NAURU - Haven for Rich Apocalypse Preppers?
Whether it’s space, the ocean’s darkest depths or everlasting life, uberwealthy tech leaders are infamous for grandiose visions of where their deep pockets might take them. Among these is the dream of getting away from taxes, governments and even the apocalypse by escaping to some remote place—such as an island in the Pacific.
It’s this vision that made an appearance in a lawsuit filed by failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which is looking to recover more than $1 billion from its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, and three other executives. The complaint details plans to use FTX funds to purchase the island nation of Nauru, an atoll that is home to more than 12,000 people, and to survive the end of the world by building a bunker there.
Apart from the difficulty of simply purchasing a sovereign state—a representative for Nauru has said it “was not and has never been for sale”—experts caution that it is not an ideal place to live out the end times. The 8.1-square-mile island has limited fresh water, little arable land and imports at least 90 percent of its food. With most of its critical infrastructure on the coast, it is especially vulnerable to extreme weather amid climate change.
“This really shows how much billionaire doomsday prepping is really about fantasy,” Calum Matheson, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied preppers, said of the FTX plans. For the rich, “doomsday is a fantasy to play with, but they can always keep it at a distance.” It is simply “entertainment,” he said.
-www.msn.com, 26 July 2023
Commentary
These wealthy individuals apparently have enough free time to dream of places where they can theoretically avoid any consequences of a potential apocalypse. It’s interesting that the facts on the ground show that this particular island is highly unsuitable for survival in
such a case. Not to mention the founder of the failed cryptocurrency firm that planned this is currently under prosecution for fraud.
However, it’s not just the ultra-rich that entertain ideas of buying bunkers in preparation for doomsday scenarios, but also average Americans have succumbed to the hype put out by companies looking to profit from fear of the unknown. Christians should heed Jesus’ instruction to “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on” (Matthew 6:25a). He later continues, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (verse 33a). -By K. Farmer
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
