Free Republic

According to Malcolm Sparrow, a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Medicare “overpayments” due to fraud and abuse may be as high as 30%. With a $600 billion cost that means as much as $180 billion is overpaid. At some point in the future the cost of Medicare will simply overwhelm the federal budget. At that point I suspect severe rationing will be imposed.

We need something different that eliminates such an easy target for fraud and abuse.

“Notice it spoke of a day’s wage, not X number of denarii. As in, “you’ll have to work an entire day to pay for this food staple”, etc.”

Read the text in the original Greek. It specifically states a choenix for a denarius. The term “day’s wages” is an English translation. Same with the term “scales” the original Greek is always translated “yoke”. Yoke is associated with submission or bondage. I think it is painting a picture of economic bondage associated with a great depression.

Two points: the denarius wasn’t debased at the time Revelation was written.

Secondly, if you subscribe to the theory that this represents hyper-inflation because the denarius became virtually worthless centuries later then what you are saying is the verse is implying that a measure of wheat becomes worthless because the denarius is worthless. The wheat cost ONE denarius not wheelbarrows full as was the case in the Weimar Republic. If that is the correct interpretation, then the verse is saying that in the end times food is extremely cheap. I don’t think anyone believes that is the message of this verse.

“This is a description of hyperinflation.”

Not necessarily, the denarius was the smallest coin available at the time. It contained 3.41 grams of silver, at today’s prices that would be $2.18. I think what this verse is describing is deflation: prices are low but money is scarce. This is how my grandparents described the Depression.