Money and the End Times
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
The Tribulation is a test. It is a test designed to sift, or thresh, the people of the earth to see who will remain, or come under, Jesus' leadership before He comes to be the leader of the earth. When Jesus comes to be leader, He will be leader over everything: money, power, authority. This is the moment where Jesus takes the scroll, which is the title deed to the earth and all it contains:
Revelation 5:2-13 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Jesus is the "only one worthy" to have this much control. Every other world leader who has planned a society has found that absolute power corrupts absolutely...but not Jesus. He is the one worthy, because He voluntarily laid down absolute power to become a sacrifice for the people of the earth. He has proven that absolute power did not corrupt Him!
Philippians 2:6-11 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So Jesus is WORTHY to lead the earth. That has already been established. Now the question is: are you WANTING Him to lead you?
Jesus is unlike any other world leader. He won't force anyone under His leadership. For love, He refuses to violate YOUR desire. So instead of imposing His rule, He is sifting...or threshing...the earth.
Sifting or threshing is a harvest action of separating the wheat...the true harvest of the kingdom...from the chaff, that which will be thrown out. Threshing, or dividing people, is actually one of the PRIMARY things He came to do. Jesus came to test, or thresh, the earth.
Matthew 3:11-12 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
When someone threshed wheat in Jesus' day, they took the whole lump of wheat and chaff, threw it into the air, and let a strong wind blow off everything too light to be real grain. Jesus loves everybody...Jesus' love isn't the question. The question is: do you love Him back? Love is evidenced in OBEDIENCE:
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Jesus doesn't want obedience for His sake, or even the sake of His kingdom. No! Jesus wants obedience for OUR sake, so we can live under His leadership forever. He is not coming to earth to occupy second place. He will be it's only leader. He is threshing, or sifting hearts to see who REALLY wants to follow Him:
Mark 10:21-27 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
The young man's problem wasn't his wealth, it was his unwillingness to see the power in Jesus' leadership. If he would have asked for Jesus' help in getting rid of his stuff, Jesus would have done it gently. With God all things are possible. The young man saw the cost as too great because he imagined he had to bear it on his own. Jesus was trying to teach him leadership, not poverty.
If we love Jesus leadership now, then we will easily pass the coming test. The Tribulation is the final test designed to gather in the final harvest...the final threshing in a time of great wind designed to see who loves Jesus' leadership before He returns.
In order to execute the test, Jesus has chosen a brilliant plan: give everyone MORE of what they want and let the desire of men's hearts...both good and evil...manifest in one generation. This is the way a harvest works...at just the right time, when the grain is ripe, but before it begins to run the risk of rotting in the field, the owner of the harvest brings it in and threshes it. Harvests happen quickly. They are the most intense week or so of the farmers life. Everything else is put on hold in the harvest. You, my friends, are in the harvest. Do you know it?
Money... I hear the Lord say "teach money.". Money is one of the greatest dangers to the western church. We have convinced ourselves that Jesus values giving us a comfortable bank account. He doesn't. He values teaching us His perfect leadership. Many are about to learn this lesson the hard way:
Revelation 3:17-20 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Jesus says this because the end time test is very weighted toward the issue of money!
There is a VERY SPECIFIC aspect to the test regarding money. For 42 months money will not be an option for believers. Literally, anyone who uses money to buy or sell will be considered to be worshiping the antichrist. It will require a currency with His mark on your body. If you use his money, you are under his evil leadership. In order to live through this time, you are expected to actually live on MIRACULOUS provision. God is going to give complete authority over money to the antichrist in order to demonstrate to the earth that Jesus' words are true, the Father is the one who provides:
Revelation 13:16-17 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, 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.
This is the test...all of the wealth of believers will be confiscated by a global currency system. This is actually, in a very small way, already happening in the middle east where Christians are being forced with a choice: convert to Islam or pay the "jizya tax" which is often everything the believer owns. This will become systematic and global soon. What has begun with worship of Allah will transition to antichrist worship. I personally believe it will be global within the next two years. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right...that isn't the point. The point is: are you ready?
Many believers in "Smyrna"...the persecuted church...are already being tested in this. Are you ready to hand over YOUR savings account, your job, your dreams of retirement, your 401k to stay loyal to invisible Jesus?... this is literally the test promised to come.
The true answer, if you live in the USA is probably "no." Even though everyone would say "yes!". Why do I say this? Because it is really easy to pretest yourself: if you aren't willing to be generous to the point it hurts NOW, while it is easy, what would make you think you will be less afraid to give it all away when the government is threatening your very livelihood? Extravagant generosity is very low on the western Church priority list. This will prove to be deadly to many.
Test yourself now. Do you ask God to help you give so much it actually cuts in to next month's bill money? If you don't, then you are probably not taking the coming test very seriously. When you see someone in need, and you have money in the bank that could help them, do you give them what they need even though it might cut into next month's bills? Do you look for people to secretly give enough money that it hurts to? Do you give to everyone who asks, or do you look for Biblical reasons why you don't need to? Do you simply tithe...like for real... 10 percent of your income as a baseline for your giving, or do you think "I can't afford to tithe right now?"
You literally can't afford not to tithe and give generously on top of your tithe... You live in the hour this WILL be tested, with life or death consequence:
Revelation 14:9-12 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
God doesn't need your money. He wants to prepare your heart to live under His leadership forever. Part of that leadership is His promise to distribute wealth to you, as needed...as He sees fit... forever. Yes, there will be wealth UNEVENLY distributed in heaven forever...first and last, rich and not so rich, great and least...
Matthew 19:29-30 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
You are expected, in faith, to trust that Jesus knows what He is doing with money...not just now...but FOREVER. If you won't do it now, what makes you think you will be willing to live under this commandment forever?:
Luke 16:9-13 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
If you are willing to be honest and see that Jesus REALLY wants to teach you to give it all away, He is ready to help LEAD you. He isn't trying to teach us poverty, He is trying to teach us leadership.
He has laid out a brilliant process to lead you into the breaking of the hearts ties to money...it is called the Sermon on the Mount...it begins with the Beatitudes:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit - step one is to recognize you aren't that generous yet. Jesus says just recognizing and admitting it is the first step to fixing it. You are blessed to realize you trust in wealth too much. How much is too much? If you look at your bank account and worry there might not be enough in there for next week, or the rest of the month, you are trusting money more than Jesus did...He is the standard. Jesus gave His bank account to the guy He knew was stealing it! He didn't trust money at all:
John 12:4-6 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
2. Blessed are those who mourn- step two is to not make excuses why it is ok to trust money more than Jesus did, but instead MOURN it...cry out to Jesus to fix your heart. He will then orchestrate your life with OPPORTUNITIES to be generous.
These two steps (there are 8 total, but that is a message for another day) will radically change your life if you want them to. Jesus says later in the Sermon on the Mount that if you will walk through the doors He opens, not only will it free your heart from the fear of money that will cause many to betray Jesus when the antichrist gets control of money, it will also cause you to live in abundance, because it will teach you to live under the leadership of the most generous leader the earth has ever witnessed: Jesus! You don't have to die and go to heaven to live under His perfect leadership, you can do it now. That is called faith. Do you really believe He is good? Then trust Him.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
If you won't do this now when it is easy, what will you do when the pressure is on, all you have is on the line, and people are accusing you of not loving your family when you refuse to work, buy, or sell in the world economy? There is precious little time left to get ready for the test. Do you want to be ready?
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”...
... “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
This isn't just a message for people with money. Some of the people most bound by a fear of money have very little. It isn't about the size of your bank account, it is about the size of your heart. Many who live on donations...who literally live on other people's generosity...are trapped in a fear of money. They see people as dollars and try to manage their relationships to get the most income out of them. Many do this in the name of Jesus. This is a deception. Living on other's donations doesn't exempt you from the reality of the end time sifting, or threshing, in the area of money. There is no shortcut to the the Sermon on the Mount...everyone, both the missionary and the businessman...needs to learn to love Jesus this way to be safe in what is surely coming.
I want to be ready, Jesus. Teach me extravagant generosity...to be free of money like You are... now, while there is time.
The Tribulation is a test. It is a test designed to sift, or thresh, the people of the earth to see who will remain, or come under, Jesus' leadership before He comes to be the leader of the earth. When Jesus comes to be leader, He will be leader over everything: money, power, authority. This is the moment where Jesus takes the scroll, which is the title deed to the earth and all it contains:
Revelation 5:2-13 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Jesus is the "only one worthy" to have this much control. Every other world leader who has planned a society has found that absolute power corrupts absolutely...but not Jesus. He is the one worthy, because He voluntarily laid down absolute power to become a sacrifice for the people of the earth. He has proven that absolute power did not corrupt Him!
Philippians 2:6-11 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So Jesus is WORTHY to lead the earth. That has already been established. Now the question is: are you WANTING Him to lead you?
Jesus is unlike any other world leader. He won't force anyone under His leadership. For love, He refuses to violate YOUR desire. So instead of imposing His rule, He is sifting...or threshing...the earth.
Sifting or threshing is a harvest action of separating the wheat...the true harvest of the kingdom...from the chaff, that which will be thrown out. Threshing, or dividing people, is actually one of the PRIMARY things He came to do. Jesus came to test, or thresh, the earth.
Matthew 3:11-12 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
When someone threshed wheat in Jesus' day, they took the whole lump of wheat and chaff, threw it into the air, and let a strong wind blow off everything too light to be real grain. Jesus loves everybody...Jesus' love isn't the question. The question is: do you love Him back? Love is evidenced in OBEDIENCE:
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Jesus doesn't want obedience for His sake, or even the sake of His kingdom. No! Jesus wants obedience for OUR sake, so we can live under His leadership forever. He is not coming to earth to occupy second place. He will be it's only leader. He is threshing, or sifting hearts to see who REALLY wants to follow Him:
Mark 10:21-27 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
The young man's problem wasn't his wealth, it was his unwillingness to see the power in Jesus' leadership. If he would have asked for Jesus' help in getting rid of his stuff, Jesus would have done it gently. With God all things are possible. The young man saw the cost as too great because he imagined he had to bear it on his own. Jesus was trying to teach him leadership, not poverty.
If we love Jesus leadership now, then we will easily pass the coming test. The Tribulation is the final test designed to gather in the final harvest...the final threshing in a time of great wind designed to see who loves Jesus' leadership before He returns.
In order to execute the test, Jesus has chosen a brilliant plan: give everyone MORE of what they want and let the desire of men's hearts...both good and evil...manifest in one generation. This is the way a harvest works...at just the right time, when the grain is ripe, but before it begins to run the risk of rotting in the field, the owner of the harvest brings it in and threshes it. Harvests happen quickly. They are the most intense week or so of the farmers life. Everything else is put on hold in the harvest. You, my friends, are in the harvest. Do you know it?
Money... I hear the Lord say "teach money.". Money is one of the greatest dangers to the western church. We have convinced ourselves that Jesus values giving us a comfortable bank account. He doesn't. He values teaching us His perfect leadership. Many are about to learn this lesson the hard way:
Revelation 3:17-20 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Jesus says this because the end time test is very weighted toward the issue of money!
There is a VERY SPECIFIC aspect to the test regarding money. For 42 months money will not be an option for believers. Literally, anyone who uses money to buy or sell will be considered to be worshiping the antichrist. It will require a currency with His mark on your body. If you use his money, you are under his evil leadership. In order to live through this time, you are expected to actually live on MIRACULOUS provision. God is going to give complete authority over money to the antichrist in order to demonstrate to the earth that Jesus' words are true, the Father is the one who provides:
Revelation 13:16-17 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, 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.
This is the test...all of the wealth of believers will be confiscated by a global currency system. This is actually, in a very small way, already happening in the middle east where Christians are being forced with a choice: convert to Islam or pay the "jizya tax" which is often everything the believer owns. This will become systematic and global soon. What has begun with worship of Allah will transition to antichrist worship. I personally believe it will be global within the next two years. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right...that isn't the point. The point is: are you ready?
Many believers in "Smyrna"...the persecuted church...are already being tested in this. Are you ready to hand over YOUR savings account, your job, your dreams of retirement, your 401k to stay loyal to invisible Jesus?... this is literally the test promised to come.
The true answer, if you live in the USA is probably "no." Even though everyone would say "yes!". Why do I say this? Because it is really easy to pretest yourself: if you aren't willing to be generous to the point it hurts NOW, while it is easy, what would make you think you will be less afraid to give it all away when the government is threatening your very livelihood? Extravagant generosity is very low on the western Church priority list. This will prove to be deadly to many.
Test yourself now. Do you ask God to help you give so much it actually cuts in to next month's bill money? If you don't, then you are probably not taking the coming test very seriously. When you see someone in need, and you have money in the bank that could help them, do you give them what they need even though it might cut into next month's bills? Do you look for people to secretly give enough money that it hurts to? Do you give to everyone who asks, or do you look for Biblical reasons why you don't need to? Do you simply tithe...like for real... 10 percent of your income as a baseline for your giving, or do you think "I can't afford to tithe right now?"
You literally can't afford not to tithe and give generously on top of your tithe... You live in the hour this WILL be tested, with life or death consequence:
Revelation 14:9-12 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
God doesn't need your money. He wants to prepare your heart to live under His leadership forever. Part of that leadership is His promise to distribute wealth to you, as needed...as He sees fit... forever. Yes, there will be wealth UNEVENLY distributed in heaven forever...first and last, rich and not so rich, great and least...
Matthew 19:29-30 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
You are expected, in faith, to trust that Jesus knows what He is doing with money...not just now...but FOREVER. If you won't do it now, what makes you think you will be willing to live under this commandment forever?:
Luke 16:9-13 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
If you are willing to be honest and see that Jesus REALLY wants to teach you to give it all away, He is ready to help LEAD you. He isn't trying to teach us poverty, He is trying to teach us leadership.
He has laid out a brilliant process to lead you into the breaking of the hearts ties to money...it is called the Sermon on the Mount...it begins with the Beatitudes:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit - step one is to recognize you aren't that generous yet. Jesus says just recognizing and admitting it is the first step to fixing it. You are blessed to realize you trust in wealth too much. How much is too much? If you look at your bank account and worry there might not be enough in there for next week, or the rest of the month, you are trusting money more than Jesus did...He is the standard. Jesus gave His bank account to the guy He knew was stealing it! He didn't trust money at all:
John 12:4-6 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
2. Blessed are those who mourn- step two is to not make excuses why it is ok to trust money more than Jesus did, but instead MOURN it...cry out to Jesus to fix your heart. He will then orchestrate your life with OPPORTUNITIES to be generous.
These two steps (there are 8 total, but that is a message for another day) will radically change your life if you want them to. Jesus says later in the Sermon on the Mount that if you will walk through the doors He opens, not only will it free your heart from the fear of money that will cause many to betray Jesus when the antichrist gets control of money, it will also cause you to live in abundance, because it will teach you to live under the leadership of the most generous leader the earth has ever witnessed: Jesus! You don't have to die and go to heaven to live under His perfect leadership, you can do it now. That is called faith. Do you really believe He is good? Then trust Him.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
If you won't do this now when it is easy, what will you do when the pressure is on, all you have is on the line, and people are accusing you of not loving your family when you refuse to work, buy, or sell in the world economy? There is precious little time left to get ready for the test. Do you want to be ready?
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”...
... “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
This isn't just a message for people with money. Some of the people most bound by a fear of money have very little. It isn't about the size of your bank account, it is about the size of your heart. Many who live on donations...who literally live on other people's generosity...are trapped in a fear of money. They see people as dollars and try to manage their relationships to get the most income out of them. Many do this in the name of Jesus. This is a deception. Living on other's donations doesn't exempt you from the reality of the end time sifting, or threshing, in the area of money. There is no shortcut to the the Sermon on the Mount...everyone, both the missionary and the businessman...needs to learn to love Jesus this way to be safe in what is surely coming.
I want to be ready, Jesus. Teach me extravagant generosity...to be free of money like You are... now, while there is time.
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