Disclaimer: Don't read if you don't want to be preached to, or if you're not in a headspace to transport out of reality for 15 minutes.
This is not a post to debate theology. I fully respect your choice to think I am an idiot. I wholeheartedly welcome pointers in case I am missing the mark on some things, as I am merely a spiritual infant. All I ask is that you read with acceptance, in lieu of understanding.
Do you believe evil exists?
Objective evil. Not moral relativism. Are there things we can actually know are evil, regardless of opinion, in the same way we can know that 2+2=4?
One of the realizations I came to through my dive down the Bitcoin rabbit hole was the reality of evil. And as I plan to share in greater detail, led me to the reality of Satan, the reality of good, and thus the reality of God.
Of course, I've always had a sense or morality. But upon closer inspection of my own reasoning: How was I to determine what makes something intrinsically bad, wrong, and evil in the first place? There are many reasons why we can reason that murder is wrong, but there are plenty of civilizations throughout history that reasoned why it was just fine. Who are any of us to determine which worldview was good, and which one was evil?
If you insist that it's because murder introduces suffering and prevents human flourishing, then I still raise the same question: how are we to determine that suffering is inherently bad, and human flourishing good?
Trying to wrap my head around these concepts led me to face the fact that maybe there is a universal moral law out there, and thus a lawgiver, a judge--someone to write the rules and define the penalties for breaking them. Otherwise, if existence is only a great cosmic dance of rearranging molecules, ascribing value or morality to anything is mere subjectivity.
One person who I think actually carried out this worldview logically, consistently, and literally is Jeffrey Dahmer: “If a person doesn’t think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what’s the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges? That’s how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we died, you know, that was it, there was nothing….”
But there's something undeniably sinister about the reality of fiat money. In the same way there was something undeniably sinister about Dahmer, about Stalin, etc. Facing the reality of the harm that inflation is plaguing the world with is downright shocking, heartbreaking, and debilitating. The more time you're left to dwell on it, the more dreadful its reality becomes.
Left with no alternative, no solution, no way out, it should come as no surprise how today's world bears rotten fruit of skyrocketing anxiety, depression, and worse outcomes..
What is it within me that associates these fruits with negativity though? Is it thousands of years of stacked up moral relativism; a result of trial and error that's fine tuned my opinions on what's right and wrong? Or is the fact that we as humans even undergo this great quest of moral discovery evidence of the God who wrote that instinct onto our hearts?
"Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins." Micah 6:11-13
In light of all of this logical reasoning (@Car), I came to believe that objective good and evil do exist, and that there are arbiters of both working behind the scenes: God and Satan. Angels and demons. A grand spiritual battle taking place; an invisible layer of reality that suddenly became vividly clear to me. Taking place at all times within our economic systems, political systems, education, media, advertisements, movies, music, relationships, and most importantly our minds.
"For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." Matthew 9:15-17
Bitcoin: A step down the rabbit hole of Truth
Most, if not everyone, on this platform rallies behind bitcoin because we recognize the loud, yet silent plea for help the world is looking for. We see such an all-encompassing problem, and have identified an all-encompassing solution. We can't help but feel a desire to share it with as many people as we can (that is...until the jaded reality sets in of realizing how few people put two and two together, leading even Satoshi to say he didn't have the time to convince if people don't get it).
It's funny how many parallels there are between the discovery of bitcoin and of God. So many that it (at first) led me to idolize the former as if it was the latter! And I've seen the same heresy from prominent bitcoin voices like Max Keiser, who literally claims that bitcoin is God.
The pursuit of truth is something that connects all bitcoiners. We all have that in common. But for some (as it once was for me), I fear that discovering bitcoin can prematurely stunt the pursuit of "enlightenment", falsely believing that you've identified the ultimate "savior" that our souls are searching for. As if coming to terms with bitcoin means there's no further inquiry needed.
It's a dangerous position to be in--placing money as the ultimate savior for your life. God warns us of this directly:
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10
One of the biggest realizations I've had on my spiritual walk is that worship is intrinsic to human nature. Everyone worships something. And worship doesn't have to look like singing songs--it's how we respond to that which we place as authority in our lives. And as God tells us in Exodus 20:4-5, "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
Ask yourself: What is it that I am worshipping?
If we're not fully focused on channeling our worship towards God, we are destined to destroy ourselves. That's why God is jealous; because of his authentic love for us. If we are to accept that the all knowing God exists, we must concede that his ways for us are infinitely better than our own.
God: The end of the rabbit hole
As I'll have to elaborate in a future post, not all truth is created equal. The truth of bitcoin can bring you comfort about the financial future, but fully coming to terms with what bitcoin is up against can equally lead to feelings of fear, despair, and dread. I suspect many bitcoiners' motives for loving bitcoin, more than many would care to admit, are rooted in fear rather than hope.
Bitcoin is a light at the end of the tunnel, but one that comes with many caveats: you have to make it out of fiat's fallout unscathed. A big if, and not one you can fully trust in without puffing up pride, masked as "preparedness", within yourself.
On the other hand, the truth of God brings peace. Truth, believe it or not, is a literal person.
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life." John 14:6
He is the light at the end of the tunnel you can trust in fully. Dead or alive, you can navigate life knowing where you'll end up after all is said and done. Just operating under this mentality has been transformative for my life: fear, worry, and anxiety melt away, freeing my mind to approach any and all situations with confidence in someone greater than myself, knowing He will have my back through it all.
God truly is the end of the rabbit hole. He's the discovery that brings closure to the seemingly endless pursuit of truth. I encourage anyone on that same pursuit: Do not stop at bitcoin. Keep pushing, with humility always.
So, how has God "ruined" bitcoin for me?
Biblical prophecy: How do we reconcile God's future with bitcoin?
As I'm writing this, more and more thoughts keep bubbling to the surface. So much to talk about here...
I strongly believe any bitcoiners looking for a place to start with God should read into biblical prophecy. Looking through a prophetic lens at geopolitical tensions, the brewing of a global financial surveillance state, and everything else bitcoiners are tuned into feels like having the final puzzle piece to complete the whole picture. Not only can you understand why everything is taking place, but you can know what's to come next. Not speculate. Know. (That is, assuming you've accepted the Bible as the literal Word of God).
God wants us to understand the future. He doesn't want to keep us in the dark, he wants to keep us focused on him. With the knowledge he gives you, but without the relationship with him, you'll end up a doomsday prepper. By contrast, walking with God in the wake of what's to transpire drives agency to live for him; to feel emboldened to spread God's word, because you understand how urgent the mission at hand is.
And the mission? To get everyone aboard the ark. The ark being Jesus, not bitcoin. And the flood to come being everything that bitcoiners are keenly aware of: AI, CBDCs, and the woes of fiat that bitcoiners are constantly warning about.
Believe it or not, these things are touched on directly in the Bible, multiple times:
“Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Revelation 13:16-17
Throughout Scripture, there are many warnings about the Antichrist, the "first beast"--a real, literal person, prophesied to appear and "save the world" from calamity (*at the expense of humanity's salvation)--and his surveillance state that our world is barreling towards today. The "second beast" appears to be the agent of the Antichrist--a "sidekick" to "perform on behalf of the first beast."
I can't help but notice the parallel between the Antichrist's ability to control buying and selling with the very function today's CBDCs are being introduced for.
I can't help but notice the parallel between the second beast (the "image") and the emergence of AI--a technology that most gaze at today with innocence and wonder, like a lamb, yet, as many bitcoiners can already tell, is a dragon with fierce power.
I read all of this, look at the world, and can't help but deduce that the first human to effectively wield AI will become the (second) most powerful man to ever live. A bastardization of Jesus's miracle working, relying on a second beast coming out of the earth, not heaven, to perform "miraculous" wonders that garner trust from the people. Finding cures to cancer, unlocking new scientific discovery, raising a holographic Jimi Hendrix from the dead to play new music at a live concert--you get the idea.
As a bitcoiner who believes in biblical prophecy, how do you reconcile the future knowing that, before bitcoin can work full scale, CBDC dystopia could reign supreme first?
As I grappled with the reality of bitcoin, as I’m sure many of you have experienced, the scale and scope of what bitcoin can do just seems to grow larger and larger. But at the same time, that to me indicates that the scale and scope of the enemy it’s up against is equally significant.
The future "hyperbitcoinized" world seems to be a world with freedom that we can’t possibly comprehend, no matter how many Breedlove podcasts we listen to—perhaps as if it’s the currency of God’s millennial reign on Earth, following the 7-year tribulation in which the Antichrist assumes domain (That's just personal speculation though).
Have I lost you yet? Probably. But for those still tracking, I want to ask you: Are you tuned into the same prophetic timeline I’m referring to? Do you see things playing out differently?
Regardless of the future for bitcoin, it seems that believers of Christ, if we’re respecting God’s prophecy, have to concede that bitcoin’s promise may very well “fail” before it works. Perhaps all the red flags bitcoiners are raising--governments getting in bed with bitcoin, ETFs, Tradfi's subversion of Satoshi's vision--speak to this reality. Though not permanent, it could be the reality we face first, before God breaks the chains and lets hyperbitcoinization run free.
I've come to believe that I likely won't be around for the prosperity bitcoin suggests. But that doesn't mean I have to forgo pushing for bitcoin adoption. It's a primary tool for combatting Satan's plan, and I feel all the more empowered to fight knowing that it's a spiritual war I'm fighting in.
Championing bitcoin as a warrior for truth
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:11-13
We all have heard it before: "Bitcoiners came for the money, and stayed for the revolution."
Now walking with God, the money aspect has truly never mattered less, and the revolution aspect has never mattered more. We carry the Bitcoin torch not out of personal gain, but out of alignment and commitment to the truth. We want to stand behind the forces for good, not evil. Now with the belief that there are literal spiritual armies behind these forces, how can I lay down the torch and capitulate out of a lack of "reward" here on earth?
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
God does not want us to be bystanders on the sideline, sitting with our ticket waiting to catch a bus ride to heaven. He wants us actively fighting in this war, fighting for truth, and not making peace with evil. Like our human bodies, the body of Christ's Church has many different functions. However we are best equipped to participate in this fight, we should be giving it our all.
With the knowledge in bitcoin that we do have, let's ensure that we're not letting it go to waste. Let's use it for God's glory instead of our own.