THE ECONOMIC FUTURE AND CORRUPTION OF MAN

The economic future and corruption of man

The Apostle James starts out by writing to his readers that you are rejoicing in your boasting but this is evil. I think James was trying to describe arrogance.

Then the Apostle turns to a different subject and defines what sin is to his readers. In laymen's terms he says if we know to do good and do not engage in this practice then it is sin.

James goes into a different subject by writing specifically to rich men and telling them to weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you because your money is corrupted and your garments are motheaten. He seems to get more specific by saying your gold and silver is cankered and the rust of them will be a witness against them. At this point he seems to get poetic in a dark way by saying this will eat your flesh as fire. He faces them with the reality of what they were doing which was heaping up treasure together for the last days.

Although this has practical application for their day it is also talking about a severe financial crash in the first year of the future seven year tribulation period. The corresponding verse to collaborate what I am saying is (6) "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Revelation 6:6.

There might be areas of the world before the future great day of wrath where financial meltdowns happen but the big one happens after the rapture of the church and around the start of Jacob's trouble. There could also be a mini worldwide crash but let us face facts because we have seen this happen before in past history. Once again at the risk of repeating myself if this does happen it will be nothing in comparison to what James chapter five and Revelation chapter six are describing for the future after the antichrist confirms the 7 year peace covenant which starts the seven year tribulation period.

I do not pretend to know every detail of what the prophetic word of God says of the future economy but I will do my best to get as specific as I can regarding this subject; however, I can tell you that commercials for the RFID chip have aired for animals and they seem to be making a joke out of the whole thing by explaining what technology they can use on the animal. I also find it interesting that most financial counselors that I have spoken to know virtually nothing about this subject. 

Many people ask is the financial crash going to be like 1929 where everybody loses all their money. According to the Bible the answer is no. (16) "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." Revelation 13:16. Notice the rich and poor are still living in the same existence on earth. Another widely asked question is will gold have any worth at that future time frame in history. The implication in James 5: 1 - 3 is no but I am not one hundred percent positive on that answer. What good is gold if there is no food on the shelves?

If you are a billionaire and say no to the mark then keep in mind you will not be able to get access to your money. Many people that choose this option will face prison. Just because a person does not take the mark does not in and of itself make them right with God. This individual would still have to accept Jesus Christ into his or her heart. If you say yes to the mark then you forfeit your soul for all eternity. (9) "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." Revelation 14: 9 - 10.

It is my guess that some countries will reluctantly agree to this because they will be sucked in like a vacuum and as a result just like the Bible teaches the whole world will have to participate in this horrible future time period. This will be worldwide and probably around the time that the leaders of this earth start enforcing the mark of the beast which is a chip that gets inserted in the right hand or the forehead after the rapture of the church and the start of the seven year tribulation period.

The Bible talks about this in Revelation chapters 13, 14 and 20. The word of God warns us not to receive this mark for buying and selling purposes. If an individual does he or she will not go to heaven. I would urge people to receive salvation through Jesus Christ now so they can go up in the rapture and escape these horrible things but let me quote the original text so you can read the passage and perhaps make reference to it in this particular study of the Bible.

(16) "But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. (17) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4: 16 - 17.

(1) "Go to now, ye rich man, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. (2) Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. (3) Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." James 5:1 - 3.

We as Christians are told to avoid vain boasting. They clearly desired a life with prosperity and the great things in this world without any regard for God but to add insult to injury these people were boasting of their lifestyle. James called this evil because it is foolish in the eyes of God.

Let me give you an example of true rejoicing in Jesus Christ. All our time is in His hands and our circumstances are at His disposal but with a devotion that Jesus Christ is our God. We rejoice in Him, not our vain confidence or our presumptuous attitudes that the world can not even guarantee us tomorrow for our riches or our life. By the way all this comes out so we will be able to tell if arrogance or true rejoicing in the Lord is inside of us or another person.

We are taught to have strong convictions based on what our knowledge is from the Bible. We should be careful of coming across to strong but remember if we do not stand on the promises of God we will stand for nothing.

The worst witness a person can do is when he or she sins against his or her own conscience. It is actually so simple because if a person knows the good he or she should be doing before God then the answer should be obvious. If a Christian fails to do it then not only will the conscience be pricked but God may apply more pressure on His child's life. On the other hand if a person does evil and knows that he or she should not be engaging in this sin then repentance would be the wisest course of action. One of my biggest fears for Christians is that they will fall into either a lifestyle of sin or a consistency of not doing what is right such as growing cold to a hungry person and not even caring. Both are dangerous and has the ability of kindling the anger of God. It is not easy doing right or resisting wrong but it is necessary to have true obedience and faith to Jesus Christ.

In James chapter five the Apostle starts out by writing to sinners and then Christians. James starts out by writing woe unto you that are rich for you have received your consolation. What was happening in that day was the poor Jewish people were accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Savior but the rich rejected Christianity and they were persecuting believers in Jesus Christ. It is one thing to be rich and reject the Lord but it is far more evil to take it one step farther and make Christians suffer because of their wealth.

The Apostle James foretells that God will invoke on them by saying they will have miseries come upon them but it will be directly associated with what made them happy. They were eating, drinking and being merry but God wanted them to weep and howl. They were living like beasts but they should have been howling like an animal. The Apostle clearly writes that corruption, decay, rust and ruin would come on your wealth. Remember they were not just rich but were persecuting Christians because power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely. If you have something that has worth to you and Jesus Christ is not in the center --- say goodbye. God judged them and it was worth nothing. In essence James was saying in verse three your treasures of wealth will become treasures of wrath. Their sins became their miseries. Their sin was covetousness but they took it to the next step in making Christians suffer through a persecution.

The only reason God gives us worldly possessions is to honor Him and to do good with our money for Him but hoarding for our own security will never save us because only Jesus Christ can redeem our sins. If we accumulate riches for selfish reasons it will be a witness against us but if we understand that everything we own is the possession of God then we as Christians will determine in our hearts that we will be good managers for Jesus Christ. If a wealthy person takes his or her power to a point that persecution against believers in Jesus Christ is happening then multiple judgments will be placed on him or her and these people will have to bear a very heavy burden of punishment from the Son of God.

If you do not know the Lord in a personal way whether you are poor or wealthy now may be a good time to accept Jesus Christ as your very own personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting the Son of God into your life. Everything we have God owns but it all boils down to our response to Jesus Christ in that we should desire to honor, glorify and be profitable for Him. This passage should show us that we can lose everything especially if glory is in our riches. We were created to honor and glorify God through His Son Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

God Bless you,

Bob D.

Jesus Christ is our Providential Judge

Jesus Christ is our Providential Judge

The Apostle James starts out by writing not to speak evil of one another. I have had people speak evil behind my back and it hurts. This passage says if we do speak evil of our brother and judge him then we speak evil of the law and also judge it so the conclusion is we are not truly doers of the law which God desires for our life but judges which has never been the plan of God for our journey down here on earth.

There is only one Lawgiver who is able to save or destroy and according to the Bible God does both so the Apostle James poses a question --- who art thou that judgest another?

James also makes the point that we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We can say we are going to a place and stay there for a year to buy, sell and get gain but the truth of the matter is we do not really know what the future will bring for our lives. Our lives are a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. We should say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or that. Let me quote the original text so you can read the passage and perhaps make reference to it in this particular study of the Bible.

(11) "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (12) There is One Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (13) Go to now, ye that say, To day or morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: (14) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (15) For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." James 4: 11 - 15.

Right away James cautions us against the sin of speaking evil because this should not be done to one another. If the allegations are true we must still use our discretion but if they are false we are wrong for engaging in this gossip.

Our words should be guided with kindness, truth and justice. These are our brothers / sisters and tenderness is very becoming because if we do not take the opportunity to show kindness oftentimes we may fall into the temptation of speaking evil about them which leads into nothing but trouble. If anyone does this he or she is judging the law. If we have a conflict of interest with a person do not go as far as saying he might be under the condemnation of God for anything not already determined in the Bible.

We can judge the law in determining the perfect commands of the word of God for our lives because this knowledge is essential to how to live right before Jesus Christ. If God says to do something or not to do something this is to be taken very serious. One truth I found out about God is He says what He means and He means what He says. Technically speaking each Christian is to let the Bible have the last and final word in all our responses to our lives. The problem is some places of Christianity the standards are so low and liberal even in conservative churches that their consciences are seared to the point that they just keep sinning as a lifestyle.

If some Christians insist in setting themselves as judges which is the role of Jesus Christ they are usually the ones that fail in their obedience to the Bible. It seems like it would be the other way around but from my experience it is the real judgmental believers in Christ that do not have the kind of faith and obedience in Jesus Christ that God requires of them as Christians. Remember it is God the lawgiver who has reserved the power of passing the final judgment on people wholly to Himself. If what God says is final then He can put His law in our conscience because He desires us to obey Him first and then proceed with our lives.

God has the right to enact laws and this should not be contested but we should never forget that He will enforce them. When Christians say I am saved by grace but bluntly do something that is contrary to the Bible especially as a lifestyle then God will judge that person. It is only respect to God to do whatever we can to get right with Jesus Christ which includes repentance. I never said this is easy to do I said God requires it from His children. Jesus Christ is the one that has the power to reward and punish so this fact alone should put the proper fear of God in our hearts. The reason why the Apostle James writes that there should not be a bunch of little judges running around is because there is one judge and His name is Jesus Christ. Trust me when I say this there are many laws in the Bible so we should not be setting up new rules on top of all the commands in the word of God.

It is obvious that James according to verse thirteen and fourteen does not want us to be presumptuous about our lives. In observing my past most of the time this got me in some kind of trouble. If we say we are going to a place to do this or that how would we even know that knowledge? We are just like the world if we do that because leaving Jesus Christ out is what unbelievers do because they have no real faith in Him. If our minds are full of visions as to what we are going to do in the future it is vain because this leaves out the Providence of God in our lives. We may never reach our end in our plans because something could shorten our stay but even if we continue we may not receive any kind of gain because the uncertainty of this world is a sure thing. It is the wisdom of God to leave us in the dark of future events.

Set your goals and live by faith but leave room for the Sovereign God who is Jesus Christ to make any changes He desires because He is above time because He created this exact measure. We just happen to be living in this so if we understand this aspect of our Creator we will know that Jesus Christ is the beginning and ending of all things in our lives if we let Him have first place in our path down here on earth. We could never be sure of life itself because it is as a vapor. It appears for a little time but then it vanishes away.

In verse fifteen James encourages us to have a consistent sense of the will of God in our lives. The Apostle shows us the wiser way to live. We want the blessing of God before we do anything so we do not have to presume in our travels. Whatever happens is in the Providence of God and it is in His hands not our visions. Life is not in our hands so we should be dependent on Him. We should want our responses and designs to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. God gives us counsel for life in how we are to conduct ourselves so in context set Godly goals and live by faith in Jesus Christ but leave room for the Providence of God because we do not see our lives.

If you are an unbeliever in Jesus Christ you are more than likely one of those people that make all kinds of plans without God. I have seen people die in the dream state and they did not go to heaven because not knowing the Lord in a personal way is the exact same thing as not having a relationship with Him. Now may be a good time to accept Jesus Christ in your heart as your very own Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting the Son of the Living God into your life. I hope and pray that you just made that all important choice for your life and eternity.

God Bless you,

Bob D.   

THE HUMBLE WILL BE EXALTED

The humble will be exalted

In the passage that I will be going over the Apostle James writes that God desires to give us more grace. In a cold world that is a very special promise to me but then he is very blunt to say that Jesus Christ resists the proud so our lives should be humble before God.

James changes the subject by saying that if we submit ourselves to God, resist the devil he will flee from us because we are now in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We made a definitive decision to kick demons out of our life so there would be no reason for Satan to hang around and harass us to wreck havoc in our lives.

The Apostle James goes even deeper into the subject by writing draw near to God and He will draw near to us. He adds cleanse your hands you sinners. This obviously means we as Christians are to check our sin radar everyday because if left unchecked one sin probably will lead into other sins and before we know it our hearts are filled with transgressions for all practical purposes. The Apostle James adds that it is our responsibility to purify our hearts. Some Christians teach that this is the responsibility of God but that is not what this passage is saying even as believers in Jesus Christ. If this were the case we would never have to repent of our sins again so all I have to do is look at myself and testify to you that this teaching could not possibly be biblical correct. It is interesting that James at the end of the verse says ye double minded. All I can say is since the Apostle already went through a lengthy sermon on this subject in the book of James he must have seen many Christians fall into this trap.

The Apostle James then changes the subject to allowing our laughter being turned to mourning and our joy to heaviness. I will go over this precept more deeply after I quote the Bible passage.

James then writes humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up. Let me quote the original text so you can read the passage and perhaps make reference to it in this particular study of the Bible. 

(6) "But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." James 4:6 - 10.

God draws a distinction between the proud and the person with true humility. God resists the proud but on the other hand the proud resists God. If I were a prideful man which I am not (I checked my spirit deep) I would or should be trembling because God resists the proud. The prideful person will be filled with shame in the end because he or she chose this for themselves before Jesus Christ. This is not even to mention that a condescending spirit will effect other people in a bad way.

On the other hand Jesus Christ gives help to the humble. The Apostle James is saying pride / disgrace or humble / grace. If we choose the latter God will give us grace then by the very nature of this divine gift we will desire more and eventually He will give an abundance of His love to us. The more humble we are before God the more grace He will bestow in our hearts because we see a need for this divine gift of the Holy Spirit to be shed upon our hearts. We should formally pray for this and when we receive this divine sustenance for our lives a thankful spirit should always be present in our hearts.

We should submit ourselves entirely to God because we as believers in Christ tend to have the yield sign up to what the Holy Spirit desires to do in our lives of some things we want and do not desire God meddling in our affairs. If we learn to have glory in God in our submissions to Him not through fear but love, understand that this is the main thing demons desire to hinder so I believe James had to write, "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4: 7. The problem with yielding to temptations is demons will continually follow us but if we make a stand against sin demons will have to flee because there is nothing there in our lives except the presence of Jesus Christ.

James tells us how to respond towards God. He tells us to draw nigh to Jesus Christ. If we did rebel against God through some sort of sin our heart has to be brought to the foot of God. If our spirit becomes estranges in our fellowship with Jesus Christ we should desire to become reacquainted with His wonderful presence. This is why James says cleanse your hands because if they are not clean it would be an exercise in futility to draw close to God. Sin by nature causes us to become double minded so you can probably see why our hearts must be purified through Jesus Christ. Only sincerity before God will bring us to this good place in Jesus Christ.

When James says be afflicted, and mourn, and weep he means if God sends us an affliction we should accept the situation because Jesus Christ takes our trials with diligence. If we are in the middle of contention, strife and division we should be mourning and just like the Apostle writes let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness. What kind of people would we be if we responded any other way? When I was very young my Dad told me that life has far more sorrow than laughter and I did not take him very serious but my earthly father turned out to be right. There is something about Godly sorrow that the Holy Spirit has much sympathy for in our broken hearts.

This passage writes humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. In context I believe the Apostle James is saying there is humiliation in sin and evil so go the other way and let there be humility in doing what is good and righteous. This will be a constant battle in our lives until we get to heaven. The real question is are we willing to go to war with our besetting sins. If we read the Bible very close this is our primary battle. Some people feel it is to war against the state or the establishment but our first responsibility is to battle against our sin / sins. Most countries or all have some element of evil in the government but I would be far more concerned with our transgressions that could be eating away at our souls.

James gives us great encouragement on how to respond to God. If we see drawing near to God as our duty then God will draw close to us because of His mercy. If we do not have a close fellowship with Jesus Christ it would be our fault. I have found that many Christians try and expect certain responsibilities from God but in fact it is their accountability. We are responsible and accountability to draw close to God and then He will show us His grace. There are exceptions to this rule. For example when I am working, moving fast and under enormous stress often times I will feel the hand of the Holy Spirit move through my spirit in His peace. I did not do anything to deserve this but in His mercy I end up with the supernatural peace of God and this divine gift absorbs my anxiety in His love.

Once again James gives an order by saying, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." James 4:10. If we as believers in Christ are truly sorry for our sins by missing the mark of God He will not only forgive us but show His favor. He will lift up our spirit and comfort us in our bad circumstances. The most humble on earth before God will probably be one of the highest in heaven.

I know the Apostle James says much in these five verses so all I can say is it will take me a good while for all these biblical principles to be absorbed in my spirit. If you do not know the Lord in a personal way now may be a good time to humble yourself before Him. The Bible says, (9) "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father." Philippians 2: 9 - 11. Everybody is going to bow before Jesus Christ but most people will not go to heaven because they did not do it while God may be found. If a person dies without Jesus Christ it will be to late because their judgment will be set for eternity. Now may be a good time for you to make this all important eternal decision. Just accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting the Son of God into your life. I hope and pray you just made this choice for your life and eternity.

God Bless you,

Bob D.