Friends and neighbors,

I’m John Arwood—a lifelong garbage man who has spent decades hauling waste, recycling what others throw away, and watching how the world works from the ground up. I talk plain and I read the Bible. As we stand days away from the 2026 midterm elections on November 3, I want to share a word of caution and hope.

This election will decide control of the House (currently 218–214 Republican) and help shape the Senate (53–47 Republican). It matters for the direction of our country. But from where I sit, watching the news and comparing it to Scripture, these midterms sit inside a larger pattern. The Book of Revelation describes a future time when a single economic system controls who can buy and sell.

What the Bible says

Revelation 13:16–17 (NIV): “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

This is a global, compulsory system tied to allegiance. No one—rich or poor—buys or sells without it. The mark is not merely technology; it is a deliberate act of worship and loyalty to the beast (see Revelation 14:9–11). Yet the infrastructure that could one day enforce such control is being built in plain sight.

What’s happening now

• Central banks worldwide are advancing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). China’s e-CNY continues in expanded pilots. The European Central Bank is moving forward on a digital euro. Cross-border projects such as mBridge test shared ledgers for settling between different national digital currencies. Stablecoins and programmable digital money are growing rapidly, allowing rules to be written into the money itself—who can spend it, when, and on what.
• Cash continues to shrink as a share of transactions in many places. Digital identity systems expand alongside it. A fully digital, interconnected financial network makes large-scale economic exclusion technically possible for the first time in history.
• These midterms will shift political power in Washington. Whichever party gains or holds ground, the broader push toward digital currencies, tighter financial surveillance, and reduced national control over money continues across borders and administrations. Political realignment can accelerate or slow specific policies, but the technological and institutional foundations for a unified digital money system keep advancing.

None of this means the mark of the beast has arrived. It does mean the tools that could support the system described in Revelation 13 are maturing quickly. We are called to notice the signs without panic.

Scriptures calling us to stay alert

• Matthew 24:42–44: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. … So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:6: “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.”
• Luke 21:36: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
• Revelation 13:16–17 (quoted above) and Revelation 14:9–11 (the eternal consequences of taking the mark).

Stay alert, not afraid. Watch what is unfolding in elections, money, and technology, but keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. He is our hope, our Redeemer, and the One who will return. The real issue is not the technology itself—it is whom we worship and whom we serve.

A humble prayer

Heavenly Father, we come before You with humble hearts. You alone are sovereign over nations, elections, and the times and seasons. Give us wisdom to discern the signs without fear or speculation that pulls us away from Your truth. Keep us watchful and sober, rooted firmly in Your Word. Protect us from deception. Strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain and the only Savior. Guide voters and leaders toward righteousness. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and may we be found faithful when You return. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

— John Arwood
Lifelong garbage man talking American politics, society, and the hope we have in Christ.