It’s hard to imagine a society without loan officers, interest rates and monthly payments. Holiday shopping, home mortgages, automobiles, appliances, furniture, vacations, groceries—you name it! Just ring it up on credit. The increasing ease with which we can purchase goods and services on credit—and at heavy interest—has led to a ballooning debt. Consumer debt, largely driven by credit card spending, has surpassed $2.4 trillion—and that doesn’t include home mortgages. The national debt in America has escalated to a nation-destroying $15 trillion—and politicians still can’t agree on a balanced budget.

We are in for a rude awakening—and soon. But the economic ruin we’ve brought on ourselves will eventually give way to a new economic system—to be established by Jesus Christ at His return. It will be based on the overall principle of God’s law—the way of give.

Notice what the Bible reveals in Exodus 22:25 about borrowing and lending in ancient Israel: “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him” (Revised Standard Version). First, notice it says “if you lend.” So it was permissible to offer loans, if you were able. Creditors were commanded to be generous and giving, yet wise and prudent, not loaning more than they were able. Second, loans could be given to the poor, the Hebrew word meaning humble and needy. So if a poor Israelite had genuine needs—not wants—he could ask for a loan. (Loans were not given to those who just wanted to buy things.) And finally, the loan was interest-free!

In fact, God took it one step further. God told those able to loan money to give freely to the needy even if they might not be able to repay! That’s because God said He would repay the lender if the poor borrower couldn’t (Deuteronomy 15:10; Proverbs 19:17). God, after all, is the greatest giver there is.

Jesus Christ taught this same principle in the New Testament. “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:34-36).

Now God is not advocating giving handouts to those who don’t deserve it. To the debtor, God says, if you are truly humble and in need, go ahead and seek a loan, but then do everything possible to repay it. To the creditor, God says, if you are able, loan to the needy at no interest, and don’t worry if they might be unable to repay. God doesn’t take sides with either group—lenders or borrowers. He expects both sides to give unselfishly. How utterly different from what we are accustomed to today.

A Sabbath Release

God’s economic laws were not only designed to reward hard work and wise financial decisions, they were set in motion to prevent poverty—something the governments of this world have never been able to eliminate.

In Deuteronomy 15, knowing the long-term destructive effects of increasing debt, God inserted a safety valve within His economic system. It’s called the Sabbath year of release. Every seventh year, as commanded within Israel’s civil law, all short-term debts were canceled. The balance, as we have seen above, was paid in full by God Himself.

God told the Israelites to be careful not to take advantage of this safety valve. The Sabbath release was instilled to prevent poverty, not to allow free-spending. In Deuteronomy 15:7-11 God cautioned lenders not to despise the poor because the seventh year draws near. Again, God admonished both lenders and borrowers to abide by the principle of give.

Additionally, Israel’s civil law set forth provisions to make sure each citizen owned property. If, by chance, an Israelite came upon hard times and had to sell his land and work as a servant for another (whatever it took to repay his debts), he could rejoice in the 50th year when his debts would be freed. It was called the year of the jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-17). On that year, not only were the debts canceled, the Israelite returned to his forfeited real estate. The creditor returned his property to him.

God’s law, in other words, prevented generational poverty. It protected future generations from the mistakes and mismanagement of their fathers.

Why Poverty and Debt

When the ancient Israelites agreed to the terms and conditions of the Old Covenant, they agreed to abide by, and obey, all of God’s commandments, statutes and judgments. They agreed to practice and teach these laws to their children so that the resultant blessings and prosperity might pass on from generation to generation.

Yet if we jump forward hundreds of years in the story, we find the Israelites again in captivity—the worst poverty imaginable—because they failed to obey these commands. And every nation since has also disobeyed God’s financial laws, not to mention the Ten Commandments. Thus, we live in a society where national economies are going bankrupt, worldwide poverty is on the increase and the gap between the rich and poor is widening.

The nations of this world are almost totally ignorant of God and His laws. God has allowed man to live the way of get for 6,000 years now. And He has allowed it all for a supreme purpose—to finally teach man a lesson he will never forget.

The global economic crisis we are now trying to fix will soon trigger a worldwide nuclear conflagration, the likes of which mankind has never seen (Matthew 24:21-22). Yet, in the case of America, after our financial bubble bursts, after all of our property is forfeited to creditors, after three and a half years of being servants and slaves in the Tribulation, there will be cause for rejoicing.

Millennial Jubilee

Jesus Christ will return and restore God’s government over all the Earth. As King, He will administer and enforce God’s commandments, statutes and judgments. This world will be given a fresh start. The problems of the world will be solved; wounds healed; debts canceled.

In God’s future world, Jesus Christ will raise up His spiritual nation Israel to be built on the foundation of the same laws He revealed thousands of years ago. And Christ will begin this millennial reign by first restoring the jubilee! Everyone will have a clean slate financially—all debts will be canceled. Christ will then determine fair and equitable boundaries within which all will live. All will be given their fair portion—their inheritance. Micah 4:4 says every man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree. In God’s nation, all citizens will own property. And as God always intended for ancient Israel, all laws, including financial laws, will be based upon the supreme law of love—the way of give.

There will be peace, happiness, prosperity and abundance for all mankind. What a beautiful time this will be! If you would like an in-depth look into this future utopia, defined in Acts 3:19 as the “times of refreshing,” request for your own free copy of Mystery of the Ages. The final chapter of this large book gives a beautifully-written, concise, yet detailed, description of this coming utopian age!