* What really is capitalism?
* Where did the idea come from?
Is capitalism an American idea? Did the idea just originate from some greedy American businessmen? Or did it come from England in the 18th century during the Industrial Revolution? Or did capitalism originate from Scotland when Adam Smith wrote his famous book, “Wealth of the Nations”? NO, to all the above.
Capitalism came from the Bible! It was part of God’s Biblical Law!
And despite the anti-capitalist propagandists today, capitalism has nothing to do whatsoever with being greedy. Greed relates only to the heart. Anybody can be greedy whether they believe in capitalism or hate capitalism, whether they are rich or poor.
Simply put, capitalism is nothing more than believing in private individual ownership. If you don't like capitalism, then you would like a government to force you to give up what you own - your house or car or computer or anything else you own - so the State, that did not work for it, can own it and use it however it wants. That’s called Communism, whose step-sister is Socialism.
Of course, there are varying degrees of Communism or Socialism. But they are all bad. And all such governments are oppressive, legalizing the government to steal from it citizens. This is against God’s civil Law. The Bible in James 1:25, and several other places, says that God’s Law is ”the perfect Law, and the Law of freedom!”
The God of the Bible wants you to be able to keep and own whatever you work for. Jesus said (John 10:10), “Satan comes to kill, and steal and destroy. But I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Those that alien with Satan - political Leftists, Socialists, or Communists - all want to steal from you through “heavy burden” regulations and taxes.
Jesus condemned this when He condemned the political civil ruling Pharisees in His day, those Pharisees who were seated in “the chair of Moses”. This was the highest Jewish political/civil ruling position in Judea. Jesus said (Mat. 23:2,4): “The Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses… And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders.” Man’s laws are always heavy burdens. But the Bible says (1John 5:3), “God’s Commandments are not burdensome.”
The topic of Capitalism is as much a Biblical topic as any other subject in the Bible, because Capitalism and Free Enterprise are taught and commanded in the Bible. Christ is Head of the Church (Col. 1:18), but Christ is also Head of the State (Col. 2:10). Capitalism is mandated by God in both the Old & the New Testament:
The Old Testament
There are many verses confirming Capitalism in the Old Testament. It was first established in the world by God, even twice in the Ten Commandments:
* The 8th Commandment (Deut. 5:19): "You must not steal."
* The 10th Commandment (Deut. 5:21): "You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land… ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."
Both these two Commandments establish personal private ownership and make it clear that God condemns Leftist State Socialism and Communism. How and when does the Socialist Leftist government legalize stealing from you - whenever the State taxes you to give any kind of welfare to any others. God’s Law in the Bible does NOT authorize the State to tax for that purpose. Like Satan - Communism steals, Socialism steals and Leftism steals. Biblical tax Law is amazing and beautiful. (We’ll look at Biblical tax law in a future Christian History, and pray some nation will apply it today.)
On Mount Sinai, 3500 years ago, when God wrote out the Ten Commandments for Moses there was no nation on earth that knew anything about Capitalism or Free Enterprise, much less that practiced it… or even would have had the freedom to practice it. But in God’s civil Law every person in a nation is to have freedom to have personal ownership and be able to build their own individual wealth. This was truly revolutionary at that time in the world.
The New Testament
There are many verses where Capitalism is also confirmed in the New Testament, by the apostle Paul and even the Lord Jesus. But here are two very interesting verses that the Left, Socialists and Communists in some countries have tried to use the Bible to support their oppressive governments:
* Acts 4:32: “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had."
* Acts 5:4: Ananias and Sapphira sold their property to give it all to the poor. But the Socialist’s priests/preachers don’t read the rest of the story where Ananias and Sapphira lied about the sale pledged price. And the apostle Peter said to them - “The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
The Leftists and some ignorant preacher socialists promote government unbiblical taxing to help the poor. But these verses do not promote any such thing. Actually, they promote the opposite, Capitalism.
To begin with, both of these verses confirm the property was their own. Second, they voluntarily contributed it. Third, they gave it to no government. Lastly, they did not give it to any unbelievers but to their needy fellow Believers. And had there been no Capitalism they would have owned nothing to be able to give away.
To accept any part of Leftism, Socialism, or Communism is to reject Free Enterprise and Capitalism, and therefore is to reject God and the Bible, regardless of the nice Socialists pretenses.
What is Communism:
The state owns everything and you’re like a slave working for them in their communist State-owned factories and farms. And the State pays you but only enough to survive to work another day. And what work you do and what town you live in is where the State assigns you, and to some tiny, assigned house, often not more than one or two rooms. But most of the world never sees this or knows anything about this because in Communist countries ALL media is totally State run.
Russia was still under the Soviet Union when I first went there. Moscow had an overlay facade, but many could feel a real spirit of oppression everywhere and could even see it on everyone’s face. They didn’t smile; they didn’t say hi to you. We were watched from inside our hotel and everywhere we went. We were not free to go wherever we wanted to. If anyone protested in any way against communism, you would lose your job, go hungry, die, or be shot. And that was no exaggeration.
While I was there, I had a God ordained encounter with one of the Christians from one of the small underground churches just outside of Moscow. I was told that week they had secretly baptized 7 young students who had received Christ as their Savior. They baptized them at a very secluded pond in the country forest area. When the pastor and students came out of the water, suddenly out from the woods came the Soviet KGB! They grabbed the pastor and all the students. They did not know where they took them but were typically sent to Siberia prison camps where millions starved or froze to death.
I was invited to go out and speak to the remaining group. I felt honored to be invited but thought it may also be my own death warrant. Also, while there, I will never forget seeing tears in the eyes of parents who recounted how one of their little grade school daughters, while in school accidently said the name Jesus. And when the public-school teacher heard this, she knew the family had to be Christian and immediately reported it. That night the KGB came to the Christian family’s home and separated the entire family and sent each to different prison camps across the nation. I know this because my partner and I talked with the parents years after this, while the parents still had not been able to get all their children back again.
Now I think of American Leftist college professors today who on campus are proclaiming the “virtues” of socialism and communism to thousands of young students every day. Words cannot express my righteous indignation against Satan’s agents, Marxist’s socialists. These university professors by comparison, truly make Nazi propagandist’s Joseph Goebbels look infantile.
What is Socialism:
With Socialism you may technically continue to “own” your own property. But with full-on socialism you’re so heavily regulated and taxed by the State that for all practical purposes the States owns you. Socialism is actually more deceptive in its State overreach than Communism. But Socialism is the last step to Communism.
Basically, you’re working to give to the State elites as much as they can confiscate from you, to keep as much as they can, while passing out as little as they can to their welfare freeloader voter bloc. For the freeloaders to survive they have to keep voting for their political Left slave masters. And for the political Left to survive they have to keep handing out free cake to their freeloaders voting bloc. It’s a mutual corrupt merry-go-round. Both groups are necessary for each other to survive.
Moreover, getting millions of new poor illegal dependents walking into this country every year may virtually guarantee the political Left their perpetual power and money train.
Where did the ideas of Socialism come from - the Communist Manifesto. It was written by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels in 1848, as revolutions were sweeping across Europe. They called it "scientific socialism". It was indeed socialism, but not so scientific.
The Russian Soviet Union communist leader Vladimir Lenin, called Socialism, "Marx's 'first phase' of communism.’" Communist Lenin went on to say, "The goal of socialism is communism." Indeed, Socialism is the foundation for Communism and the last step to Communism.
For years now the Democrats in power have been in lockstep voting for all things Socialism. Leading Democrats now openly and strongly promote Socialism - Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, the “Squad”, and virtually all other Democrats. Here are some of the nice “compassionate” but deceptive Socialistic catch phrases that the Democrats repeat, but how they work out practically are totally destructive to any society:
* “Equity for all”
* "Wealth equality"
* "Wealth redistribution"
* "Progressive or graduated income tax"
* "The rich pay their fair share"
They all sound good but in reality, are NOT FAIR and consequently are all anti-biblical. The government has no money and makes no money, only gets money from others to selective give it to who they want. In essence – steal from those who work hard to give to those who don’t.
Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” The solution to help people that are in genuine need is NOT the government according to God’s Law. What is God’s solution?
The Bible says God created families to stick together and be the first line of help for any family member in need. Extended families are God’s second safety net (1Tim. 5). Last but not least is God’s plan for the church to be the third safety net (1Tim. 5). Biblical government is designed and authorized by God virtually only to defend citizen families to be able to flourish apart from evil and the unrighteous (Rom. 13:3-4; 1Peter 2:14; 1Tim. 1:8-10).
But those who turn from Christianity may lose some if not all three of God’s safety nets. The government then becomes the “church” for the Left and all those who reject and replace God for government socialism. But government is an impersonal, uncompassionate, and cruel slave master for everyone who rejects God and His divine ordained government for true compassion and freedom.
People will reap what they sow. God says (Gal. 6:7-8), “Don’t be deceived — God will not be mocked. Whatever a person sows that will they also reap. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and destruction. But those who live to please the Spirit of the Lord will harvest life forever.”
In general, the Republicans are supportive of Free Enterprise and Capitalism. But to say all this is political and therefore Christians should not address it, especially from the Bible, is Satan and the Left’s way in trying to suppress God’s people from doing what Jesus commanded for the nations (Mat. 28:18-20) - “… teaching them (nations) to do all that I have commanded.” This may indeed be political, but all things that are political, the Bible addresses in God’s Law. And part of God’s Law in the Bible mandates Capitalism and Free Enterprise.
Many disguise their hatred for God and the Bible in trying to separate politics from God and the Bible, and then promote godless socialism as moral compassion. However, everything that’s political is either moral or immoral. If it’s not Biblical, it’s immoral. Those promoting Capitalism and Free Enterprise are promoting what is moral and compassionate, no less so then God’s 8th and 10th Commandments.
Choose which side you’re going to take today. Love does NOT stay neutral. God and the Bible NEVER stays neutral. I feel sorry for those who choose the wrong side, but maybe more so for those who remain silent… who choose no side. We are at war. Those who don’t know it will surely lose.
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