SHA-256 may be understood as a cipher connected to the Bible.
In that sense, the value of crypto may ultimately reside within SHA-256 itself.
To truly understand Bitcoin, one must grasp an enormous range of concepts:
hash functions(SHA-256, SHA-256D, RIPEMD160, BLAKE2S, Scrypt ...), ECDSA, Merkle tree, P2PK, P2PKH, P2SH, the distinction between CScript and CScriptID, Base58, Bech32, the history and use of ScriptSig and ScriptPubKey, Segregated Witness, OP_DUP, OP_HASH160, OP_CHECKSIG, OP_CHECKMULTISIG, prevector, elliptic curve, constant-time function, message signature, message challenge signature, Schnorr signature, aggregated signature, Taproot, OP_CAT, P2MR, P2QRH, PQC, the mempool, CTransaction, standard and non-standard transaction, difficulty adjustment (hash < target), Merkle root, coinbase transaction, block hash, nonce, extra-nonce, timelock, network message function, DoS counters, distributed nodes, key-value database, database read/write structures, encryption and decryption, staking modifier, staking ECDSA signature, staking slashing, staking PQC, ECRECOVER, seed private key, public key tweek, orphan blocks, double-spend prevention, main-chain selection (maximum cumulative work), secure allocator, checkpoints, and smart contract.
At a glance, it looks something like this.
With this amount of knowledge, one can certainly develop crypto systems.
And yet, something still feels missing.
Yes, of course, one could say that what is missing is the quantum resistance against Grover’s algorithm that I have discussed here.
That part indeed remains incomplete — but let us set it aside for now.
You will work on it eventually, right? I assume that part is understood.
So what exactly is missing?
Where does the value actually reside?
Even after listing all these technical components, identifying the true source of value remains surprisingly difficult.
At first glance, one might think value somehow emerges from the entire system.
But increasingly, it seems that is not quite the case.
Remember the imprint embedded in SHA-256.
The number 144000 — associated with the Book of Revelation and the people of Israel — along with the two witnesses, appears to be inscribed there.
And those elements seem to connect symbolically to the Kingdom of God — Jerusalem.
Now consider gold.
Gold is an immutable metal formed in the process of supernova explosions.
That is where its value resides.
And what about the value of crypto?
My view is that it lies in SHA-256.
This hash function, SHA-256, appears to function almost as if it were a fragment of the Bible itself.
Yes, I realize how extraordinary that sounds — even as I write it.
It is only a hypothesis.
But when viewed this way, the interpretation begins to make sense:
the value of crypto could be understood as something that resides within the Biblical structure connected to SHA-256.
In other words, the true essence of crypto might ultimately be SHA-256 itself.
Perhaps.
In any case, if you ever feel that you completely understand Bitcoin yet something still seems missing, try remembering the imprint within SHA-256.
