Could the global economy slow down and money stop working? Notice one view:

When Money Stops Existing: Deflation, Economic War, and the Quiet Shift Reshaping the World
May 11, 2026
For most of modern history, money has been treated as something constant—something stable enough to build entire lives around. We plan futures with it, measure success through it, and depend on it for survival. But there is a hidden assumption behind all of this: that money will always be available, always moving, always functioning.
That assumption has failed before.
And the uncomfortable reality is that the conditions forming today look disturbingly familiar—just dressed in a more advanced, more controlled system.
Deflation is often misunderstood as simply “falling prices,” but in reality, it is something far more dangerous. It is what happens when money becomes scarce—not because it physically disappears, but because it stops circulating. When people stop spending, banks stop lending, and businesses stop investing, the entire system begins to lock up. Prices don’t just fall; value collapses. Work disappears. Confidence evaporates.
In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, this process was visible and chaotic. Banks failed publicly. People stood in lines trying to withdraw their savings. Entire communities ran out of cash and resorted to bartering. But today’s system is different. Over 90% of global money now exists digitally, meaning a crisis would not necessarily look like panic in the streets—it could unfold quietly, through restrictions, delays, and policy decisions that most people barely understand until it is too late.
What makes the current moment particularly fragile is the combination of extreme debt and tightening liquidity. Global debt has now exceeded roughly 350% of GDP, while central banks, after years of aggressive money printing, have been pulling liquidity back out of the system. Interest rates that hovered near zero for over a decade have risen into the 4–6% range, and lending standards have tightened significantly—by some estimates, over 20% in key sectors. At the same time, household savings built during the pandemic have been eroded, dropping by as much as 30–40% in several major economies.
This creates a silent pressure: less money moving through a system that depends entirely on constant movement.
At the same time, another layer of tension is building—one that is less visible to the average person but deeply influential: the global economic war. …
Some industries experience inflation due to restricted supply, while others collapse under weakened demand. The result is an unstable mix of inflation and deflation happening at the same time, making the system harder to predict and control.
Deflation is not just about falling prices. It is about what happens when the flow of money—the lifeblood of the system—begins to slow.
And if that flow stops, even briefly, the question will no longer be how much money people have…
…but whether it still works at all. https://www.activistpost.com/when-money-stops-existing-deflation-economic-war-and-the-quiet-shift-reshaping-the-world/

Last century, the old Worldwide Church of God published an article titled When Money Fails. Here are excerpts:

The Bible foretells that inflation at least in the sense of oppressively rising prices — will be a plague of the end times. Notice Haggai 1:6, “and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with holes.” Every person who has seen the buying power of his money be continually eroded because of rising prices can well understand that that prophecy has already come to pass.
The book of Revelation also foretells inflation: “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Rev. 6:6).
A measure of wheat for a penny sounds like a bargain these days. But consider, a measure of wheat at the time John penned the book of Revelation was two-or three pints. A penny was the day’s wages of a laborer.
When money fails
Biblical descriptions of money and prices bring out several important lessons about high prices:
Scarcity can make your money worthless. In Joseph’s time, when “famine [crop shortage] was over all the face of the earth” (Gen. 41:56), the fact was reflected in the price of food. Thus, when Jacob sent his sons to buy food in Egypt, he told them to take “double money” (Gen. 43:12).
Another example of scarcity-induced price increases was the siege in Samaria in the time of Elisha: “And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they [the Syrians] besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver” (II Kings 6:25).
Today, silver sells for around $8.50 an ounce. Imagine! Over $42.50 for a small quantity of bird waste!
And, of course, the law of supply and demand works the opposite way as well. When the Syrians prematurely abandoned their invasion and left their provisions behind (II Kings 7:6 and 8), the inhabitants of the city went out and gathered up those provisions. Supply increased. And prices came down.
Inflation increases the power of those who hold tangible goods. In the time of Joseph’s famine, people had money, but no food. The price of food went up, and they soon ran out of money.
(Since money in the Bible was synonymous with a given weight of silver or gold (See Ezra 7:15-17, II Kings 12:10-11), the government could not just go and print up some more.) Thus their “money failed” (Gen. 47:15), and they had to barter their livestock for food (Gen. 47:17).
After they had bartered away their livestock, they were forced to barter their land and their labor. If they hadn’t possessed some tangible goods to barter after their money ran out, they would have starved (Gen. 47:19).
And in the end, because the Egyptian government had correctly “anticipated market conditions,” it ended up owning everything. A closely related lesson from this account is that inflation favors those who hold or produce tangible necessities (as opposed to luxuries). …
Inflation: a result of sin
Inflation is the bad result of human government’s failure to restrain its own covetousness and ambition. There are two ways in which this happens.
Sometimes, in order to stimulate the economy, the government will (through a complicated series of banking transactions) cause more money to come into circulation. Credit becomes easier. Businesses expand and hire more people. Wages go up and people buy more.
But while there’s more money floating around, there aren’t as many things to buy with that money. Sellers find they have to (and they want to anyway, of course) raise their prices just to make sure they don’t run out of products.
And, almost always at the same time, the government itself spends more money than it takes in. Its workers get pay raises, more people are put on the government payroll, more programs are started. Tax revenues don’t cover it all.
The government has to either a) raise taxes, b) cut back or c) in effect, print the money to cover its deficit.
Human nature being what it is, c is the most painless alternative in the short run, and so the government chooses it. The extra money circulates through the country, but again, there aren’t as many extra things to buy with that money. So prices go up.
Viewed this way, inflation is a kind of hidden tax that the government imposes on its citizens. The famous British economist of the 1930s, John Maynard Keynes, a man who, ironically, promoted the kind of government policies that led to our present inflationary troubles, admitted:
“By a continuing process of inflation governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens … The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction.”
Thus, in a sense, inflation is the result of the breaking of divine law. First, “Thou shalt not steal” and “Thou shalt not covet,” which applies to governments as well as to private citizens. …
Despite what you may have heard, gold and silver may not be all that good as inflation hedges. In times of economic turmoil, governments often confiscate their citizens’ gold.
Also, while it is not the province of the GN to give specific investment advice, gold and silver are two investments that are mentioned in Bible prophecy. The forecast, however, is not bullish:
“They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is a stumbling-block of their iniquity” (Ezek. 7:19).
You cannot eat gold. You must buy it retail and sell it back wholesale. You may have to pay assay charges. You can’t buy in quantities of less than an ounce, and so, in times of social breakdown, how would you pay for a loaf of bread? By clipping off a piece of your Krugerrand?
Of course, since gold is regarded as a disaster hedge by many investors, prudence might dictate that perhaps a small fraction of your liquid assets be in gold: (Calkins J. When Money Fails. Good News, October-November 1979)

The time will come when the USA dollar will be worth no more than the scrap or novelty value of the cotton-paper it is printed on.

While gold and silver will have value after the USA dollar fails (cf. Daniel 11:39-43; Revelation 18), it too, will one day be considered worthless (and actually dangerous to hold on to (for details, check out the article: The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold?).

A while back, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following Bible News Prophecy video on our Bible News Prophecy channel:

15:26

Inflation: When Money Fails
Inflation has been higher in 2022 than it has been for decades in the USA, Europe, and many other lands. What are some of the disruptions that inflation can cause? What about hyperinflation affecting places like Venezuela? Did the Book of Haggai predict inflation? Is food price inflation associated with the ride of the third horseman of the Apocalypse? Does sin and government mismanagement cause inflation? Are there physical things one can do about inflation? What about storing food or buying gold? Will gold outlast the USA dollar? Why might some throw their gold in the street as Ezekiel prophesied? What should God’s people do about inflation? What did Jesus teach about food worries? What about seeking the Kingdom of God? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel cover these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Inflation: When Money Fails.

Later, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following Bible News Prophecy video on our Bible News Prophecy channel:

14:09
WWIII, Gold, and the Collapse of the Dollar
Is World War Three coming soon? Changes in the world order are rare, history-defining events—with massive implications, both geopolitical and financial. Is owning gold by Christians for the unexpected as Joel Rosenberg has publicly stated or, perhaps, for those who believe biblical prophecies, for the expected? Will the US Dollar collapse? In a word, yes. Could the USA be the highly indebted nation that Habakkuk 2:6-8 refers to? WWIII will mean the end of the USA dollar when that nation is conquered per Daniel 11:39, whereas gold will continue to have value per Daniel 11:43 and the 18th chapter of the Book of Revelation. Prophecy indicates that the massive debt of the USA will result in the take over of the USA (Habakkuk 2). While gold will continue to have value after the destruction of the US Dollar, we should not put our confidence in either. Will gold one day be worthless? Put your confidence in God and His Word. Seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).

Here is a link to our video: WWIII, Gold, and the Collapse of the Dollar.

Some items of possibly related interest may also include:

The End of US Dollar Dominance Is the USA losing its economic status? What about the petro-gold-yuan? A related video is also available: US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan.

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.

The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold and silver? Two videos of related interest may be: Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar and Silver, Science, and Scripture.

USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?

Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.

Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?

Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Will certain English-speaking nations that refuse to repent be destroyed? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.

About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? What about “the thief on the cross’? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here are links to two related sermons: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.