Cashless Society and Bible Prophecy: Dr. David Jeremiah on the Last Days YouTube is one of the most powerful ways we share the gospel today. When you subscribe, you're helping us reach people who may never step foot in a church or turn on a Christian broadcast. So don't just watch, take a moment to subscribe and join us in sharing Jesus with the world. A cashless society, cryptocurrency, microchipping technology. What does all this mean for our future? Are these signs of the last days? Money has always been important in the past and economics will continue to play an essential role in future events, including the end times. >> Join Dr. David Jeremiah for this special prophecy edition of Turning Point as he presents a sign of the end times. Economic chaos, a financial prophecy today on Turning Point. Stylishly bearded and wearing a baseball cap, Jan Ostrin pulls on a pair of surgical gloves and uses a wipe to sterilize the top of his client's hand. Then with a quick jab, Austral man's skin, and the man gasps as a tiny microchip about the size of a grain of rice and encased in a silicate glass enters his body. It invisibly embeds itself in his hand as the man exclaims, "I'm a cyborg." This procedure didn't take place in a dark movie or in the middle of a criminal lair. It happened in the clean and bright offices of a company in Sweden specializing in biochips. The company is called Biohacks International. It's where Osterland is the CEO. And he estimates that he has chipped more than 6,000 Swedes during the six years his company has been in business. The microchip that he injects into clients uses radio frequency technology. And you might have a similar chip in your dog or your cat, but human microchipping is more sophisticated and it offers a broader range of applications. The chip can be used to open secure doors or log into computers. All you have to do is just wave your hand. It can be used for contactless payments. When the chip is linked with bank or credit accounts, users can access funds by swiping their hand over the payment terminals. Actual credit cards are no longer needed. Of course, they could potentially be used to track your movements, to reveal your secrets, inform a totalitarian government what you're feeling and saying. Doesn't the Bible say something about this sort of thing? Haven't I heard about something being stamped on our hands or on our foreheads? Yeah, you have. You're right. The evolving biometric chip technology reminds us of a prophecy that's found in Revelation 13 16-1 17. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Just think about this technology in the wrong hands. Could it lead us toward the day when a centralized government will control, attack, punish, and monitor all of us? What does all this mean for us for the future? And is it a sign of the end times? That's the question. How does this affect the followers of the lamb right now, today? Number one, the addiction to money. 2 Timothy 3:1 and2 says, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of money." It's easy to think of Wall Street when we read these verses. But we also must grapple with this personally. Paul said that the end times will be a period defined by rejecting what is good and running to embrace what is evil. And much of that will be centered on an everinccreasing appetite for money. That matches what Paul had previously written to Timothy, a verse that's often misunderstood. But listen to it carefully. For the love of money is the root of all evil, for which some have strayed from the faith and their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. I always like to tell people that Paul did not say that money was the root of all evil. How many of you know money is neutral? It's what we do with money that creates the issue. And Paul said in Timothy, it's not money that's evil. It's the love of money. This is our culture, but it cannot be our character. You don't want to let money get control of your life. If you become addicted to money, it will ruin you and everyone around you. Then here's another thing that seems quite interesting because there's a lot of discussion about this right now, and that's the acceleration of inequality. The last days say that there will be an increasing amount of inequality as far as wealth is concerned. At the beginning of this section in Revelation 6, we read about things that will occur near the beginning of the tribulation. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a daenerius, and three quarts of barley for a daenarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine." The passage describes the seal of judgment during the tribulation, and it paints a picture of worldwide famine. The black horse is a symbol of famine and it is a time of judgment when resources will be sparse. Many will be thrown into abject poverty and hunger and despair. And the prophecy says that in those days a daenerius, that's what you get paid for a day's work, would buy a court of wheat. A court of wheat wasn't very much. In fact, it was not enough to sustain a family. And then it goes on to say that three quarts of barley could also be bought for daenerius. Imagine a day of backbreaking labor and come back and realize all you got that day was a quart of grain and it isn't even enough to feed your family for one day. Now it says touch not the oil and wine. Oil and wine were the commodities of luxury. They didn't deal in barley and wheat. They dealt in oil and wine. And the scripture says don't touch that. So what happens is the poor people get poorer and the people who control the wealth get richer and the disparity in the economy is gross. An old saying goes like this. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. And then the adoration of the antichrist. Just as financial addiction and rising inequality conjure up scenes of the future. The Bible tells us that a cult leader will be revealed who will deceive the whole world and ultimately declare himself to be God. The Antichrist will be the personification of Charisma and people will do anything for a glimpse of him. Revelation 13 calls him a beast rising up out of the sea. This ultimate dictator will rule the world during the last days. And he won't be alone. A few verses later, John saw a second beast. This one coming up out of the earth. This beast is called the false prophet. and he will have one supreme duty to point humanity toward the antichrist. It will be a twisted inversion of how the Holy Spirit points people to Jesus Christ today. He controls the spiritual temperature of the world and the economic temperature of the world. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man, his number is 666. Most people that I know who've studied this period of time believe that most of the death during the tribulation will be because of starvation. If you do not have the mark, you will not be able to transact any business. Millionaire and popper, free man and slave, everyone will be compelled to receive this mark of the beast and no one will be exempt. Without this mark, people will be unable to buy or sell anything and economic access and opportunity will vanish. for anyone resisting the antichrist and the false prophet. What will this mark be? Could it be a microchip in your hand or some other emerging technology? It's possible. We don't know for sure because scripture does not provide details. But one thing I can tell you, 10 years ago when I started preaching on this, I could never have dreamed how believable it would be at this particular time in my career as a pastor. It's way more believable now than it was then. I believed it then because it was in the Bible. I believe it now because it's in the Bible and it's starting to happen. What we know is this. The mark of the beast will indicate that the one wearing it is a worshipper of the beast. Someone who submits to his rule. And those who refuse that mark will be traitors. And they will likely starve while on the run or be killed on the spot when they are captured. The Bible says immediately after the rapture, the tribulation begins. When the saints all go up, all hell breaks loose on earth and all these tribulation things will happen. If we believe that the rapture could happen today, what that means is all of these things I'm talking about couldn't be any further into the future than a seven-year period. And most of them will happen in the middle of the tribulation as we move toward the end. So, this is not just, oh, out in the future someplace. Oh, it's so far away, pastor. I don't want to hear. No, no, no. If the rapture is signless, if it's eminent and it could happen today, all of these things could happen in the tomorrows after that today. Thank God we won't be here. We'll be in heaven, but those things will be happening on this earth. There's a ((applause)) there's a little law of prophecy that I'll just give you. You can write it down because it's really important. Here it is. Future events cast their shadows before them. In other words, things that are going to happen in the future cast a shadow backwards this way. You can see the beginning of the reality through the shadow of what has happened. So keep your eyes open, listen carefully to what people say, especially in this area where human identification is being discussed more and more every day. So let me give you some things that you should be thinking about. I hope you will do this. First of all, determine to count the cost. Determine to count the cost. In Luke 14, we read, "For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. Number two, determined to count the cost and determined to be confident. The wonderful news about living for Jesus is that not only can we experience the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, we can also feel confident in the reality of God's presence right now. No matter what cost we may pay to follow Christ, we will never sacrifice our connection with him. The author of Hebrews put it this way. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?" When we stand in such awe of the living Lord, the lying world loses its power on us. Do what you want to do. The Lord is my confidence. I stand in him. He's promised never to leave me nor forsake me. >> ((applause)) >> And number three, determined to be content. Oh, how we need to learn this. I'll finish this message with this thought. Because God will never leave us or forsake us, we can be content with what we have. As the globe spins around us and the worship of wealth will accelerate, the Bible can keep us from yielding to these pressures. There's one incredible secret I want to give you on the authority of scripture. I can tell you how to distance yourself from a materialistic lifestyle. It's by developing one simple biblical attitude, contentment. The first one comes to us from the book of Hebrews. Says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have." And the second is in Ecclesiastes 5:10. He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity. Covetousness is very subtle, folks, because it's a condition that exists in our minds. It's the invisible violation that no one else ever sees. You can have your act together on the outside, but inside you can be agonizing, lusting, and being consumed by the desire to have what someone else has. Coveting is a closeted spiritual crime that if not checked will eventually manifest itself externally. The writer of Hebrews tells us how to replace coveting with contentment. The word for contentment means satisfied, adequate, competent, sufficient. The same term is used in 2 Corinthians 12:9 where God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you." Someone has said, "Christian contentment is the God-given ability to be satisfied with the loving provision of God in any situation." If your goal is to be the richest person on your street or in your company or in your family, that attitude will destroy you. Learn to be content with what you have. And what you have is the eternal God and his son Jesus Christ. Our world's approach to money is troubling. It's alarming. It's the prelude to the tribulation. But we as Christians don't have to follow that path. ((music playing)) I'm going to leave you with a statement. It was made famous by Anne Graham Lots because she wrote a book by this title. But here it is. I hope it's your thought. You can take the world, but give me Jesus. Amen. >> And now with one last word for today's ((music playing)) program, here is Dr. Jeremiah. As believers, we must ((music playing)) face these uncertain times with biblical insight and a measured tone. While keeping our eyes wide open to all that is happening around us, we focus on Christ ((music playing)) and we trust in him. The financial world will get more chaotic as we approach the end of the age. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he will give you peace if you will only believe in him. I encourage you today to put your trust in Jesus Christ. I would love to send you two free gifts to help you trust him. One is our booklet called Your Greatest Turning Point and the other is our monthly devotional magazine called Turning Points. The booklet will help you know Christ. And the magazine will help you grow in him every day. And we will gladly send both of these gifts to you free of charge if you will just contact us here at Turning Point today. Next time on Turning Point. You say, "Well, I'm kind of down now about my faith." Well, I'm sorry about that. But you know, there's not anybody going to rush to your help. So, learn how to do it yourself. Learn how to take care of yourself in the word of God. Learn how to take care of yourself in building up your most holy faith. It's good to have people help you. It's wonderful to be in a small group where somebody encourages you, but that's not always going to happen. So, you better learn how to take care of yourself. >> Thank you for being with us today. Join Dr. Jeremiah next time for his message, The Falling Away, a Theological Prophecy here on Turning Point.