The Dying Soul of America I don't leave my house much anymore. Ever since I got stabbed investigating a child trafficking ring out west a few years back, I've been a bit of a hermit. Most of my food and supplies come straight to my door from Amazon. But every now and then, I have to venture out - and that's when I see it. The slow, inexorable death of the American small town.
The Prophet's Warning Nearly 2000 years ago, the Apostle John received a vision of the end times. In the book of Revelation, he described a coming global system controlled by a "beast" - an oppressive, dehumanizing force that would consume the souls of the world's population. Does the rise of corporate mega-chains like Dollar General fulfill this ancient prophecy?
The Corporate Machine Devours Main Street The numbers don't lie. There are now over 18,000 Dollar General stores across the United States. That's more than the number of McDonald's locations. In small town after small town, the local hardware store, the family-owned grocery, even the cherished local diner are all shuttering their doors. In their place, the ubiquitous blue and yellow of Dollar General takes over.
Revelation's Chilling Warning The book of Revelation paints a disturbing picture - a global system that controls all buying and selling, forcing everyone to receive a "mark" on their hand or forehead in order to participate. Does the cashless, surveillance-based economy of Dollar General and its ilk foreshadow this biblical vision? The technology exists right now to implant RFID chips and track every transaction. Are we witnessing the slow, steady implementation of the "mark of the beast" prophecy?
"The truth doesn't hide. It waits for those brave enough to look."
The Wise Wolf