Hyperinflation
By Grant Gaines
To say that Germany was in bad shape in the early 1920’s would be an understatement of monumental proportions. Between the war punishments laid on them through the Treaty of Versailles (1919) and the London Ultimatum (1921) following World War One, Germany was in debt up to their nose. Not only did Germany have to pay several Allied Powers including Britain, Italy, and France a total of $20 billion over a ten year period (nearly $57 billion in today’s money), they also had to give these countries 26% of the revenues they received through exports over that same time frame.
All of this led to what economists call “hyperinflation”. To put it in the simplest terms possible, hyperinflation occurs when a country experiences rapid and extreme inflation which causes their money to drastically lose its value. German hyperinflation was in full swing by November 1923, when the value of one American dollar was worth 4,210,500,000,000 German marks !
During that time in Germany, one pound of bread cost $3 billion German marks, one pound of meat $36 billion marks, and one glass of beer cost $4 billion marks. People would literally have to take a wheel barrel full of marks to the bakery to buy a single loaf of bread. Things got so out of hand that it was not an uncommon sight to see people burning money for warmth because the marks were so useless at the time.
I don’t know if that will ever happen in America, but I do know that we are quickly approaching a day where everything we once viewed as valuable will be considered rubbish, just like the German mark.
Take a look at how Revelation describes heaven’s use of our prized earthly possessions-“The wall was made of jasper….The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone…The twelve gates were made of pearls…And the main street was pure gold…” (Revelation 21:18-19, 21, NLT). Essentially these verses are saying that all of these precious earthly minerals will be in the clearance section in heaven-jasper will be like drywall, gold will be like cement, and pearls will be like steel. They will be so prevalent and abundant that we will likely look right past them as if they were see-through just like we do with anything that we regularly see day in and day out.
And while gold, jasper, and pearls are certainly still valuable resources in today’s culture, they were infinitely more significant in the ancient world. These materials were the private airplanes, the seaside mansions, and the private yachts of our day. And what exactly will they be used for in heaven? Construction. Just as hyperinflation caused the German mark to drastically lose its value in a short period of time, the instant we step off this earth and into eternity our earthly riches will see their value plummet.
But to stop the blog right here and teach on the idea that accumulating possessions is unbiblical would be wrong. These possessions are useful-the structures in heaven are built with them! So rather than focusing on the usefulness of these riches, I believe Revelation 21 is trying to teach us how we should view these riches.
If we look back at several more verses in Revelation that describe our soon coming heavenly home, you will see a common theme. Revelation 21:11 (NLT) describes the jasper will as being, “…as clear as crystal,” and the gold as, “…transparent as glass.” All of those precious jewels that represent wealth on earth will be transparent in heaven-we won’t even notice them. But I don’t think these verses are as concerned with the transparency of these materials as they are with our perspective of them. Just as hyperinflation caused the German mark to become essentially invisible to the global economy, the immediate presence of the King of Kings in heaven will cause even our finest riches to become afterthoughts.
I believe one of the greatest examples of these “transparent riches” here on earth can be found by looking at the Christmas story. Do you remember what the wise men brought to baby Jesus when He was born? Gold, incense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11)-the most precious materials of their time. And yet, despite these gifts’ luster, what do we celebrate every December 25th: the precious materials or the Precious Master?
Were the gifts appreciated? Absolutely! Were they put to good use? Most definitely! But my purpose in using this illustration is the same purpose I believe Revelation 21 is trying to get across when it describes all of our earthly riches as transparent-when you compare even the greatest of earthly possessions to Jesus, you won’t even notice them. It will be as though these riches were transparent as you fix your eyes on the true gift-Jesus.
That’s the heartbeat behind Revelation 21 and that’s Jesus’ heartbeat when He commands us in the Sermon on the Mount not to, “…store up for [ourselves] treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where [our] treasure is, there [our] heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV).
Jesus came, “…that [we] may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV). But He knows that if we spend our lives to earn more possessions, we are wasting our time chasing after the “heavenly plywood” rather than the heavenly Prize. Or as Solomon, the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 3:12) once said, running after earthly riches is, “…meaningless, a chasing after the wind…” (Ecclesiastes 2:11, NIV).
That’s not what God wants for you. He wants you to live with a purpose that excites you as you wake up every morning. He doesn’t want you to be, “…arrogant nor to put [your] hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put [your] hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17, NIV).
So what does all of this mean? Does God want you to quit your job and give away all of your money? No, not at all. He simply wants you to remember that your greatest possessions-even your gold, jasper, and pearls-will, as the old hymn goes, “grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”
-Jim Elliot
1 Coffin; “Western Civilizations”; p. 918
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
