Dr. David Reagan and I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Mark Hitchcock on the show Christ in Prophecy. Mark is a leading Bible prophecy expert, prolific author who has penned over 20 books on the end times, senior pastor of Faith Bible Church located in Oklahoma, and adjunct faculty member of the Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also a much in demand speaker at Bible prophecy conferences all over the nation.

Dr. Hitchcock was invited to answer questions based on his book Cashless: Bible Prophecy, Economic Chaos, and the Future Financial Order. It concerns the world presently teetering on financial chaos, global interdependency, and modern technology all converging in such a way that a cashless society and one-world economy are not only possible, but inevitable.

The Threshold of a Cashless Society

Dr. Hitchcock: I would like to say first of all that cashless is not a description of our bank accounts, if you copy. Some people read that and think, "Hey, that describes pretty well where I feel where I am right now!"

The idea for writing my book Cashless came as I was seeing all the things that are happening in our world today. As you know, Bible prophecy teachers have been saying really since the 1970's that a cashless society is coming. There have been some books written in the past on the topic, but there have been so many things happening in recent times about this, especially with advances in technology. I thought it would be great to kind of give an update on this economic movement.

While I was working on the book the financial tsunami in the last of Fall 2008 hit. That event put a lot of this whole movement towards globalism and economic cooperation between nations on fast forward. I was amazed that while working on the book all of these things happened and that they are really going to speed up the fulfillment of this prophecy concerning a cashless world society. Such a divine timing on my work feels like God's providence.

Nathan Jones: Where in the Bible does it say that one day the world will have a cashless society?

Dr. Hitchcock: An important point that I like to make is that the Bible never specifically says anywhere there is going to be a cashless society in the future. But, in Revelation 13 the Bible says that this "beast coming out of the sea" whom we call "Antichrist" — this final world ruler — when he comes on the scene is going to have a man who is kind of his second-in-command and propaganda expert. This "beast coming out of the earth," I call him the "World Economic Czar." In the Bible he is also called the "False Prophet." He is going to set up a system where everyone in the world is going to have to worship the Antichrist and take his mark in order to be able to buy and sell.

Now, with cash people would not be able to control the world economy, because as long as there is cash people can operate outside of the system by slipping some money under the table. For there to be an iron-clad system where you cannot buy or sell — that absolute supply and demand are controlled — it is going to have to be a cashless society.

So, Revelation 13 is where I find the cashless society alluded to in the Bible, and many other prophecy teachers have agreed that's what Revelation 13 means.

Dr. Reagan: As far back as I have intensely studied Bible prophecy, which would go back to the late 19th Century (not that I was alive then, but I read books from back then), I have found people saying there is going to be a cashless society in the future. This is not some new prophecy, nor is it some new interpretation. It's not something that you are just reading into the news. This is something that people have been saying long before you came on the scene.

Dr. Hitchcock: That's right. Edward Bellamy wrote his book Looking Backward in the late 1800's. In 1887, Bellamy was a utopian writer who predicted credit cards as well as a cashless society. This idea, then, has been part of the secular fabric of our society.

Bible prophecy teachers have also seen in the Bible that someone is going to control the world one day. In an economy where one cannot buy or sell, those in power would then have absolute control of world finances, and thereby every single person. This cannot occur without the society being totally cashless.

Dr. Reagan: Revelation 13:16-17 goes, "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." And so, if one can't buy and sell unless they have this mark, then every transaction in the world has to be monitored, right?

Dr. Hitchcock: That's right. Society will have to be cashless using some type of electronic system for that to be true.

It is amazing that the Bible predicted a cashless society back in the times of wood, stone and togas! This to me is another verifiable point and confirmation that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is true.