Refuse To Settle For Temporary Prosperity

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Throughout the Scriptures, we see God blessing and prospering His people in battle, business, health, family, financial resourcing, and, most importantly, salvation. 3 John 3:2 says;

"Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

God desires that His people would be prosperous within the margins of His plans. Therefore, we should avoid imitations of these blessings, and the pursuit of prosperity through counterfeit ways at all costs. God will provide for His people as He has consistently done for generations. There is no need to covet, conspire, or be greedy. These standards of honoring and trusting God and not buying into the world's system for our provision will be front and center in the last days. Revelation 18:3 says;

"For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich."

In Revelation, Babylon is regarded as the center of the antichrist's reign of power, primarily consisting of religious and economic dominance. Here John ties these two main facets of the antichrist's administration together. The "wine of passionate immorality" refers to false religion chronicled in the previous chapter (17), and the "kings of the world" points to the commercial aspect of the one-world government system. Both of these areas will be established and maintained by demonic power. Chapter 17 focuses entirely on the vileness of the artificial religious system using the imagery of a harlot, whereas Chapter 18 paints the picture of Babylon's economic power. We also see that commercial Babylon will seduce the unbelieving world into materialistic insanity. The people of the world, particularly kings of nations, will become intoxicated with greed. But all of this will be nothing more than shortlived prosperity as God will destroy both the fake religious and commercial system of the antichrist.

The certainty of the antichrist's administrative destruction is a reminder to steer clear from the love of money because that folly is nothing more than temporary prosperity. 1 Timothy 6.10 says;

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”