500 end times Bible prophecies remain to be fulfilled. You’d therefore expect there to be news, and trends, that anticipate their fulfillment.
That’s why each week we present what we call a Prophecy Update. This is #487 in that series.
The Bible seems to describe human society as cashless in the end times. It derives from the prophecy of John, in the Revelation, that everyone on earth will have some sort of personal identifier either in them or on them by which they will conduct all their daily business. In the middle of the seven year Tribulation, the antichrist will use that system of commerce to demand everyone swear their allegiance to him or be persecuted.
His demand is called the Mark of the Beast.
Prior to the Tribulation, you’d therefore expect a push towards going cashless… And that is exactly what you find trending in the news.
For example, The Wall Street Journal posted an article titled, Visa Takes War on Cash to Restaurants.
Excerpts:
Visa Inc. has a new offer for small merchants: take thousands of dollars from the card giant to upgrade their payment technology. In return, the businesses must stop accepting cash.
The company is announcing the initiative this week as part of a broader effort to steer Americans away from using old-fashioned paper money. Visa says it is planning to give $10,000 apiece to up to 50 restaurants and food vendors to pay for their technology and marketing costs, as long as the businesses pledge to start what Visa executive Jack Forestell calls a “journey to cashless.”
“We’re really viewing this as the opening salvo,” said Mr. Forestell, Visa’s global head of merchant solutions, of the potential total $500,000 commitment.
Consumers at those stores would be able to pay for goods or services only with debit or credit cards or with their cellphones. In exchange, Visa is offering to pay for upgrades to merchants’ technology at the checkout line so that they can accept contactless payments, such as Apple Pay.
https://apple.news/AMDYg7R94R6CdPUovRn2xyg
I read another article that reported on the progress India is making toward becoming the world’s first digital, cashless society. The top news out of India over the past 12 months has been Prime Minister Modi’s move to ban 85% of the currency in circulation.
Excerpt:
Modi’s move to demonetize the country was viewed as an isolated event. However, it was the action that forced everyone into the new digital system.
[Since it began] 270 million bank accounts have been opened in India.
A 2015 report from MasterCard found that India was one of the countries least ready to transition to a digital payment system.
Yet 12 months later such a system was rolled out.
If the transition to a digital society can happen in India, where just 2% of transactions were non-cash a few years ago, it can happen anywhere.
http://www.businessinsider.com/india-might-be-first-cashless-society-2017-6
A move towards cashless societies is exactly what you’d expect from reading your Bible.
We are not looking for any particular sign, or prophecy to be fulfilled. Jesus promised He’d return to rapture His church – which entails the resurrection of the dead in Christ of the Church Age, then the translation from earth to Heaven of all living believers.
It is presented in the Bible as an imminent event.
The apostle Paul when he was teaching on the rapture, included himself in thinking it could happen any moment when he said, “we which are alive and remain.”
Are you ready for the rapture? If not, get ready, stay ready, and keep looking up. Ready or not, Jesus is coming!