with his love for God.

Capitalism proclaims the virtue of self-interest, but self-interest without regard for morality, how we take care of our environment, and our neighbors ends up in being greed. Greed leads to environmental degradation, destruction of native communities, colonialism, war and other forms of mass destruction.  The history of our nation is an example of that greed.  Between 1830 and 1850, the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee people (including mixed-race and black slaves who lived among them) were forcibly removed from their traditional lands in the Southeastern United States and relocated farther west. Those Native Americans who were transferred were forced to march to their destinations by state and local militias. The Cherokee removal in 1838 was brought on by the discovery of gold near Dahlonega, Georgia in 1828, resulting in the Georgia Gold Rush. Approximately 2,000–8,000 of the 16,543 relocated Cherokee perished along the way.

Self-interest leads capitalists to destroy any rival economic system or way of thinking that can be a barrier to their endless quest for profit.  It is not a social system that is in the interests of most of the people. That is why 1% controls 47% of the world’s wealth.

I am not a supporter of socialism or communism, both have destroyed the wealth of the countries they exist in.  However, capitalism has also destroyed nations.   The US government has used economic sanctions against countries that do not agree with policies based on a capitalistic agenda.  The control of banking and oil policies of the US government has resulted in wars, and the denial of the necessities of life- food, water, medical attention, and shelter to countries who are in opposition to these policies.

On March 9, 2015, President Obama issued an Executive Order declaring a "national emergency" affirming that "the situation in Venezuela" poses an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States." This is the actions of US imperialist meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation like Venezuela.

The issue in Venezuela is not socialism as reported by the MSM.  It is about oil and banking.

The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, severed ties with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. When he did this, he brought down the anger of the US government.

Venezuela repaid its debts to the World Bank five years ahead of schedule. In doing so, it saved $8m and cleared all its obligations to the IMF.  Venezuela had cut its dependence on the multilateral lending institutions on the back of its oil resources - the world's largest outside the Middle East. The petroleum sector dominates the economy, accounting for 50% of central government revenue and 70% of exports.  (That was until the sanctions.)

The Venezuelan economy had experienced 10 consecutive quarters of sustained high growth. This is due in large part to high public spending and private consumption, fueled by high oil prices and historically low-interest rates.  That was until President Obama placed sanctions on the country.  The idea that these sanctions are imposed with the aim of defending human rights, freedom of expression, democratic institutions and attacking corruption in Venezuela is only an excuse to cripple the oil industry of the country.  This has been accomplished.  The result-higher oil cost and more profits.

Back home in the good ole USA things have not been much better.  Even though Americans like to think we have a free and open market.  Government restriction prohibits the free exercise of the entrepreneurial spirit. Capitalism has worked well in various countries over time; in fact, we can say that it once worked quite well in America. But those days are coming to an end, and we can conclude that the form of capitalism currently practiced in America is no longer working in the best interests of this country and a significant portion of its people.  Even with the changes made by  President Trump, business regulations hinder the entrepreneurial spirit that once made America great.

However, it still works beautifully for those at the top of the income spectrum; the powerful Corporations who we might say “manage” it and use their power to acquire more and more personal income and wealth. Americans watch with a sense of nervousness as the lion’s share of new revenue generated flows to those at the top, and an increasing number of the American people no longer receive their fair share. The poor are becoming poorer, and the middle class is moving into the poor. 

Ever wonder what the greatest weapon of enslavement is? It is not poor education.  We are smarter than any generation. It is not fear of persecution.  We know how to keep our mouths shut and do what we are told to do.  The biggest weapon is the financial system.

The financial system has quietly enslaved our nation, and now we are being used as money slaves. We work from 9 to 5 every day, in dull and depressing environments, not stimulated by anything creative or constructive.  Many professions have moved into the employee arena.  Doctors, lawyers, and accountants once had private practices are now employees of a large corporation.

In most cases, the sole motivation for going to work is the next paycheck — and no matter how hard we work, we never seem to have enough money.

Have you ever wondered why mega-corporations (reaping $billions/year in profits) pay millions to their CEOs and as close as possible to the minimum wage to the rest of the employees?

This has been carefully designed, because a person that is consistently " on edge," will never have time for self-education, introspection and — eventually — a spiritual awakening.

Isn't this our primary purpose on Earth? To become spiritual beings (and by spiritual, I obviously don't mean religious) who worship the LORD.

"They," the manipulators don't need educated people, who are capable of critical thinking and have spiritual goals. No, this kind of people is dangerous to the establishment!

"They" want obedient "robots," just intelligent enough to operate the machines and keep the system running, but stupid enough never to ask questions.

Money is the eye of the "devil."

All the world's most significant problems have their roots deeply embedded in the financial plague: wars are profitable, diseases are profitable, Earth's plundering is lucrative, human slavery and inhumane working conditions are profitable.

Our leaders have been corrupted by money, and mankind's collective mission on Earth has been hijacked by the power of money. 

The Black horse of capitalism has been riding for several years, and the impact is being felt today.

Even though under the present administration growth is taking place and wages are on the uptake, this could be only short-lived.  God has given America time to repent of her evil ways.  I fear that this opportunity will be ignored, and we will feel the heavy hand of judgment upon us.  Don’t be fooled by the turn around that is happening today.  Tomorrow this could all come tumbling down.  Judgment has been dodged for the time being.  How we as a nation respond in the next elections will have a tremendous impact on what happens to us as a nation.