Intro

This is Dreamwalker1960. As a reminder you can read the transcripts of all my podcasts at dreamwalker1960.com. You can use most podcast platforms if you wish to listen. All you need do is do a search for Dreamwalker1960.

Discussion

The other day someone tried to justify keeping their wealth, luxuries and especially their Range Rover. One of their excuses was that God created gold amongst other precious minerals. I wish to give two examples from the Word of God.

The first deals with riches:

 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 NKJV – Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. As it is written, “HE WHO GATHERED MUCH HAD NOTHING LEFT OVER, AND HE WHO GATHERED LITTLE HAD NO LACK.”

Many take a part of these verses out of context. They take this:

2 Corinthians 8:8-9 NKJV – I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

However, as you can tell from the full context of this part of 2 Corinthians. This tells us that if we are given wealth, we are to share it. To portion what is given unto to us in such a way that it makes those fellow believers in Christ on equal par with all others.

This shows that those who have been given earthly wealth must share their money with others to make them equals financially. That way none will become envious of the others. Thus, leading them into sin.

When looked at in this manner we see that earthly wealth is a two-edged sword. On the one hand we have the wealthy person who enters into sin by buying beyond their needs. Then we have the poor person who struggles to the point of entering into sin of various types.

This lack of equality causes division and strife. Which leads to murder, and in some cases war. Which is what we have encountered throughout the centuries. Which has resulted in the history of humanity to date. This is not what most have been taught. Consequently, to hear this presented in this manner. Those who have kept, sought after, and dreamed of wealth, have dreamed of damnation. That is unless they have given most of it away, which I have never heard of.

Then why does the Bible say this about seeking after money:

1 Timothy 6:6-10 NKJV – Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Now to the second verse I was referring too at the beginning of today’s podcast let us look to it.

Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV – “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.

“So why do you worry about clothing?”

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek.”

One of the things associated with clothing is jewelry. What does the Bible have to say about this, since most jewelry consists of gold?

1 Timothy 2:8-10 NKJV – I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

But why is it proper for women not to seek after gold and pearls? Because of this:

1 John 2:15-16 NLT – Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

We must also look to these verses:

Romans 12:1-2 NKJV – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Conforming to the world is to seek after that which the world seeks after. From seeking after wealth, seeking after jewelry, seeking after tattoos. All this the world seeks.

I remember early in my faith, when I still hadn’t come to understand what the modern-day buildings called “churches” were. I was sitting in the upper balcony of one of these buildings. I was looking down into the gathering crowd of people below and I saw a woman stand. Wave at a nearby woman that had just entered into the pew behind her. I watched her mouth the words: “I love your hat.”

As I look back at this place that was called a “church” I see it for what it truly was. Not a place to worship our Savior Jesus Christ, but a social club.

This is one reason why so many turn away from God. For they see these religious people, who follow man-made traditions, which allows people like this woman I just gave an example of to live lives in and of the world. What does Christ say about this type of behavior for those that seek after and keep their earthly wealth?

Revelation 3:15-19 NKJV – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 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 eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Why does this occur?

“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—.”

Those that chase after and seek after earthly wealth and luxuries and golden bobbles seek after earthly treasures. What does Christ say about this?

 Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV – “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.

He also says this:

Luke 16:13-15 NKJV – “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 money.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

As I have shown in the past multiple times. The Greek word used for “abomination” is only used six times in the NT. Four of those times it is referring to the antichrist and those that follow that person. Therefore, those that seek after wealth, luxuries, gold are equal to the antichrist. And they wonder why Jesus would vomit them from the Body of Christ. Because if they are not His worshipers or followers, then what are they then?

James 4:1-4 NKJV – Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

They are enemies of God, which is why they are removed from within that which is Holy: the Boby of Christ.

Time is quickly running out. Those that have been watching see the signs. Jesus Christ is very soon to return. First in the skies above, which will begin the tribulation. Most will find themselves still here in this temporal existence, because they refused to heed these warnings and downsized. Keeping wealth, keeping gold, keep luxuries will cause you to be left behind to suffer through the first three and half years of the tribulation. When this occurs there will only be two choices. Take the mark or follow Jesus Christ. The first will lead to the second death, the latter will lead to eternal life, where, because gold has no value, it will be used to pave the roads.

God Bless.