“He has made clear to you, O man, what is good; and what is desired from you by the Lord; only doing what is right, and loving mercy, and walking without pride before your God” (Micah 6:8 BBE).
“Who may ascend to the LORD’s hill? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalms 24:3-5 HNV).
The time has come in the history of mankind for the Lord to clean up.
In 1977 in Dauphin, Manitoba, God told me He was finished winking, that He was fed up to the full with the sins of the people and would take no more. He told me the same in 1984 in Bernalillo, New Mexico. He told me the same in 1998. For the past several years, I have been saying, “The noose is tightening.”
All were cheating, misleading, misrepresenting, reneging, defrauding.
Now I say the noose has been tightened, and the trap door is opening. God is finished turning away from the violence that is everywhere in every form at every level of society. I would like to speak specifically of the violence in business, trade, and commerce.
In Noah’s day, God saw how people were conducting themselves and decided He would take no more:
“And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And, behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13 MKJV).
The meaning of the word “violence” is not quite what most suppose. We usually think of it as literal physical force such as brawling, armed robbery, wounding, raping and murdering. But the root of the Hebrew word “khamas” simply means wrong or unjust gain; – “cruel(ty), damage, false, injustice, oppressor, unrighteous, violence (against, done), violent dealing” (Strong’s H2555).
It was all about greed and corrupt commercial, economic, governmental, and social conduct. People shook hands and smiled and promised and flattered. Nobody could be trusted. They wrote up contracts, not only to facilitate records and memory of details, but primarily because they did not, and could not, trust one another. All were cheating, misleading, misrepresenting, reneging, defrauding, lying, and deceiving – taking more than was coming to them, and not returning to others that which belonged to them.
People were friendly more often than not – they did not necessarily appear violent or do physical violence. To be sure, there was that as well, but for the most part it was as it is today in Europe, North America, and everywhere else in the world. It was not as bad in Noah’s day as it is today. Today is bad.
Hasn’t God told us it would be worse? Why would He be sending fire this time, but only water in Noah’s day, except the wickedness needs much greater cleansing power? God will do a complete renovation.
And haven’t His servants warned us about the wickedness of today?
“Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 MKJV).
They often appeared as good family people, as upstanding citizens.
“But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 MKJV).
In Noah’s day, people dressed up and went to church and did all sorts of normal things, as well as great works in God’s Name. They often appeared as good family people, as upstanding, successful, charitable citizens, some as heroes of their communities and territories. As the Bible says, there were giants in those days, not just in physical stature, but in financial, political, and social stature:
“There were giants in the earth in those days. And also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore to them, they were mighty men who existed of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4 MKJV).
The word “giants” is translated from the Hebrew, “nefeel” (Strong’s H5303) which meant “fellers, bullies, or tyrants.” There were also “mighty men” (Strong’s H1368), that is, “champions” and “heroes,” socially prominent, preeminent, and powerful; they were famous; they were men who were honored for their authority and character (not integrity, but personality or charisma), much like the achievers or supposed heroes people admire and emulate in our day.
Need I name names? Just think about the large corporate executives making several millions a year. Think of the movers and shakers who maneuver themselves for acquisitions and takeovers, gathering great gobs of gold. Think of the politicians who clamber to the top of the heap, neutralizing their competitors any way they can. Think of the stock brokers, real estate agents, insurance brokers, bankers, and corrupt unions. Think of the medical establishment – the legal drug pushers – doctors and the pharmaceutical corporations. Think of the petrochemical polluters of the earth, not to mention the drug cartels and organized crime organizations.
Think of the religious organizations and their leaders. Think of the televangelists, who in the Name of God, unscrupulously milk the poor and widows for all they’ve got, and live in extravagance and decadence without the slightest pang of conscience; indeed, they laugh at the suckers whom they have deceived into thinking they are men of God. Yes, there is rampant violence all around us and God is done with it. He can take no more.
Think about this: When I buy a car from a dealer, why should I need a contract? What good is it? Will not a handshake do if there is goodwill and genuine neighborly concern between buyer and seller? Must I have it on paper in case I have to go to court to claim what is rightfully mine or try to keep that which the other party tries to take from me that is not rightfully his? Why should that be? Must my business dealer be on his guard against me and vice versa?
God is looking for truth, goodness, mercy, and justice – reliable business without written contracts.
How about, “Seller be fair,” instead of, “Buyer beware”?
He is looking for genuine respect and care for the neighbor. If I purchase a vehicle, I should not try to beat the salesman down to a meager compensation for his efforts, and then walk away boasting about the great deal I got. Not only should I care about getting a fair deal for myself, I should care even more that the salesman got fairly paid for his work. At the same time, he should not be going for the jugular and seeking exorbitant compensation to the buyer’s detriment.
If I agree for a price on a vehicle, it should stand to reason that if there are unexpected problems with it soon after I buy it, though I am not abusive or negligent, the vendor should have my best interests at heart and be willing, indeed eager, to make things right, fair, and satisfactory for me. The deal should go well for both parties. God loves a fair balance and hates otherwise. And the word gets out. Customers flock to that business dealer.
“Caveat emptor (buyer beware)”? That is how the Romans did it, and Rome fell. How about the way they do things in the New Kingdom, the One now about to be established? How about, “Seller be fair,” instead of, “Buyer beware”? Just think of what it would be like if you could walk into any store or showroom and pay the asking price without fear or doubt, confident the price is fair and assured that if anything goes wrong, the vendor will take care of it without debate or hesitation. What can one say of a world in which the seller is genuinely out for your best interests as a customer?
And how would the seller feel if he has a friendly buyer who is willing to pay the fair price, not being the least interested in chiseling him down to the rock bottom price where the vendor makes less than a decent return for his labor? How would he feel when there are no unscrupulous competitors making his life difficult? How would he feel when he doesn’t need competition to keep him honest?
The right and wrong of a thing is not the issue; winning is the issue.
Consider another point in sales where prices are subject to negotiations. The strong and skilled come in and successfully negotiate the best deal they can. The weak come in and pay more for the same product. Is not God concerned about the weak, the defenseless, the orphans, the fatherless, and the widows? Should we not have His mind and concern at heart for all? Yes, being made in His image, you better believe we should. That is God’s will.
Is there an honest commercial in the media? There may be, but I can’t think of one; on the other hand, I can think of many that are dishonest. Watch one hour of television that has commercials and think analytically and honestly about each one. I have no doubt that in the majority of them you will find fraud and bald-faced lies. And many swallow those lies (“Wow! That’s a good commercial,” or “Hey, I want some!”); he buys the promise, feels less than satisfied, and turns around and does the same himself, lying and burning others. We are jaded; we know merchandisers are lying; we expect it, accept it, fall for it, and live as though it can never be any other way. Think of it: It matters no more that the promised dreams do not come true. Disillusionment has become passé.
Today, we hear men say, “Greed is good.” We see them proud of being able to outmaneuver their competitors and fellow business associates. Law practitioners take pride, not in justice, but in winning. Doctors get paid whether they cure or kill the patient (at least in North America). Men charged or sued for what are blatantly evil offenses invariably plead, “Not guilty.”
Everybody is innocent. The right and wrong of a thing is not the issue; winning is the issue. Escaping consequence is the issue. It is not a matter of right, but of might. The world revels in overcoming instead of doing good. Man is so depraved that he does not realize that right is true might. There is violence everywhere we turn. It is indeed a dog eat dog world.
God is finished winking. He is done with overlooking violence. The violent businessman, trader, and neighbor be damned, but the good and fair one be blessed. Is there any remaining on this earth of the latter? Who will be first or the next to commit him or herself to being the latter in this last day? Who is he or she that will experience the great blessing of God by taking that stand? Only by God’s grace will this happen. It is not in man to do good.
Victor Hafichuk