The Scourge of Usury
“And into another place near by, saturated with filth, they throw men and women up to their knees. These are they who lent money and took usury.” (Ethiopian Text)
In many reference books about Biblical literature, this Apocalypse was referred to as “Holy Scripture” in the early Christian church. Given the power bankers have because of interest, it is very possible that the financiers of that time could not tolerate the Apocalypse of Peter to be read, otherwise, they would lose their stranglehold on the economy.
“If thou lend money to my people, that is, to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be as an usurer unto him: ye shall not oppress him with usury.” (Exodus 22:25 GB)
“If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as a usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.” (Exodus 22:25 KJV) There is a big difference in the use of the words oppress and lay upon because the word oppress is more specific in its description of the effects of usury.
“Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury, but thou shalt not lend upon usury unto thy brother: as usury of money, usury of meat, usury of anything that is put to usury.”(Deut. 20:20 GB)
“And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, and our sons as their sons: and lo, we bring into subjection our sons and our daughters, as servants, and there be of our daughters now in subjection, and there is no power in our hands: for other men have our lands and our vineyards.” (Nehemiah 5:5 GB)
“Then I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. And I thought in my mind, and I rebuked the princes, and the rulers, and said unto them. You lay burdens every one upon his brethren and I set a great assembly against them.”
“In whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoreth them that fear the Lord: he that sweareth to his own hindrance and changeth not. He that giveth not his money unto usury, no taketh reward against the innocent: he that doeth these things shall never be moved.”
“He that increaseth his riches by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance.”
“…I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent unto me on usury: yet everyone doth curse me.” Jeremiah 15:10
“Behold, all souls are mine, both the soul of the father, and also the soul of the son are mine: the soul that sinneth shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hat lain with a menstruous woman, Neither hath oppressed any, but hat restored the pledge to his debtor: he that hath spoiled none by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment. And hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, but hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man,….”
“Or hath given forth upon usury, or hath taken increase, shall he live? he shall not live: seeing he hath done all these abominations, he shall die the death, and his blood shall be upon him.”
“But if the wicked will return from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep ally my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, and shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him, but in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live.” (Ezekiel 18:21-22 GB)
“Again, when the wicked turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, and shall not die.”
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, saith the Lord God: return therefore, and cause others to turn away from all your transgressions: so iniquity shall not be your destruction.”
“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: cause therefore one another to return, and live ye.”
It is a real “jaw-dropper” to realize that something which we do in our everyday lives (feeling completely normal) is in fact a transgression against the commandments, against the God who created us.
http://realcurrencies.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/the-scourge-of-usury
http://usuryfree.blogspot.com/2011/02/life-without-usury.html
1 Comments:
Jct: And I've put all those Bible verses to poetry at http://johnturmel.com/allpoems.txt
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