The temple in Jerusalem was a magnificent structure. According to the historian Josephus, even the foundation was constructed with massive blocks of marble, which were richly ornamented with gold, both inside and out.

Everyone was awed by this display of wealth and workmanship. It was the pride of Jerusalem. The disciples said to Jesus, "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" (Mark 13:1). The Lord was not impressed. He answered, "Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Mark 13:2).

How do you view the great religious structures of today's world? Are you inspired by the grand cathedrals of Europe, the Vatican empire and all the religious edifices in America? Mankind has labored hard and sacrificed much to construct beautiful churches all over the world. But don't get too excited about them because in due time they are all going to crumble.

Many Bible prophecies have a first, partial fulfillment and another in the distant future; many also have a literal and a figurative meaning. The prophecy about the destruction of the temple is strongly connected with the end of the world (as we know it) and the Second Coming of Christ. The disciples asked the Lord, "When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Mat.24:3) Why would they ask such questions concerning the coming of Christ and the end of the world in the same breath as the question about the destruction of the temple, unless somehow they knew these events were related?

History revealed the first fulfillment of this prophecy when the Romans leveled the magnificent temple with all its beautiful buildings in the year 70 A.D. The final fulfillment will come when all the great religious buildings along with their religions come crashing down.

This should be an exciting and hopeful time for the Bride of Christ. Jesus said, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).

The worldly religions with all their wealth will not be affected in the beginning; they will remain flourishing right until very near to the end. It is ministries that are preaching the gospel and bearing much fruit that will be the first to feel the heat, and they will be shaken to the core. This is beginning to happen now. The Bible says, ". . . that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1Pet.4:17).

We who belong to Christ will not come under God's judgment because Jesus bore that for us on the cross, but our works and our motives for doing those works will be passed through His refining fire. Our faith will also be tested so we will know if it is real.

In the Scriptures the olive tree represents Israel and Israel represents a child of God, a born again believer. When the olive tree starts to produce ungodly fruit, it is due for a violent shaking. It will be shaken so hard that any artificial fruit in our lives will fall to the ground. Only the fruit of the Spirit will remain. This is for our own good. It is happening because God loves us and wants to prepare His Bride for the return of the Bridegroom. He will deal with the world later.

Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:1,2). Every Christian who is bearing fruit will be pruned; every ministry that is fruitful will get purged. And it is the Lord's hand that is on the pruning hook!

For a while after a tree is pruned it is an uncomely sight, but soon it produces an abundance of fruit. The olive tree will look quite barren after the hand of God has shaken it. The Bible says it will have "two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof" (Isa.17:6). For a while after a Christian has been through the pruning process, he will not be very attractive--his human appeal will be shattered. People who discern by their own intellect rather than by the Spirit of God will avoid having any contact with a "pruned olive tree," but the one who has been shaken will have a new vision. The Bible says, "At that day shall a man look to His Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel" (Isa.17:7).

When you see a ministry crumbling, don't be quick to pass judgment on it; it may be an indication that it is a fruit bearer going through the pruning process and will, in time, be even more productive. Unfortunately, many Christians view a ministry using the world's evaluation system. Tangible assets are attractive to the natural eye, but one should look from God's viewpoint: He is more interested in faith than in buildings and bank accounts.

There are several large, well-known ministries that are being shaken by the hand of God. The evangelists who head them are dedicated men and women--gifted servants who have been called and ordained by Him to bring a message of hope to a dying world. How tragic it is when they allow themselves to come under such pressure that it hurts their ability to minister. It also causes havoc to their health and could even bring them to an early grave.

Some ministers will have their life here on this earth cut off long before their appointed time, leaving much of their work for the Lord undone, all because they operated in the flesh. To support God's work, they tried to raise funds and build assets as one would do in a worldly business. They were never called to be fund raisers or businessmen; they have a much higher calling than that: one the world cannot understand. God does not place such weight on His servants. Jesus said, "For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Mat.11:30).

Most evangelists have not willfully chosen to take time from preaching the gospel and use it to prime the fund pump. Neither does a bird willfully fly into a net. God in His mercy is beginning to tear down some of these snares, regardless of how beautiful they appear to Christians as well as to the general public.

See for yourself the point I am trying to make: turn on your television any Sunday morning and compare the amount of time preachers use to teach about the Lord with the time they spend asking for money. True . . . God's work should be supported by His people, but unfortunately, the world's methods of fund raising have invaded the church.

To be a good steward you must pray and seek God's guidance; then give as He leads. When you give because of an emotional outburst by an evangelist who warns that his ministry will collapse if you don't send a donation to him, you may be trying to steady a tree that is being shaken by God or find you are interfering with the shaping of the clay that is in the Potter's hand. And, furthermore, you may discover that you are placing your money in a bag that is full of holes.

However, don't be too critical of the evangelist who has thrust himself into these massive building programs; he is just giving people what they want. Most Christians are eager to be part of an impressive ministry. Beautiful cathedrals, active programs, and television exposure can create a good image--but you know how the Lord feels about images!

We Christians are responsible for building these images; we have conformed to the world by operating in the flesh. Praise God for His refining fire--let it burn, we need it badly! Don't be worried when it comes upon you; only what is harmful to you will be burned away. Christ is very careful not to injure your faith: "A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench" (Mat.12:20). He will protect your smallest flame of hope.

Many men and women become so identified with their work that when they are forced to retire or to make a change, their lives are shattered. This can also happen to ministers and evangelists if they identify themselves with the physical assets they have built and forget who they are as a person, a precious child of God. Some take pruning as a personal failure rather than a compliment that they are fruit bearers who are being prepared for more productivity. The ministers who are secure in their identity as forgiven, righteous children of God will welcome the pruning of our Lord and will respond as Job did when he said, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

Other ministers, when the refining fire strikes, will go into deep depression and remorse so much that they will be fruitless and will have to be placed on the shelf or, possibly, prematurely removed from the earth.

This is why, before a preacher gets involved in any building or fund raising programs, he should count the cost to his own spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. Then, if the program is still worth it, he should, when he can spare the time from his more important work, get involved--but with great caution.

Why do we get so caught up in this uncontrollable urge to build? I believe we are born with a natural desire to be creative builders, but like other passions that are good when used within the guidelines given to us by God--such as the sex drive--the desire to be creative and to build can also be misused and become destructive.

Peter was given a special opportunity along with James and John to go to a quiet place with the Lord to behold His glory. Jesus took them up into a high mountain and was transfigured before their eyes. No one this side of Heaven had ever had such a privilege as was given to these disciples. Appearing with Jesus in glory were Moses and Elijah, and they were talking with Him about the Crucifixion. These three disciples overheard a sacred conversation about the most important event in the history of mankind, which was soon to take place at Jerusalem.

What was Peter's reaction to all this? He wanted to start a building program! He said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Mark 9:5).

Why in the world would our Lord, Moses and Elijah in their glorified bodies need a tabernacle made by men?! God does not dwell in houses made of brick, stone and wood; He lives in the hearts of men, women and children who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Let the worldly religions enjoy their fancy buildings of clay; we have something better. The real church is not a building; it is people who belong to Christ. When believers meet together it is a church. It doesn't have to be in a church building.

After Peter opened his mouth to propose the building of three tabernacles, he knew he had spoken when he should have kept quiet. (We are all guilty of that.) The disciples became "sore afraid"; then a cloud overshadowed them and God spoke saying, "This is my beloved Son: hear him." The Bible goes on to say, "And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves" (Mark 9:7,8). That is what we need: not more buildings, not more programs, but rather to get alone with Jesus, to behold His glory and hear His voice.

There are rare occasions when it is appropriate to construct a new church building. God told King David to build the temple. He was not to do the actual building because he was in many battles and had shed much blood upon the earth. David was to make the preparations and his son, King Solomon, who was a man of rest and peace, would do the construction (1Chr.22:6-10).

King Solomon was one of the greatest men who ever lived, certainly one of the most gifted. God spoke to him in a dream and said, "I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days" (1Ki.3:12, 13).

It is important for us to remember that all the famous religious figures (this includes all ministers, evangelists, and all religious leaders, even the Pope) are just as human as we are, and are capable of operating in the flesh. King Solomon was also such a man.

When Solomon was a young man he "loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father" (1Ki.3:3). He built the glorious temple and dedicated it unto the Lord; he wrote a thousand and five songs and three thousand proverbs; he was a good king, making wise judgments over the people. But . . . (does this sound like some of today's men of God?) when the "church building" was complete he was not about to stop--he just kept rolling along.

He built palaces and walled cities on all sides to protect his kingdom (to pay for this he laid heavy taxes upon his people); he became a great trader, using both land and sea; he controlled the mining industry, copper being his chief export; he became the middle man for horses being traded between Egypt and Asia Minor; and trading chariots was perhaps his most lucrative business. The man who built God's house had now become the merchant in the temple.

He also treated women as merchandise. First he married a princess of Egypt; then he married many women from smaller king- doms, and ended up with seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.

King Solomon, like all believers, had a daily choice about whether he would walk in the Spirit or in the flesh. When Christians operate in the flesh, they cause untold suffering to the Bride of Christ.

In King Solomon's latter years he went as far as to build another temple filled with idols for his heathen wives. It was in full view of the glorious Temple of God. The Bible says, "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" (1Ki.11:4-8).

Ashtoreth was the Canaanite goddess of war and sex. The shameful acts of male prostitutes and harlots were considered sacred. Lust and murder in the most brutal ways were glamorized. Molech and Chemosh were gods that were honored by the sacrifice of children: "And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire" (2Ki.17:17); "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils" (Ps.106:37). There is archeological evidence of this, for infant skeletons have been discovered in burial places around these heathen shrines.

How could the wisest, richest, most gifted man in the world sink into such corruption and become so hard and stubborn in his old age that he refused to listen to anyone, including God? Yet God in His mercy did not withdraw His gifts from the king. He still had wisdom but did not apply it to himself, like a preacher who does not practice what he preaches or like a man who hears the teachings of Jesus but does not do them. Solomon wrote in his old age, "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished" (Eccl.4:13).

I believe King Solomon's downfall began back when he was a young man of twenty-seven, shortly after he had completed the construction of the Temple. That is the time when the man of God started to become a worldly merchant. Oh, how different it could have been if he had caught himself at this early point and turned back to God. If only Solomon had taken heed to his father King David's advice when he said, "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them" (Ps.62:10).

The deceitfulness of riches is a disease of man that causes blindness to the Word of God. It is like thorns in the heart that choke the spirit, preventing the life from being fruitful. This is the common disease of the merchants of the world.

I am not speaking about all merchants. There is nothing wrong with owning a business and selling merchandise, as long as it is done honestly. It is a way to earn a living. The Bible says, "And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God" (Eccl.3:13). Lydia was a dealer in merchandise and she had a heart for God (Acts 16:14). The virtuous woman mentioned in the last chapter of Proverbs is a role model for every Christian, and "she maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant" (Prov.31:24).

Therefore, merchandising can be an honorable occupation. However, one should be aware of the subtle danger if it is used the wrong way. Evil is a deadly, powerful force of destruction, and the root of all evil is the love of money (1Tim.6:10). Money in itself is not evil; it is the love of money. That is what is at the heart of the disease of the worldly merchant. To be independent from God, to have power and dominion over others is the motive of many who strive to become rich.

I cannot warn enough about the deadly force that can be activated through merchandising. In the future, Satan will use it to its full potential to persuade people to receive the mark of the beast, which will align them on his side to war against the saints, to reject and even fight against the Lamb of God. How powerful is the instrument of merchandising in the hands of the devil? Listen to this: "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" (Rev.13:16, 17). Many will sell their soul to the devil rather than give up merchandising.

You may say, "I don't have to worry about becoming a merchant in the temple because I am not rich like King Solomon; I can't get into much trouble with what little money I have." Still, you must be on guard because we all have a little merchant dwelling in our human nature that we need to keep in line; that is, not let it get into our spirit.

One day, shortly after I began to write this book, my wife and I were driving through Maine, and as we talked I went into great detail about how dangerous it is for Christians to get caught up in the worldly system of merchandising. I went on to tell her how I intend to warn them about it in this book that I am writing. I explained to her how it would be a good and helpful book, and then, do you know what came out of my mouth? I said, "And I bet it will be a best seller." When I realized what I had spoken, I was astonished and said, "I can't believe I said that!" Then we both had a good laugh. But my laughter is silenced when I think of the suffering that little merchant in the flesh has inflicted upon the Bride of Christ.

People of the world or worldly Christians will have no idea of what I am trying to say because they take such pride in the money that they make through their accomplishments, when in reality they could not take their next breath without the help of God. Jesus said ". . . for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). So many times, we Christians listen to the voice of the merchant in our flesh rather than the voice of God in our spirit. It comes naturally to hear the voice of the merchant; hearing his voice is easy because he is shouting out all the time to us through our intellect in the form of human reasoning. We don't need to spend time in quiet meditation or in searching the Scriptures to hear from him.

When we began to publish books, I thought that I had a clever plan to get them on the market and distributed. (You can tell whose voice I was listening to.) Before I placed this plan into action, I talked it over with a Christian businessman who thought it was a good idea, and with an owner of a book store who said that it could not fail.

Here was my plan: First, I wrote to book stores across the country telling them about our books and giving them our new toll-free telephone number, which would make it quick and easy for them to order from us. Then, I sent a letter to most of the people on our mailing list, asking them to go into the book store in their community and ask for one of the books and to give the clerk our number if they didn't have it on file.

Isn't it strange that not one of my brothers and sisters in Christ (other than my wife) said to me, "Hey, wait a minute, did you check this plan of yours out with the Lord?"

Well, my plan was a failure: finances became tight and the toll-free number was cut off because I got behind in the monthly payments. One thing after another prevented the books from getting into the marketplace.

When I learned to say, "No, I don't want to hear it" to the merchant in my flesh and went into prayer to hear the Lord's voice in my spirit, I began to think of how absurd it would be for the disciples to set up shop and try to sell the loaves and fishes that the Lord had given them to serve to the multitude. Now, we simply give away these books along with all the other spiritual food that God has given to us to share with others. I still have difficulty trying to figure out how God's unbusinesslike plans work, but help always seems to come at just the right time. We are now out of debt and more literature is going out to people from this ministry than ever before.

It is an insult to God when a ministry that He has raised up thinks it will not survive without fitting into the money making system of the world. When you hear of an evang- elistic ministry going through bankruptcy, don't feel bad; the Lord's work will go on. It may be that God is just doing a little housecleaning: He is sweeping the merchant out of the temple.

I can speak about this from experience. About a dozen years ago I was closely connected with a thriving evangelistic ministry. Through it, crusades were being held in large cities, gospel literature was going out throughout the land, and people were coming to the Lord by the thousands. A daily one hour radio broadcast was being aired to an area where more than seventeen million people lived. It had a seminary where men and women who had been called into the Lord's work could get prepared for service. It owned a lot of property, including several houses, a modern print shop, a farm, a food commissary, and six hundred acres of prime land that was being developed into a Christian summer village. The ministry had a building crew that included skillful workmen and modern equipment that was the envy of many construction firms.

During this time of growth, it was decided to build a beautiful cathedral on the top of a small mountain. God's hand of provision was so evident that soon after the construction began, it was nicknamed "The Miracle Cathedral." The ministry purchased from the Canadian National Railways an old abandoned roundhouse, fifty miles away, for one dollar; and with a lot of faith and determination the skillful workers dismantled it, hauled the material back to the mountain site, and began reconstructing it into a magnificent cathedral, which when finished would be appraised for over two million dollars.

But shortly before the completion of this remarkable edifice, something happened that would be a major factor in the toppling of the whole ministry. This was so subtle that no one saw it coming. It was the work of the little merchant. When he made a visit to the temple, no one recognized him because he appeared in the form of a concept.

When the cathedral was about eighty-five percent completed, the ministry was in a financial pinch and the cost to finish and furnish it would be great. At this point a considerable amount of cash value had been accumulated in this mortgage-free building, and it seemed perfectly logical to go ahead and use that equity to borrow money to complete the project. And why not borrow the money from Christians? That would give them the satisfaction of helping the Lord's work. And wouldn't it be better for God's people to receive the interest rather than the bank?

Quick decisions are often made under financial pressure. The merchant in the temple had spoken and was heard and the Cathedral Investment Plan was born. It caught on well; Christians loved it and invested heavily. It appeared that the financial crises of the ministry was over, and for a while there was smooth sailing. But God allowed a storm to come up that would sink the ship.

Just two short letters of complaint--one from a local jealous minister and the other from an out of state woman whose letter indicated that she was an atheist--sent to a powerful federal agency was all it took to cause it to go into action against the ministry and bring it to court. At the beginning of a long and lengthy trial, a federal judge placed a temporary restraining order on the Cathedral Investment Plan.

This triggered an avalanche and the ministry began to crumble. Other government and state agencies pounded on it with fury, along with lawyers, bankers, creditors, disgruntled investors--what a mess! Injunctions were issued, equipment was repossessed, locks were placed on doors . . . it was like a city under siege.

When you are on the front lines, you must expect to feel the heat of battle. What I didn't anticipate was seeing Christians who had served with the ministry a long time jump ship at the first sign of the storm. Some went as far as even to leave the Lord and go back to their old ways of life that they used to live before they came to Christ.

Only when the dust of the battle had finally settled could the extent of the devastation clearly be seen: the ministry had gone into bankruptcy; the beautiful cathedral that sat on top of fifty-five acres of choice land had been sold at a ridiculously low price to a local businessman; all the investors had lost every cent of their investments; and the faith and love of many Christians had suddenly grown cold.

The greatest loss of all was the life of my best friend who was the head of this ministry, the most gifted man of God I have ever met. His writings, which I am continuing to publish, did survive the onslaught and are still doing a great work for the Lord. Some Christians also came through the fire unsinged with a stronger faith and a closer walk with God than ever before.

Valuable lessons were learned to be shared to spare others from getting burned by making the same mistakes. One is to keep the merchant out of the temple. The temple represents more than a physical building; it is the place within a person that is reserved for the Lord. The merchant with all his desire to love and to trust in worldly riches will still be there in the flesh, and must be denied. Paul the apostle said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom.7:18), and "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal.5:16).