Amex launches blockchain-based business payments using Ripple: Prelude to the Beast and 666?

A reader tipped me off to the following:

Amex launches blockchain-based business payments using Ripple

16 November 2017

LONDON (Reuters) – American Express (AXP.N) has introduced instant blockchain-based payments using Ripple, a fintech start-up, for U.S. corporate customers sending funds to UK-based businesses that bank with Santander UK STN.SN, the companies said on Thursday. …

This marks one of the first major uses of blockchain, a shared database of transactions maintained by a network of computers on the internet that is best known as the system underpinning bitcoin. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-blockchain-amex-ripple/amex-launches-blockchain-based-business-payments-using-ripple-idUSKBN1DG1SX

Blockchain technology is something that I have warned may be used by the Beast power. American Express’ interest in this technology shows that blockchain is getting more acceptance.

Three years ago, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was appointed to the advisory board of Ripple. He also made comments this past Spring about blockchain technology:

May 15, 2017

The former head of Germany’s armed forces is now helping to bring blockchain tech to some of the world’s largest financial institutions.

An early advisor to distributed financial technology firm Ripple, not to mention a bonafide German baron, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg today plays a key role in enabling the heavily funded startup to make inroads in the banking sector. But as co-founder of consultancy Spitzberg Partners, he is setting his sights beyond finance.

Over the course of his time at both the Ministry of Defense and Minister of Economics & Technology, zu Guttenberg built up an extensive network of global politicians, technologists and bankers.

Long rumored to be a potential candidate to replace his former boss, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, zu Guttenberg last month revealed exclusively to CoinDesk that his firm had partnered with the State of Delaware’s blockchain initiative to help bring a global tech cohort to the tiny US state.

Now, he says his firm has taken on a “significant portion” of blockchain companies as clients and is consolidating those resources to focus on a concerted push to bring the technology to the world.

At Spitzberg’s New York City headquarters, zu Guttenberg explained how the work he’s conducting in Delaware, with Ripple and with other blockchain firms, is part of a larger plan.

Zu Guttenberg told CoinDesk:

“I always tell the dreamers in the bitcoin community and the blockchain community, don’t expect that this will happen at one point and everyone is enlightened. It will be a bumpy process.” …

Though Ripple has set legacy financial technology firm Swift square in its sights, zu Guttenberg said that Ripple’s secret to widespread adoption has been recognizing when to play nice with other legacy platforms.

“Many of these players, although they are sitting on already rotten instruments or structures, will be in place, and in power,” he said. “[They will be] dramatically empowered by political circles for quite a while and they’re still extremely influential.”

Global vision

To help modernize those legacy systems, though, Ripple will require more than just a willingness to play nice with banks. Government support is crucial.

Zu Guttenberg cited smaller nations such as Estonia and Singapore, and jurisdictions including the Zug region of Switzerland and Delaware, as fundamental testing grounds for the types of legislation that might one day underpin a new financial infrastructure.

While he said the topic of how blockchain is being adopted by governments comes up organically in his meetings with leaders around the world, zu Guttenberg argued that the push to bring blockchain into widespread adoption will require a more concerted effort.

“People [need to] deliver the experiences from these test runs to other governments, to old industry and back to the blockchain industry.”

He concluded:

“That doesn’t happen by itself and we’re delighted to be at that intersection.”

https://www.coindesk.com/meet-the-german-baron-who-thinks-blockchain-will-beat-the-middlemen/

Baron Guttenberg, thus, has some expertise in digital currencies–such currencies can be monitored.

I expect that Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg will further encourage Europe to try to take the lead in this and other international matters.

While money originally stood for something (metal, for coins, for example was valued because the actual metal it was made up of had value), most paper money is backed by nothing. Neither is blockchain money.

What is blockchain?

A blockchain is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the collusion of the network.(Blockchian, Wikipedia. Accessed November 16, 2017)

Essentially, a blockchain is a piece of data that many feel cannot be altered and can permanently be tracked.

Could blockchain technology be related to the ‘Mark of the Beast‘?

The following, from Jim Rickards, hints that it might be:

Interest in Bitcoin is red hot at the moment. It’s impossible to open a website, listen to a podcast, or watch a video in the financial space without hearing about the meteoric rise in the price of Bitcoin. …

Yet the crypto-hysteria is distracting you from a scary truth no one is talking about. There is every indication that governments, regulators, tax authorities, and the global elite are moving in for the crypto-kill. The future of Bitcoin may be a dystopia in which Big Brother controls what’s called “the blockchain” and decides when and how you can buy or sell anything and everything.

Furthermore, cryptocurrency technology could be the very mechanism used by global elites to replace the dollar based financial system. …

Governments have been patiently watching blockchain technology develop and grow outside their control for the past eight years.

Libertarian supporters of blockchain celebrate this lack of government control. Yet, their celebration is premature, and their belief in the sustainability of powerful systems outside government control is naïve.

Governments don’t like competition especially when it comes to money. Governments know they cannot stop blockchain, in fact they don’t want to. What they want is to control it using powers of regulation, taxation, and investigation and ultimately more coercive powers including arrest and imprisonment of individuals who refuse to obey government mandates with regard to blockchain.

Blockchain does not exist in the ether (despite the name of one cryptocurrency) and it does not reside on Mars. Blockchain depends on critical infrastructure including servers, telecommunications networks, the banking system, and the power grid, all of which are subject to government control. https://dailyreckoning.com/global-elites-secret-cryptocurrencies/

Jim Rickards’ comments about “Big Brother” controlling buying and selling are consistent with biblical prophecies. Before going further, let me mention that I tried to explain the points that are in his last paragraph above to someone a while back as I asserted that governments can control cryptocurrencies. And I asserted that on this page over four years ago:

There is no way governments will intentionally allow a system that gets around all of their financial espionage. China is starting to publicly state that, and the government of USA has also began to try to figure out how to handle Bitcoin (Congress has held one or more hearings).

FWIW, I have never had or traded in Bitcoins or other alternatives like that.

Now, getting back to his comments, in September 2017, Jim Rickards wrote:

A group of major companies, all regulated by government, have announced a joint effort to develop an open-source blockchain as a uniform standard for all blockchain applications. The group includes JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, State Street, SWIFT, Cisco, Accenture, the London Stock Exchange and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial. That’s not exactly five guys in hoodies working in a garage. That’s a sign of the corporate-state consortium taking over. …

Perhaps most portentously, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has weighed in. In a special report dated June 2017, the IMF had this to say about blockchain:

“Distributed ledger technology (DLT), in particular, could spur change in the financial sector. …. DLT can be categorized as “permissionless” or “permissioned” depending on who can participate in the consensus-driven validation process. Permissionless DLTs allow anyone to read, transact on, and participate in the validation process. These open schemes (that underlie Bitcoin, for instance) could be very disruptive if successfully implemented. By contrast, in permissioned DLTs, the validation process is controlled by a pre-selected group of participants (“consortium”) or managed by one organization (“fully-private”), and thus serve more as a common communications platform.” (emphasis added).

IMF releases require expert translation because they are never written in plain English, and the real meaning is always hidden between the lines. But, the thrust of this report language is clear. The IMF favors “permissioned” systems over “open schemes.” The IMF also favors control by a “pre-selected group of participants” or “one organization,” rather than allowing “anyone” to participate.

This paper should be viewed as the first step in the IMF’s plan to migrate its existing form of world money, the special drawing right or SDR, onto a DLT platform controlled by the IMF. In time, all other forms of money would be banned. …

Big Brother is coming to the blockchain. 09/05/17 https://dailyreckoning.com/global-elites-secret-cryptocurrencies/

“Big Brother” will work for more and more financial controls. Interestingly, Herr Guttenberg has been on the forefront of this. If American Express, the USA, or State of Delaware do something later against his preferences related to digital currencies, this could turn him further against the USA.

Doug Casey also alluded to something in Revelation 13:16-18 related to blockchain:

My thought is this; that understanding that the dollar is unstable as it is, at this point the Fed might try to create an alternative. And an alternative that’s more under their control than the dollar and actually out of the traditional banking system. What would happen if the Federal Reserve created a look-alike dollar? Let’s call it the Fedcoin. Perhaps based on the same technology that Bitcoin is based on. This is the blockchain technology where every transaction can be tracked from the creation of the Bitcoin itself. … it’s going to use blockchain technology which makes it totally trackable unlike dollars today. So those are two huge differences. It’s going to be sold as a safety thing because blockchain is much harder to hack than conventional digital technology. …

This is seen as a worldwide solution; part of the globalist solution to problems.

You don’t see this widely reported in the media, but it’s happening all around us at this point. So it’s gonna happen here. Look, in June 2016, this year, Janet Yellen and dozens of other central bankers met with the top experts in the blockchain area, including the people that are in back of Bitcoin at this point. It’s happening now. https://www.caseyresearch.com/cm/project-fedcoin

Whether or not the USA lasts long enough to do this, the Europeans will one day control nearly all buying and selling they can.

Related to financial controls, there are some who have believed that Bitcoin will become fully regulated/taken over to the point that it will be associated with the ‘mark of the beast.’ Here is one such comment from over four years ago:

If I’m allowed to get Biblical…”Rich man or poor man, free or bond, will not be allowed to buy or sell unless he accepts the mark of the beast.”

Bitcoin is a very smooth end run to achieve that objective.

Here is another related item from around the same time:

MARK OF THE BEAST WATCH! Canada to get world’s first Bitcoin ATM…

The ATMs will use palm scans to identify users and enforce the limit, which is also designed to prevent problems with anti-money-laundering laws. http://ppsimmons.blogspot.com/2013/10/mark-of-beast-watch-canada-to-get.html

The “mark of the beast” scripture is from the Book of Revelation which makes the following statements concerning the financial controls of the coming Beast power:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

The Bible is clear that the time is coming when the Beast power will have implemented some type of strong financial control–blockchain technology may very well be part of it. (Watch also Sweden going to ‘666’ cashlessness?)

The Bible shows that Europe will ultimately turn to a ‘strongman’ of its own in Revelation 17:12-13 (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?)–one who is able to monitor buying and selling.

This may very well be someone like Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

Here are 11 speculative predictions I have posted over the years related to Herr Guttenberg that have been at least partially fulfilled:

He has advocated more European military cooperation.
He became unpopular for a time (and still is among many).
He ended up, for a time, outside of political office.
He went out of the limelight for a while.
He went into exile (self-imposed).
His exile was to a humid location.
People laughed at him.
He has partially re-emerged in European politics.
He has called for Germany to consider being a leader in data protection.
He now has a beard.
His early involvement with Ripple and blockchain could be setting him up to help fulfill Revelation 13:15-18.

Several of those predictions were based upon my understanding of prophecies in the books of Daniel and Revelation, plus outside sources (see also Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North?).

While these 11 speculative predictions do NOT prove that he is going to be the final King of the North European Beast power, he still bears watching.

Blockchain technology is catching on and may very well be used by the Beast to control buying and selling.

Jesus taught:

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:37)

Some items of related interest may include:

Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest? A video of related interest would be: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe’s Future.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: 主编：谁是’大罪人’？Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Could a Donald Trump presidency be apocalyptic? A related video is titled: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic?
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.