Destiny Central

From information I have just received, it looks like the war in Heaven, foretold in Revelation 12, is now in full swing!

What this means for our planet is horrendous, because, when Satan’s forces are forced out of the heavens down to this earth, Satan will have “great wrath,” and will seek to do as much damage as he can before Yahweh arrives here to finally put him away.

This information was confirmed by a Project Camelot whistleblower, Aaron McCollum, a third generation super solder and the leader of a black ops group who has had his life threatened for telling his story.

You may find his interview Super Soldier Interview and it is a real eye opener. I suggest you listen to it as soon as you can.

Aaron talked at length about the real reason the war mongers are stirring up war in Yemen, the reason for the so called “piracy” in the area, and the reason why warships from all nations are there. It is because there is an underwater stargate in the Gulf of Aden, just off the coast of Yemen, which became active on January 5^th of this year!

Even the evil minions from Blackwater have a ship there, and there is a ship there for “scientific research” that is doing experiments to unite “alien” and human DNA. Of course, these “experiments” have been going on for thousands of years, ever since a contingent of fallen angels came down and mated with human women.

This tells me that it is Satan’s forces that have activated this stargate, not the forces of Yahweh, as such experiments are forbidden to the Holy Angels.

It should also be remembered that it is mostly the higher levels of Satan’s minions who use the stargates, while the lower level ones use ships to come here in. It is possible to assume, then, that their “place in the heavens” is even now being overrun, and the elite in Satan’s kingdom are preparing to flee to the earth, their last hideout.

Aaron also warned about impending, massive, false flag operations to get the American people to accept this new “war on terror” in Yemen, and to get them to give up their rights.

Friends, we need to really be hard at work doing Yahweh’s Work as we see the end approaching. This earth is about to be INVADED BY “ALIENS” WHO WILL ENACT A REIGN OF TERROR ON MANKIND SUCH AS HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN EXPERIENCED.

We need to be ever ready. We need not worry if we are Yahweh’s people, because He promises us protection from Satan and all of his servants, But, time is now VERY SHORT.

You need to get off the fence and actively involved in Yahweh’s Work and drink in of His truth and build His character in your life while here is still time.

You need to get your nose in The Restoration Website Library while you still can.

Over the last few days I have been introduced to the topic of super soldiers.

What is a “super soldier,” you might ask?

A super soldier is an enhanced soldier, with implants and other augments to increase physical strength, etc. But, there is more to this story…… LOTS MORE!

Take the case of the only super soldier I know of so far who has regained a lot of his memories. He still doesn’t remember much, but what he does remember is earth shaking.

His name is Duncan O’Finioan. He has a fascinating and bone chilling story to tell.

He was tested as a 6 year old child, with the consent of his own parents [his dad was a CIA operative, if that gives you a clue]. He passed the test, his mother signed some forms, and he was whisked away to a place of training. He didn’t return home for a couple of years, and then only for a short time.

During this training, he was tortured, beaten up, and pretty much treated the way an adult would be treated. He says well over half did not survive the “training.”

The reason the children were tortured was so that their personality could be split. This splitting off of a new personality is used as a mind control technique, turning someone into a virtual robot. The new personality is a blank slate on which the “instructors” program a compliant personality trained in martial arts and every form of combat known to man. Starting with a child, they create a robot who can be turned on with a phone call, and sent to his or her next assignment, which often times is an assassination.

By the way, Duncan also had some psychic skills that they also trained an used. However, at some point, a determination was made that he was more skilled as a physical soldier than as a psychic warrior, and so he went in to that part of the program.

However, one incident he remembers form the age of 12 was when he was he and a group of 11 other children were flown into Cambodia to help extract some special forces soldiers who were pinned down by enemy forces. The children were flown in by helicopter, got out, and formed a semi circle holding hands. They concentrated and discharged a bright energy burst, and all the enemy soldiers were killed. They then got back into the helicopter and returned to Vietnam.

The details of all of this are to be found in a couple of interviews done by Project Camelot.

However, as an introduction to this subject, you should probably watch the episode on this produced by Jesse Ventura in his new show, Conspiracy Theory.

Click here to watch this captivating episode on YouTube.

Now that you have watched this, you are ready for Duncan’s interviews with Project Camelot, which you can find here.

Duncan’s own website can be found here.

I am presently reading The Men Who Stare at Goats, which is a real eye opening about these types of experiments.

Now that you realize what the government is doing to CHILDREN, maybe now you will wake up out of your complacency and do something?

For further reading, you can check out these books:

Innocence Turned Deadly

Unshackled

Operation Blue Light: My Secret Life among Psychic Spies

Secret Weapons : Two Sisters’ Terrifying True Story of Sex, Spies and Sabotage

La Taza Azul

Psychic Warrior: The True Story of America’s Foremost Psychic Spy and the Cover-Up of the CIA’s Top-Secret Stargate Program

Trance: Formation of America

Thanks For The Memories … The Truth Has Set Me Free! The Memoirs of Bob Hope’s and Henry Kissinger’s Mind-Controlled Slave

Mind Controlled Sex Slaves And The CIA

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Amazon.com Review

Just when you thought every possible conspiracy theory had been exhausted by The X-Files or The Da Vinci Code, along comes The Men Who Stare at Goats. The first line of the book is, “This is a true story.” True or not, it is quite astonishing. Author Jon Ronson writes a column about family life for London’s Guardian newspaper and has made several acclaimed documentaries. The Men Who Stare at Goats is his bizarre quest into “the most whacked-out corners of George W. Bush’s War on Terror,” as he puts it. Ronson is inspired when a man who claims to be a former U.S. military psychic spy tells the journalist he has been reactivated following the 9-11 attack. Ronson decides to investigate. His research leads him to the U.S. Army’s strange forays into extra-sensory perception and telepathy, which apparently included efforts to kill barnyard animals with nothing more than thought. Ronson meets one ex-Army employee who claims to have killed a goat and his pet hamster by staring at them for prolonged periods of time. Like Ronson’s original source, this man also says he has been reactivated for deployment to the Middle East.

Ronson’s finely written book strikes a perfect balance between curiosity, incredulity, and humor. His characters are each more bizarre than the last, and Ronson does a wonderful job of depicting the colorful quirks they reveal in their often-comical meetings. Through a charming guile, he manages to elicit many strange and amazing revelations. Ronson meets a general who is frustrated in his frequent attempts to walk through walls. One source says the U.S. military has deployed psychic assassins to the Middle East to hunt down Al Qaeda suspects. Entertaining and disturbing. –Alex Roslin –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Nothing intrigues the average person more than money — something most have too little of — or so they think. People love money, crave money — even WORSHIP money! Millions have made the acquisition of more money their goal in life — assuming it will result in true happiness. This Bible study exposes the folly of such reasoning, and shows why millions in the affluent Western World SUFFER from serious money problems.

WHY MILLIONS ARE IN DEBT

High taxes, runaway inflation, and surging DEBT rob millions of peace of mind — create worry and financial anxiety. But it is all so needless! This first of a three-part series reveals the often overlooked and little understood FACTS about FINANCES — explaining WHY millions are in financial trouble today.

“CHARGE IT!” has become the favorite phrase of millions in the Western world. Today’s glittering world of luxury is available on credit — and available IMMEDIATELY. Whatever you desire can be yours — right NOW!

If you are the average American, Briton or Australian, the chances are you are HEAD OVER HEELS IN DEBT! You are making payments on your home, your furniture, automobile, your household appliances — maybe even your clothing.

But — is it WORTH THE PRICE?

False Prosperity

Never has there been a richer or more affluent society than in the Western nations today. And yet never has there been a time when more people felt afflicted by the lack or the misuse of money.

Today’s generation, unlike past generations, has not been brought up on the axiom that debt is a danger, and that to be in debt carries somewhat of a stigma. In times past, the concept was that you saved your money until you could pay cash for what you bought. But in today’s society, the underlying concept is that you should enjoy TODAY what you hope to pay for TOMORROW.

That is, IF YOU are still employed and ABLE to pay — tomorrow!

While millions are heedlessly plunging deeper and deeper into debt, tens of thousands are already hopelessly in debt. They have over-obligated their incomes. They simply can’t meet the payments anymore.

In the last year, the global financial crisis has bankrupted more people and businesses than at any time since the Great Depression. Millions find themselves out of work and hopelessly in debt. Many have lost or are about to lose their homes. The number of homeless has skyrocketed in our cities.

Even the Federal Government of the United States, as well as many other Western governments, find themselves so far in debt that they will never be able to pay it off. A total collapse of the world economy is in sight.

The growing bankruptcy problem is a part of the moral and spiritual decay of our time. Many don’t care if they can’t pay!

“So what?” is the attitude of thousands.

“The stigma attached to personal bankruptcy in the past has all but faded in the minds of many,” says Alfred Hackbarth, of the National Foundation For Consumer Credit. “THERE IS A BREAKDOWN IN PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.”

Such irresponsibility is actually stealing — defrauding and taking advantage of their creditors who expected them to repay in full.

The Curse of High Taxes

Governments, too, are spending beyond their means — and are ALSO HEADED TOWARD BANKRUPTCY! The same irresponsible behavior is displayed in government’s sky-high taxes and seemingly UNLIMITED debt “limits.” It’s a rare occurrence today when any government — be it federal, state or local — can balance its budget.

Welfare, poverty programs, social security and the like need increasingly larger sums. War and defense spending take more than 50% of all available income. As a result governments borrow and borrow. And tax rates go up and up.

Already inheritance taxes take up Securing Your Personal Finances, Part 1to 80% of the property left at death. If you are a millionaire, your income tax may approach 50% of your income — or even more in some countries.

And would you believe — a tax that takes MORE THAN ALL! Such a tax — 136% in the top bracket — was proposed by the British government in 1968 on income from investments in a desperate attempt to balance its unwieldy budget.

Now THAT’S a tax!

Governing bodies are diligently seeking NEW forms of taxation, while you — the average citizen — must already work from THREE TO FIVE hours out of eight just to pay the taxes — many of which are “hidden.”

WHY? Why so much personal debt? Why do governments often operate “in the RED”? Why sky-high taxes?

Is there a solution? What is the answer?

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Many seem to think that printing more money is the solution to national fiscal ills. But without gold backing, what will happen to “faith” in American money when the economy falters?

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Gone the Way of Rome

We are living in days like those of ancient Rome. During those days just before “the Fall,” the typical free-born Roman was HEAVILY in debt — and on the brink of bankruptcy. Living beyond one’s means was the mania of the age.

As moral fiber broke down, more and more was demanded of the government. So the government in return not only exacted a tremendous toll in taxation, but frequently resorted to outright confiscation of property. Defense spending in ancient Rome also necessitated enormous taxes.

Inflation skyrocketed. The coinage was deliberately debased with substitutes for gold and silver, which became increasingly rare.

Sound familiar? It should.

Since then, nations have tried everything — EXCEPT THE ANSWER! Securing Your Personal Finances, Part 1

Simply printing a “wealth” of paper money has seemed an easy solution to many governments. But increasing the money supply without adding value to back it only spurs “creeping inflation” to a gallop — with the result that everyone pays MORE, to get LESS.

The fact is that all “new” ideas of “monetary gadgetry” only make bad matters worse. They simply do not resolve money problems — but only postpone and redouble them. They do not attack the BASIC CAUSES of national fiscal ills. Neither do the ways most INDIVIDUALS try to solve their financial woes.

It’s time we faced the financial facts of life!

If we would get back to the BASIC LAWS governing finances, we would finally UNDERSTAND that nations — and individuals — can have sound financial systems ONLY when they do NOT SPEND MORE than their incomes!

But most people have IGNORED these simple laws. Indeed, most people would be SHOCKED to realize that SPIRITUAL laws exist which regulate FISCAL affairs. Yet these living, inexorable principles would teach us to recognize the right value of money — they would keep us out of debt — would give us life-long financial security.

Most people would laugh if anyone would suggest searching the Scriptures to learn how to be a success at handling money. But there is no facet of life that the Bible does not touch upon, and reveal IN PRINCIPLE HOW to live.

PERSONAL FINANCES CERTAINLY ARE INCLUDED!

Let’s begin to understand these overlooked and little-understood financial principles. But first, let’s understand exactly WHY the Israelitish nations possess unparalleled material blessings today — and why they are about to LOSE them!

How Israel’s Descendants Became Wealthy

1. From where was Israel to receive the POWER to get wealth? Read all of Deuteronomy chapter 8. Notice especially verses 13 and 18.

2. Did God know it would be Israel’s tendency to attribute her accumulated wealth to her OWN power? Verse 17.

3. Wasn’t it because of God’s promise to ABRAHAM and his DESCENDANTS, that the nations of Israel were to be blessed exceedingly? Deut. 9:5 and Gen. 12:1-2; 27:26, 28-29; 28:13-14.

COMMENT: If you haven’t already done so, read Mr. Armstrong’s book, “The United States and British Commonwealth In Prophecy”, to learn exactly who the modern-day descendants of ancient Israel really are, and how they have received this promised national wealth within the last two centuries. You may find this important book in the Fundamentals of Bible Prophecy sub section off of the prophecy section of The Restoration Website http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/library.htm

4. But is the national wealth God has given us to be taken away because our nations have served a false god with it? Hos. 2:8-10.

COMMENT: Our nations have not realized that our wealth did not come as a direct result of OUR industry, OUR know-how, or OUR efforts; but because of God’s PROMISE to obedient Abraham!

Consider for a moment the fact that the United States and Great Britain were small among the nations of the world up until 1803. At that exact time — completing 2520 years during which Israel’s blessings had been withheld — Britain and America began to possess the “lion’s share” of the world’s wealth. London became the financial capital of the world. The United States acquired the Louisiana Territory and went on to become the richest single nation the world had ever known!

Of all the gold in the hands of the world’s governments in September 1949, the United States actually possessed TWO THIRDS — TWENTY-FOUR BILLION DOLLARS!

But look at the picture now.

The second World War cost Great Britain an enormous part of her wealth.

After the war, America began busily giving away billions to help the starving millions of Europe, and to REBUILD their war-torn countries. In 1947, Greece became the first of many nations to receive U.S. aid in an attempt to halt the relentless march of Communism. And maintaining a fantastic global military force has cost many MORE billions.

Meanwhile, at home, great spending programs were inaugurated in both Britain and America. The government and citizens alike took to deficit financing, creating mountainous debts, which in turn fueled a rising inflation. Inflation, with its spiraling prices, caused further depletion of U.S. gold reserves.

The U.S. gold reserve is now LESS than the claims held against it by foreign nations. If all creditors were to demand payment at once, the U.S. would literally go BANKRUPT!

Formerly, the U.S. maintained by law a gold reserve of at least 25% of the total value of its circulated paper money. But in March, 1968, former President Lyndon Johnson had to remove that gold cover because all gold in excess of that 25% minimum was already gone!

Silver, too, has all but disappeared from American coinage. Today faith, hope and PAPER stand behind American money.

Meanwhile, the national debt has crept inexorably upward. Now, we are so many TRILLIONS of dollars in debt that we will never be able to pay it all off.

It’s about time our peoples faced the facts and took what God reveals about our finances SERIOUSLY!

What Went Wrong

Said well-known economist, Roger Babson: “The test of a nation is the growth of its people — physically, intellectually, and spiritually. Money and so-called ‘prosperity’ are of very little account … Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Spain, and France all had their turn in being the richest in the world. Instead of saving them, their so-called prosperity ruined them ….

“Money will not save us …” Mr. Babson continued, “Only a sane spiritual revival which CHANGES THE DESIRES OF OUR PEOPLE will save us. We must be filled with a desire to render service, to seek strength rather than security, to PUT CHARACTER AHEAD OF PROFITS.”

Since World War II, the driving ambition of our Western society has been that of making more money and having a GOOD TIME — to “GET” something out of life. We are constantly encouraged to crave luxuries that were completely unknown a generation or two ago. We are goaded to compete, to spend more than we make, to do more than we ought. “You owe it to yourself,” read the subtle advertisements. We would be foolish, they taunt, not to buy a bigger car, eat at a more expensive restaurant, or take longer and more costly trips.

Totally unrecognized by its victims, this well-planned advertising campaign has TURNED THE TRUTH UPSIDE DOWN! This insidious commercial propaganda has made it seem “backward” or WRONG, if you don’t compete and LUST after as many material possessions as someone else owns.

The emphasis is all on GETTING for the SELF!

“If I wanted to destroy a nation,” wrote author John Steinbeck to Adlai Stevenson, “I would give it too much and I would have it on its knees, miserable, GREEDY and SICK ….” The present greedy, debt-ridden “keeping up with the Joneses” attitude is a symptom of OUR SICK SOCIETY!

“We can stand anything … save only plenty …” said Steinbeck.

The Appeal to Lust and Greed

What’s WRONG with this world’s society?

Just THAT! It is THIS WORLD’S — a system based on the vanity, jealousy, covetousness, lust and greed of human nature. This world has not learned how to rightly use its money, wealth and resources.

1. What does the Tenth Commandment say? Ex. 20:17.

COMMENT: LAWFULLY desiring a wife, a house, a new automobile or color TV — or other material things — is NOT wrong. But when the desire to possess supersedes all RIGHTFUL and logical bounds established by God, it breaks this commandment. Such desire is “inordinate” desire, or LUST!

2. Is it NATURAL TO COVET? James 4:5.

3. Do nations fight and kill because of this natural attitude of heart? James 4:1-2. Is this world therefore filled with corruption? II Peter 1:4, last part.

COMMENT: Human nature EQUALS the way of GETTING! It’s time we looked at our nature for what it is. Uncontrolled, it leads to FINANCIAL RUIN!

4. Does this spirit of lusting after things break the First Commandment also? Col. 3:5.

COMMENT: A young African studying in America was interviewed in a sobering article in “The Canadian Churchman”. He said:

“Before I came to study here, I was a good Christian. I dreamed someday of becoming a medical missionary. Now I’m an atheist!”

“Why?” asked the shocked interviewer.

“Since coming here,” was the reply, “I’ve discovered that the white man has two gods. One that he taught us about, and another one to whom he prays. A Presbyterian mission school taught me the tribal doctrines of my ancestors who worshiped images and believed in witchcraft were wrong and almost ludicrous. But here you worship larger images — cars and electrical appliances. I honestly can’t see the difference.”

Surprising? It shouldn’t be. But most people get so close to their own sins that they can’t see them for what they are. Our so-called “Christian” society is actually based on LUST for more and more material things!

The frenzied effort to compete with others and “get ahead” is the source not only of most financial problems, but the real cause of much physical and mental illness, broken homes and frustrated lives.

5. Did Isaiah long ago prophesy that Israel, having become wealthy, would have this false kind of “Christianity”? Isa. 2:5, 7-9 and Micah 5:13.

COMMENT: The Moffatt Translation makes the last verse even plainer: “I will cut out of you idols and sacred stones — you must no longer WORSHIP things you MANUFACTURE” (Micah 5:13).

Your god is what you serve and devote your time and attention to.

What do Americans — and most other people — worry about most? MONEY and material things, a survey reported. And what makes them happiest? Money again, and children. (Reported by the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan.)

Our Western society actually WORSHIPS money and the things it can buy. People think money and material possessions equal success. “Money is the root of all happiness,” most people seem to believe. Almighty Dollar is king.

This is WORSHIP!

6. Our generation needs to UNDERSTAND the words of the Son of God. What did He warn concerning covetousness? Luke 12:15.

You Can’t STEAL Prosperity!

Keys in your pocket and locks on your doors bear witness to the utter depths of depravity this civilization has sunk to. No one dares to trust his fellowman.

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Today there are mirrors, detectives, closed-circuit TV, etc. in supermarkets and department stores. Why? Because shoplifting customers are robbing them blind! In return many stores will cheat you, the consumer, with short weight, inferior and substitute merchandise. Clerks sometimes shortchange you at the cash register, and ticket sellers do it at the gate.

Have you ever stopped to consider the ENORMOUS financial loss this involves?

1. Does the Eighth Commandment forbid stealing? Ex. 20:15. Do terrific penalties result for breaking this commandment? Jas. 5:1-3. What is the ultimate SPIRITUAL penalty? I Cor. 6:9-10.

COMMENT: Few realize how all-inclusive these commandments of God really are. If you INDIVIDUALLY KEEP them, you can be PROTECTED from financial and spiritual penalties.

If you don’t have our free booklet “The Ten Commandments”, go to our website library, in the Basic Literature section, and STUDY IT!

2. How does God view the all-too-common attitude of the buyer? Prov. 20:14. And the practices of the seller? Verses 10 and 23. Also Prov. 11:1 and Deut. 25:13-16.

COMMENT: Ours has become a generation of crooks! It’s a sad, but true indictment. And it DOESN’T PAY OFF!

Dishonest employees pilfer from their employers. Businessmen swindle one another. “That’s business.” they say.

Banks lose nearly twice as much to staff members as to more “conventional” bank robbers. And retail EMPLOYEES steal twice as much as shoplifters do!

3. What else does the SPIRITUAL intent of the Eighth Commandment include? Deut. 24:14-15 and Lev. 19:13.

COMMENT: The Eighth Commandment covers far more than outright stealing. It requires giving full value in product, in labor, in wages and salaries.

It has a message for both capital and labor. To capital: “a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.” To labor: “a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage.”

The employer who lusts for more money than he can earn by paying fair wages is ROBBING his employees by paying too little, and/or by spending too little on improving working conditions and safety.

Because employers formerly demanded more in production than they paid in wages, laborers organized. NOW the labor union’s principle is to get more in wages than they give in production. The average laborer — often misguided by unscrupulous union leaders — lusts after more than he can honestly earn.

“In these Disunited States today,” said R. E. Strain, “every special interest group — nurses, social workers, teachers and college professors, as well as farmers, truck drivers, machinists and businessmen — is hell-bent for building and using collective power to gain a larger share of the nation’s product for its members while doing everything possible to reduce their contributions of time and talent to the creation of anything needed or desired by other citizens” (Professor of Economics, California State College, Long Beach).

That is STEALING, too!

Deluded labor unions seem to think they can GET MORE FOR NOTHING through organized pressure and political trickery. Instead, they are unwittingly bringing a financial CURSE on themselves and their members! The result is today’s devastating unemployment statistics. Rather than pay more, or even what is fair, companies have just moved their production to countries where they can exploit labor all over again. This, of course, will start the cycle all over again in the country they have moved to, but, in the meantime, they make outrageous profits on the backs of poor peasants in other countries.

It seems the cycle of greed and exploitation between capital and labor never ends. But this is human nature at work, that’s for sure!

3. Should the laboring man organize and fight for his rights and higher wages? James 5:1-7, especially verse 7. Also see Mal. 3:5.

COMMENT: Absolutely NOT! True Christians should wait for God to solve their problems with unjust employers. Even though the tactics of unionism HAVE gained higher wages over the years, employers have simply raised prices so that today’s record wages actually purchase little more than the lower wages of the preunion era.

And what is the result of strikes and slowdowns? Obviously LESS IS PRODUCED. So everyone has LESS in the end!

Communism Not the Answer

There are those who will argue that Communism is the answer to the fiscal woes of our “Capitalist” society.

1. But do both the Eighth and Tenth Commandments recognize the RIGHT of the individual to ACQUIRE and OWN property? Ex. 20:15, 17.

COMMENT: In principle, these two Commandments actually FORBID all forms of Communism which basically deny man’s right to private ownership of property. Notice how this is clearly brought out in the wording of the Tenth Commandment: “Thy neighbor’s … thy neighbor’s … his … his … his … his … thy neighbor’s.” This is a seven-fold guarantee guarding INDIVIDUAL, not communal interests.

The Bible emphatically does NOT teach Communism!

While advocates of Communism promise more, they are really interested in getting control of what you already possess.

Far from being the ideal economic system, Communism HAS proved to be UNWORKABLE! A lack of incentive permeates and vexes their communal programs, because an individual NEEDS to have things of his very own. God is the greatest “Capitalist” of all. Acquiring and caring for possessions is part of our training for the time when we shall inherit and possess the ENTIRE UNIVERSE as members of the God Family! But we must also learn NOT TO COVET what belongs to our neighbors.

2. Does Acts 5:1-4 prove individual members of the early true Church could and DID POSSESS property and/or money?

COMMENT: Some have carelessly cited this passage as biblical evidence for the principle of Communism. Actually it proves just the opposite!

Many who became pioneer members of God’s Church had come up to Jerusalem from a distance to keep the spring festivals. The arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost caused them to stay longer than they had originally planned. This emergency (not Communism) and love for one another caused each to treat “THE THINGS WHICH HE POSSESSED ” AS IF they were “common” property. No one selfishly insisted “It’s mine.” (Read Acts 4:32.) Yet, until actually turned over as an offering, everything remained his “own” (Acts 5:4).

Having said that, though, this lifestyle continued for quite some time in the Jerusalem and other churches. This is why Paul said that “he who does not work should not eat.” The last two chapters of my book, The Restoration of Truth, explain the balance in this area. Because we are not living in the best way, but like the world around us, we have the same attitudes and curses as the world around us.

Since this is a complex subject, it is best that you read those two chapters, which were originally written as two separate articles, so they are self contained. Yet, they will form the basis for the Church in the final days we are now approaching. You may find this book, along with several commentaries, in the Basic Literature section of our online library.

Success Is More Than Money

Did Jesus Christ know the way to true success? He certainly did! Christ’s life IS the MOST OUTSTANDING SUCCESS STORY OF ALL TIME.

Financially, He might be compared to a multi-billion billionaire! His wealth is totally beyond comprehension. He now owns and controls all the riches of the entire universe!

But while on earth as a human being, Jesus did not seek for material possessions. He put FIRST THINGS FIRST in order to become a true success. He sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing full well that wealth and possessions would follow (Matt. 6:33).

But the people of this grasping, money-conscious, money-hungry world think money, and all the material things it can buy, IS “success.”

1. What did Christ inspire King Solomon to write about getting wisdom AHEAD of gold? Prov. 16:16; 3:13-15.

2. DOES ACQUIRED WISDOM THEN bring ABUNDANCE and honor, with pleasantness, peace and happiness? Prov. 3:16-18.

COMMENT: There is MUCH MORE to success than wealth. And money can’t buy these things. The plain truth of the matter is that the broad majority of people never make a fortune, and the few who do, aren’t happy with it! They simply have never learned HOW to ENJOY or APPRECIATE IT. There is always SOMETHING MISSING.

You need to study our free booklet “The Seven Laws of Success.” It will show you what true success really is, and how you can achieve it in this life.

Becoming a True Success

Jesus Christ’s teachings revolved around becoming a spiritual success in life. But He also had something to say about becoming a MATERIAL success. In His “sermon on the mount” He expounded the basic trunk-of-the-tree principle concerning material wealth. Let’s carefully notice what He said.

1. Did Jesus first show the foolishness of storing up wealth far beyond our actual needs? Matt. 6:19.

COMMENT: How clearly Jesus’ words apply to our modern age of dog-eat-dog competition, hoarding and universal thievery!

2. But where and what kind of treasure should be stored up, safe from all thieves and decay? Matt. 6:20.

COMMENT: The treasure Christ is referring to here is godly, spiritual character. This “wealth” is the same as the true wisdom of which Solomon wrote.

But how do we lay up this spiritual treasure? Notice the double meaning in this verse. If we use our literal, physical wealth to advance the cause of Christ’s coming heavenly kingdom, where no thieves shall “break through and steal” — when this whole world order of grasping and greed will have been replaced — THEN we will have SPIRITUAL “treasures” — spiritual rewards — in the coming Kingdom of God!

3. What else did Jesus say in Matt. 6:21?

COMMENT: Jesus knew that setting one’s heart on anything physical is WORSHIP, and hence IDOLATRY! Setting our hearts on EARTHLY treasures breaks the First Commandment. It automatically makes us suffer. Jesus did not want us to suffer.

Verse 24 explains it further: “No man can serve two masters (money and God): for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve (both) God and mammon (money).”

4. Do we have to be VERY CONCERNED about providing for our physical needs? Read Matthew 6:25-32, noticing especially verses 25 and 31.

COMMENT: Jesus answers in verse 25: “Take no ANXIOUS thought …” as the proper translation from the original Greek should read. That is — “Don’t WORRY, don’t be OVERLY concerned about” your physical life. Food, clothing and shelter certainly are necessary, but they are not the most important things in life.

Consider the assurance Christ gives us in verses 26 through 30 and 32. If your heart is in God’s Kingdom — and in His WORK preparing the way for that kingdom — Jesus shows you need not experience material WORRIES!

5. What is the summation of the matter? Matt. 6:33.

COMMENT: Yes, “Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God … and ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.”

A great many people parrot Matthew 6:33. But not enough really understand it — or practice it. If we are going to claim God’s material promises, we will have to truly seek God’s Kingdom and obedience to Him FIRST — not just “kid” ourselves that we are, while putting them second or third or fourth in our time, interest, study and application.

Your heavenly Father knows you have need of physical things. Just do your part, and He will take care of them. ASK according to His PROMISE, and you WILL receive — if you keep His commandments and do those things pleasing in His sight (Matt. 7:7; I John 3:22; 5:14).

Why Laodiceans Are “Lukewarm”

1. When you have put God’s Kingdom first, and God HAS blessed you — what are you warned NOT to do? Psalms 62:10, last part.

COMMENT: Don’t ever let abundance turn your heart from God. Always KEEP your heart set on God’s Work and His Kingdom! But surely no one would desert a winning team — WOULD THEY?

2. Why is the Laodicean Era of God’s Church pictured as being “lukewarm” toward Christ? Rev. 3:17.

COMMENT: Because they have become (comparatively) “rich” in material possessions, these Laodiceans therefore foolishly deceived themselves into thinking they are SPIRITUALLY rich also!

The attitude of the typical Laodicean will be a by-product of modern Western luxury and affluence. Compared to the average person of the rest of the world and of past ages, the poorest man — especially in the United States — is really WEALTHY! Modern affluence and ease will, to a great extent, be responsible for the soon-coming era of “lukewarm” spiritual zeal. The Laodiceans will be overly concerned with MATERIAL prosperity!

Let’s really understand this relationship between physical prosperity and spiritual temperature.

3. Did Jesus say the “DECEITFULNESS of riches” may sometimes “CHOKE” those who have heard and believed God’s truth? Matt. 13:22 and Luke 8:14.

COMMENT: Wealth tends to DECEIVE people into relying on IT — and can counteract their faith and zeal toward God.

4. Does sin FLOURISH in time of prosperity? Deut. 32:15 and Jer. 5:7-8. What happens to the person who begins to trust in his wealth? Prov. 11:28.

COMMENT: He will “wither” is how the Revised Standard Version renders Proverbs 11:28. That is precisely what happens to the Laodiceans. Therefore Christ commands them to “be ZEALOUS … and repent” (Rev. 3:19).

But what does being “ZEALOUS” really mean? The word is Greek, from the root “zeo”, meaning “to be HOT,” or figuratively, “to be earnest.”

Jesus Christ Himself was very zealous — “on fire” for the honor of God’s Temple (John 2:14-17). Likewise, He wants all Christians to be SPIRITUALLY HOT — BURNING WITH ZEAL — NOT lukewarm or tepid, NOT indifferent and apathetic!

5. What does Christ warn those to whom much is given? Luke 12:48. Are we also warned that the “prosperity” of fools will destroy them? Prov. 1:32.

COMMENT: The Revised Standard Version translates “prosperity” as “complaisance” — that is, LUKEWARMNESS.

6. Does Christ exhort us to learn from what He tells the Laodiceans? Rev. 3:22.

COMMENT: Affluence can become a problem to some in the Philadelphia Era of God’s Church today — if they’re not careful and on their guard. The Laodicean ATTITUDE can begin to creep into their thinking!

But how can you recognize Laodicean characteristics?

Try this simple experiment in order to understand a vital principle. Fill three basins with water. Make one very hot, one lukewarm and one ice cold. Now put your hand in the ice water for a few moments. Withdraw it and place it immediately in the lukewarm water.

The lukewarm water will seem to be BOILING HOT! It will seem to BURN YOU. But it’s all a matter of comparison.

When we judge ourselves by COMPARISON with the unconverted world around us, we SEEM HOT — such “good Christians” — when actually we may not be hot at all! And this, regrettably, is how all too many true Christians usually test themselves.

But now dip your other hand into the scalding hot water for just a second, and then dip it into the lukewarm water. Now lukewarm will feel cold. This is very possibly the way Christ views some of the members of His Philadelphia Church!

7. Did the Apostle Paul think it wise to compare ourselves with OTHER HUMANS? II Cor. 10:12. To whom SHOULD we compare ourselves? Eph. 4:13, last part.

COMMENT: This is the only SAFE WAY to check one’s own spiritual temperature!

The Danger of Riches

1. Should we labor to become rich? Prov. 23:4. Why not? Verse 5.

2. What did Paul tell Timothy would happen to those who DESIRE to be rich? I Tim. 6:9.

COMMENT: Paul did not mean that it is wrong to prosper. Christ wants everyone to follow the way which will provide full, abundant lives — both physically and spiritually. But to “WILL” to become RICH — to make that your goal in life — is absolutely WRONG!

3. Do all kinds of evil grow out of the LOVE of money? I Tim. 6:10.

COMMENT: Money of itself is not evil. Money IS POWER. A PROPER RESPECT FOR money — for the great good it can do — is right and GOOD. But INORDINATE love (LUST) for it leads to lying, cheating, stealing, prostitution, organized crime, murder, suicide, war — and to frustration, discontent and family quarrels. A poor person may be drawn into sin by the LUST for money just as easily as a rich person. (Note: the love of money is not “the” (only) root of all evil — as erroneously translated in the Authorized Version — but “a” root.)

4. What is God’s admonition to the rich — what should be their duty in life? I Tim. 6:17-19. This includes MOST Western European, North American and British peoples, when you compare their prosperity with the poverty of MOST of the world.

COMMENT: To “communicate” means to SHARE, to use our wealth for good. God’s way to eternal life and permanent prosperity is absolutely certain, but nothing is as “uncertain” as this world’s riches!

“Be Content”

1. What lesson had the Apostle Paul learned in life? Phil. 4:11-12.

COMMENT: Paul could BE CONTENT whether “abased” (poor and without funds) or abounding (having abundance). Yet Paul continually gave God thanks in every circumstance!

2. What did John the Baptist exhort repentant Jews to do? Luke 3:11-13. Did he tell the Roman soldiers to be content with their wages? Verse 14, last part.

3. Are we to BE CONTENT with the basic necessities of life? I Tim. 6:6-8. Should we be SATISFIED with what we have? Heb. 13:5.

COMMENT: How much would it ready take to completely “satisfy” most people today? Those interviewed in one poll thought that a 30% increase in income would solve most of their financial problems. But soaring incomes today prove the cry will always be “MORE!”

Human nature is NEVER satisfied!

What a person THINKS would satisfy him often just depends on what rung of the financial ladder he is on at the moment. While $75 a week would please one man, as another poll showed, a successful businessman considered a million dollars per year not too much.

The deluding concept that money and all the things it will buy are an END in themselves is totally false. Luxuries are only the FRINGE BENEFITS which God intends for those who have become truly successful. Seeking to acquire things merely to satisfy the ceaseless cravings of the flesh is useless vanity — utter emptiness!

King Solomon, the wisest and one of the richest men who ever lived, proved this for himself. He HAD everything. DID everything. In the end, Solomon realized he had nothing but a handful of “wind.” Read the first two chapters of the book of Ecclesiastes. It will be a real eye-opener.

Grief for the Greedy

1. What does Solomon say to those who think they wouldn’t experience any problems if they became wealthy? Eccl. 5:12.

COMMENT: A relatively few men have amassed tremendous wealth. Yet they have never found peace of mind and true happiness in vaults bulging with money, or in huge bank accounts. Even billionaire J. Paul Getty is reported to have said he would gladly trade his millions for just one successful, HAPPY marriage!

2. Will the ways of the greedy boomerang? Prov. 1:18-19. How is this possible?

COMMENT: The trap which will destroy all chances for true success and happiness gapes greedily to repay the greedy. The strain and worry of those greedy for gain damages and often WRECKS mental and physical health.

What most people need to realize is that they have been pursuing the wrong values and goals in life. People the world over equate MATERIAL WEALTH with HAPPINESS. So millions have made the acquisition of material wealth their goal in life — assuming that this will result in true happiness. But has it really?

In spite of the general increase in the standard of living throughout the Western world, statistics show there is more unhappiness, crime, divorce and juvenile delinquency than ever before!

3. Is a “little” with obedience to God better than great wealth with troubles and injustice? Prov. 15:16; 16:8.

4. Has God promised to supply every NEED of the righteous? Phil. 4:19.

COMMENT: Notice that God does not say every LUST, but “every NEED.” And while He has promised to PROSPER YOU (Matt. 6:33), He does it AS it is good for you to how well you can HANDLE it, and as you EARN it.

Our major NECESSITIES are just three: food, clothing and shelter. Expensive furniture, automatic washers, television and Hi-Fi sets, a second car for the family, double ovens, and many other modern “conveniences” are LUXURIES — which you may or may not be able to afford. But luxuries should be purchased ONLY as one IS FINANCIALLY ABLE TO AFFORD THEM!

“Installment Buying” the Rage

Few realize that the financial troubles plaguing most families today are NOT the result of low incomes. Surveys have shown that most money problems are the direct result of OVEREXTENDING a normally adequate income for LUXURIES AND PERSONAL INDULGENCE through the pernicious habit of “installment buying.”

The basic problem? Greed, lust and ENVY! People compare themselves with themselves (II Cor. 10:12) and envy one another (James 4:5). It’s only NATURAL to want to “keep up with the Joneses”!

“Oh, yes, I know rich people aren’t happy,” goes the quip, “but I want to be UNhappy IN STYLE!”

We are constantly deluged with advertising that appeals to our human nature. Ads urge us to “BUY NOW, pay LATER.”

One-southern store has been selling television sets to PRISON INMATES on the installment plan! Since prisoners are not permitted to sign contracts, all sales are based on CHARACTER.

CHARACTER? No wonder credit costs so much!

Actually, when you really understand, most credit sales are based on a fundamental LACK of character. Millions today are not willing to WAIT until they have SAVED enough money to purchase things with cash.

Going into debt became fundamentally fashionable in the U.S. under the New Deal. People were told that NATIONAL deficit spending was a good thing to get prosperity rolling again — and just a TEMPORARY measure to prime the financial pump.

It took a WAR TO bring about an artificial prosperity, but seven years were enough to TEACH PEOPLE THE HABIT of staying in debt by purchasing “on time.” Now it has become a national fixation and has spread widely to other nations. Our national economy has become absolutely dependent on it.

For example, if installment buying of automobiles in the United States suddenly stopped, production of new autos would drop 50%! That would also mean as much as a 30% cut in the production of related industries. Close to half a million auto and oil workers, an equal number in sales and service, and thousands of others would suddenly be jobless!

What a tragedy that this world would not obey and practice God’s ways from the start!

Nothing EASY About “Easy Credit”!

There are those in the credit business who would have us believe that the installment plan is a good system of SAVING which puts the debtor on a regular monthly budget, thus enabling him to “save” what he NEVER would have saved otherwise.

Notice what the Bible has to say about this principle of “enforced savings.”

1. When you borrow or BUY ON TIME, who is really helping whom? Prov. 22:7 and Neh. 5:4-5.

COMMENT: People do not seem to understand (or even consider) that illness, a recession, loss of a job — all common occurrences — can easily bring one into a condition of virtual serfdom where EVERYTHING is “in hock” to his creditors!

The only possible way you can gain by using the installment plan is in TIME. But you pay for it dearly! And when you stop to consider it, credit buying even puts you in bondage to TIME.

It’s true that once you get caught in the credit trap you’re doing the same thing as saving the money BEFORE buying. But there is ONE BIG DIFFERENCE creditors conveniently fail to warn you about. Now you are FORCED to “save” AT THAT RATE REGARDLESS of what happens to your income! And you may end up paying an annual interest rate of up to 18%, or MORE!

You may be completely convinced you could not do without your charge accounts or installment purchases. But the fact of the matter is YOU MUST LEARN TO get along without them, or at least STRICTLY CONTROL them, or you will NEVER experience true financial security!

Before you dive into debt, REMEMBER — it’s a lot easier getting IN than getting OUT!

Start today to exercise the STRENGTH OF CHARACTER to WAIT until you save the cash!

2. What is a person like without self-control? Prov. 25:28.

COMMENT: The lack of self-discipline in handling money can prove to be very costly. Many husbands come home only to find that their wives have gone out and foolishly purchased costly clothing, unnecessary household gadgets, and other needless items. They simply gave in to their vanity and lust. Men will turn around and do the same thing!

The knowledge of God should make you FREE (John 8:32), and the power He makes available through His Holy Spirit will give you the strength to RESIST temptation. Utilize this power!

Another problem is that of working mothers.

The wife and mother SHOULD NOT HAVE TO go to work to keep up the payments for things that should not have been bought in the first place. The resultant neglect of children by millions of working mothers has been a prime cause of juvenile delinquency in the United States.

YOUR standard of living is probably already beyond the wildest dreams of the typical inhabitant of this planet. Few realize that the AVERAGE person on this earth has NO shoes, LITTLE food and NO fine furniture or appliances of any kind!

If you are in debt, analyze your recent purchases, or your present “possessions.” How many of them do you REALLY NEED? Are they absolutely necessary for the health and welfare of your family? Are they a genuine HELP in serving God and His Work? You need to answer these questions for yourself.

A Typical Case History

Consider this hypothetical, yet typical case history.

John Doe WAS doing all right financially. He usually had a few dollars left over at the end of the month. So he rented a nicer house. His friends had nice homes, and he felt he “deserved” one too.

Soon afterward, the family car was in need of major repairs. A salesman persuaded him to try out a newer model. Its luxurious “feel” and the offer of installment credit “sold” him at once. John reasoned that the amount he WOULD have had to spend anyway to fix the old car was enough for the down payment.

Now John Doe was beginning to feel pinched financially. But they “just HAD to have” some rugs and a color TV for that nicer house. A dealer cheerfully told him these “needed” items could be paid for by the month. So John bought them without hesitation. Since nothing was said about interest or finance charges, he ASSUMED the installment “privilege” was simply a courtesy of the dealer.

Months later, John finally read the contract he had signed, only to discover that he was being charged an annual interest rate of 33%! That rate, indulged in frequently, would bankrupt anyone.

By then, having contracted to pay 36 monthly installments for other furniture (which turned out on inspection to be costing him an annual interest rate of 19.4%) and facing additional expenses for dental work, children’s school clothing, etc., John was unable to meet his obligations.

To keep up the installments, he borrowed $300 from the bank, thus paying more interest on money to pay interest. Finding that difficult to repay, he borrowed again — this time from a finance company. In just a few months of a series of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” operations, he ended up so hopelessly “in the hole” that he owed MORE than the original debts.

1. Did Christ teach that one ought to be wise enough to “count the cost”? Luke 14:28. See also Proverbs 27:12.

COMMENT: Most people have never thought of Luke 14:28 as a FINANCIAL principle. Yet it is! Like millions of others, the Does were victims not only of their own foolishness and lust, but of a credit system which (before the “Truth in Lending Law” was passed in the United States) was a model of contrived confusion and often deliberate deception!

Instead of solving financial problems, installment credit plans perpetuate them, keeping people in the HABIT OF OVERSPENDING and paying out interest. Is it any wonder those who are in debt usually remain so?

2. If you have contracted and borrowed, must you repay? Psalm 37:21.

COMMENT: God holds you strictly responsible for paying your debts. Bankruptcy proceedings are a last resort only.

Not Always Wrong to Borrow

1. Does Luke 19:23 indicate that God approves of lending? See also Deut. 28: 12, last part.

COMMENT: The Bible shows it is not wrong to borrow under certain circumstances — but a person should borrow ONLY after wise counsel and proper planning. The verses we have just read would not be there if God prohibited all borrowing.

But some have misunderstood Romans 13:8. Paul did not forbid borrowing when there is a real need. However, he commands us to be diligent to PAY whatever we owe — “tribute to whom tribute,” etc. (verse 7) and not to owe anything that is OVERDUE. The only thing we should owe continually is LOVE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER (verse 8).

Our present system of deficit financing and high taxation has been developing so long that it is virtually impossible for the vast majority of people to pay cash for a home or an automobile. But it will pay you big dividends to pay cash for nearly everything else.

2. What about the use of CREDIT CARDS?

COMMENT: WISE, CAUTIOUS use of the popular credit card is not wrong, especially to avoid carrying large sums of money when traveling (an unsafe practice) or to purchase needed items and to pay for some service when you immediately and/or temporarily lack sufficient cash.

Unlike other borrowing, no interest is charged on credit card purchases — IF YOU pay at the first billing. With the newer BANK credit cards — not the cards of individual stores, gasoline companies, etc. — participating stores pay a flat 3% fee which barely covers the bank’s cost of billing and collecting. However, banks prosper on the 1 1/2% monthly service charge (18% yearly) from the TWO THIRDS of credit card users who do not remit in full the first month.

If you don’t have the character to CONTROL your buying, then DON’T HAVE credit cards, and DON’T open any type of charge account! If you are already IN debt, then strive to get OUT as soon as possible.

Credit Can Kill Faith in God

Why do you want your financial problems solved? Is it so you can have a more active part in God’s Work? Or is it so you can afford more and costlier possessions in this world?

1. What is the purpose of all too many in asking blessings of God? James 4:3.

2. What did Christ have to say about the proper use of blessings? Acts 20:35.

COMMENT: It IS more blessed to give than to receive — even FINANCIALLY more blessed. How? Let’s consider. Suppose you work for a man and you really practice this principle. You’ll really SERVE him, going above and beyond what is expected. Seeing your diligence, he will very likely reward you with a better paying job, a promotion, or an increase in salary, wishing he had MORE employees like you. Your actions will please God, too, and He will BLESS YOU for applying His Laws in your work!

But to operate successfully under this principle you must REALLY “BELIEVE that he (God) IS and that He is a REWARDER of those who DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM” (Heb. 11:6). This is the WAY to QUALIFY for blessings NOW, and RULERSHIP in the world tomorrow. Plunging into credit financing, revolving charge accounts, etc., is NOT the way! It is a veritable TRAP for the unwary!

Trusting in MAN’S financial systems instead of God could become such a habit that you fail to practice God’s financial laws, turn more and more to LUSTING for physical things, and finally become SPIRITUALLY BANKRUPT! Abused credit is a satanic substitute for practicing God’s ways and TRUSTING IN HIM for your sustenance!

3. Is a true Christian ever a beggar? Psalm 37:25 and Proverbs 10:3. What does Psalm 34:9 have to say?

4. What is the reward of humility and Godly fear? Prov. 22:4. Is even the wealth of the sinner laid up for the just? Prov. 13:22. And what does the sinner receive? Prov. 15:6.

5. Are the blessings which come from God free of sorrows? Prov. 10:22.

COMMENT: Those who seek first the Kingdom of God and are prospered by Him, can be spared BOTH the troubles of poverty and the troubles of the worldly rich!

If you’ve found yourself bogged down in a seemingly endless and wearisome routine of striving for FINANCIAL success — STOP!

God doesn’t want you on a dull, dreary, monotonous treadmill day after day. He doesn’t want you to just endure a boring life. Jesus came to give you a full, vibrant, joyful and ABUNDANT life (John 10:10). You can have it — if you’ll seek it the WAY HE SAYS in His Word.

GOD will see to it that the rising cost of living doesn’t leave you destitute. HE will bless you according to your obedience to His Word, and diligence in your work. And you have the satisfaction of really serving, producing and ACCOMPLISHING.

Coming in the next lesson — more financial principles from God’s Word, with special emphasis on how to INCREASE your income and make it go further.

NOTE: This lesson has been edited and adapted from the “old” Bible Correspondence Course. This lesson was written in the late 60’s, but, by and large, it’s as true today as it was when written. The following two lessons will fill out the information you need to achieve true prosperity and security – not the fake kind this world offers.

The Restoration Website Library is chock full of important information vital to your life and the lives of your family. As this present world continues to go down the drain, we will be dependent more and more on GOD AND GOD ALONE for our protection, safety, and security – both financial and physical.

Money problems trouble more people than any other single problem,

including health. Here’s why, and how you can solve your

financial worries.

by M. John Allen

FEW PEOPLE know the SEVEN PRINCIPLES of financial success.

Fewer still are willing to apply them — if they learn them.

People assume there is always a shortcut to financial security

and prosperity. They want to take the easy road to quick gain,

only to land up deeply in debt, frustrated and — more often than

supposed — on the verge of suicide!

The BURDEN of Debt

Deficit spending is fashionable today. It fundamentally began

in 1933 when the people were promised a NEW DEAL. They were told

that going into debt on a national scale was a temporary measure

to prime the financial pump — to get prosperity rolling again.

Instead, it took a war to bring artificial prosperity. But

those seven years were enough to teach the people the HABIT OF

STAYING IN DEBT, the habit of buying things on time and paying

later — if still employed. It has become a national fixation.

And, like a cancer, it has spread to almost every nation on the face of the earth. Credit is

extended to practically everyone on practically everything. Debt

is considered normal by most people.

Some claim our public and private debt with mounting interest

the cause of our apparent prosperity. But is it?

President Obama has even stated that he thinks we can “spend ourselves

out of this financial crisis? Is that true, or just more of the same

insanity that got us into trouble in the first place?

Why, if being in debt is normal, are so many suffering from

the terrible mental strain of being in debt? Why, in such seeming

financial prosperity, are so many burdened about their jobs,

about security, about paying off their monthly installments,

about losing their homes, even about bankruptcy?

It is time we faced these questions!

Must the Poor Stay Poor?

It is not uncommon to hear the statement: “We’re just poor

folks and proud of it.”

But why should anyone be proud of poverty. Poverty is a

SHAME. God speaks of poverty as a curse — a penalty resulting

from broken laws.

Many of us, of course, cannot help being poor. It may be too

late in life to change matters. Or we may have inherited unusual

financial burdens. God knows your circumstances. God has chosen

the poor of this world to whom He reveals His truth. Most poor

people are more willing to listen to God than are the wealthy.

Poverty breeds a closer consciousness of God and the need for

God. But that does NOT mean that God’s people have to stay poor!

God prospered Abraham. He prospered Isaac and Jacob. They

were all tithe payers. Material prosperity as a right of birth

– the Birthright — became Joseph’s. Our English-speaking world

inherits that Birthright today, as well as the Blessing.

Certainly God makes plain that He wants His people to prosper.

John the Apostle was inspired to write: “Beloved, I wish above

all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy

soul prospereth” (III John 2).

Notice that ABOVE ALL THINGS in this material world, God

intends us to prosper and be in health — even as we are

prospering SPIRITUALLY. Physical prosperity and health go hand

in hand with spiritual prosperity.

The reason this nation — or any nation, for that matter — is

suffering from so much worry about debt and health is that no

nation on earth today is spiritually prospering. Since all of us

ought to be spiritually prospering, let’s notice the rules, the

laws that govern our physical prosperity.

Though health is a MAJOR consideration in our financial

well-being, this is not the place to bring up health laws. We

have an article on Seven Laws of Health by Mr. Roderick C.

Meredith. You may find it in the Basic Literature Section of

The Restoration website library.

Now to examine the principles that govern our financial

prosperity.

Case Histories

Before we plunge into the laws of financial success, we ought

to notice the personal experiences of individuals who have made

tragic mistakes in their life, people who have plunged so deeply

into debt that they may remain in debt for life or be forced into

bankruptcy. Some of these cases are not only frighteningly

tragic, but frighteningly common.

Take the case of Mr. M.

Would you have made the same mistakes that he did?

Mr. M. has a very good job and earns above average salary. He

accumulated some savings for the purpose of purchasing

a little house for himself and his family. He made the mistake,

however, of purchasing the house BEFORE he had sufficient funds

to properly furnish it.

Once he scraped together all that he possibly could to make

the down-payment, he realized that he would have to overspend in

order to furnish the place. He was offered very good terms and

time payments that he felt he could meet. Having obtained the

house and the furniture, and having signed all the necessary

contract papers and terms, he and his family moved into the

little house.

It was not long after he moved into the house, however, that

he began to realize there were all sorts of little needs for the

house — garden tools for the garden, and small items that took a

few dollars from his wages every week. These few dollars here

and there soon mounted up. At the end of the month he found that

he did not have sufficient to make payments on the furniture.

These payments began to get farther and farther behind. He

neglected to discuss his problem with the furniture company. It

was not long before he had to lag behind also in the house

payments.

By the time he had been in the house one year, he was billed

for taxes and insurance. Naturally this was more than he

expected. He now was faced with the problem of losing everything

he had.

What should Mr. M. have done?

Mr. M. should have counted the cost before he purchased his

house. Had he analyzed the situation, he would have known before

he went too far, just what he was getting into. He could have

saved for one additional year before purchasing the house, and he

could have made arrangements to purchase the furniture a little

at a time during that period, preferably for cash. He would not

have had the interest on the furniture, and many of the little

items for the house he could have picked up in advance throughout

that year and THEN prepare to move into the house.

A Business Venture That Failed

Here is another example:

Mr. B. started a small business WITHOUT SUFFICIENT BACKGROUND

or experience in the type of business in which he entered. After

making his initial investment, he no longer had sufficient funds

to hire a supervisor who did have the background and experience

necessary to handle the situation. He tried to struggle on

alone, and began to borrow money.

He worked long, hard hours for the first year or so and was

just barely able to keep his head above water. When he realized

he was getting nowhere, heavy discouragement set in, and he

gradually became slack.

The business was soon lost and all of the original investment

was absorbed. He came out broke, tired and penniless.

What should Mr. B. have done?

Mr. B. should have properly trained himself for this type of

business, or he should have entered into a business in which he

was skilled.

Now take this case:

Mr. A. was a skilled cement worker. He, too, had always made

above average wages. He came from a city in the southeastern

part of the United States where building and construction was a

year around trade.

Mr. A. had NEVER BELIEVED IN SAVING FOR EMERGENCIES. He was

convinced that, should emergencies arise, he would be able to

borrow money sufficient for the needs. But he had not counted on

being laid off due to work stoppage.

Having moved into the Los Angeles area, he soon came to the

realization that cement work and construction were spasmodic.

He found competition keener and jobs fewer in the larger city.

He was forced to sell his car in order to live.

Without sufficient transportation, he was unable to take

advantage of many of the job opportunities offered to him.

Several months went by before he realized he was fighting a

losing battle.

What should Mr. A. have done?

Mr. A. should have first, before he left his home community,

made a trip to Los Angeles and investigated working conditions,

housing conditions, and living conditions. He would have known

what to expect and could have prepared for it months or even

years before he made this move. He would have been wise to have

saved for emergencies. And he would have been wise had he

analyzed, before selling the car, which possession of his was of

least importance to his future earnings. Had he done this, he

could have refinanced and kept the car, giving him the

transportation needed to take advantage of the job opportunities

which he had.

A Farmer Goes to Town

Mr. W., in his middle fifties, is a man who has been farming

all his life. He was a successful farmer on a small scale. Mr.

W. has a wife and three sons. His eldest son was perhaps 26

years of age when he entered college. Although successful, Mr.

W. was not able to finance his son’s education.

Approximately one year after the eldest son left for college,

Mr. W. found it necessary to give up his farm and move to the

city.

This was a complete change of environment, which Mr. W. was

not able to cope with. He had no experience in working or coping

with the hustle and bustle of city life. He was untrained and

unskilled. Naturally adverse conditions resulted, and he soon ran

out of money — his savings now were completely exhausted.

He sold his possessions one after the other until there were

none left. The younger boys were not of working age, and they

soon faced starvation. Someone had to come to his rescue.

What should Mr. W. have done?

If Mr. W. had used foresight, if he had his finger more on the

pulse of his business and knew exactly where he stood, and if he

had begun to prepare for the crisis staring him in the face

before he left his farm, HE WOULD HAVE PREPARED HIMSELF BEFORE IT

WAS TOO LATE.

This preparation could consist of either night training in

school, training by correspondence course, or on the job training

during the off season of his farm work.

These are a few of the many examples that come to our

attention. There is no end to the financial problems that our

people have, or have had, mainly through lack of proper

understanding, proper foresight, and proper planning.

Some of these cases are practically beyond repair. The

individuals involved must either start life afresh, losing

everything they have; or they must remain in debt for years,

slowly climbing out of the financial pit; or they must — upon

careful legal counsel and advice by a competent individual or

minister in the Church — commence bankruptcy proceedings.

No matter if you are beginning to get into financial trouble

or are deep in financial trouble, the first thing to do is to

seek proper financial advice. I personally find that more people

are in need of financial advice than advice on health! Many

ministers in the Church have found the same thing true of their

areas.

This condition should not be — yet it is because we have

never been taught the seven principles governing financial

prosperity.

The Seven Principles

Many businessmen who know nothing about the Bible fully

understand six of the seven principles regulating their

prosperity. That is why they are financial successes. But

without that seventh principle, many a businessman has committed

suicide in the face of sudden, unexpected adversity.

By contrast, not a few converted people know only ONE rule of

financial success and are practically failures in life. Their

only hope of deliverance lies beyond the grave! This should not

be.

Here is rule NUMBER ONE: PUT SPIRITUAL THINGS FIRST. Jesus

explained it: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His

righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”

(Mat. 6:33).

This is the one principle most prosperous people are

unacquainted with. It is often the only principle that

Christians, who seek a knowledge of God, have ever understood.

This principle, if applied, is an absolute guarantee against

starvation and grinding poverty. A knowledge of this principle

is often the only reason that poor people are able to keep up

their heads in the face of adversity.

Ignorance of this one principle is the very reason that many

wealthy individuals, in the unexpected moment of adversity,

commit suicide. Newspapers are full of such cases — men and

women who know all the other rules of success, but who have no

mainstay in times of adversity.

This first financial principle ASSUMES YOU FOLLOW GOD’S LAW OF

TITHING which brings a promise from God to supply your needs. IF

YOU SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD — His laws and government, you

will naturally obey the law of tithing.

BUT THE DEGREE TO WHICH GOD WILL PROSPER YOU AND SUPPLY YOUR

NEEDS DEPENDS ON HOW THOROUGHLY YOU SEEK AND FOLLOW THE OTHER

LAWS OF HIS KINGDOM — THE OTHER SIX PRINCIPLES REGULATING YOUR

FINANCIAL LIFE!

The Other Six Rules

Everyone of these other six financial rules of success is

found in the book of Proverbs, though they may be repeated

elsewhere. It is not uncommon for businessmen to have a copy of

the book of Proverbs handy at home or in the office. These

principles are often handed down to succeeding generations in

business operations.

Here they are:

Rule NUMBER TWO: DO NOT BE A QUITTER.

Many a failure occurs because an individual gives up when

there is still hope of success. Just a little more effort can

often turn apparent defeat into success. Solomon was inspired to

write: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is

small” (Prov. 24:10). Does debt seem overwhelming? Don’t quit.

Keep working. Keep thinking. Keep planning. See your employer.

See your creditor. TALK YOUR PROBLEM OVER WITH THEM. Don’t sit

at home and say, “It’s no use!”

If you have lost your job, hit the pavement. Find work.

There is no excuse for unemployment. Buy a newspaper. Look in

the “Help Wanted” section, or in the “Employment Opportunities”

section. Go to an employment agency as a last resort. Too many

are afraid to look for a job. They faint at the thought of being

turned down. Solomon said: “If you faint” — give up, quit, feel

like a failure — you don’t have any backbone, any fortitude, any

strength.

I know a man in the Los Angeles area who suddenly lost a job

through no fault of his own. His creditors immediately jumped on

him. He did not quit. He rustled up TWO JOBS in order to meet

his payments. He went to work at two jobs for many months until

he got out from under his debt load.

Some of you may be in an unemployment area. If so, the

husband and father ought to go elsewhere and find work — taking

his family with him AFTER, not before, he has located and

obtained a suitable job. There is always work somewhere. It is

a matter of not quitting until you find it!

Rule NUMBER THREE: BE DILIGENT, not slothful in your work.

Two different places in Proverbs is this rule repeated: “Be

thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to

thy herds [or whatever your occupation may be]: for riches are

not for ever” (Prov. 27:23-24). And again: “I went by the field

of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of

understanding: and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and

nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof

was broken down … so shall poverty come … ” (Prov. 24:30-34).

Haven’t you seen small businesses that had the same general

appearances as that farm Solomon saw. And how many small farms

look like this proverb today. Too many of God’s people are

slothful in their occupation. They are lazy and apparently do

not know it! And how many workers are just as slothful, lying

down on the job, seeking coffee breaks, tea breaks or whatever it

may be.

You will never be a financial success unless you are diligent

in your work. I know several men who receive employment

practically anywhere simply because they were diligent in their

work. Even if they were not trained for a particular job,

employers know they would be worth training. Unfortunately some

use lack of training as an excuse for lack of effort, an excuse

to cover slothfulness.

Here is another proverb on this same subject: “Seest thou a

man DILIGENT in his business? he shall stand before kings; he

shall not stand before mean men (Prov. 22:29). Paul makes this a

New Testament command in Rom. 12:11.

Seek Advice

The next rule to remember is this: SEEK ADVICE; do not be

self-wise.

Notice how this fourth rule follows on the heels of the

preceding one. “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there

is more hope of a fool than of him … The sluggard is wiser in

his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason” (Prov.

26:12-16).

And again these short proverbs: “… Cease from thine own

wisdom … Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to

the words of knowledge” (Prov. 23:4-12).

The wise person profits by others, rather than listening to

himself all the time. It is the know-it-all who really knows

nothing. You will always meet some man in your life who knows

more than you do in some particular field. Listen to him. Weigh

his advice. Don’t act hastily on it. It could be wrong. It

might not apply to your case. But above all do not take your own

judgment for granted or be conceited in your past experience.

Know your limitations and your strong points.

Another mistake often made is listening to the man who talks

the loudest or seems the most persuasive. Do not judge your

advisors by their flowery phrases. Find the man who has plain

“common sense” — which gift is altogether too rare. Do not seek

advice of the man who will flatter you. Literally dozens of

proverbs in the Bible warn against the man who flatters his

hearers.

Find the man who will tell you the truth. If a man is willing

to tell you the truth about your financial position, listen to

him. He is probably right. If he leads you to see what poor

judgment you have used, he is most certainly right! Without

advisors and counselors, businesses, as well as nations,

collapse.

Rule NUMBER FIVE: HAVE FORESIGHT.

Everyone needs to develop thoughtful regard and make provision

for the future. Hind sight is not enough. Notice the proverb: “A

prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the

simple pass on, and are punished” (Prov. 22:3).

Is a lay-off in your factory around the corner? Make

provision IN ADVANCE to meet the emergency. See that another job

will be available. Have a little handy cash on hand. Above all

DO NOT PLUNGE INTO DEBT WITHOUT MAKING ABSOLUTELY SURE YOUR JOB

IS SECURE. And do not tie up what you already own as security

unless you are willing and able to lose it if an unforeseen

emergency arises. Some have foolishly tied up their car as

security for furniture. They lost their job, could not meet

furniture payments, lost possession of the car and NOW HAVE NO

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM WORK.

It is easy to put all your savings into a nice home on the

assumption that all will be fine, that no small amount of savings

will be needed. Remember this proverb: “Prepare thy work

without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and AFTERWARDS

build thine house” (Prov. 24:27). Spend your money for

education, training, tools, job improvement. Then, when you are

qualified to hold down a good job, and have had the foresight to

save some money for emergencies, is the time to enjoy the

pleasure of building a home for the family. DO NOT PUT YOUR

PLEASURES FIRST. This does not mean that a converted husband and

father should neglect the home where his wife — especially if

she is unconverted — must spend much of her time.

Final Two Rules

Although many of us would find the last two rules of rarer

use, a lack of their knowledge could spell immediate disaster if

we become confronted with the problems which they cover.

Here is rule NUMBER SIX: DO NOT TRY A GET-RICH-QUICK SCHEME.

In the first place, Solomon warns us: “Labour not to be rich”

(Prov. 23:4).

God wants us to prosper, but to be rich is another matter. He works through

many individuals together — His Church — made up of thousands of members.

All get-rich-quick schemes are basically selfish and unrealistic. The way to

prosper is to work diligently, plan ahead, invest wisely — not

follow some wild project for which one has no training, no matter

how easy it sounds. Money does not come easily. It comes through

WORK. “He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but

he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough”

– and quite often bankruptcy (Prov. 28:19). And notice the next

verses: “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that

maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent … He that hasteth

to be rich … considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.”

Lay aside your earnings little by little until you have enough

to meet your emergencies. Remember the ant!

And the SEVENTH RULE: DO NOT MAKE YOURSELF LIABLE FOR

ANOTHER’S DEBTS. “Be not thou one of them that are sureties for

debts. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy

bed from under thee?” (Prov. 22:26-27).

To be surety for a debt means to make yourself responsible for

another’s debts. Some people are “easy marks” — others always

take advantage of them. If you are not financially able to pay

the full amount of another’s debt, do not sign a paper or promise

to cover defaults of obligations. Many have not only lost their

beds, but also their shirts by this mistake! And finally notice

Proverbs 11:15: “He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for

it; and he that hateth suretyship is sure.”

Brethren, these are living financial laws. These principles

have been governing your life whether or not you have known of

them. Some of you are needlessly poor because you have been

heedless of these laws. Others of you are now so deep in debt

that you face a lifelong uphill climb.

Some have assumed that if they paid that that would undo all

their past mistakes. Brethren this is untrue.

Obedience to the law does not pay for your past mistakes.

Christ’s blood pays for past mistakes. God forgives you for

breaking these laws in the past — but the physical penalty of

debt still remains. Remember that God forgave David for

adultery, yet his child — the result of that one act of adultery

– died. There is often a physical or financial penalty to be

paid to men and society even though God has forgiven you of your

transgression.

Tithing enables you to have God’s help henceforth. And many

of you need that help dearly to square your past debts with men.

But tithing is not the only principle regulating prosperity,

there are six other rules.

Unless your creditors cancel your debts, you still owe them.

They are to be paid. The world, of course, knows nothing about

releasing a debtor in the seventh year. See Deuteronomy 15.

Unfortunately some of you brethren are being kept under an

unnecessary financial penalty because you are not being released

from past financial obligation as God’s law requires of

creditors. However, you are therefore required to continue

payment of your debts until they are squared away.

If you follow these seven laws and remain faithful in your

tithing, putting first the Kingdom of God, you will prosper.

Will you take God at His word?

For further information, and to find out how you can help this

Worldwide Work, visit the Restoration Website at:

http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/

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