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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



As I point out in some of my other articles, despite efforts by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial institutions, and despite the difficult decisions that are being made by the leaders in various countries, the world's current financial system has become old and decrepit, is falling apart at the seams, and is on the verge of total collapse. The European economy is seriously faltering. The American economy still hasn't recovered. The Japanese economy is a wreck. And on and on it goes. While there are a number of factors which have contributed to the dismal condition of of the world's economy, two of them are no doubt greed and irresponsible risk-taking. The rich just never seem to have enough, and the only way in which they can get more, is by stealing it from the poor in one way or another.

On the other hand, within certain conspiracy theory circles, as well as amongst certain Christian circles, it is commonly believed that the current global financial situation is not just the result of bad decision-making. Neither is it really out of control as people have been led to believe. There is the belief that in reality, the current precarious nature of the world's economy is an intentional situation that has been created, controlled and manipulated by the powers-that-be, in order to achieve a certain objective. That goal is to phase out the current financial system, in order to usher in a tighter, and more restrictive, computerized identification and credit system, which will be managed and controlled by the powerful global elite of International Bankers.

According to this theory, a global crisis of some kind must be created, so that people will be more willing to embrace the new system, even if it means surrendering some of their personal liberties. Even now, there are signs indicating that this new global identification and credit system will do away with hard currency, resulting in a totally Cashless Society, in which everyone will become faceless numbers in a computer. As many students of the Bible already realize, the advent of just such a system appears to be indicated in the following verses that are found in the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and which describe the mandatory Mark of the Beast:

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."


Under the new financial system -- which some people believe may soon be fully implemented by the globalists of the New World Order -- an individual will either be a Controller or a Technocrat, or else he will be a pawn and a slave. If you are the latter -- as most people will be -- if you attempt to rebel against the ironclad authority and control of the globalists and their leader -- the Beast -- you will find yourself accused of being unpatriotic, you will be branded a troublemaker and a societal misfit in need of professional help, and you will be forced to live as an outcast.

Assuming that this is the correct interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, in the years ahead, it appears that everyone is going to have to make a conscious choice to either go along with the devilish financial system of the Beast, or else to rebel against it. Those people who choose to follow the Lord will experience hardship, serious persecution and possibly even death, as the Beast and the False Prophet wage a vicious war against them, as we see by the following verses:

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations . . . And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."


That this should occur should not really come as a surprise to us. After all, as I point out in such articles as "Civil Disobedience and Christian Persecution", the Bible reveals that since the days when man first walked upon this Earth, God's true children have been persecuted by the children of the world, just as Cain slew his brother Abel. Furthermore, Jesus and His Apostles warned us that if we follow in the ways of the Lord, we will be persecuted, as we see by the following sample verses:

"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls."


"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."


"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."


While some people may doubt this bleak picture I have painted of a possibly soon-coming, global, totalitarian state, I urge you to not discount these things as a mere fabrication. Do not question what despicable things desperate men in power may do in order to protect their wealth and to preserve their system. According to the Scriptures, these events will occur in God's time. All it requires is one rotten apple in the barrel, and before long, the entire barrel has become contaminated, and is no longer fit for consumption. In similar fashion, I believe that such a dark evil can quickly overcome the world, if the conditions are right. And they may be, following some kind of global crisis, economic or otherwise. People will accept and do things which they may not have been willing to do prior to the crisis occurring.

A good example which demonstrates how little time is required before a power can become corrupt is the United States. It is commonly believed -- perhaps naively so -- that when the USA was first founded as a nation over two hundred years ago, the Federal Government was considerably more benevolent than it is today. It actually represented the will of the people, and was not nearly as authoritarian in its powers. This is based upon the belief that the men who crafted the Constitution of the United States were for the most part God-fearing men who understood their obligations to God, and to their fellow man.

Sadly, over the past few centuries, the American Government has undergone a drastic change, so that it is no longer truly "of the people, by the people, for the people". It has slowly eroded to the point that it is now comprised of politicians who are largely motivated by greed, power and self-interest. To make matters worse, many politicians no longer stand on the higher moral ground, have compromised their convictions, and have willingly allowed themselves to become the pawns of powerful interest groups and lobbies such as the gas and oil industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the tobacco industry, and the automobile industry.

Then, of course, there is Wall Street and the Federal Reserve -- which is not even a federal agency -- AIPAC, and other powerful lobbyist groups who control the votes of Washington politicians. Meanwhile, the rich grow richer and receive more tax breaks, while the poor grow poorer, and can barely make ends meet with their meager wages, which in many cases is not even a real living wage.

As the United States has expanded her power and her sphere of influence, and has promoted herself to the world as a model of freedom, democracy and economic opportunity, other nations of the world have sought to emulate her in every way. Many people have become enamored with the American way of life in all of its aspects, and have been willing to risk everything, in order to seek opportunities in the USA. Such people have been deceived into believing that materialism equates with happiness. Only too late do many of them realize that all of the glamour and glory was just a smokescreen for the truth; and that is that many of them will end up in situations not much better than their situation at home, working at a low paying job in substandard conditions, possibly as an illegal alien. They will remain poor, while their boss will continue to grow richer on their cheap wages. Such are the selfish ways of the world.

It is interesting to note how man's pyramidal power structure is in sharp contrast to the power structure of the Kingdom of God which Jesus established during His time on the Earth. As we have seen, with man's system, all power is concentrated at the apex of the pyramid; that is, at the acme, the summit, or the capstone. This is precisely what we see in the Great Seal that is located on the back of the US one dollar bill. As you may know, there is a mystery surrounding the cryptic symbolism that is incorporated in the design of the Great Seal. While I personally don't pay much attention to such things, there are some conspiracy theorists who insist that the Great Seal has ties to the nation of Israel. Others theorize that the Great Seal is related to the Freemasons and the Illuminati, while yet others believe that the all-seeing eye in the capstone represents God Himself overlooking the United States. I don't really know which of these is true, if any of them at all.

In contrast to the power that is concentrated in the capstone of the pyramid that is found in the Great Seal of the United States, as I explain in such articles as "So You Really Think You Are So Humble?", the Scriptures inform us that Jesus was willing to leave behind His Royal Heritage and become, not the capstone, but rather the cornerstone -- or the foundation stone -- of our Faith. Jesus assumed the lowest place and the lowest position possible. He came not to be served, but rather to serve. He took upon Himself the form of a servant who came to give His life as a ransom for many, as we learn from these verses:

"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."


"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."


"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."


"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."


"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."


"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;"


"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."


"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"


"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."


In the previous verses, the words "corner stone" are derived from the Greek words "akrogoniaios" and "lithos". The former does not mean the capstone; it means the corner foundation stone; that is, the stone at the base or bottom, and not at the summit. The word "lithos" simply means stone. Peter is actually quoting from a prophecy which the Lord gave to the Prophet Isaiah, which states the following:

"Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."


In this case, these same phrases are translated from the three Hebrew words "pinnah", "yacad" and "muwcad" which have the same meanings as their Greek equivalents. It is because Jesus was willing to leave behind His Royal Estate and assume the form of a lowly servant, that someday He will also return in Power and great Glory; not at the bottom of the pyramid as He was two thousand years ago, but at the top. At that time, those people who now proudly and falsely occupy the position of the capstone of worldly governments -- including the New World Order of the Beast and the False Prophet -- will be crushed, subdued and ruled with a rod of iron, as we see by the following verses:

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces . . . And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure"


"And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."


"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."


"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."


"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."


"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."


Considering that Jesus revealed His tremendous love for us by being willing to become the lowliest of the low, and to suffer so much in weak human flesh in order that we might be saved and inherit Everlasting Life, it really saddens me when some people are left with a very lopsided impression of His, and the Father's, Divine Nature. This is due in part to some heavy-handed, overly-zealous preachers who preach nothing but fire and brimstone for the unrepentant sinner. They seem to enjoy trying to scare people into Heaven, instead of trying to love them into the same.

While there is definitely a time and a place for preaching God's Wrath -- Jesus, John the Baptist, John, Peter, Paul and other Apostles did it as well -- we also need to demonstrate to the lost that our God is not just some kind of a merciless monster who stands over us with a club, just waiting to beat us in the head when we break one of His Rules. As we learned in part one, God's true desire is for healing and repentance to occur; and His Divine Chastisements are simply a means to an end, and not the end in themselves. Preaching hellfire and God's Wrath alone is not conveying an accurate picture of the Divine Nature that we discover in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. To only show people God's angry face is creating a false balance in their minds, and the Scriptures inform us that this is an abomination to the Lord, as we see here:

"A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."


So the point is, that as the public relations men of the Most High, we all need to make sure that we are really preaching a balanced Gospel and not a lopsided Gospel. Depending on the situation, we need to preach the Wrath, as well as the Love.

Think about this on a personal level for a moment. How would you feel if a new neighbor moved into a house on your street, and someone you knew went to gossip with them? Suppose that during their conversation, your friend told the new neighbor everything that he did not like about you? Perhaps you are basically a great person who is easy to get along with under most circumstances, but like the rest of us, you have a few weaknesses which occasionally pop up now and then. Would this person be painting a very fair picture of you if they only shared the darker side of your nature? Of course not! By the same token, as God's public relations men, we must not allow our pride or our personal zeal to get in the way, so that we convey a lopsided picture of the Lord.

While it is indeed true that the Lord exercised a very firm hand with the Israelites in the Old Testament, we need to be honest with ourselves and recognize that the reason why this occurred is because they were a very stiff-necked, rebellious people who repeatedly backslid from the Lord. As I explain in such articles as "The Fruits of Disobedience", "The Children of God and Politics", and "Who is Babylon the Great?", their rebellion was such that they mimicked the pagan worship of the heathen nations which surrounded them. They forsook the one true God, and even sacrificed their very own children to the false god Molech. Consider the following verses which clearly reveal the depth of their sin and rebellion against the Lord:

"And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD."


"Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people."


"Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;"


"And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them."


"And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua."


"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him."


"For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded."


"And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them."


"For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."


"Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand? 2 Chronicles 25:14-15, KJV

"For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel."


"For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD. For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face, Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it. And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."


Thus, because of their gross sins against Him, God really had no choice but to deal with the Israelites in a very firm way; not because He wanted to actually destroy them, but rather to bring about repentance so that He could heal them. That is the purpose of His Rod and His Wrath. In fact, as I explain in the article entitled "Oh Israel, Why Will Ye Die?", before the Lord actually destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple, and had many thousands of Israelites enslaved in Babylon, He pleaded with them repeatedly to repent, and asked them "Why will ye die?".

Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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