I don't leave my house much these days. After getting stabbed investigating a child trafficking ring out West, the PTSD has kept me in hiding. But every now and then, I have to brave the outside world. Today was one of those days.
As I zipped down the frozen streets on my e-scooter, the once-vibrant Main Street of my small town came into view. Boarded-up storefronts. Crumbling sidewalks. And there, like a beacon of corporate darkness, stood the familiar blue and yellow sign of Dollar General.
The Prophecy of the Beast The Bible warned us this would happen. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John described a figure known as the "Beast" - a global economic system that would control buying and selling. "No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark," John wrote.
Well, friends, that mark has arrived. It's not a physical stamp on your hand, but something far more insidious. The rise of Dollar General, Amazon, and other mega-corporations is the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy. These behemoths are devouring small businesses and siphoning the life out of our communities.
The Death of Main Street Once, this town had a thriving downtown filled with mom-and-pop shops, diners, and local merchants. Now, it's a ghost town. The independent florist, the family-owned hardware store, the beloved diner - all gone, swallowed up by the corporate machine.
In their place stands Dollar General, with its harsh lighting and sterile aisles. This is no mere retail outlet. It's a portal to a dystopian future where soulless corporations control every aspect of our lives. And we're letting it happen.
The Revelation Timeline The Bible's book of Daniel foretold this very scenario thousands of years ago. A series of world empires, each more oppressive than the last, would rise and fall. And the final empire, described as "dreadful and terrible," would seek to dominate every corner of human existence.
That empire is here, my friends. The Beast has arrived, and he comes in the form of big box stores, online retailers, and data-hungry tech giants. They track our every move, monitor our finances, and dictate what we can buy and where we can buy it.
The Warning and the Way Forward This is not just an economic crisis. It's a spiritual battle for the very soul of our nation. The prophets of old saw this day coming, and they issued a dire warning. "Come out of her, my people," the book of Revelation declares, "lest you take part in her sins."
The choice is ours. We can continue to feed ourselves and our communities into the maw of the corporate Beast. Or we can fight back, reclaim our Main Streets, and return to the local, community-driven economy that once defined the American way of life.
The time for action is now. The Beast rises, but the faithful can still prevail.
"The truth doesn't hide. It waits for those brave enough to look."
The Wise Wolf