How would world markets react to the Second Coming?

Let's say the Virgin Mary appears in an apparition and declares that the last judgment and ushering in of paradise would take place within 30 years. She undergoes rigorous scientific testing and peer review scrutiny proving that she indeed is the Blessed Virgin. Science textbooks are rewritten to include the existence of God and the imminent end of the world as we know it. While non-Catholic religions struggle to reconcile this apparition within their own theological traditions, how will the global markets react? Will the price of crude oil drop due to governments tapping into their reserves and OPEC pumping it out like there's no tomorrow? Would stock prices plummet as people sell out in order to increase liquidity? Would the bond market collapse? Would world currencies destabilize as governments go bankrupt? What would happen? I want an eschatological scenario! Stephen Lindo

Wowzers. What kind of question is that? Would it even matter?

I would imagine donations to the Catholic church would roughly equal the gross wealth of the world as people tried to secure their position on the 'good' list.

Then we would have a church dominated socialist system with Mother Mary at the till directing the masses through, what is it 28 years of pestilence, plague and famine, until the day the Great Christian Armies beat back the heathen hoards in a glorious final battle.

I'm pretty sure the Virgin Mary isn't one of the signs of the Apocalypse though...

Let me ask that question from a slightly more "protestant" point of view.

What would happen if 1 Billion people suddenly vanished off the face of the earth without a trace. :)

Perhaps a world-wide labor shortage. There would also be mass-looting. Banks would take possession of millions of mortgaged homes flooding the real estate market with cheap real estate. The black plague during the middle ages would provide the most appropriate case study for economists to restructure the world economic system.

slindo:

Perhaps a world-wide labor shortage. There would also be mass-looting. Banks would take possession of millions of mortgaged homes flooding the real estate market with cheap real estate. The black plague during the middle ages would provide the most appropriate case study for economists to restructure the world economic system.

Certainly I understand the banks part, but the rest I'm not so clear on.  Why should there be a labor shortage?  Losing a billion people also means losing a billion consumers.  Consumption would fall in pace with the loss of labor.  Also, we could live for a while off the property of those who vanished.  I'm also not clear on why there would be looting.  Sure, there would be people taking the property of the people who vanished, but so what?  They're claiming unowned property, not looting.  Are you assuming that all the forces of law and order are virtuous, and therefore would be among the vanished?

 Ohhh it's my turn now! What would happen if Aliens appeared out of nowhere and blew away the world's major capitals with city-sized ships?

I think it is fair to say most forms of long term investment would be screwed, lots of people would be looking to consume in the present and savings would go out the window (at least any savings beyond thirty years) and hence the market would get messed up. I am sure some super skeptics would still invest in the long term, potentially giving some stability to production.

Stranger:

 Ohhh it's my turn now! What would happen if Aliens appeared out of nowhere and blew away the world's major capitals with city-sized ships?

President Bush was faced with a similar scenario on 9/11. Many people thought 9/11 might be an end times event. The movies Independence Day and Pearl Harbor almost seemed prophetic. Bush restored faith in the economic system by using his presidential pulpit to preach consumerism. He likened consumerism with patriotism. He opened Wall Street as rapidly as possible and all but ordered people to engage in commerce. He condemned the attacks as evil. Democrats who thought Bush stole the election united around the president. If aliens attack us, we can look to Bush's administration as a model of what to do.

slindo:

President Bush was faced with a similar scenario on 9/11. Many people thought 9/11 might be an end times event. The movies Independence Day and Pearl Harbor almost seemed prophetic. Bush restored faith in the economic system by using his presidential pulpit to preach consumerism. He likened consumerism with patriotism. He opened Wall Street as rapidly as possible and all but ordered people to engage in commerce. He condemned the attacks as evil. Democrats who thought Bush stole the election united around the president. If aliens attack us, we can look to Bush's administration as a model of what to do.

In addition to this reckless inflation, we can put thousands of people in prison camps on suspicion of being aliens.  We can issue a national ID, needed for internal travel, used to prove that you're human.  We can tap everyone's phone and record all internet communication, in order to see who is communicating with those on other planets.  Then we could launch missile attacks on unrelated planets.

 What would happen if the Flying Spaghetti Monster appears incarnate (inpastate?) and declares that people aren't eating enough spaghetti? Science textbooks are rewritten to include the existence of FSM and the imminent end of the world as we know it. While non-Pastafarian religions struggle to reconcile this apparition within their own theological traditions, how will the global markets react? Will the price of durum wheat increase as pasta manufacturers start producing like there's no tomorrow? Would stock prices plummet as people sell out in order to increase pasta ownership? Would the bond market collapse? Would world currencies destabilize as governments go bankrupt? What would happen? I want a pasteological scenario!

Paul:

 What would happen if the Flying Spaghetti Monster appears incarnate (inpastate?) and declares that people aren't eating enough spaghetti? Science textbooks are rewritten to include the existence of FSM and the imminent end of the world as we know it. While non-Pastafarian religions struggle to reconcile this apparition within their own theological traditions, how will the global markets react? Will the price of durum wheat increase as pasta manufacturers start producing like there's no tomorrow? Would stock prices plummet as people sell out in order to increase pasta ownership? Would the bond market collapse? Would world currencies destabilize as governments go bankrupt? What would happen? I want a pasteological scenario!

I guess Italians would have to choose between their love for spaghetti and their love of the Virgin Mary.

People would ignore it and realize that there is no such thing as ghosts and imaginary friends