November 2, 2008
It is late in the evening of November 2nd, just two days before this nation’s presidential election. That in itself is an incredible story, but needs to wait until after Tuesday when the results are in
What captures me tonight is the state of our nation and the world’s economic condition. What we saw take place in October of 2008 was unprecedented. In my view, the world and U.S. economy have moved to near the top in prophetic urgency. Current economic forces have shifted so rapidly that it’s forcing the world into a whole new paradigm.
For the first time ever, central banks around the world have joined together to discuss the best way to help resolve this grave financial situation. In other words, what we see is the beginning of over all globalization of the world economy.
Certainly its nerve-wracking to see our markets plunge some 40-50% since its high last year, but I think something far more significant is on the horizon – and the result will see a system evolve where all of the citizens of this planet will be required to receive an identification mark on either their foreheads of right hands (Revelation 13) in order to exist in any worldly economic form. This requirement will be enforced by the soon-to-be world leader, better know as the Anti-Christ.
There can be little doubt about God’s view of fallen mankind’s deadly love affair with money. He speaks of it through the Apostle Paul, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (I Timothy 6:10)
It’s extremely important to note that God’s word speaks specifically to those of “faith”. The love of money is at the heart of all that is evil in the world, and that misplaced love takes even believers down the path away from the Lord when they get caught up in following the love of money trail.
Judgment begins with His own – believers – when this happens. The end of such evil is desperation and sorrow, Paul forewarns. We have only to look at things going on within the Body of Christ today to know that many are following the money. There is a “prosperity” message in this present hour that robs God of His rightful place in the hearts and minds of His children.
The message proclaims in effect that God is a sugar daddy and owes His people the very best. They shout twenty-four hours a day on their nation-wide broadcasts – rather than preaching and teaching that we owe our very salvation to Him – and it is our duty to warn people that Hell awaits, without their coming to Christ in repentance.
Just like the world, many in the Body of Christ today are reprobate (unprincipled or depraved) in their thinking. They have turned God’s word upside down. Good has become evil and evil good, sadly, even with great numbers of those who are in Christ.
So what does this rapid acceleration of the love of “filthy lucre: mean? Again, God’s word tells us that evil men and seducers will grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13).
So what is the foundation of the evil in man? That’s right – the love of money. The love of money is the root of all evil (I Timothy 6:10). (Other scriptural references include 2 Timothy 3:2, Luke 16:13 and Matthew 6:24).
In summation, God’s word affirms without reservation what should be mankind’s priorities for conducting our lives while upon this fallen earth. As recently mentioned by Pastor David Wilkerson in His teachings, when Peter and the Lord Himself taught about how to conduct our lives, the priorities were never about the size of our bank accounts, 401k’s, or our mortgages, but simply – the condition of our spirit.
No anywhere did their top priorities include the love of money or what it could do for making our lives better. As previously shown in scripture, the love of money is the root of all evil – not of anything good.
Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’. So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ ”
Until next time,
Red