All throughout the Gospels we can see the gentleness of our Lord Jesus. He said, "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" (Mat.11:29). He even called His betrayer "Friend" (Mat.26:50). He was falsely accused, spit upon, mocked, beaten and scourged, and He did not strike back. As He was being crucified on the cross, He said, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34). When the people of a Samaritan village refused to receive Jesus, two of His disciples, James and John, asked the Lord for power and permission to call down fire from heaven and wipe them off the face of the earth. Jesus rebuked them and said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:54-56).

Now, I am not saying that God is always gentle and never becomes angry; He does have a righteous anger. There is the mighty wrath of God against all the evil satanic powers of darkness, against all ungod- liness; and the awesome, judgmental wrath of God that is to come is too terrifying to comprehend. But when God was on the earth in the form of a man, it seems, according to the Scriptures, that He was almost always gentle. However, there was a time when something happened to make it appear as if He were out of character. Let me tell you, if I had been there and had seen the One who has all power in Heaven and earth so provoked, I would have trembled in my shoes!

Just for a moment, picture in your mind this scene: The Son of God in the temple with a whip in His hand, driving out the animals and the moneychangers, dumping out their money, overthrowing tables and saying, "Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise" (John 2:15,16). This emotional demonstration of the Lord must have stunned His disciples. But then they remembered that it was written in the Scriptures, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up" (John 2:17; Ps.69:9).

Does God care about His House? What a question! Of course He does; more than we will ever know. But this zealous love He has for His House is not for that temple built by Herod, or the one built by Solomon, or any other edifice made by man. His passion is for you; "Ye are God's building" (1Cor.3:9). You were created, not to be absorbed with love for merchandise, but, to be filled to overflowing with the love of God!

Just think of how the Lord Jesus left the glory of Heaven and took upon Himself a body, lived a sinless life and offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins. He actually bore all of our sins and took our punishment so that we can, by receiving Him, become a holy place wherein He can dwell. What are we going to do with this new creation, this new life within? Are we going to be forever thankful as we live with our Lord in our new life, or are we going to try to make our Father's abode a house of merchandise?

This awesome demonstration of Christ cleansing the temple is to warn us of the devastation that the love of merchandising can cause to the soul. Materialism has become a false god that is worshiped in industrial nations throughout the world. The lust for merchandise has gone completely out of control in the United States of America. If you think I am exaggerating, consider what it has done to the season of the year that is supposed to be set aside for the celebration of the birth of Christ! A traditional orgy is held in malls across the country each year from the day after Thanksgiving until the day before Christmas. Merchants in their lust to become rich have promoted a legend of a chubby, jolly, old man with a white beard, dressed in a red suit and having magical powers, who brings material goods to boys and girls around the world. Parents teach this foolish fable to their children when they should be learning about Jesus! This Santa thing is more than a fairy tale, more than a promotional tool of the merchants; it is a weapon of Satan to distract children from Jesus! It is also a device that may set them on a course leading to the deceitfulness of riches, where they grow up to place their security in material possessions rather than in the Lord God. After one holiday season, a mother said to me, "Christmas has turned my child into a greedy little monster!"

Nothing is wrong with wanting to give presents to children, but if parents do it to purchase love from their kids, they will find it to be a poor investment. The false god of materialism is displayed to children in homes across America. Not in the fashion of an idol sitting on a mantle, but in the form of toys that parents and relatives have purchased, not realizing the danger of children becoming addicted to materialism. Some homes are so filled with toys that dad cannot get the car in the garage. The basement is full, the attic is full, the closets are full; these toys are stuffed under the beds, you trip over them as you walk through the rooms . . . yet the rush is on to buy more. When children who have been taught to worship the god of materialism grow up, the toys get more expensive, like sports cars, boats and all kinds of luxury items that can be purchased on credit. It is that easy credit with high interest that makes slaves for the merchants. The god of materialism not only leads to financial slavery; it can also devastate one's spiritual life!

The deceitfulness of riches should not be taken lightly, for it is a powerful weapon of Satan. It is the thorn that chokes the word, causing it to be unfruitful (Mark 4:19). When people enter into the Kingdom of God by receiving Christ, even though they are new creatures and all things become new (2Cor.5:17), it still takes time to get that worldly love of money out of their system. I did not realize this was such a problem with Christians until I was placed in a position where I had to view how some of them reacted when their finances became threatened. Before I describe this, let me tell of the circumstances that brought me into that position.

About twenty-seven years ago, the Lord called me to work in an evangelistic ministry in New Hampshire. At the time, it was a small organization with a few workers and was headed by an evangelist who held evangelistic crusades, and who had a radio program that was aired across the nation. I was so thrilled to be in a ministry that preached the gospel--which resulted in thousands of people coming to the Lord--that I was glad to do any job that needed to be done.

One day the evangelist told me he felt the Lord was leading the ministry to build a cathedral on top of a small mountain on a fifty-five-acre parcel of land that had been made available. This was a magnificent site where on a clear day you can see into three states and Canada. He explained that there was no money for this building project and that it would have to proceed as the Lord provided. Seeing that I had a background in construction work, he wanted me to be involved in the building of this cathedral as well as helping with the evangelistic crusades. I realized this was a building project that would require much hard work, but I didn't mind that for I knew it was going to be a house dedicated to God; so I told him I would be glad to do whatever I could to be of help.

While I was waiting for the construction of the cathedral to begin, I worked on another building being built by the ministry to house its offices and printing plant. Much of the outside of the building was faced with used brick, and I was having a problem finding enough bricks to do the job. One day the evangelist came by while I was laying bricks and asked me how the work was going. When I told him my problem, he said, "Dick, we'll have to pray that the Lord will provide us with a large supply of used bricks . . . like from that old railroad roundhouse in Island Pond, Vermont."

That old roundhouse had been abandoned for many years and was fifty miles away. He had noticed the old building while driving by it some time ago. I misunderstood him and thought he told me it was going to be torn down. For the next few days I could not get it off my mind, so early one morning I called the station master in Island Pond and asked him if I could get some bricks from the old roundhouse building that was going to be dismantled. He replied, "What in the world are you talking about? That building is not being torn down. I've been on this job for many years and I know what goes on around here!" I told him I had heard that the roundhouse was going to be taken down and that I really needed some used brick. He became quite irritated and shouted over the phone, "If you don't believe me, call the Canadian National Railways!"

I could not shake this roundhouse from my mind, so I did call the Canadian National Railways in Montreal, Canada, and spoke to one of the officials. My inquiry startled him and he said, "How did you know we are planning to tear down that roundhouse; we just recently decided to do that and have told no one about it!" I simply said that I had heard it from a friend; then, for some reason, I forgot about the building of the print shop and began to explain how we were planning to build a cathedral and needed a lot of brick and timber. He did not want to get involved with my conversation and said, "Send us your proposal in writing and we'll take a look at it."

I told the evangelist about this and he said, "I didn't tell you they were tearing down the roundhouse; I didn't know anything about that! As I was driving by it, I just happened to notice an old brick building not being used. The Lord may have caused you to misunderstand me. Perhaps we should drive up and take a look at that old building."

So the next day we drove up to see it. When we arrived there, we saw this huge, round brick building, big enough to hold twenty-four locomotives, with all the windows and doors smashed out. No one was around, so we went inside. What we noticed first was that everything was covered with black soot and white pigeon dung. Then we saw that all the walls of the building and the big smoke stack that pointed high up into the sky were a foot thick of solid brick. Being a brick mason, I immediately saw that the bricks were a high quality water struck brick held together with a weak mortar (a kind used many years ago consisting of much lime and little cement), so I knew the bricks would be easy to separate and clean. We also noticed that the roof of the building was built with huge timbers decked over with three inch tongue and groove planking. We then prayed and asked the Lord to give us that roundhouse for the construction of the new cathedral.

While we were walking around the outside of the building, we noticed a steel ladder attached to the wall; so we climbed up it and went out onto the flat roof that looked larger than a football field. Then the evangelist walked over to another area of the roof, looked over the edge and saw something that nearly overwhelmed him. When he regained his composure, he called me over and explained to me what he saw and the memory it brought back to him.

He told me how fourteen years ago he was in this same community holding a week of evangelistic services in a tent while staying at the home of a local pastor. One evening after a meeting, a woman wanted him to come to her house, for she and her daughter had something very important to ask him about. When he went to visit them the next day, the woman greeted him at the door and then brought him into her teen age daughter's room where she was lying in bed with a fractured leg. After some small talk about the weather and the tent meetings, she said to him, "I hope you can see that we are normal people. We are not crazy. We have seen something very strange. My daughter was lying in bed looking out her window one night last week when a section of the sky seemed to open. She saw the glowing of a white light, and then a being dressed in shining white clothes appeared. She called to me and I came in. I saw it too. So did our older daughter. It was beautiful and we were frightened. We believe it was an angel. This occurred three nights in a row. Why should this appear to us?!"

After relating this to me, the evangelist said, "I didn't know what to say to them; I was puzzled. I read them some Bible verses about angels and suggested that perhaps God was calling them to a closer walk with Him, but I honestly had no idea what to tell them. I asked them where it happened. They said, 'Each time, the same place,' and they pointed to a certain spot about two hundred yards away."

Then he paused, looked at me and said, "Dick, this is the exact spot where they saw the angel. Right over this round- house!" He pointed to a small house and said, "That's the house. There's the window the girl looked through and saw the angel. The Lord must be going to give us this building; why else would all this have happened?!"

On the drive home I asked him what I should write to the railroad company. He said, "Offer them one dollar for the building and tell them we will tear it down and haul it away." When I asked what to write down for a time limit, he said, "Oh, let's say three months." The next day I wrote up the proposal and sent it to the Canadian National Railways and within a few weeks received this answer: "We accept your proposal. Sign this contract and send one dollar in a registered check or money order made out to the Canadian National Railways and you may begin work immediately."

The contract was signed and sent back with a registered check for one dollar. I then said to the evangelist, "What do we do now; we have no equipment and only three workers?" He replied, "Well, I guess you should take them and go up there and get started!" I then used the ministry's van and took the three-man work crew to begin the dismantling of the big old roundhouse. I will never forget their reaction when they saw the building. They took one look at it and said to me, "You are crazy!" I think that if they'd had their own transportation, they would have left. But I was determined to at least begin the job, so I convinced them to climb up on the flat roof with their wrecking bars and begin to pry off some of the planking. At the end of each day's work, we were black with soot. (I was not too popular with the crew members or their wives, who did not like all that soot being brought into their homes on their husbands' clothing.) Before long the Lord provided more workers and some heavy equipment, and we could actually see some progress. Now a real construction division of the ministry was forming, which was named "Nehemiah Builders."

As time passed I knew there was no way we could dismantle and move that roundhouse in three months, so I applied for and received from the railroad company a three-month extension to complete the job. During those six months, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of brick and timber were moved fifty miles and stored near the site where the cathedral was to be built. The supplies were so great that we had to rent land from a local farmer to hold them all. If we had tried to store them on the actual building site, they would have been in the way of the road that was being built up to the top of the mountain where the cathedral was to be erected.

Throughout the building of this project, there were many obstacles that could have discouraged us; but when we brought our problems to the Lord in prayer, a good solution always came about. One problem was that we could not get the black soot off of the timbers that came out of the old roundhouse; we scrubbed them with a detergent, then with acid, but nothing would remove it. We even tried to blow it off with a sandblaster, but that didn't work either. The ministry had purchased an old saw mill, but no one knew how to run it. Then one day I received a call from a woman in Maine who said, "This is very unusual for my husband and me, for we have lived here a long time and had no intentions of ever moving. I can hardly get my husband to go anywhere, he is a homebody; yet he told me that God is leading him to come over there to help with the work of building the cathedral. Do you think the ministry would hire him?" I replied, "Absolutely not! We have more workers now than we can afford to pay." She said, "All right, but we both feel led to come there." Before I hung up the phone, I asked, "By the way, what does your husband do?" She answered, "He's a board sawyer. He has worked most of his life in sawmills; he even built one of his own." I said, "How soon can you move over here; we've been praying for a board sawyer!" So he came and set up the saw mill. We took all the timbers from the roundhouse to him, and he sawed off about a quarter of an inch from the outside edges, which got rid of all the soot and exposed a beautiful grain in the wood.

Another problem developed when we found that a stretch of the road leading up to the building site had to be built up quite high, requiring an enormous number of truck loads of stones for its base. At this time Nehemiah Builders had two ten-wheel dump trucks, two bulldozers, two backhoes and one big loader, but no where to get stones for the base of the road. Then another difficulty arose. The spot for the new building was on solid ledge and would have to be blasted and dug out to make room for the foundation. I called a brother in Christ in the next town to see if he could help, for I knew he had some experience working with dynamite. (He was the one who had blasted down the big brick smoke stack for us at the old roundhouse.) He came to the building site, drilled deep holes in the ledge, filled them with dynamite and set it off. I could hardly believe the results from that one good blast: right there on the site we now had all the stones we needed, and they were just the right size to be used for the base of the road!

The building was named Dayspring Cathedral but due to the way material was being provided as the building progressed, it was nicknamed the "Miracle Cathedral." The miracles that meant the most to me were not the ones that brought provisions, but those that had to do with people. One noontime, just after the first floor had been built on top of the foundation, when the workers were on their lunch break, I noticed a woman standing alone up there. I thought I heard her crying so I went up to ask her what the trouble was. She replied, "My name is Josie. I heard so much about this cathedral that I wanted to see it being built. When I got here and saw that no one was working, I climbed up on the deck; and as I stood here, I was born again! I didn't pray. I didn't do anything. I just stood here and God touched me!" Then she told me where she lived (I think it was in Massachusetts), and that she was here attending a woman's conference that the ministry was holding at another location in town.

The next day, at one of the women's meetings, the mother of the evangelist was giving a talk about prayer. As she was speaking to the group of women, she said, "You don't have to always know for whom you are praying. A few days ago God woke me up in the middle of the night to pray for Josie. Now I don't know any Josie, but God does, and He just told me to pray for her." Suddenly, after hearing that, a woman who was in the congregation began to weep. It was Josie! Then she testified of what she had experienced as she stood on the deck of the new cathedral.

This was indeed a special time for the ministry. It reminded me of the temple being built in Bible days. The Lord would send highly skillful workers just when they were needed. Some worked many extra hours without pay. They were not asked to work that long; it was something they wanted to do. As the building of the cathedral progressed, other areas of the ministry prospered. In addition to the print shop, offices and saw mill, there was a seminary, a farm, a commissary and six hundred acres of land where roads were being constructed for a Christian summer vacation village.

After the completion of the cathedral, a glorious dedication service was held there with much praise, worship and singing to the Lord. The sound of trumpets echoed out above the sound of other instruments from the musicians on one balcony, while voices from the choir sounded out from another. It indeed was a joyful time to be remembered. So were the services that followed as people came from near and far, even by the busloads, to worship at the new cathedral. With all this going on, no one could foresee the coming disaster that would result in the devastation of the ministry, including the loss of the cathedral and the life of the evangelist. Perhaps it could all have been avoided if we had taken more seriously the words of the Lord when He said, "Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise" (John 2:16). Without being noticed, something crept into the new cathedral: it was a form of merchandising.

While the ministry was operating, the evangelist held tight control over it, making all the decisions including the ones concerning the finances. This made things easy for myself and the rest of the staff. I never questioned his authority or ability to run the ministry, for, after all, he had started it himself many years ago. Traveling around New England, he would set up a tent and then go out into the neighborhood and invite people to come to his services. Now he had a daily, one hour radio program, evangelistic crusades, plus the new cathedral along with all the other developments.

Tremendous pressure was on him to raise money to meet all the expenses needed to carry on with the work of the ministry. Including the workers in Nehemiah Builders, about sixty people were on the payroll; and regardless of how short the finances became, the evangelist would not lay anyone off, especially if they had a family to support. He also had a wife and six little children of his own to provide for. One way he used to raise funds was to offer investment plans for Christians, which was something other ministries were successfully doing. So when the cathedral was near completion and mortgage free, a Cathedral Investment Plan was conceived. It was a program where Christians could invest their money, receive a good interest dividend, and own a share of the building. In the natural way of thinking, this made sense. Why borrow money from a bank and let it hold a mortgage on the building? Why not borrow from Christians and let them earn the interest? What better investment could they make with their money than to invest it in the house of the Lord?

Well, so much for the natural way of thinking. The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Prov.3:5, 6).

At the beginning of the road that led up to the cathedral site, there was a big sign that said, "Dayspring Cathedral, A House Of Prayer For All People." Should a house of prayer also be used as a house in which to invest money to earn interest? Could that be included in the category of merchandising? When Jesus cleansed the temple, He also said, "Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Mark 11:17 ). Now some Christians were being tempted to think of the cathedral as a place that held an opportunity to make money, instead of thinking of it as a place of prayer and worship.

It was at this time that I was placed in the position to view how Christians who have put their trust in money react when that false security fails to support them. After the completion and dedication of the cathedral, the ministry prospered for awhile; but then the Lord allowed it to go through a financial crisis that put everyone, especially the investors, to the test. Some who had invested their money passed the test well; they stated that what they had invested was the Lord's along with all their other possessions. They knew that God would provide them with all their needs, so they did not worry about their investment. While others, when the interest payments had to be stopped, went into a panic.

The evangelist's health was declining rapidly, and he asked me if I would handle the telephone calls from the investors. I agreed, but later found it to be the hardest task that I had ever undertaken as a minister in the service of the Lord. For about a two-year period, while the ministry was going through its financial crises, I was taking these calls from Christians inquiring about the money they had invested in the ministry. Some would call day after day asking about it as if it were a beloved child who was in danger. I would try to console them, but they would not stop worrying about their money. To see how some Christians react when their finances are threatened sure was a learning experience for me! One man called to inform me that he was going to send someone up to "get me." Another call came from a woman saying that if she didn't get her money back in two weeks, she would end her life. Several told me they had hired a lawyer to help them get their money back. One brought her complaint to the New York Attorney General. These were not people of the world; they were family members of the Body of Christ who had prayed and worshiped with us at several services, and had received many blessings from the Lord through the ministry. It was hard for me to understand their behavior. I could not believe how some of them could rail so much against the evangelist because of money after all the spiritual riches God had given to them through him for so many years.

I did not blame him for not wanting to take their calls. I didn't want to either, but I figured someone had to do it; and I didn't want to wish it on anyone else, so I just tried to make the best of it. Just as I thought I was getting somewhat accustomed to hearing people fret over their money, I received the most shocking call of all. It was from a woman who had faith that I admired. This woman had children who were born with a rare disease that would take their lives when they got to be in their teen age years. She had lost three of them, one after another, and her faith held fast. It not only held but grew stronger as she drew strength from God during those tragic times. She had invested a thousand dollars in the Cathedral Investment Plan; when she did not receive her interest, she wanted her investment returned. I told her that the ministry was going through a financial crisis and had run out of money. She was disappointed but seemed to take it quite well. Then, a few weeks later, I received another call from her and she said, "I trusted this ministry and it has let me down; you people have caused me to lose my faith!"

This was not the end of the story. I am glad to report that several months later both she and the woman who had threatened to commit suicide called to say that they finally brought the problem about their money to the Lord, and He helped them to place their trust in Him rather than in worldly riches.

Meanwhile, the ministry was seized upon by local, state and federal agencies, dragged into court and forced into bankruptcy. All its workers had to be laid off; all its assets were taken away and sold. The investors received no part of the proceeds from them; most went to lawyers and bankers.

Nearby there is a popular, seasonal tourist attraction called Santa's Village, an amusement park where, in the summer time, people bring children to be entertained. While beautiful Christmas carols are being played over loudspeakers throughout the park, children can sit on the lap of a man dressed in a red suit with a fake white beard. This is the business that purchased the cathedral, and for the past dozen or so years, they have used it only for the storing of their merchandise. It does not surprise me that God allowed the beautiful cathedral to become a warehouse for merchandise, or that He allowed the magnificent temple that Solomon built, the one Ezra built and the one Herod built to be destroyed. I believe that Dayspring Cathedral, like those Jewish temples of old, was built at the leading of the Lord; but when it became a house of merchandise (offering money-making investment opportunities), God, in His great mercy, would not let it continue to prosper.

However, the Last Temple, the one that is being built by the Lord Himself, will never be destroyed; neither will it ever become a house of merchandise! If we who belong to Jesus want to place our trust in money, we will have to do it by walking in the flesh rather than living in the new creation; for that new creation is the place within us that is the House of God, and the love of money is just not allowed in that holy place! The Lord is the Mighty Caretaker of the Temple (your new inner life), and He will not let you store up anything in there that is not treasure for you to take to Heaven.

Merchandising in itself is not wrong or dangerous when used properly. It is a productive gift from the Lord, but like other gifts it can become extremely dangerous when misused. The buying and selling of goods can be a prudent 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 devoted woman who worshiped God and was a seller of purple goods (Acts 16:14). The virtuous woman in the Book of Proverbs (who I believe represents the Bride of Christ) knew how to use merchandising the right way; the Bible says, "She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant" (Prov.31:24). Joseph did an enormous amount of buying and selling when he was in command of all the business of Egypt; yet he did not let materialism become his security. He depended on God for all his needs.

The Bible warns, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1Tim.6:10). Jesus said, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). Then He taught, through a parable, about a rich man who stored up a lot of earthly goods and neglected the true riches of the Lord. God said unto him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:20).

The days are evil; we are living in perilous times. The world will try to find security in money or in other material possessions. Satan is the god of this world who blinds the minds of unbelievers (2Cor.4:3,4). The deceitfulness of riches, connected with the love of gaining money through merchandising, is a weapon he uses greatly to deceive people into a false type of security not based on dependence upon God. As time on earth winds down and the end draws near, Satan will intensify his evil activity to blind people to their need for God. Then, in their blindness, he will, through the love of money, lead them into bondage.

At that time, merchandising will be a lethal weapon used to entice people to receive the mark of the beast. There will be a time in the world when no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark, or "the name of the beast, or the number of his name" in their right hand or in their forehead (Rev.13:17). Another powerful weapon of the devil is image-making. That goes hand in hand with merchandising. Most of today's big corporations are making an all out effort to create an image to sell their merchandise.

Christians should beware of the danger of using merchandising in the wrong way and of image making. Why do we need to depend on a worldly merchandising system when our Heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe, has promised to be our Caretaker? And we who belong to Jesus do not need to build an image with which to be identified. What can be better than to have the true identity of being a child of God? Why do we need to build a self image?

Much of the Bible is filled with symbolism, which is a secret code to hide things from some and reveal them to others. (We need to depend on the Holy Spirit for insight into the Scriptures; He is the only One who can unlock the symbolism.) The Book of Revelation tells us about two cities which, symbolically, are two women who are as different as day and night. One city, called the Holy City or the New Jerusalem, is really speaking about a woman--"the bride, the Lamb's wife . . . having the glory of God" (Rev.21:2, 9-11). The Bride of Christ is all who are and all who will be married to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was slain for the sins of the world. This marriage was ordained by God before the foundation of the world (Eph.1:4), but actually performed by God the moment a person receives Christ.

Jesus has promised to receive all whom the Heavenly Father gives to Him in marriage (John 6:37). He promised them eternal life and that He would not let anyone take them away from Him (John 10:28). He also promised to take good care of His precious Bride and to provide all that she would ever need (Mat.6:31-34); therefore, there is really nothing for her to worry about--ever!

The other city in the Book of Revelation is called Babylon, which is also referred to as a woman called The Great Whore, The Mother of Harlots (Rev.17:1,5). In a chapter of the Bible that speaks about the antichrist, it mentions the mystery of iniquity (2Thes.2:7). One of the names written upon the forehead of this woman is Mystery. The Apostle John wrote about seeing her in a vision and said, ". . . I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" or, as a more modern translation states, "I stared at her in horror" (Rev.17:6). It appears to me that this woman is none other than the Bride of Satan! She will be the one who accepts the mark of the beast. She will include those who have sinned against the Holy Spirit by rejecting Jesus at that sacred time when God was drawing them to Christ and clearly revealing to them who Jesus is and what He did for them on the cross

As the midnight hour approaches the world, there will be a greater separation than ever before between the Bride of Christ and the Bride of Satan. Now is a time of letting the wheat and the tares grow together. Christians need to have contact with those who have not yet come to Christ; they need to let the Light within them show others the pathway to Life. But when the people of God are being influenced and corrupted by the Bride of Satan, the Lord says, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev.18:4).

According to the Scriptures, it appears that there is a time coming when merchandising will be cut off from the Bride of Christ; that is when she will not be able to buy or sell like those who have the mark of the beast. But she does not have to be the least bit concerned for the Lord God will always provide well for her, just as He has promised. God does not have to depend on the world's corrupt system to supply goods for His people.

It also appears, according to the Scriptures, that there will be a time when merchandising will be cut off from the world as the Bride of Satan is judged. This will collapse the economy and cause chaos throughout the world. Merchants will be weeping and wailing (Rev.18:16). While all this is taking place, the Bride of Christ will be well cared for under the awesome protection of Almighty God.

I have learned not to boast by saying, "I do not worry about money." That is easy to say when we have money in a checking or savings account; but when the Lord allows our paychecks to cease, our health insurance to be cut off, and our savings to dry up, it is difficult not to worry about the lack of money.

Several years ago a Christian friend of mine went through a hard bout with cancer. It turned out very well for she had a healing from the Lord. Then, a few years later, another trial came up that tested her faith. This time it was a financial trial. She told me that was harder for her to deal with than the cancer.

Not long ago the bills were piling up, and I was a little disgusted with myself when I found I was beginning to worry about finances. Then the Lord gave me a dream that made me realize--even though I should not have been anxious--that He was not holding it against me. In the dream, I was driving a car and beside me in the passenger's seat was an older woman who is a friend of mine. She was speaking to me and she said, "The hardest thing we go through as Christians is when we are put to the test in the area of our finances." When I woke up, I realized that the name of the woman in my dream is Grace. This spoke to my heart that God understands how hard it is for us to go through such times, and that His grace will comfort and strengthen us to get through them. Also, that it is His grace which allows us to know how wonderfully He does provide on a day to day basis. We really need to learn that by experience so that it will be more than just a theory.

Even though God has promised to take good care of us, we still find it hard to let go of using money for our security. The flesh--the natural man part of us--will never change. It will never trust in the Lord; it will always worry about not having enough money. But the new man, the spiritual man, that hidden man of the heart, will always have faith in God and never worry about anything.

Sometimes, for our own good, the Lord will allow our finances to all but disappear. It is not that He doesn't want to provide us with abundance. God is a Giver. He loves to give good gifts to His children; He wants daily to load us with benefits; He desires to bless us with material goods as well as spiritual blessings. But what He wants most is for us to love Him, not His gifts. The Bible says, ". . . if riches increase, set not your heart upon them" (Ps.62:10). We may wonder if we would trust the Lord when put to a test in the area of our finances, but how do we really know unless we have some opportunity to practice it?

Suppose we were given a choice between having a ten million dollar winning lottery ticket, or having a promise from the Creator of the universe that He will be responsible for taking care of all our needs for the rest our life, both here and throughout eternity. Well, I don't think we will ever get a winning number for a lottery ticket, but we do already have that promise from God! (Mat.6:25-34; Phil. 4:19). Even if it were possible for us to get a winning number and we did choose that, it would be a foolish decision; for that much money is not real security--it could disappear overnight! And what good would it be anyway if the time should come when we cannot buy or sell?

The Bible tells about a rich young ruler who approached the Lord and knelt down before Him, asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus beheld him in love and told him to get rid of his wealth and follow Him. The man chose his wealth over the Lord (Mark 10:13). How awful! Can you imagine anyone choosing money over Jesus?! Talk about an example of the deceitfulness of riches! That one tops them all!

Do you know what is better than having a ton of money in the bank? It is being able to go through a financial pinch and not be worried. Sometimes, after coming through a money crunch, you may say, "How did I get through that without worrying? Where did that peace come from?" That, too, is a gift from God. He provides us with everything we need, including faith!

From childhood to old age, God continually tries to get through to us that He will take good care of us. This is His desire, His responsibility, and He does it well. Why do we try to take care of ourselves rather than letting the Great Caretaker do His work? Sometimes He has to let us try and fail before we realize that He can do a better job than we can. Jesus said, ". . . for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). Without Him we could not take our next breath!

God tried to teach the children of Israel that He was their Caretaker, but they, too, were slow learners when it came to placing their security in Him alone. When they came out of Egypt, they had great wealth (Ex.12:35,36); but that didn't help them, for there was no place to spend it in the desert. By the grace of God, they were put in a position to see and experience His wonderful care. The Bible says, "But (He) made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock" (Ps.78:52); and ". . . He fed them according to the integrity of His heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of His hands" (Ps.78:72). How wonderful that journey through the desert to the Promised Land could have been for them if they had depended on the incredible goodness and skillfulness of the Lord to look after them. How wonderful this journey through life on earth could be for us if we would do likewise.

Just think, for a moment, of some of the things the children of Israel experienced on their journey: God divided the sea and caused them to pass through it; in the daytime, He led them with a cloud and all the night with a light of fire; He brought streams of water out of a rock, causing the waters to run down like rivers; He provided them with bread--manna--"the corn of heaven" (Ps.78:13-16,24). He gave them health and strength to make their trip easy and most pleasant and enjoyable; there was not one feeble person among them when they began their journey (Ps.105:37). During all that time in the wilderness, their clothes and their shoes did not wear out (Deut.29:5). But because of their unbelief and their complaining, they extended what could have been a few weeks on the road into a forty year journey.

The Bible says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb.13:8). He does not change; He has not lost His skill in taking care of His children. We do not need to worry about our security.

I am not sure if we will still be here at the time when Christians will not be able to buy or sell merchandise. It seems like that may be in the distant future. But then, it could be very soon. Regardless of when it does come, now is a good time for us to practice placing our security in the Lord rather than in money.

Recently, I received a phone call from a woman in Oklahoma. She told me how fast time was going by and then asked, "Do you think it's because we are getting old or is time really going faster?" I replied, "I think that God has speeded up the clock!" I said that, not just because I don't like to admit I am getting older, but, I really do believe that God has turned up the speed of time. He can hardly wait to get His Temple built (which is bringing people to Jesus). The Great Caretaker will look after the beloved Bride as He builds her up in His love, peace, joy and righteousness. Then . . . finally . . . what He has been longing to do, He will do: Bring her to Heaven to be with Him forever!