The Marketplace - II

As I left the market, I walked past someone sitting by wayside.
He looked shabby and lean, as if he had not eaten for quite some time, and at first I was under the impression that he probably was a homeless person.

To my surprise he was not begging or trying to sell something, even though he looked as if he really could use some money.
He was offering people bread and glasses of water, and when they wanted to give him money in return he refused to take it.

I stopped and asked him: 
"I have seen many merchants so eager to fatten their big bellies that they do not hesitate to sell lies to the people in order to get their money, and here you are, lean, dressed in shabby clothes, and although you probably could use some money, you are giving away bread and glasses of water. 
Why aren't you at least selling your bread and your water instead of just giving it away?"

"Money is just the dust of the big lie, so what use could I have for it?" the homeless person answered me, "I'm not in the business of selling or buying the food of lies".
"Should I ask people for money so that I might go out and buy the food of lies the marketplace has to offer, and grow myself a big belly as a monument to my deceit as they have? 
Their food is poison to me, and I cannot stand it.
The food I offer is made from the fibre of truth, and I give it unconditionally".

I felt I was in the presence of a kindred spirit when I heard his words, because I felt the same way about the display of hypocrisy I had just seen.
When the man looked at me his eyes seemed to pierce into the depths of my very soul.
This was no ordinary homeless person.

"So tell me, what did you see in the marketplace?", the man asked me.

"Well, as I walked past the various stands I could not help but notice one big common denominator", I answered the man, "they all seem to thrive on a great love of money. 
In every booth there seemed to be a constant flow of money from the visitors to the top salesmen of the booth.
Many who fell for the seductive offers of the salesmen ended up giving their last penny, even putting themselves into debt in order to donate whatever they have, and the salesmen used that money to build their little empires and carve out a special niche for themselves in the market, all too often a very luxurious niche if I may add".

"You have seen well", the man said.
"When these salesmen started out, I offered some of them bread and water without requiring any money from them. 
I gave them food to distribute among the people who visited the market that they might eat from my bread and be replenished by my water.

But when they saw how the hunger and thirst in the eyes of the people drove them to their stands in large numbers, the idea was born in their minds that the effort they put into distributing the bread and water could be turned into a financial 'blessing' for themselves as well.
They began to dwell on thoughts of how they might be able to afford a bigger booth with these financial 'blessings', and a more comfortable place.
And so, they decided to put a price on the food and drink I gave them freely. 
After all, if they helped the people, it is only reasonable to expect the people to help them as well, right?"

"When they noticed the stream of money flowing their way they began to wonder if perhaps they might be able to increase the flow of financial blessings for themselves by making the bread and the water more appealing to larger crowds.
Surely if they turned the bread into cakes and the water into liquor more people would want to buy what they had to offer. 
What is wrong with that? 
After all, didn't 'Jesus turn water into wine'?
If the Man had these powers, then surely they could do the same in His authority and bring forth the miracle of turning the bread and water of life into sweet cakes and liquor."

"They began to put their talents to work in service of acquiring a mastery of different sales techniques for their cakes and liquor to increase their blessings.
They forgot they received without paying, and began to put price tags on their bread and water which they managed to transform into the image of their unbridled lust for dust."

"In their minds, blessings were equated with the accumulation of gold dust, and they began to work in service of the pot of gold, resorting to a huge palette of different sales techniques, gimmicks and rituals.
After all, it was for the common good of 'feeding the people', right?"

"Without realizing it, instead of giving the people MY bread and MY water they began to work in service of Mammon, using my gifts to create their own merchandise that they might enrich, or 'bless' themselves."

"Whereas I blessed, they turned the blessing into a curse of exploitation.
Whereas I gave, they began to take.
Whereas I came to give life abundantly, they went out of their way to drain the last drop of life out of the souls reaching out to them.
Whereas I destroyed the yoke of slavery and returned freedom to those who eat my bread and drink my water,  they put the yoke of guilt, fear and greed on the shoulders of the people and thus lead them back into slavery."

"They have carved out a niche in the big wheel of lies for themselves, entirely in the image of the big wheel, a structure serving to exploit and corrupt in the name of blessing the people.
Although they may carry an image of standing in opposition against organized religion, they are just another subset of the big wheel of lies, another incarnation of the adulterous organized religion, even using the same kind of rank system where one exults himself over the other."

"I came and served, even to the point of giving my very own blood, yet instead of following my example and serve my family, they seek to rule over them and get drunk on the blood they draw.
Where I came and sacrificed myself, they came and devoured the sheep.
They pervert my food by turning the bread into adulterous cakes sated with the raisins of their own corruption, and they turned my water of life into brandy for the damned."

"Even though some of the stands may have started out with a noble ideal, a personal revelation, invariably they end up being derailed in the worship of Mammon.
They turned the message of the Gospel into a commercial commodity which fills their pot of gold, a support mechanism for their idol worship, and I abhor it."

"By unduly and incessantly emphasizing how people rob YHWH Himself if they refuse to donate, and how they will be punished for that selfishness, or by stressing the fact that whatever they will give will return to them a hundredfold, thereby appealing to guilt, fear and greed, they rob the people of the true wealth of the spirit. 
That is the wealth I always spoke of, the wealth which belongs to the real world, the kind which does not perish like all things which are of this world, but the kind which will be part of them for all eternity."

"When you give out of the goodness of your heart, you are blessed in the spirit and you grow in the spirit. 
This is a wealth which you will take with you when you leave this world.
The wealth of this world is temporary and part of this dream world only.
So what is more valuable then, the true wealth of real life of the eternal spirit, or the temporary wealth of this playground which will perish?"

"All this adultery and spiritual fornication stands in service of securing a firm financial foundation for their empires and a comfort zone for their desires, repeating to themselves that since they are doing Me a favor they are entitled to receive a fair measure of financial blessings.
And the adjective 'fair' becomes a very elastic concept in their minds when their lust for dust devours their hearts."

"How is it that when I warned them that this world brings hardship, trials and tribulations to My own, these words are so easily forgotten?
Have they forgotten the words of My servants James or Peter, or Paul?
This world is the stage of deception where the king of lies rules, a world where evil has the power to manifest itself and reverse life so that death is celebrated as the elixir of life, and true life is seen as death."

"This is why many of the rich in this world all too often are poor and wretched in the spirit, since they were required to sacrifice their sincerity, love, compassion and honesty on the altar of Mammon.
This is why the poor in this world, who believe in Me and hope for My salvation, are tremendously rich, because they refused to sacrifice on the altar of Mammon and held fast to My truth.
Yet the adulterous merchants of My Gospel deem the rich in this world blessed and the poor cursed."

"If financial prosperity equals My blessings, how is it that they cannot remember the letter I wrote to the called-out ones in Smyrna which I dictated to my servant John, where I told them these words:
'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. 
Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.'

By the standard of the imposters preaching their own words, this scene depicts being cursed, yet I tell you, they were blessed."

"How is it that they cannot remember the letter I wrote to the ones I called out in Laodicea when I dictated to John this message:
'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. 
Would that you were cold or hot! 
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth. 
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.'

By the standards of the imposters sowing the seeds of their own gospel of lust this scene depicts a blessed church.
Yet by My standards these 'rich' people had cursed themselves with their faith in their financial prosperity.
When these words were written down, I spoke across time to these merchants and the souls they caught in their web of deceit."

"Have they forgotten Job, how everything he had was taken away from him, even his health, and how his so-called friends came to convince Job that he must have sinned that he would attract curses unto himself?"

They have not forgotten.
But the sweet cakes of the prosperity deception sell much better than the bread of truth which is not always pleasant and sweet.

"Their lust has blinded their eyes.
They wear the spiritual badge of teacher, apostle, pastor, yet cannot see with the spirit and therefore fall for the deception of the physical eyes.
For this world projects a lie and they believe in the sight of the lie, unable to see the spiritual truth through the eyes of faith."

"I have suffered, I have been rejected, beaten and abused even unto death.
Those who have been with Me when I walked with My own feet in the marketplace were abused, beaten, spat upon, lied about, even to the point where all but one were killed as I have been.
Doesn't this speak volumes about the satanic deception in the prosperity doctrine and the accursed tactics the merchants of prosperity use to push the buttons of people to sacrifice their money on the private altar of those working in service of this accursed lie?"

"How is it that those who teach in the name of Truth lack the knowledge of Truth when they promote the prosperity falsehood, even using the Torah to indulge in their fornication?"

"There is a good solid reason for the existence of trials and hardship, and why I allow them to manifest in the lives of those I love.
If you have never experienced the tug of doubt, how shall your faith be able to grow?
Whenever you overcome doubt by holding fast to faith, your faith grows stronger, and this stronger faith will bring the greater and lasting blessings in your life, blessings you will take with you when you leave this world."

"If you have always experienced abundance so that you have come to trust in your financial resources, how will you learn to rely on My provision and develop trust in Me?
You developed a reliance on your financial resources, and this kept you from experiencing my provision and grow in trust and reliance on that which does not perish.
Faith and trust go hand in hand, and a greater faith brings forth a greater trust."

"If you have not experienced rejection and hatred, how will your love grow?
Once you have partaken of the bitter taste of being rejected and hatred, you will experience the mirror reaction of your own feelings. 
Learning to let those mirror-feelings go and love where the reaction of this world might be to hate back means you grow stronger in love."

"This is the reason for the existence of adversity, and why your Heavenly Father allows trials and tribulations: that you might grow through trials and tribulation in His image and thus create a lasting eternal resource which will bring forth the fruit of untold blessings.

That is why Job had to endure suffering, that is why you will experience a measure of hardship when you follow Me.
The measure of hardship will be like a weight to your soul that it may build itself up to perfection.

So, hardship does not equal being cursed, nor does prosperity equal being blessed.
When you experience hardship it does not automatically follow that I am punishing you for your sins.
It may be that in My love for you I am giving you the opportunity to grow closer to Me.
It may be that the evil one has decided to manipulate your physical circumstances so that they project a lie which challenges your faith in My promises."

"How is it that the greedy shepherd seeks to twist my words and depict the circumstances of this world as truth where those circumstances all too often are manipulated to manifest a lie?
The manifestation of the hardship and tribulation do not equate with being cursed or living in sin, nor does the manifestation of wealth and success equate with having a good heart and being blessed.
Yet the false shepherds feed people with false expectations and faith in the lie."

"I care for the welfare of My people.
That is why, whenever there is a lack of faith, I need to allow for situations which will challenge faith that My own may overcome and grow stronger.

That is why whenever there is a lack of trust, I need to allow for situations which will make you see in your life that although everything seems to go sour, I provide, I give whatever you need, so that you come to realize I am trustWORTHY, and you are not moved by your circumstances the way you used to be since you learn to trust in Me.

That is why whenever there is a lack of love, I lead My own into situations where their lack is brought to light that they may overcome it and grow in love.
Adversity in the lives of My own serves a good purpose, for I use it to heal them and sow seeds of blessings in the fertile soil of their hearts, which will grow into blessings bringing forth fruit after their kind."

"Do you not believe Me when I tell you that My Father is the workman, the world is His workplace, and you are being carved out of the wood He holds in His hands?
Don't you know that the temptation, pleasure, success, faillure, hardship, suffering, obstruction you experience in life are used by Him to bring out your structure contained within the wood so that you may shine for all eternity as His unique work of art?
Don't you know that any temporary discomfort brings forth a great and lasting eternal joy?"

"By using guilt, fear and greed tactics you shepherds end up not only devouring and leeching the people of their earthly goods with your false motives, but you also rob the people of this eternal wealth.
The worship of Mammon turns the booths into predatory systems feeding on the weaknesses of the people who are part of the booth".

"Do you see the iron rod standing against the tree over here?" the Man continued.
"Soon I will return to the marketplace carrying this rod of iron in My hands. 
The first time I came, I drove out the merchants from the house of My Father, overthrowing their tables.
When I return the second time, this rod will make sure the merchants will never return again to promote their lies. 

When I am through, no booth or glass in the entire marketplace which stood in service of falsehood will be left unscathed. 
All that is found in the marketplace will be destroyed.
And I will bring in the ones who were rejected and at odds with the marketplace, the ones I gave My water to drink and bread to eat, and I will give them to stand in the place where the big wheel of lies once spun around.
No longer shall Mammon be revered nor shall the twin sisters of falsehood and pride be able to twist the words of My message, but I will make sure that the sound heard in this place will be the sound of Truth."

"But maybe some of these salesmen simply have been carried away and there still may be room in their hearts to remember their first love and turn back", I replied.

"Then speak to them.
Tell them to beware of using YHWH's Shabbats or their Sunday gatherings as fundraisers for their own cause.
Warn them to stop transforming every word of knowledge and understanding into food for their piggy banks."

"Ask them if they have forgotten what it means to trust in Me and My provision for them that they seek to exploit the people through clever manipulation of guilt, fear and greed.
Warn them that if they continue in this abuse of My words, my words shall become the sword that destroys them, for they are a two-edged sword cutting both ways. 
My sword sets the oppressed free, yet it cuts down the oppressor.

Ask them in whose service they really work, ask them if they were required pay for the bread and water I gave them.
Warn them that their perversion of this bread and water to serve their self-enrichment schemes will turn them into poison.
My food strengthens and brings life to those hungry for truth, yet it brings death to those who cling to lies.

Ask them why they put a price on the bread and water I gave them.
Warn them that the price they charged My people will become the price I set on their heads.

Tell them to repent and return, for I am coming, and when I come I shall destroy all booths of wickedness, first and foremost the booths of those who pretend to act in My authority.
Tell them to turn back to their first love in repentance, and learn what it means to trust Me again.
Tell them to come out of the marketplace and return while they can."

I sat in the company of this Man, drinking the water He offered me and gladly eating the bread He gave me.
His food was very different from that which was offered in the various booths, for it was undefiled, pure and tasty, given freely for my benefit without any secret hidden motive.
I believed that Man and opened up my heart to Him.
It felt as if I have known Him all of my life.

This Man spoke with an authority I had never encountered before, and so when He said that He would destroy the entire marketplace, I believed Him on His word.
The marketplace was evil to its very core, and I would be glad to see this manifestation of evil exploitation disappear.

And so, urged on by this Man I went back to the marketplace and I shout to all those with an ear to hear the message which I was supposed to deliver unto all the religious salesmen and the people who drank their words and ate from the bread of their message.

"Was the bread of truth too light a thing that you turned it into adulterous cakes filled with the raisins of your polluted ambition?
Was the water of life not enough to quench your thirst that you turned it into a potion which intoxicates the ones who drink from it?
Was your trust not strong enough to dam your lust that you damned your trust to satisfy the lust?

How is it that you devour your flock just like the prince of the world devours his harvest of souls from this world?
Who do you resemble in your deeds and your tactics, the Man sitting outside freely distributing food to the hungry and water to the thirsty, or do you resemble the prince of the marketplace who seeks to exploit the hungry and thirsty ones?
If you then carry the image of your father the devil in the ways you build your religious wheel into the structure of the big wheel of lies, how then can you claim to act in the authority of the One you rejected?
By it, you curse yourselves and you become a curse unto the ones you exploit.

You use guilt when you imply or tell the people that by not giving you money, they are withholding money from YHWH Himself.
By it, YOU become guilty before YHWH, for you steal away purity in the hearts of people.

You use fear as a push-button which generates donations by making people believe that when they do not donate to your cause, they sin against YHWH's commandment, and they will suffer the consequences.
Yet it is YOU who will come to know fear when you face the consequences of what you have become.

You use greed when you emphasize how the money given to you will return to the ones who gave it tenfold, even a hundredfold.
Yet it is YOUR greed that will devour you in its flames.

By guilt, fear and greed you become the shepherd devouring his own flock, even at the expense of the poorest among them who end up giving their last penny out of guilt, fear, or greed.

Return.
Did YHWH not seek to inspire holiness in you, the attitude of the One who resides outside of the marketplace? 
Why then do you seek to inspire unholiness, which is the prevailing attitude of the marketplace?

Did YHWH not give to you freely?
Why then do you set a price on what was given to you and take where you could give freely?

Did the Man not give you undefiled bread and pure water?
Why then have you transformed the food and water in the image of your own lust, your own recipe of salvation, using your gimmicks and your sales tactics to promote this image?

Did the Man not seek to serve you, wash your feet, and build you up?
Why then to you seek to rule, wallow in the mud, and tear your flock down to build yourself up?

To all those trapped in the booths where all your resources even including your very souls are devoured, I urge you to depart. 
Do not buy into the lie, because by it you are bought by the evil shepherds who do not care for their flock. 
They feed themselves at your expense.

Come outside, and learn what it means to act in purity and be set apart from the marketplace.
The marketplace is coming down, and those who are part of the little empires on the marketplace will be destroyed with it.

Come outside, and replenish yourself with the water of Life and Truth for which the Man asks no money in return, and eat from the Bread that your souls may be nourished and built up in the image of the Man who gave you the Bread, for He IS the Bread."