Hi all,
It
was in 2004, during the Bush-Kerry Presidential race that I discerned a
difference in the spiritual realm in the US, and about that race for
the White House in particular. I asked the Father what it was and He
said this: "It is the spirit of socialism. It can be delayed, but it
won't be stopped." I asked where it came from and He replied. "Europe",
to which I asked why: "There are some in this nation who think the US
should be like Europe, but that's not what I called this nation to be."
His
reply caused me to wonder, "Is God, and the kingdom of heaven's laws in
particular, set up as capitalist, socialist, communist, or something in
between?"
Here are definitions of Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism:
Capitalism:
An economic and political system in which a country's trade and
industry is controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the
state. Antonym (opposite): Communism
Socialism:
An economic and political system that advocates production,
distribution, and exchange of goods and services should be owned or
regulated by the government.
Communism: A system where all property is public and all people work and are given things by the government based on their needs.
Is God a capitalist? The 10 Commandments
It
is widely understood from ancient times the 613 laws of Moses are
summarized by 10 Commandments, and those 10 are divided into 2
categories; God and man.
The
first 4 deal with God: Have no other God but me, you will make no
idols, you will not make a vain use of the Lord's name, you will not
work on the Sabbath.
The
last 6 are centered around the family: You will honor your father and
mother, you will not murder, you will not steal, you will not commit
adultery, you will not lie, you will not covet/lust after your
neighbor's possessions. (Exodus 20:3-17)
Look behind those 10 Commandments. They are built upon the foundation of a family that loves God.
Go
deeper still and you see that at least 2 deal directly with personal
ownership of property and possessions: You will not steal, you will
not lust for/covet your neighbor's possessions. But even that is deeper,
for this is the complete verse 17 which outlines what 'lust for/covet'
means:
"You
will not lust after your neighbor's house, you will not lust after
your neighbor's wife, nor his male nor female employees, nor his ox, nor
his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
These
reveal personal and individual ownership and management. The
neighbor owns and/or manages his own home, family, employees, livestock
and (therefore) land. At least half of the 6 commands that deal with how
man treats man are capitalist, meaning individual ownership and
responsibility for what they own, and the command to not interfere with
how your neighbor manages what he owns and operates.
The Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30
When
Jesus says "The kingdom of heaven is like", He is talking about laws of
the 'nation' of heaven and laws that are unique to the Kingdom of
heaven, set up by the King.
Each kingdom has its own set of laws. For instance, in Matthew 12:26
Jesus said Satan has a kingdom, what we call 'hell', a place ruled by
laws that are the perversion of all that is God, and is therefore a
place of torment rather than peace, love, and security. But the laws of
the kingdom of Satan are unique to his kingdom - he set it up that way,
he is the king so that is his responsibilty.
Therefore, when
Jesus starts a parable saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like", we know
He is talking about the laws of the Kingdom of heaven that govern that
Kingdom.
We've
seen the 10 Commandments are structured around the home, family,
personal ownership and the responsibility to manage properly, coupled
with the command not to interfere with a neighbor's ownership and
management of his own. Let's go deeper by looking at a revelation of
God's kingdom's economic laws:
The parable of the bags of money (Talents, a unit of money back then)
"The kingdom of heaven is like
a man going on a journey who called his employees and entrusted his
money to them. To one he gave 5 bags of gold, to another 2 bags, and to
another 1 bag, each according to his ability. Then he left on his
journey. The man who had received 5 bags of gold went immediately and
bought and sold with his money, and increased it to 5 bags more. The man
with 2 bags did the same, gaining 2 more. But the man who had received 1
bag went and dug a hole and hid his boss's money there.
After
a long time the boss returned and settled accounts with them. The man
who had received 5 bags brought that and the 5 more saying, 'Boss, you
entrusted me with 5 bags and see, I have gained 5 more.' The boss
replied, 'Well done, you've been good and faithful! Come and share in my
rewards.'
The
man with 2 bags of gold also came and replied, 'I have taken your 2
bags and made 2 more', to which the boss replied, 'Well done, you've
been good and faithful! Come and share in my rewards.'
Then
the man who had received 1 bag of gold came and said, 'Boss, I know you
are a hard man, harvesting where you haven't planted and gathering
where you haven't scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and
buried your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
His
boss replied, 'You wicked and lazy man! You say I harvest where I
haven't sown and gather where I haven't scattered seed? Well then, you
should have at least put my money in the bank to gain interest! Take the
bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has 10 bags. For
whoever has, will be given more, in abundance. Whoever doesn't have,
that which he has will be taken away. Throw this worthless employee
outside into the darkness, where there is crying and suffering.;"
This
parable is all about capitalism, and Jesus said from that start, 'The
kingdom of heaven is like this'. Consider the economic structure of the
kingdom:
There
is a boss, meaning he owns a company, who has employees of various
abilities. He rewards each employee according to his ability, entrusting
them with stewardship of some part of the business. 2 of the 3 men work
hard buying and selling in the marketplace to double their money, and
are rewarded and promoted for their hard work.
The
wicked and lazy man, who spoke wrongly of the boss (claimed he was
dishonest by stealing other people's harvests), was fired after a
reasonable time, having failed to fulfill the company requirements for
his position. The boss would have kept him on if he had done even the
minimum of putting the money in the bank to gather interest. But because
he didn't show up for work but was off doing other things, he was fired
and suffered the crying and anguish that goes with
poverty and laziness - all of his own doing.
The
laws of the kingdom of heaven Jesus teaches, include personal
ownership, management, being given responsibility based on ability,
being rewarded by promotion for integrity and good and hard work, and
the suffering of consequences for the mismanagement of money, time, and
responsibility. This parable is consistent with the foundation of the 10
Commandments. (For more on this parable and other Biblical economic
teachings see my 'Balanced Biblical Prosperity' series)
The
reason this subject is important, both in the US and much of the world,
is that a battle is going on about the degree to which government
should be involved in money and property, and the world is about to
change significantly in the next couple years, which is why I'm sharing
this now, so people can be discerning and wise about the spiritual
principles and battle that is raging.
But
what about how the early church sharing all things common? What about
ancient Israel's national bankruptcy that happened every 7 and 50 years?
Is the kingdom 100% capitalist, or is there more to the ways of God in
these things...stay tuned, next week.
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
New CD/MP3 Series
(2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)
Part
2 features angels and demons and how they are organized over nations
and in regions and local areas, what angels can and cannot do for
people, and if we can command angels to do something. John shares from
visitations he has had an angel's perspective on people and the age to
come, and what the Father intended our lives of faith to show the angels
and also demons. Included are how demons are organized when they
influence or enter a person, and what we can and cannot do about it.
You'll gain deeper insights into the realm of angels and demons!
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar