Why Christians Should Avoid Lotteries, Bitcoin/digital (....
2 years ago
Why Christians Should Avoid Lotteries, Bitcoin/digital currencies, and Other "Get-rich-quick" Scams (Full title)
(Please note, the following is all based on my opinions and beliefs as a Christian. I am not an expert in law, business, or digital currencies and other gambling vices.)
Greetings my furry and brony brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. I would like to apologize for the lack of activity - the world has been keeping me busy. I will hopefully be able to visit everyone with helpful bits of wisdom a little more often, if all goes well.
This journal will focus on the dangers of giving in to the sin of greed through the vice of gambling or various get-rich-quick schemes. The LORD warns us in the gospel against these sorts of pursuits. It must be remembered that we are lambs in a world full of wolves. We should never assume that we will profit and do well from entering into this sort of behavior. And even if we do have the smarts to be clever enough to make out like a bandit from some of these schemes - it does not change the fact that you cannot have those big winners without a legion of losers who are left with nothing.
To begin, let's take a look at a few bible verses that warn against gambling and GRQ schemes:
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:9-10
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28
These are just a few verses that warn against falling into the temptation of greed and the love of money.
It is the love of money and wealth that lures people into the vice of gambling and "get rich quick" schemes.
Recently there has been a lot of talk in the media about the "Powerball Lottery" reaching over 2 billion dollars payout. Goodness, what a large amount of money.
Unfortunately, the promise of a big payout lures many souls into the belief that if they go and buy into the game, they stand a good chance to win - and even if they don't? It's only x amount of dollars wasted. Well, yes. I suppose you could buy just one or very few tickets and argue that at least you're not throwing your money away by the bucket-loads. But really...what are your chances of winning?
(According to https://www.lotterycritic.com/lotte.....all-odds-math/)
According to the above source, your chances of winning the Powerball grand prize – if you were to play only one set of numbers, would be 1 in 292,201,338. Would you gamble your life with those odds? Your house? Anything you own? Money - to most of us who try to be good, hard working Christian servants - is our time and labor in material form that we can give to others to receive something we consider worthy of that time and work spent. So why give away your hard work and time to someone who is essentially telling you they will give you back exactly $0 for any amount of money that you give them? This is why the LORD warns us to labor with our hands and work an honest living and to not give in to the temptation of the love of money.
Although yes, it's true - there are other prizes given out through Powerball Lottery if you manage to match some of the numbers - it hardly seems worth the risk if you crunch the numbers and do the math. Please see the above mentioned source, where the author does all the math for you. You could potentially win $100 if you guess 4 of the white ball numbers. The odds of this? 1 in 36,525. Your best chance to win would be to guess the (red) powerball correctly. This has a 1 in 38 chance. Your prize? $4. So I mean, really - the only one who really 'wins' out of these games is the people who are duping all of us into playing it.
This is all assuming that everything is on the up and up - that there is no corruption or bribery taking place within the state lotteries or gambling casinos or wherever you are gambling. With a jackpot of over 2 billion dollars - is it really unlikely that bribery and corruption might be taking place to rig a winner? 2 billion (minus taxes, which is still a lot) can grease a lot of hands - and if your God is not the LORD/Lord Jesus Christ, then by the fallen/sinful nature of man - your god may instead be money, which in turn can influence human beings into doing bad things to chase after it.
A scene from a good sky-fi film "They Live"
We should not assume that the positions of power/oversight with regard to these lotteries and casinos are always going to be staffed by honest, moral people. As long as there is a sea of foolish people willing to throw a few dollars in which results in million or billion plus jackpots, the sharks will be drawn to where the blood in the water is. I would suggest that it could be absolutely possible that many state lotteries could have corrupted/bribed people involved. Winners could be entirely rigged, right down to staged pictures/names of people in the news - so that people like you and I assume that everything is on the up and up. With all this said - how can we even know if there is even actually 2 billion waiting to be distributed? For all anyone knows - these outrageous payouts could simply be pushed around in media outlets to try to drive increased cashflow contributions from the public to buy into the drawing. At the end of the day, a few people behind the scenes who work these lotteries as well as some greased hands might get to walk away with a net worth of an amount that totals in the millions - but certainly not the number that was advertised as the original jackpot. This sort of tactic/behavior is very similar to the 'pump and dump' behavior that can take place with stocks and bitcoin/digital currencies.
Bitcoin and other Digital Currencies
Hey kid! Want to make some easy money?
Let me run a scenario by you. Lets assume for the purposes of this example that you and I are both living in the same place, under the same government. In this case, we will use the USA. Now, you are walking through the public square. You have some US dollars, that you have had entrusted to you by those in power over you(Parents, or guardians) or perhaps that you worked a job for. Now let's say I come up to you with a group of accompli-err...friends. "Hi there, friend!" I say. I can see the unassuming, naive expression on your face. I carefully produce what seem to be some strips of paper, similar to the US dollars you possess - except on the face of these dollars is a picture of Rainbow 'Roo the kangaroo. The strips each have the number 10 on them, and in the portrait in the middle I am giving you a big thumbs up and a wink. "These, my friend..are Rainbow Roobucks! I wouldn't normally do this - but you, you look like someone who knows a thing or two! Why don't you buy some of these Rainbow Roobucks? Did you know that just a single $10 Roobuck is worth ...$20 US dollars? Did you know that?" At this point you - if you are wise, might be getting a nervous feeling in your belly. 'How could those Rainbow Roobucks...a money I know..nothing about..be worth MORE than my US dollars, which I can go and use anywhere right on the street right now?' you think to yourself. So you call me out on the offer, telling me that you have major doubts about the actual claims I'm making. "But my friend....just look at all these fellows around me! Look at the beautiful clothes they are all wearing! All bought with the much more valuable Rainbow Roobucks!' I gesture to my friends, who all agree and flash you the finery they are all wearing. This is basically the scene I picture in my mind when it comes to people being convinced that it is a smart decision to "invest" in bitcoin or other forms of digital currency.
With US dollars, in this example - you can go to any business around you and purchase real, tangible goods for your currency. That dollar has actual, real value behind it. Now what happens if you go into any of these businesses and hold up the Rainbow Roobucks that I just sold you? Will any of these businesses honor your new form of currency? No? Why not? You were told that your new Roobucks are a worthwhile investment - even more than that - that dollar for dollar (or digital coin for dollar) that they are worth even /more/ than your US dollars.
So tell me - why is it that so many people seem to be fooled into trading in their US dollars for all sorts of digital currency these days?
I've had friends tell me that digital currency has real worth and value. I've been told that people have done real good with these digital currencies. I've been told that they are de-centralized, entirely anonymous, which can allow for some people to do good things that they would otherwise not be able to do. An example would be a Christian using digital currency in a nation-state that is hostile to Christianity/religion. By relying on the digital currency as opposed to the national currency, they in theory could escape persecution or retribution. I've also been told that no digital currency is entirely anonymous, that there are always ways to trace the transactions. I'm not a digital currency expert, but I do recall that digital currencies are often touted as being able to be read/traced or otherwise analyzed in the blockchain. I hope this is the case, because if there was a way to make a digital currency entirely anonymous, it seems that it would make it very, very susceptible to fraud and crime, both in the handling of the digital currency as well as what the currency itself is used for. If there is no way to trace the history of the who made the coin, who bought or sold it - then it becomes a golden ticket for money laundering and criminal enterprise. Why would any good Christian want to have a hand in something like that?
So lets assume that no digital currency is truly anonymous, then. What is the draw to use these currencies? All I usually hear is how bitcoin/digital coins are an alternative, semi or somewhat anonymous, de-centralized digital money format, a way for you to invest and or buy or purchase services without being beholden to the national currency that is available, depending on where you live.
We ought not to forget that if you try to live your life by biblical standards, that we as Christians believe that those who are installed in positions of authority above us are put there by the LORD and that they are doing the LORD's will. This is why Christians are told to pray for those in positions of power that they will wisely carry out the LORD's will, and if they refuse to do this, and instead act wickedly, we pray that they will repent and change their ways. If they refuse to do this, we pray that the LORD will install someone in their place that will carry out the LORD's will.
So essentially, by using the currency of the nation you are living in - you are obeying and acting within the expectations of what the LORD expects of you. See these following bible verses:
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. Mark 12:17
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Romans 13:4
The second verse is to show you that those in positions of authority and power over us, biblically, are to be believed put there by the LORD Himself to enforce His laws and rules. If you are wicked and evil and criminal - sooner or later the LORD will pull His hand back from your life and you will be punished for your sins. Even our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus Himself instructed that we should 'Give back to Caesar what is Caesars'. This is why Christians obey the laws of the land. We don't cheat on our taxes. We don't try to look for ways to short-change our government. Why? Because we are told plain as day that the LORD has put His servants into place within the government to oversee us.
So why do so many people seem to think it's good and acceptable to buy and invest into these digital currency schemes? These digital coins are not providing any (in my humble opinion) real, actual product or service, except to potentially enable criminal enterprises and criminal behavior. Drugs, sex trafficking, and possibly other very bad criminal activities may be funded with these currencies because criminals may be led to believe that these digital currencies are somehow more anonymous, less trace-able than normal local currency.
Would I be wrong in assuming if I created my own Rainbow Roobucks and started getting lots of people to start buying/using them in the US, that I wouldn't be pursued and charged by the US government? I'm pretty sure it would happen. A nation's currency is directly tied to its life and prosperity. If a nation allows anyone within it to start making their own currency and to try and convince its inhabitants to use it instead - that is a direct attack on that nation's sovereignty.
Bitcoin's author is stated to be a one Satoshi Nakamoto. The software behind the creation and use/trading of bitcoin as I understand it is open source, so it can be looked into by anyone. That seems like a good thing. What doesn't seem like a good thing, is that the founder, Satoshi Nakamoto is anonymous. Some have suggested this is done out of potential threats/reprisals against him for his creation. I don't know. I would like to argue that if creating digital currency was the LORD's will, that the author would be protected from reprisals akin to Daniel in the lion's den. Some might argue his using anonymity is how the LORD is allowing him to be protected against threats. I don't know how to feel here. There are verses such as Mark 12:17 (Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.) and Romans 13:4 (For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.). So essentially as Christians we are supposed to respect our governments and abide by their laws as long as they are not working against His will. Could it be argued that the creation of digital, de-centralized, deregulated currency is a rebellion or attack against a nations' (and also the LORDs') sovereignty? Does it go against verse Mark 12:17? I don't feel fully qualified to give a clear answer.
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin) claims that bitcoin's "official users" are El Salvador, and the Central African Republic. Not exactly a large list of official backers, is it?
The "Bitcoin Foundation", an American nonprofit corporation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin_Foundation) was created in Sept 2012 "in an effort to restore the reputation of Bitcoin after several scandals, and to try to promote its development and uptake."
Under "History" in this link on the Bitcoin Foundation:
The foundation was formed in late 2012, after Bitcoin had earned a reputation for criminality and fraud.
In January 2014, the foundation's vice-chairman, Charlie Shrem, was arrested for aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business related to his role in assisting agents of the online marketplace Silk Road; he resigned later that month and pled guilty in September 2014.[
Ethereum is another type of digital currency.
Under its wiki article, I was able to find this:
In 2019, Ethereum Foundation employee Virgil Griffith was arrested by the US government for presenting at a blockchain conference in North Korea.[42] He would later plead guilty to the charges[clarification needed] in 2021.[43]
Upon examining Virgil Griffith's wiki page, the following information is disclosed:
On November 28, 2019, Griffith was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for providing "highly technical information” to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions."[30] The charges stem from his unsanctioned participation in an April 2019 blockchain and cryptocurrency conference held in Pyongyang, North Korea. During and after the conference, Griffith was alleged to have discussed means through which North Korea could use cryptocurrency to evade economic sanctions.
Some friends have told me how the technology behind digital currency is sound, IF used right. If used by people with good, honest intentions - it has the potential for good fruits. If however, the tech is used with bad intent - bad fruit is its result.
What I am trying to convey, and from how things seem when researching the histories of bitcoin and other various digital currencies - is that it is a technology and currency that is made to subvert or at least circumvent a nation's native, physical currency. By the mere creation of this alternative, the authors are creating a means that people can utilize to deal in currency in a way that excludes the nation they may be residing in. So at its base, ultimate function - it seems as if the whole reason for digital currency existing is to 'get around' the native, tangible currencies of nations since they are not beholden to it (decentralized). I struggle to think of the 'good' that can come from this. Certainly, there is much bad that can come from these systems if abused, such as what took place with Virgil Griffith who seems to have ran afoul of money laundering and sanction evading laws. This is a clear example of criminal behavior that shows intent to subvert a nations currency and laws. For whatever reason, in the above provided example - the individual seemingly felt or believed that it was a just action or at least risk-worthy thing to go against the laws and sovereignty of the USA. His(Mr. Griffith) education and upbringing shows him to be an incredibly talented and smart individual who was raised and educated in the USA, with funding at one point coming from the Dept. of Energy and the Dept. Homeland Security. It is noted in the wiki "At the time of his arrest in 2019, Griffith was a resident of Singapore and was allegedly investigating the possibility of renouncing his US citizenship.[". So what drove this intelligent young man to at some point turn against the nation who had educated him and put its national backing behind him? What drives someone in this case to at a later point act against their own nation's laws and sovereignty?
Honestly - I admit I am very amateur in my knowledge behind these technologies. That probably helps to skew my bias against it. But I do know as a servant of Jesus Christ that verses such as Mark 12:17 and Romans 13:4 should be paid attention to. As long as the United States enjoys the LORD's blessings and protections - acting in rebellion to it is, essentially, acting in rebellion against our Creator, the Father. And as Romans 13:4 states - if you do wrong, be afraid. Even in North Korea if the LORD wants you to face justice for your actions, His will be done.
There is a reason why Christians try to be, or should be very mindful of Proverbs 9:10 which states "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Those who have proper fear (I maintain that fear in this case is synonymous with respect) of the LORD know to try to flee from sin. To be honest. To do your best to love thy neighbor. Basically, you keep your head down, lead an honest, quiet, kind life and don't assume you know better than what the bible states.
From what I see, the people who are often associated with and behind these digital currencies seem to have some sort of feeling or belief that there are situations where you should not trust your nation and specifically with regards to its PHYSICAL currency, and in such cases you are being just to trust in digital currencies. A possibly good example is individuals who are trying to escape persecution in anti-Christian nations or places. China is often referenced. I honestly don't know how bad it is for Christians in China, because I don't live there. I don't know anyone in China. I only know what curated media websites might tell me. They may or may not mistreat and persecute Christians. It is true that there are undoubtedly areas in the world that do persecute and go after Christians - we are warned about this in the bible. We know what the world did to our master so we understand that we may face similar treatment. We also know, however that Paul states in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - what awaits the Christian believer after death is far, far better and more amazing then any pursuit or endeavor we could hope for in this life. So as a Christian, we should glory in the Lord Jesus Christ even knowing that potential persecutions and harm may come to us. It is all according to the LORD's will. I believe it is better to bring more glory to the LORD and Lord Jesus Christ and have a potentially shorter life as opposed to living a longer life that brings less glory to Him.
So I suppose you could theoretically argue that the use of an anonymous digital currency could protect individuals under the right circumstances? But is there any digital currency that is completely anonymous? Can someone prove this? That a nation would not be able to trace or find out in any way who is behind a specific digital currency or coin that is being used? I have a feeling that if a nation with all its government, police, and intelligence apparatus wanted to know badly enough, it could find out - but I admit my understanding of this kind of technology is limited.
What I do know a bit better is biblical history. I know that Daniel was protected by the God of Israel when thrown into a pit of lions "because I was found blameless before him" (Daniel 6:22). Also, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to bow down and worship false idols at the insistence of pagan rulers who threatened them with death if they did not do so. I think back to these moments in biblical history and what it tells me is that if you repent of your sins and take the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, and aspire to do the LORD's will in all you do - He will keep His hand over you and no harm will befall you if it His will. And even if it is His will that you be harmed or martyred, it is still to His glorification provided you are upright and acting to conform your life and actions to His will.
The LORD protects His servants until their appointed time.
Are the people creating these digital currencies doing the LORD's will, or their own will in rebellion to the nations they were raised under? Could there be people in power purposely devising and introducing a flawed digital currency system so they can then later come in 'officially' as talking heads, politicians, and government figures with a solution to regulate and oversee an unregulated fraud-prone digital economy, with the intention of eventually phasing out physical currency? "Everything monetary will be digital! No more worries about getting robbed for your cash on the street!" they will say. "No more having to carry around cumbersome dollars or coins! All you need is this card or chip that keeps track of all your digital worth!"
Some call this the 'Problem-Reaction-Solution' tactic and claim it is used to ease people into accepting something that they would have never accepted if it was just introduced or forced on a population in a way where it does not seem as if those in power are 'coming to the rescue'. This is biblical 'Mark of the Beast' territory. With hard, physical currency like dollar bills and coins - you can at least have some level of freedom with your money from government tyranny. But what happens if your government convinces you to go all digital currency and now has total control over how much money you possess? What if those in power decide to start rewarding or punish you based on how well you follow their rules? What if your government becomes hostile to you for your faith in Christ Jesus and threatens to dock your digital currency account if you continue to preach the gospel to others?
I'll leave it for you to ponder over. I am fairly opposed to digital currency as it either seems like a P-R-S technique by those in power to sway the herd(you and I) into accepting a new way of life we would not normally accept, or it is a system that by its own nature attracts fraud and criminal behavior due to its lack of regulation. Either way, it has the potential to lead down a very dark road.
Just recently, another digital currency exchange server/company, FTX - seems to have been caught with their pants down participating in some questionable activity by means of the CEO using a sister company(Alameda Research) to prop or in some way manipulate their FTX company's minted token that they called "FTT".
Some friends have informed me that rather than referring to this activity as pyramid scheme, it is much more closer to what is referred to as Greater fool theory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory), which essentially states:
In finance, the greater fool theory suggests that one can sometimes make money through the purchase of overvalued assets — items with a purchase price drastically exceeding the intrinsic value — if those assets can later be resold at an even higher price.
In this context, one "fool" might pay for an overpriced asset, hoping that he can sell it to an even "greater fool" and make a profit. This only works as long as there are enough new "greater fools" willing to pay higher and higher prices for the asset. Eventually, investors can no longer deny that the price is out of touch with reality, at which point a sell-off can cause the price to drop significantly until it is closer to its fair value, which in some cases could be zero.
Someone can correct me if I am mistaken, but it seems like this is what took place with the cryptocurrency exchange company FTX, whose CEO was exposed doing some questionable things with sister company Alameda Research. The questionable activity was exposed by a company/website called Coindesk. Binance, another cryptocurrency exchange company who had bought/invested in a large amount of the service and later cashed out was supposedly going to save/buy/provide liquidity to prop up FTX, but as I understand it, they are no longer agreeing to do this.
With an FDIC insured bank, in working theory your deposits are insured for up to $250,000. Is there any kind of insurance or protections for people who buy these digital coins and tokens? Does anyone even research to see how long these cryptocurrency exchange servers have been operating for compared to national brick and mortar bank branches? Does anyone wonder how a digital coin created at random on the internet can go from being worth nothing to being worth thousands to tens of thousands of dollars per coin? Does it not seem likely that for some individuals to profit at that level when they cash out means that there is a requirement that many suckers buy in underneath them at higher digital coin *airquote*value*airquote*, who have been led to believe that what they are doing is a wise thing? That is essentially what the Greater Fool method/tactic was discussing.. It requires many more buy in after you buy in - and at higher rates, to keep the model running and for you to profit.
A lot of it comes off as smoke and mirrors to me. You are putting trust in individuals you know little to nothing about who seemingly have very few agencies regulating their behavior. If you can convince enough people (herd mentality) that your product or service is somehow worth thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, there will (unfortunately) be naive individuals who will buy in and believe it. Is this something Lord Jesus would approve of? I don't think He would condone this kind of behavior.
According to https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/ the current value of one bitcoin is $17,412.96. Wow. Is there ...anything that you or I could make that we could go up to someone and get them to pay over $17,000 for it? Could I create a Rainbow Roo dollar with a fancy portrait of my kangaroo angel character on it and convince someone to buy one for $17,000 US dollars? For that kind of money I would be willing to hire a furry artist to make the Rainbow Roo dollar look very fancy and alluring. So, ...would you buy one Rainbow Roo dollar? For $17,000 dollars? Serious inquires only, please.
(For more information on what is taking place with the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, please visit the following links - as they break it down far more accurately.)
https://www.coindesk.com/business/2.....balance-sheet/
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/32b.....ry?id=93051079
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/.....fried-00066062
https://www.theguardian.com/technol.....rest-of-crypto
https://slate.com/technology/2022/1.....f-binance.html
https://markets.businessinsider.com.....e-2022-11?op=1
My final hot take on "digital currencies" ...
Money, currency in its various physical formats has been present in human civilization for tens of thousands of years. Anyone who tells you that digital currency is necessary or a wonderful thing is trying to put lipstick on a pig. It's totally unneeded and unnecessary - but we are increasingly hearing all about it in various forms of media and influencers on television and the internet.
In my humble opinion, these are the groups of people who are most often pushing for a digital currency:
I.) Grifters and scammers who have skin in the game and need fresh blood - that is, people who buy in to the digital coins after they bought in at a lower price. You buy in later at a higher price for the exact same pieces of code that someone else paid a lower amount to "own". This is the Greater Fool theory/scam in effect.
II.) Criminals and terrorists who want to be able to commit crimes (money laundering, drugs, sex trafficking, sanction evasion, etc) without being beholden to the law of the land. I'm not entirely convinced that digital currency is entirely anonymous - being so would make it prone to massive amounts of fraud - which we already see happening time and time again with various cryptocurrency exchange servers.
III.) Authoritarian/tyrannical future governments that might want to have total control over its citizens ability to buy and sell. With paper/hard currency and metals, you can at least have some level of freedom to buy and spend without being subject to punishment by the government. If at some point in the future - people can be convinced and sold on the "positives/benefits' of incorporating digital currency alongside the current hard forms of currency we use - the trap can be sprung incrementally. At first, digital currencies will just be a convenient alternative to making payments. Its ease of use (you can do everything digitally without having to think too hard, less fear of theft of your physical currency, etc) will be showcased to get people on board with it. Then, as time goes on - major banks and businesses will start to only accept digital forms of payment. It will be done because "It is easier and more convenient as a business, we are less at risk to theft", and so on. Before long, physical hard currencies are no longer able to be used to pay the bills or buy food. Your "social credit score" or rather, how well you behave towards those in power will affect what you can and can't do in society. The Bible talks about this sort of thing in its final chapter, Revelation.
There is no need for digital currency unless you are in one of these three camps. Anyone who is trying to tell you different either does not realize what they have been led to become an advocate for at the very best, or at worst is actively trying to push for a system that gives them greater control to commit crimes or have more power over you
Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance. Therefore, the Lord says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. Micah 2:1-3
(Please note, the following is all based on my opinions and beliefs as a Christian. I am not an expert in law, business, or digital currencies and other gambling vices.)
Greetings my furry and brony brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. I would like to apologize for the lack of activity - the world has been keeping me busy. I will hopefully be able to visit everyone with helpful bits of wisdom a little more often, if all goes well.
This journal will focus on the dangers of giving in to the sin of greed through the vice of gambling or various get-rich-quick schemes. The LORD warns us in the gospel against these sorts of pursuits. It must be remembered that we are lambs in a world full of wolves. We should never assume that we will profit and do well from entering into this sort of behavior. And even if we do have the smarts to be clever enough to make out like a bandit from some of these schemes - it does not change the fact that you cannot have those big winners without a legion of losers who are left with nothing.
To begin, let's take a look at a few bible verses that warn against gambling and GRQ schemes:
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:9-10
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28
These are just a few verses that warn against falling into the temptation of greed and the love of money.
It is the love of money and wealth that lures people into the vice of gambling and "get rich quick" schemes.
Recently there has been a lot of talk in the media about the "Powerball Lottery" reaching over 2 billion dollars payout. Goodness, what a large amount of money.
Unfortunately, the promise of a big payout lures many souls into the belief that if they go and buy into the game, they stand a good chance to win - and even if they don't? It's only x amount of dollars wasted. Well, yes. I suppose you could buy just one or very few tickets and argue that at least you're not throwing your money away by the bucket-loads. But really...what are your chances of winning?
(According to https://www.lotterycritic.com/lotte.....all-odds-math/)
According to the above source, your chances of winning the Powerball grand prize – if you were to play only one set of numbers, would be 1 in 292,201,338. Would you gamble your life with those odds? Your house? Anything you own? Money - to most of us who try to be good, hard working Christian servants - is our time and labor in material form that we can give to others to receive something we consider worthy of that time and work spent. So why give away your hard work and time to someone who is essentially telling you they will give you back exactly $0 for any amount of money that you give them? This is why the LORD warns us to labor with our hands and work an honest living and to not give in to the temptation of the love of money.
Although yes, it's true - there are other prizes given out through Powerball Lottery if you manage to match some of the numbers - it hardly seems worth the risk if you crunch the numbers and do the math. Please see the above mentioned source, where the author does all the math for you. You could potentially win $100 if you guess 4 of the white ball numbers. The odds of this? 1 in 36,525. Your best chance to win would be to guess the (red) powerball correctly. This has a 1 in 38 chance. Your prize? $4. So I mean, really - the only one who really 'wins' out of these games is the people who are duping all of us into playing it.
This is all assuming that everything is on the up and up - that there is no corruption or bribery taking place within the state lotteries or gambling casinos or wherever you are gambling. With a jackpot of over 2 billion dollars - is it really unlikely that bribery and corruption might be taking place to rig a winner? 2 billion (minus taxes, which is still a lot) can grease a lot of hands - and if your God is not the LORD/Lord Jesus Christ, then by the fallen/sinful nature of man - your god may instead be money, which in turn can influence human beings into doing bad things to chase after it.
A scene from a good sky-fi film "They Live"
We should not assume that the positions of power/oversight with regard to these lotteries and casinos are always going to be staffed by honest, moral people. As long as there is a sea of foolish people willing to throw a few dollars in which results in million or billion plus jackpots, the sharks will be drawn to where the blood in the water is. I would suggest that it could be absolutely possible that many state lotteries could have corrupted/bribed people involved. Winners could be entirely rigged, right down to staged pictures/names of people in the news - so that people like you and I assume that everything is on the up and up. With all this said - how can we even know if there is even actually 2 billion waiting to be distributed? For all anyone knows - these outrageous payouts could simply be pushed around in media outlets to try to drive increased cashflow contributions from the public to buy into the drawing. At the end of the day, a few people behind the scenes who work these lotteries as well as some greased hands might get to walk away with a net worth of an amount that totals in the millions - but certainly not the number that was advertised as the original jackpot. This sort of tactic/behavior is very similar to the 'pump and dump' behavior that can take place with stocks and bitcoin/digital currencies.
Bitcoin and other Digital Currencies
Hey kid! Want to make some easy money?
Let me run a scenario by you. Lets assume for the purposes of this example that you and I are both living in the same place, under the same government. In this case, we will use the USA. Now, you are walking through the public square. You have some US dollars, that you have had entrusted to you by those in power over you(Parents, or guardians) or perhaps that you worked a job for. Now let's say I come up to you with a group of accompli-err...friends. "Hi there, friend!" I say. I can see the unassuming, naive expression on your face. I carefully produce what seem to be some strips of paper, similar to the US dollars you possess - except on the face of these dollars is a picture of Rainbow 'Roo the kangaroo. The strips each have the number 10 on them, and in the portrait in the middle I am giving you a big thumbs up and a wink. "These, my friend..are Rainbow Roobucks! I wouldn't normally do this - but you, you look like someone who knows a thing or two! Why don't you buy some of these Rainbow Roobucks? Did you know that just a single $10 Roobuck is worth ...$20 US dollars? Did you know that?" At this point you - if you are wise, might be getting a nervous feeling in your belly. 'How could those Rainbow Roobucks...a money I know..nothing about..be worth MORE than my US dollars, which I can go and use anywhere right on the street right now?' you think to yourself. So you call me out on the offer, telling me that you have major doubts about the actual claims I'm making. "But my friend....just look at all these fellows around me! Look at the beautiful clothes they are all wearing! All bought with the much more valuable Rainbow Roobucks!' I gesture to my friends, who all agree and flash you the finery they are all wearing. This is basically the scene I picture in my mind when it comes to people being convinced that it is a smart decision to "invest" in bitcoin or other forms of digital currency.
With US dollars, in this example - you can go to any business around you and purchase real, tangible goods for your currency. That dollar has actual, real value behind it. Now what happens if you go into any of these businesses and hold up the Rainbow Roobucks that I just sold you? Will any of these businesses honor your new form of currency? No? Why not? You were told that your new Roobucks are a worthwhile investment - even more than that - that dollar for dollar (or digital coin for dollar) that they are worth even /more/ than your US dollars.
So tell me - why is it that so many people seem to be fooled into trading in their US dollars for all sorts of digital currency these days?
I've had friends tell me that digital currency has real worth and value. I've been told that people have done real good with these digital currencies. I've been told that they are de-centralized, entirely anonymous, which can allow for some people to do good things that they would otherwise not be able to do. An example would be a Christian using digital currency in a nation-state that is hostile to Christianity/religion. By relying on the digital currency as opposed to the national currency, they in theory could escape persecution or retribution. I've also been told that no digital currency is entirely anonymous, that there are always ways to trace the transactions. I'm not a digital currency expert, but I do recall that digital currencies are often touted as being able to be read/traced or otherwise analyzed in the blockchain. I hope this is the case, because if there was a way to make a digital currency entirely anonymous, it seems that it would make it very, very susceptible to fraud and crime, both in the handling of the digital currency as well as what the currency itself is used for. If there is no way to trace the history of the who made the coin, who bought or sold it - then it becomes a golden ticket for money laundering and criminal enterprise. Why would any good Christian want to have a hand in something like that?
So lets assume that no digital currency is truly anonymous, then. What is the draw to use these currencies? All I usually hear is how bitcoin/digital coins are an alternative, semi or somewhat anonymous, de-centralized digital money format, a way for you to invest and or buy or purchase services without being beholden to the national currency that is available, depending on where you live.
We ought not to forget that if you try to live your life by biblical standards, that we as Christians believe that those who are installed in positions of authority above us are put there by the LORD and that they are doing the LORD's will. This is why Christians are told to pray for those in positions of power that they will wisely carry out the LORD's will, and if they refuse to do this, and instead act wickedly, we pray that they will repent and change their ways. If they refuse to do this, we pray that the LORD will install someone in their place that will carry out the LORD's will.
So essentially, by using the currency of the nation you are living in - you are obeying and acting within the expectations of what the LORD expects of you. See these following bible verses:
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. Mark 12:17
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Romans 13:4
The second verse is to show you that those in positions of authority and power over us, biblically, are to be believed put there by the LORD Himself to enforce His laws and rules. If you are wicked and evil and criminal - sooner or later the LORD will pull His hand back from your life and you will be punished for your sins. Even our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus Himself instructed that we should 'Give back to Caesar what is Caesars'. This is why Christians obey the laws of the land. We don't cheat on our taxes. We don't try to look for ways to short-change our government. Why? Because we are told plain as day that the LORD has put His servants into place within the government to oversee us.
So why do so many people seem to think it's good and acceptable to buy and invest into these digital currency schemes? These digital coins are not providing any (in my humble opinion) real, actual product or service, except to potentially enable criminal enterprises and criminal behavior. Drugs, sex trafficking, and possibly other very bad criminal activities may be funded with these currencies because criminals may be led to believe that these digital currencies are somehow more anonymous, less trace-able than normal local currency.
Would I be wrong in assuming if I created my own Rainbow Roobucks and started getting lots of people to start buying/using them in the US, that I wouldn't be pursued and charged by the US government? I'm pretty sure it would happen. A nation's currency is directly tied to its life and prosperity. If a nation allows anyone within it to start making their own currency and to try and convince its inhabitants to use it instead - that is a direct attack on that nation's sovereignty.
Bitcoin's author is stated to be a one Satoshi Nakamoto. The software behind the creation and use/trading of bitcoin as I understand it is open source, so it can be looked into by anyone. That seems like a good thing. What doesn't seem like a good thing, is that the founder, Satoshi Nakamoto is anonymous. Some have suggested this is done out of potential threats/reprisals against him for his creation. I don't know. I would like to argue that if creating digital currency was the LORD's will, that the author would be protected from reprisals akin to Daniel in the lion's den. Some might argue his using anonymity is how the LORD is allowing him to be protected against threats. I don't know how to feel here. There are verses such as Mark 12:17 (Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.) and Romans 13:4 (For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.). So essentially as Christians we are supposed to respect our governments and abide by their laws as long as they are not working against His will. Could it be argued that the creation of digital, de-centralized, deregulated currency is a rebellion or attack against a nations' (and also the LORDs') sovereignty? Does it go against verse Mark 12:17? I don't feel fully qualified to give a clear answer.
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin) claims that bitcoin's "official users" are El Salvador, and the Central African Republic. Not exactly a large list of official backers, is it?
The "Bitcoin Foundation", an American nonprofit corporation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin_Foundation) was created in Sept 2012 "in an effort to restore the reputation of Bitcoin after several scandals, and to try to promote its development and uptake."
Under "History" in this link on the Bitcoin Foundation:
The foundation was formed in late 2012, after Bitcoin had earned a reputation for criminality and fraud.
In January 2014, the foundation's vice-chairman, Charlie Shrem, was arrested for aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business related to his role in assisting agents of the online marketplace Silk Road; he resigned later that month and pled guilty in September 2014.[
Ethereum is another type of digital currency.
Under its wiki article, I was able to find this:
In 2019, Ethereum Foundation employee Virgil Griffith was arrested by the US government for presenting at a blockchain conference in North Korea.[42] He would later plead guilty to the charges[clarification needed] in 2021.[43]
Upon examining Virgil Griffith's wiki page, the following information is disclosed:
On November 28, 2019, Griffith was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for providing "highly technical information” to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions."[30] The charges stem from his unsanctioned participation in an April 2019 blockchain and cryptocurrency conference held in Pyongyang, North Korea. During and after the conference, Griffith was alleged to have discussed means through which North Korea could use cryptocurrency to evade economic sanctions.
Some friends have told me how the technology behind digital currency is sound, IF used right. If used by people with good, honest intentions - it has the potential for good fruits. If however, the tech is used with bad intent - bad fruit is its result.
What I am trying to convey, and from how things seem when researching the histories of bitcoin and other various digital currencies - is that it is a technology and currency that is made to subvert or at least circumvent a nation's native, physical currency. By the mere creation of this alternative, the authors are creating a means that people can utilize to deal in currency in a way that excludes the nation they may be residing in. So at its base, ultimate function - it seems as if the whole reason for digital currency existing is to 'get around' the native, tangible currencies of nations since they are not beholden to it (decentralized). I struggle to think of the 'good' that can come from this. Certainly, there is much bad that can come from these systems if abused, such as what took place with Virgil Griffith who seems to have ran afoul of money laundering and sanction evading laws. This is a clear example of criminal behavior that shows intent to subvert a nations currency and laws. For whatever reason, in the above provided example - the individual seemingly felt or believed that it was a just action or at least risk-worthy thing to go against the laws and sovereignty of the USA. His(Mr. Griffith) education and upbringing shows him to be an incredibly talented and smart individual who was raised and educated in the USA, with funding at one point coming from the Dept. of Energy and the Dept. Homeland Security. It is noted in the wiki "At the time of his arrest in 2019, Griffith was a resident of Singapore and was allegedly investigating the possibility of renouncing his US citizenship.[". So what drove this intelligent young man to at some point turn against the nation who had educated him and put its national backing behind him? What drives someone in this case to at a later point act against their own nation's laws and sovereignty?
Honestly - I admit I am very amateur in my knowledge behind these technologies. That probably helps to skew my bias against it. But I do know as a servant of Jesus Christ that verses such as Mark 12:17 and Romans 13:4 should be paid attention to. As long as the United States enjoys the LORD's blessings and protections - acting in rebellion to it is, essentially, acting in rebellion against our Creator, the Father. And as Romans 13:4 states - if you do wrong, be afraid. Even in North Korea if the LORD wants you to face justice for your actions, His will be done.
There is a reason why Christians try to be, or should be very mindful of Proverbs 9:10 which states "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Those who have proper fear (I maintain that fear in this case is synonymous with respect) of the LORD know to try to flee from sin. To be honest. To do your best to love thy neighbor. Basically, you keep your head down, lead an honest, quiet, kind life and don't assume you know better than what the bible states.
From what I see, the people who are often associated with and behind these digital currencies seem to have some sort of feeling or belief that there are situations where you should not trust your nation and specifically with regards to its PHYSICAL currency, and in such cases you are being just to trust in digital currencies. A possibly good example is individuals who are trying to escape persecution in anti-Christian nations or places. China is often referenced. I honestly don't know how bad it is for Christians in China, because I don't live there. I don't know anyone in China. I only know what curated media websites might tell me. They may or may not mistreat and persecute Christians. It is true that there are undoubtedly areas in the world that do persecute and go after Christians - we are warned about this in the bible. We know what the world did to our master so we understand that we may face similar treatment. We also know, however that Paul states in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - what awaits the Christian believer after death is far, far better and more amazing then any pursuit or endeavor we could hope for in this life. So as a Christian, we should glory in the Lord Jesus Christ even knowing that potential persecutions and harm may come to us. It is all according to the LORD's will. I believe it is better to bring more glory to the LORD and Lord Jesus Christ and have a potentially shorter life as opposed to living a longer life that brings less glory to Him.
So I suppose you could theoretically argue that the use of an anonymous digital currency could protect individuals under the right circumstances? But is there any digital currency that is completely anonymous? Can someone prove this? That a nation would not be able to trace or find out in any way who is behind a specific digital currency or coin that is being used? I have a feeling that if a nation with all its government, police, and intelligence apparatus wanted to know badly enough, it could find out - but I admit my understanding of this kind of technology is limited.
What I do know a bit better is biblical history. I know that Daniel was protected by the God of Israel when thrown into a pit of lions "because I was found blameless before him" (Daniel 6:22). Also, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to bow down and worship false idols at the insistence of pagan rulers who threatened them with death if they did not do so. I think back to these moments in biblical history and what it tells me is that if you repent of your sins and take the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, and aspire to do the LORD's will in all you do - He will keep His hand over you and no harm will befall you if it His will. And even if it is His will that you be harmed or martyred, it is still to His glorification provided you are upright and acting to conform your life and actions to His will.
The LORD protects His servants until their appointed time.
Are the people creating these digital currencies doing the LORD's will, or their own will in rebellion to the nations they were raised under? Could there be people in power purposely devising and introducing a flawed digital currency system so they can then later come in 'officially' as talking heads, politicians, and government figures with a solution to regulate and oversee an unregulated fraud-prone digital economy, with the intention of eventually phasing out physical currency? "Everything monetary will be digital! No more worries about getting robbed for your cash on the street!" they will say. "No more having to carry around cumbersome dollars or coins! All you need is this card or chip that keeps track of all your digital worth!"
Some call this the 'Problem-Reaction-Solution' tactic and claim it is used to ease people into accepting something that they would have never accepted if it was just introduced or forced on a population in a way where it does not seem as if those in power are 'coming to the rescue'. This is biblical 'Mark of the Beast' territory. With hard, physical currency like dollar bills and coins - you can at least have some level of freedom with your money from government tyranny. But what happens if your government convinces you to go all digital currency and now has total control over how much money you possess? What if those in power decide to start rewarding or punish you based on how well you follow their rules? What if your government becomes hostile to you for your faith in Christ Jesus and threatens to dock your digital currency account if you continue to preach the gospel to others?
I'll leave it for you to ponder over. I am fairly opposed to digital currency as it either seems like a P-R-S technique by those in power to sway the herd(you and I) into accepting a new way of life we would not normally accept, or it is a system that by its own nature attracts fraud and criminal behavior due to its lack of regulation. Either way, it has the potential to lead down a very dark road.
Just recently, another digital currency exchange server/company, FTX - seems to have been caught with their pants down participating in some questionable activity by means of the CEO using a sister company(Alameda Research) to prop or in some way manipulate their FTX company's minted token that they called "FTT".
Some friends have informed me that rather than referring to this activity as pyramid scheme, it is much more closer to what is referred to as Greater fool theory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory), which essentially states:
In finance, the greater fool theory suggests that one can sometimes make money through the purchase of overvalued assets — items with a purchase price drastically exceeding the intrinsic value — if those assets can later be resold at an even higher price.
In this context, one "fool" might pay for an overpriced asset, hoping that he can sell it to an even "greater fool" and make a profit. This only works as long as there are enough new "greater fools" willing to pay higher and higher prices for the asset. Eventually, investors can no longer deny that the price is out of touch with reality, at which point a sell-off can cause the price to drop significantly until it is closer to its fair value, which in some cases could be zero.
Someone can correct me if I am mistaken, but it seems like this is what took place with the cryptocurrency exchange company FTX, whose CEO was exposed doing some questionable things with sister company Alameda Research. The questionable activity was exposed by a company/website called Coindesk. Binance, another cryptocurrency exchange company who had bought/invested in a large amount of the service and later cashed out was supposedly going to save/buy/provide liquidity to prop up FTX, but as I understand it, they are no longer agreeing to do this.
With an FDIC insured bank, in working theory your deposits are insured for up to $250,000. Is there any kind of insurance or protections for people who buy these digital coins and tokens? Does anyone even research to see how long these cryptocurrency exchange servers have been operating for compared to national brick and mortar bank branches? Does anyone wonder how a digital coin created at random on the internet can go from being worth nothing to being worth thousands to tens of thousands of dollars per coin? Does it not seem likely that for some individuals to profit at that level when they cash out means that there is a requirement that many suckers buy in underneath them at higher digital coin *airquote*value*airquote*, who have been led to believe that what they are doing is a wise thing? That is essentially what the Greater Fool method/tactic was discussing.. It requires many more buy in after you buy in - and at higher rates, to keep the model running and for you to profit.
A lot of it comes off as smoke and mirrors to me. You are putting trust in individuals you know little to nothing about who seemingly have very few agencies regulating their behavior. If you can convince enough people (herd mentality) that your product or service is somehow worth thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, there will (unfortunately) be naive individuals who will buy in and believe it. Is this something Lord Jesus would approve of? I don't think He would condone this kind of behavior.
According to https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/ the current value of one bitcoin is $17,412.96. Wow. Is there ...anything that you or I could make that we could go up to someone and get them to pay over $17,000 for it? Could I create a Rainbow Roo dollar with a fancy portrait of my kangaroo angel character on it and convince someone to buy one for $17,000 US dollars? For that kind of money I would be willing to hire a furry artist to make the Rainbow Roo dollar look very fancy and alluring. So, ...would you buy one Rainbow Roo dollar? For $17,000 dollars? Serious inquires only, please.
(For more information on what is taking place with the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, please visit the following links - as they break it down far more accurately.)
https://www.coindesk.com/business/2.....balance-sheet/
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/32b.....ry?id=93051079
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/.....fried-00066062
https://www.theguardian.com/technol.....rest-of-crypto
https://slate.com/technology/2022/1.....f-binance.html
https://markets.businessinsider.com.....e-2022-11?op=1
My final hot take on "digital currencies" ...
Money, currency in its various physical formats has been present in human civilization for tens of thousands of years. Anyone who tells you that digital currency is necessary or a wonderful thing is trying to put lipstick on a pig. It's totally unneeded and unnecessary - but we are increasingly hearing all about it in various forms of media and influencers on television and the internet.
In my humble opinion, these are the groups of people who are most often pushing for a digital currency:
I.) Grifters and scammers who have skin in the game and need fresh blood - that is, people who buy in to the digital coins after they bought in at a lower price. You buy in later at a higher price for the exact same pieces of code that someone else paid a lower amount to "own". This is the Greater Fool theory/scam in effect.
II.) Criminals and terrorists who want to be able to commit crimes (money laundering, drugs, sex trafficking, sanction evasion, etc) without being beholden to the law of the land. I'm not entirely convinced that digital currency is entirely anonymous - being so would make it prone to massive amounts of fraud - which we already see happening time and time again with various cryptocurrency exchange servers.
III.) Authoritarian/tyrannical future governments that might want to have total control over its citizens ability to buy and sell. With paper/hard currency and metals, you can at least have some level of freedom to buy and spend without being subject to punishment by the government. If at some point in the future - people can be convinced and sold on the "positives/benefits' of incorporating digital currency alongside the current hard forms of currency we use - the trap can be sprung incrementally. At first, digital currencies will just be a convenient alternative to making payments. Its ease of use (you can do everything digitally without having to think too hard, less fear of theft of your physical currency, etc) will be showcased to get people on board with it. Then, as time goes on - major banks and businesses will start to only accept digital forms of payment. It will be done because "It is easier and more convenient as a business, we are less at risk to theft", and so on. Before long, physical hard currencies are no longer able to be used to pay the bills or buy food. Your "social credit score" or rather, how well you behave towards those in power will affect what you can and can't do in society. The Bible talks about this sort of thing in its final chapter, Revelation.
There is no need for digital currency unless you are in one of these three camps. Anyone who is trying to tell you different either does not realize what they have been led to become an advocate for at the very best, or at worst is actively trying to push for a system that gives them greater control to commit crimes or have more power over you
Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance. Therefore, the Lord says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. Micah 2:1-3
Get FA 
Merch Store
