Eternal Economics
by Matt Glass
We have seen the problems of our economic system and the seemingly insurmountable effects of debt and deflation that could lead to a crash (and soon). Now, let’s flip the coin and think about not the way things are but the way things are supposed to be.
This is something the Father has laid heavy on my heart in recent years. He did this through three simple questions. Let me ask you these three questions as we start to consider together what Eternal Economics should look like.
1. When we get to heaven, will you have to work for food and shelter in order to provide or survive?
2. When we get to heaven, will there be a physical currency that you will have to exchange for goods and services?
3. What would it look like for Heaven’s economy to be established on the earth today?
Now, please don’t expect me to pull out some earth-shattering theology from the Scriptures to provide evidence that answers the first two questions. But as I have meditated on these questions and on God’s Word, I have developed opinions and beliefs that match what I find in Scripture. They also match what I hear whenever I raise these two questions to others. In fact, I have yet to have someone answer yes to either of the first two questions.
A fundamental belief we gather from knowing the Father and from reading the Scriptures is that we will have abundance and not lack in heaven. People will not be providing for themselves by the sweat of their brow anymore. We relish that thought of financial freedom and of an economic model that isn’t built around accumulating a currency or even resources. Will there be gold and luxurious resources in heaven? Of course, more than we could imagine! “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” (Revelation 21:21)
But what is the purpose of those resources? Will they be required for basic needs? Or will they be a luxury on top of all of our needs already being provided by the Father and the heavenly system he has created? I believe it will be a luxury because all of our needs will be provided for. The dialogue I have had with many indicates that this isn’t a challenging concept to accept or believe. Most people have never thought about details until I probe, but after some questions, it is clear that they inherently believe that Heaven’s system will be provisional instead of transactional. While the first two questions incite the same answers from most people, the third question is where things diverge. Think about the question for yourself for a moment. In light of your answers to the first two questions, how would it look if Heaven’s economy were to be established on earth today? It doesn’t take long to realize that what we believe Heaven’s system will be like (as answered by the first two questions) violates everything we know and believe about how economies are supposed to function in our world, mainly in the West but worldwide. Many authoritative bodies have spent great effort teaching us (through engineered consent) to label economic ideas as Democratic or Republican, conservative or liberal, fascist or communist. As a result, our minds try to affix the proper label to any new economic idea we hear. But the new lens of these three questions has led me to consider economic ideas in a new way. And I soon realized that it is foolish for us to try to understand the economic system built by the Most High through the lenses of a system built by man.
In the Bible, we find a story in which Joshua, the leader of Israel, is on top of a mountain strategizing the nation’s next battle. A man with a drawn sword appears. Most scholars believe this was the Lord himself. Joshua asks the Lord, “Who are you for? Us or them”? He wanted to know which side the Lord was going to take. The Lord answers, “No, but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now have I come.”(Joshua 5:14) Even though it was abundantly clear that the Israelites were the people of the Lord, the Lord made it a point for Joshua to understand that he doesn’t come to take sides, He comes to take over. He is the King of a Kingdom that is supreme over all other kingdoms. So when he comes, he doesn’t come to fix our economy, He comes to replace it. So we must ask ourselves the question of whether we want him to come—of whether we want his Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, even when it comes to economics. As we consider our own hearts, we must realize that his Kingdom may not be well received by many who are accustomed to, or even benefiting from, our current economic system. This shouldn’t be a surprise. “His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts.”32 “Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.”
To gain insight into what the Kingdom’s Economy actually looks like, we have to accept that the Father’s ways could be and more than likely are completely different than ours. I encourage you to have an open, unbiased mind as we explore what the Kingdom of Heaven established on earth could look like economically.
Photo by Marta Bibi on Unsplash