Our Responsibility to One Another

As we approach a day in destiny, August 2^nd, 2011, that could spell doom for a lot of people, everyone who identifies themselves as part of a Christian nation, ought to consider what the source book of our faith states in regard to issues of economics and the poor. One source tells us that there are some 2,000 references to how we should function economically and our responsibility to one another exist in the Bible. Let us look at just a sampling of what is there.

We have over the centuries since the inception of the American Revolution of July 4^th, 1776, degenerated into a condition of severe indebtedness owing more to bad economic practices than the lack of effort on the part of the average working American. What is about to happen after centuries of economic wars between nations to gain supremacy, is a potential collapse that can reverberate around the world. The timing could not be worse with natural disasters wiping out most of the crops around the world. Wars, riots and revolution rage across the planet while we dither away precious moments concerning the multi-trillion dollar debt. Despite this, wars that are incredibly expensive still rage on. At home we play politics while tens of millions of peoples lives hang in the balance. It can be truly said that the sword of Damocles hangs over out collective heads and it is about to fall.

Were have we gone so wrong with apparently good intentions? On the surface, the answer is simple, and that is we attempted to create wealth out of thin air; without basing money value on anything substantial. This has been effected based on the ignorance by many on the real situation and as a means to get hundreds of millions to pay for the squandering ways of the profiteers; those who manage the international banks, the military, mega-corporations and their all too cooperative governments. Whether economics is effected by Keynesian means or through the torturous austerities of the Chicago School of Friedman, we end up in the same mess. Yet almost all say they are Christian and most of us in ignorance believe it. For the most part, we believe in a lie, thinking it to be the truth. Let us look at what the Bible in its wisdom says about our current situation and why we must act and act now. We can start off with the fact that the money system has made virtually everyone a debt slave.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand.....And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name....” Revelation 13:16-18; James 2:14-20; (see also Matthew 7:15-17)

There are many ideas concerning the “mark of the beast” but it is really this simple. The mark in the head is our intellectual acceptance of the money system as the only thing there is. The mark in the right hand is the idea that we are willing to accept money as payment for commodities or work done and further, apply our strength in keeping that system going. So in essence, it is a thought-action thing in support of the money system. The mark is the acceptance of the universal commodity that can be corrupted and corrupting. In fact, there are many still alive who live without any connection to the money idea at all. They either live off the land, or are in regions where barter trade still goes on. In these cases, they have no concept of money, which in the classic definition in our monied world, is abstracted labour value and a universal commodity that has the power of a fetish to effect trade universally, with considerable ease when it works properly. But due to its abstract nature, or as a commodity in a virtual and formless condition, it is subject to a lot of secret abuse, behind the scenes. It is one reason why those who want transparency in such issues, demand that the real balance books be opened.

The fact that they are not and that shredding parties are a common sight in all major cities of the industrial first world, tells us that someone has something to hide. On the surface we see the very rich in high end cars and the high life enjoying themselves, while the homeless are spread out all across the land like a human carpet in the tens of millions. Yet, these oft professed Christians ought to consider the following.

“Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth the of an inheritance to possess it:” Deutoronomy 15:4

As civilized people who profess to believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Bible, we ought to be working to eradicate poverty. We hear about the end of poverty by 2015, but the current direction is actually creating more poverty. The interest fuelled economic casino economy is rapidly multiplying debt and turning almost every county into vast concentration camps of debt slaves. We cannot solve this problem by absorbing small interest bearing debts with larger interest bearing loans, Eventually, there will not be enough collateral and productivity to cover the monster multi-trillion dollar loans. Each nation will end up being bankrupt toward any that has given the loan to bail it out. We heard as of the 22^nd of July, 2011, that the Eurozone has given a bailout package of hundreds of billions to bail out Greece from default and bankruptcy. Before then, there were a lot of screams to privatize the Aegean islands, national treasures such as the Acropolis and the government held public sector services and industry. But the Greek people now have to pay down the monster loan while enduring choking austerities. For the years since 2009, Greece has been plagued with general strikes and street riots, but austerity has been applied anyway all because of unserviceable interest. Other European countries tooter on the brink as does the USA. This kind of thing haunted central and south America in the 1970s and 80s with the result that some went the nationalist socialist route to get out from under the oppressive economic weight of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank demands for ever increasing amounts of money. When that was not forthcoming, the collateral of the country was seized, often through the policing action of war, and with the end result of them severing ties with the rest of the world and becoming closed societies, divorced from the machinations of the world banking cartels. This could have been prevented had we really worked to end poverty instead of manufacturing it. The acts betray an anti-Christian trend in reality that parades of real Christianity.

Jesus, while on his ministry, encountered the wealthy Nicodemus, who wanted to know how to be saved. This is how Jesus replied concerning the commandments of the Books of Moses:

“He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honour your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'" The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Matthew 19:18-21 NKJV; Genesis 49:11,14; Numbers 2:5; Psalm 47:6; 89:19; Jeremiah 50:34

Notice, that Jesus had corroboration from other Biblical sources, so he was essentially presenting the case laid down eons earlier. Today, we seem to have made very little spiritual progress as we see the same class divide now as then, only much more exaggerated. In addition, we are guilty of further crimes than “mere economic disparity”. We hound the poor, persecuting them when they try to find a place to rest and shelter, food to eat and somewhere to wash and go to the washroom; things most of us currently, though uncertain for how much longer, take for granted. The banks, “too big to fail” get bailouts as do big monolithic corporations and the working people who lose their jobs, get the street with a police escort, and then in many cases, then to prison for loitering. But such a condition cannot last forever, despite boasts and plans to the contrary. If nothing else, nature will see to it, but it is usually war over resources and breech of contract in the international arena. The US and Europe are in danger of war against their nations as a result of their bloated debts and inability to honour foreign bankers. If you think this is false, consider that the most profitable industry is war and the bankers make sure they win on both sides with heavy investments. WWII saw a lot of gain over war investment to the point where whole countries in depression rose into a boom economy during and thereafter. After the war is over, to the victor goes the spoils and to the loser, redevelopment at a high price. These are the kinds of snare alluded to in the following passage from the Psalms. Do we think that we can escape dread and harm forever?

“Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. His ways are always prospering; Your judgements are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. He has said in his heart, "I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity." His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see." Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account." But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none. The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.” Psalm 10:1-18; NKJV

But if we build our nation at the cost of others, we had better watch out! The following warning seems to suggest the case for an individual, but it can apply to whole nations of like minded individuals.

“Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgement and justice, and then it was well with him?He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD. But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.” Jeremiah 22:13-17

As Christians, we need to be informed of what our responsibility is to our fellow human beings, to know what God wants of us as detailed in the Bible as our guide and to act on it as a living and dynamic exercise of our faith. The way is clear if we are clearly instructed and not mislead. Unfortunately, much of the more important stuff is not empathized as we concentrate on personal salvation and what that entails. We need to be less selfish and more inclusive of all others. In the following, we encounter the term jubile, which was customary every seventh year (the year of the Lord) to forgive all debts, release slaves and prisoners and to restore property and lands lost due to impoverishment. To the extent of what is revealed in recent history, this has never been done in modern times. Years of the Lord and come and gone with no change in this direction.

“If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession. And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubile......And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession. And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile.” Leviticus 25:-25-30,33-40

We need to be aware of who the real owner of the world is. No it is not the Rothschild clan or some other self appointed owner; it is the Lord of hosts! There are other considerations as well, such as the concept of commodity. A commodity is something that arises from surplus production of any use value that can be used in trade. Thus, things like surplus milk, corn, wheat, steel, cement, lumber, cars, clothing and the like are commodities if a surplus exists that is not immediately needed by the producer. Land and water are not commodities as no one at any time has manufactured land or water, nor have they made a surplus thereof. In actuality, no one can claim ownership of the land. This error has led to a lot of misery and has been one idea behind and responsible for genocide as to claim land that someone else is on, one has to remove those persons to take possession. There have been instances including very recently, where ownership of water is declared at the loss to others who need to have water at least to drink. All too often, the claim to someone else's water needed for drinking, is so that the water can be used for industrial processes to make something like electronic parts. The war for water rights has led to tremendous misery..

The land shall not be sold for ever; for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.” Leviticus 25:23-25.

We are in a world that is in an age of judgement. This is confirmed on the news as we see that the lack of helping out the needy and the use of coercion means that we will soon be without as well. As people around the world succumb to starvation, our crops are failing for one natural cause or another and so we will not eat either. We shall experience first hand our neglect toward others. There are many well intentioned people out there who genuinely extend a helping hand, but in the face of an overwhelming and emerging reality, it is an almost futile struggle. Change is needed and change is coming. Forcing change against someone else that is unwilling is not the constructive path to the future. All too often that change comes at an exorbitant price that is impossible to pay even in a thousand lifetimes of murderous work. Nor will effective change come by riot and destruction. These are the old ways that have proven over and over again as abject failures. Change will not come by waiting and watching as many cargo cultist expects. We will not be delivered up in some magical transformation, unless at first we transform our spirits by the renewing of ourselves by practising the true message of the Bible. It must be universal and we all must be involved. Study the Bible intently, with diligence and learn what the real message is. Ignore your false leaders who misdirect you with incomplete messages.

Several hundred years ago, people did not even have access to the Bible. It was the exclusive domain of the Unholy church. Monarchs and high priests both feared the content and what it could mean to their privilege, wealth and power. From that day to this, we now have evolved to a condition where some of the Bible is empathized, but most of it ignored. We are thus almost as ignorant. What is given is clouded in false interpretations, passages taken out of context and real meanings changed to blur and confuse. Most people have a false impression of the Bible. The Bible is thus as revolutionary in content now as it was when written in its various books over thousands of years. Indeed, it has triggered revolution in the past. If we truly lived by what the Bible states as how we should live, we would not recognize the place we call Earth as we see it now and what it could have been and could be! Let us now move forward to the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in heaven!