The “Libra” was a measure of weight from the Roman Empire, and we know where that ended up. Don’t be bashful; call it the “Mark.” Germany ditched its mark—which it had been using since it created it after WWII—for the euro 20 years ago, so the name is up for grabs.

Forbes Magazine is a serious periodical for serious investors, they are not known for their humor. So it is with great interest that we see that Steve Forbes, CEO of the Forbes empire, has written an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg regarding his fledgling Libra cryptocurrency he is currently trying to get congressional approval for. Forbes had a novel suggestion for the social media magnate, he told him to call it “the Mark” instead of Libra. Wow.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16,17 (KJV)

We first told you about Libra back in June of this year, and all the hubbub surrounding it. I didn’t know until I read Forbes’ letter that the Libra was a measure of weight in the Roman Empire. Ever wonder why we abbreviate “pound” as “lb”? It stands for libra in the Latin. And upon further reflection while gazing at the Libra coin, those 3 little squiggly lines really do look like three 6’s stretched out.

But I’m sure all these things like calling it “the Mark”, the connection to the Roman Empire, and the three 6’s logo is all just coincidence. Just crazy, kooky, end times conspiracy theory coincidence. Sure is a lot of them, though. 🤔

Open Letter To Mark Zuckerberg

FROM FORBES MAGAZINE: Dear Mr. Zuckerberg. Your company made big headlines when it announced it would be launching a cryptocurrency called the Libra in 2020. Not surprisingly, given the nature of the times, the project has been greeted with intense criticism and skepticism. Don’t lose heart. In one sense, the idea of a company creating its own kind of money is an old one. The airlines’ frequent-flier miles are really a form of money that customers can earn and use to buy trips and various other things. Credit card companies, hotels and numerous retailers have all sorts of loyalty programs in which people earn points that will let them buy all manner of goodies.

But if you play your cards right with the Libra, you could be to money and finance what Henry Ford was to automobiles. Your new currency could take its place alongside the inventions of coins and paper money many centuries ago. It could replace the U.S. dollar as the global currency.

In one crucial area you’re already light years ahead of virtually all other cryptocurrencies: You realize the fundamental importance of a currency that’s stable in value. Money measures value the way a scale measures weight or a clock measures time. Most cryptos–whose values fluctuate violently from one moment to the next–are great as speculative vehicles, but they’re useless as real money. No one in his right mind would write a contract longer than 24 hours in bitcoin. With cryptocurrencies, it’s steak one day and dog food the next. But if you can invent a truly stable cryptocurrency that can actually be used for day-to-day transactions and for longer-term contracts and investment vehicles, you’ll be a winner.

Here are crucial tips to turn the Libra into one of history’s truly seminal creations:

Make it as good as gold. Backing your new money—as you plan to do—with a basket of currencies won’t cut it. In today’s monetary system the values of currencies jump up and down, so you won’t get the stability you need.

Countries that became global powerhouses–Holland, followed by Britain (Isaac Newton, as director of the Royal Mint, fixed the pound to gold at a ratio that held for more than two centuries) and then the U.S. (thanks to Alexander Hamilton)—all had their currencies linked to gold.

For a variety of reasons gold holds its intrinsic value better than anything else. It’s like a measuring rod. It no more restricts the money supply than the 12 inches in a foot restricts the size of a building you might wish to construct. All it means is that the Libra will have what no other currency has today: a fixed value. And that fixture will gradually make it the most desirable medium of exchange around the globe. People hunger for trustworthy money.

Your consultants, like most economists today, will be vociferously opposed to the yellow metal, burdened as they are by ignorance and countless myths and superstitions. This widely shared skepticism will actually be an advantage, as it will keep away well-capitalized imitators.

To get an accurate assessment of how a gold standard has worked before, read any book by historian/economist Nathan Lewis. You might also look at a book that I co-authored, Money, or the documentary In Money We Trust? that I recently helped produce for public television.

The Libra will be an unbelievably potent tool for prosperity by encouraging long-term investing. Without putting capital to work productively we stagnate. This is why you should ignore political cries to hold off on moving the Libra forward. If every great breakthrough depended on getting political sign-offs, horses would still be our principal means of transportation. You want the Libra to achieve a critical mass of users as quickly as possible—as Uber and Lyft did with their riders—which will prevent politicians from deep-sixing your invention.

And, by the way, you might consider changing the Libra’s name. The “Libra” was a measure of weight from the Roman Empire, and we know where that ended up. Don’t be bashful; call it the “Mark.” Germany ditched its mark—which it had been using since it created it after WWII—for the euro 20 years ago, so the name is up for grabs.

A gold-backed Mark would be a transformative move in the history of money. It would blow bitcoin out of the water and would generate an enthusiastic “Like” from billions of businesses and people, now and forever.

Sincerely, Steve Forbes READ MORE

Why Facebook’s Libra Faces a Tough Road to Becoming a Crypto Giant

In its quest to launch a digital coin, Facebook is hitting a series of snags as companies pull out of the project and regulators question the social-media giant’s ability to manage a currency. WSJ’s Paul Vigna explains the global backlash against Libra.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last days before the Rapture of the Church

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October 2015: The End of the Swipe-and-Sign Credit Card

“And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:17 (KJV)

Business Insider magazine reports a startling revelation today:

“Every credit card in the U.S. will be replaced by October 2015 with new cards that contain the chip-and-PIN technology that the rest of the world has had for years, according to the Wall Street Journal. Both Visa and MasterCard are committed to the switch, which will render extinct the plastic in your wallets and purses right now. No more black magnetic stripes; no more signing on the dotted line.” source

The new EMV credit card system in the U.S. is set to be rolled out by October, 2015. Also going away is the ability to sign for your purchases, that will no longer be necessary.

THE MARK OF THE BEAST TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM IS EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK TODAY

Instead, you will enter a PIN to verify that you are the holder of the card. Removing the human element is one more step in the march towards the Mark Of The Beast system that will be in place during the Tribulation under the Antichrist.

Obviously, all this is leading to a microchip being placed inside every human being, which would be the only way to guarantee that your card will not be lost or stolen.

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV)

Make no mistake about it, this will happen within our lifetime, within our generation. We are the generation that will see the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ, and the unsaved who will experience the time of Jacob’s trouble that will follow that event.

Just like God used Noah to warn the people for 120 years and then, in an instant, sent the first drop of rain that began The Flood. So now is God using His people, His watchmen, to warn and warn and warn until you are nearly exhausted from hearing about it. Until…

…Guess what comes next? 

This would be the world’s first cashless society when fully implemented

A special committee headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Harel Locker, has recommended a three-phase plan to all but do away with cash transactions in Israel. Every year, amounts totally nearly 20% of the national budget of Israel is lost due to tax evasion and money laundering, and they want to reclaim as much of that as they can. 

“Cash and cash equivalents are the fuel of the black economy,” said Locker, whose committee was appointed by prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Reuters today reports that Locker headed a government panel that issued its interim recommendations on turning Israel into a cashless society on Monday. These include limiting businesses initially to cash or cash-equivalent transactions of 7,500 shekels – down from 20,000 shekels currently – and no more than 5,000 shekels after a year. Private citizens will be allowed cash deals of 15,000 shekels. The new rules would also limit the use of checks.

As part of the move to reduce the use of cash, the panel recommended that banks issue debit cards. Banks now only issue credit cards, and Locker said costs would come down with debit cards since there is no credit involved.

He expressed confidence that most citizens will comply with the new rules, since violating them would be a crime and most transactions by ordinary people are for less than 5,000 shekels.

The following guidelines were set out by the committee for the short-term:

• Limit business transactions done in cash or by check to NIS 7,500 ($2,150) immediately, and reduce that further to NIS 5,000 ($1,433) one year from the date of legislation;
• Limit private transactions done in cash or by check to NIS 15,000 ($4,300);
• Any violation of these limits would be a criminal offense warranting a stiff fine.

The new law would go into effect by the end of 2014.