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Bitcoin, NFTs, and the End Times: What the Bible Says
In March 2021, Mike Winkelmann, a digital artist professionally known as Beeple, sold a digital collage of five thousand original images as a non-fungible token (NFT) for more than $69 million. Brokered by Christie’s, this sale represents the largest NFT transaction to date. The story becomes even more wild when we consider that Vignesh Sundaresan, the purchaser, used 42,329 units of a cryptocurrency known as Ether to finance the purchase.1
What exactly did Sundaresan receive for his investment? The BBC defines NFTs as “‘one-of-a-kind’ assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold like any other piece of property, but which have no tangible form of their own. The digital tokens can be thought of as certificates of ownership for virtual or physical assets.”2 So, Sundaresan holds exclusive ownership of the original digital image of Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days collage. Anyone can view Everydays on the Internet, but only Sundaresan can claim ownership.
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This story may sound stranger than fiction, but it points to a cultural shift from the physical world to the digital one.
This story may sound stranger than fiction, but it points to a cultural shift from the physical world to the digital one. Cryptocurrency and NFTs aside, more and more people in the Western world buy, sell, and give through a series of touches on a screen. Cash and checks are practically obsolete. According to a report by the Federal Reserve, 71 percent of bank account holders use online banking, and 38 percent use mobile banking.3
This trend toward a cashless society is fascinating, and it has caused many to wonder if it is propelling us toward the mark of the Beast.
With so many signs appearing in the financial world, it is getting harder to sort this out. God’s Word contains general principles and prophecies to guide us, but it is difficult to make definitive statements about future events. We must be careful about turning those principles and prophecies into specific predictions. While no one can predict the role NFTs and cryptocurrency will play in the economy of tomorrow, there is no doubt that money will play an essential role in future events, including the End Times.
There is no doubt that money will play an essential role in future events, including the End Times.
After the Tribulation begins, two individuals, the False Prophet and the Antichrist, will consolidate global economic power through the mark of the Beast. Revelation 13:17 says, “No one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast.” Other than being placed on the forehead or on the right hand, the Bible does not indicate what form this mark will take (Revelation 13:16). Scripture’s emphasis is on the mark’s power.
The mark will serve not only as the global currency, but Satan will use it to create a union between the worlds of finance and religion. A False Prophet will receive power from Satan to perform great signs that will deceive people into worshiping the Antichrist (Revelation 13:15). The mark of the Beast will identify its bearers as people who worship the Antichrist.
One thing we know is that the Antichrist will ascend to power before the mark of the Beast is implemented (2 Thessalonians 2:3; John 17:12). In other words, today’s believers do not need to worry about accidentally taking the mark by purchasing cryptocurrency or NFTs. However, it is easy to envision how our increasingly cashless society is laying the groundwork for a unified global economy.
It is easy to envision how our increasingly cashless society is laying the groundwork for a unified global economy.
It feels like we are watching massive storm clouds gather over the financial world. Digital assets like cryptocurrency and NFTs are just one example of how the technology already exists to accomplish the Antichrist’s agenda. All this may seem ominous to you. It feels that way to me, too.
As believers, we can face these things with biblical insight and a measured tone. While keeping our eyes wide open to all that is happening around us, we can focus on Christ and trust in Him. The wonderful news about living for Jesus is that not only can we experience the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, but we can also feel confident in the reality of God’s presence right now.
As believers, we can face these things with biblical insight and a measured tone.
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?’” (13:5-6) This is one of the most emphatic statements in the New Testament. No matter what happens in your life, God will always be there. He will guide you through dark days, and He will never abandon you. The financial world will get more chaotic as we approach the End Times, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
1“Everydays: the First 5000 Days,” Wikipedia, accessed October 4, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everydays:_the_First_5000_Days.
2“What are NFTs and why are some worth millions?” BBC News, September 23, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56371912.
3Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), “Consumers and Mobile Financial Services 2016,” accessed October 6, 2021, https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/consumers-and-mobile-financial-services-report-201603.pdf.
