Comments on Revelation, Chapter 21:

The New Age

The New Jerusalem probably describes the era of peace without destructive forces between the First Resurrection and Judgment Day of chapter 20. Again the symbols of the four elements are used to describe life without suffering and destruction. Since St. Augustine theologians have taught that the New Jerusalem is already present in the Church. They always interpret the Bible in order to jusitfy themselves and ignore the facts of our disaster ridden world full of suffering. If this prophecy ever comes true, it will do so in the future.

Throughout the ages many people have dreamt of an ideal world, a kind of paradise on earth. When they actually tried to carry out their plans, the results have usually been disappointing. Therefore today it seems to be generally accepted that ruthless selfishness will shape our future. Such an attitude even looks like a realistic reaction to failed Utopias. However is there anything more utopian than the idea, we can manage the future with this 200 year-old ideology of "Liberalism"? The worldwide system based on this attitude creates problems it cannot solve. Instead these problems are getting worse almost daily: Environment problems and disasters, shortage of resources due to ruthless exploitation, diseases, danger of wars through uncontrolled arms trade, increasing social imbalance and spread of poverty leading to violent conflicts, break-up of families, rise in crime and violence.

In our time trying to create the New Jerusalem demanding that the world must be ruled according to the teachings of Jesus and other prophets is no longer wishful thinking of people who live in cloud-cuckoo-land. It is the only realistic way ahead and the only chance for humanity to survive the next 50 years.

Now the issue is not even what an ideal world should be like. Stopping self-destruction of our culture through cynical and uncontrolled greed is much more urgent.

Politics in the New Age, The Program of the International White Horse Movement

The problems of our time threatening the survival of humanity: destruction of the environment, spread of poverty and lethal weapons can be put down to greed, which means that the age of liberalism is over. Liberalism has achieved enormous progress in the last 200 years. Now we can no longer allow bankers and other powerful business leaders to exercise the dictatorship of money in an uncontrolled way. They make a mockery of "democratic" elections and turn political leaders into powerless puppets, who cannot resist the temptation of big money.

Money is a tool to distribute goods, services and work and to motivate people, but it can only serve these purposes, if it is used in a responsible way. Nowadays money is being abused as a weapon to conquer, oppress and destroy. Money is more addictive than Heroin, because drugs have a natural upper limit of what anybody can take in. With money the sky is the limit. Our leaders have turned into money-junkies and like everyone else they also have to suffer the consequences of this addiction: insecurity, fear, mistrust, damage through crime and emotional disorders.

To stop these destructive tendencies the following measures are necessary:

1. Banks, Insurance companies and building societies have to be nationalized. Otherwise there is no democracy. Either the people own these institutions or these institutions enslave the people.

2. The downfall of communism has taught us that total equality is an illusion. Inequalities of income are necessary to motivate people and pay them according to their achievements. This will prevent mismanagement of the economy, which caused low living standards and oppression in communist countries and destroyed that system. But as there is a lower income limit defined by social security benefits, there also has to be an upper limit of what anybody is allowed to earn. Any excess income will have to be taxed at a rate of 100 %. This is not only a question of morals, but even more important to keep the balance of supply and demand in the economy and to prevent slumps, deflation and unemployment.

3. Experiments in the US have shown that modern computer technology allows people to vote from home on important legislation. Parliaments are becoming a requirement of the past. They also tend to put the interests of powerful groups above the interests of the whole nation and bring about a political culture based on corruption. Parliaments will therefore have more of an advisory role in the future.

These measures will give governments enough money to stop borrowing, invest in education, improve social services and infrastructure, which will reduce unemployment and other social problems and promote healthy economic growth.

At the same time the problem of global distribution of wealth has to be tackled according to the following principles:

Every human being living anywhere on this planet has these basic human rights:

1. Food, clothing and housing

2. Healthy living conditions

3. Education, health care, work and old-age pension

4. Freedom of expression, freedom from oppression, exploitation, manipulation and violence

The resources to achieve these things are available today. We only lack determination to use them in a responsible way. People who have a very high living standard today will have to cut back a little for a some time. Today enormous human resources are wasted through unemployment lack of education and unhealthy living conditions. They will be used and everybody will gain.