KFLCC Kingdom Economics

Breaking the Fear of Financial Provision for the End Time

The Sea of Galilee was a large lake of water in the central part of northern Israel, where small cities had been established around the lake because of the fishing industry. Many of Christ’s disciples were fishermen and some owned their own boats (Matt. 4:18-22). The Mediterranean Sea was a coastal area running north from Lebanon to Gaza in the south, allowing for industries such as shipping and ports that were located in places such as Joppa and Caesarea. In central Israel were thousands of farms that provided produce that was consumed by the local population and, at times, carted to other cities or shipped by boat to surrounding, close nations. Jerusalem and the Bethlehem area were both known as religious centers. In Jerusalem, the Temple, the priests, and the sacrifices provided much of the economic activity. A strong olive and olive oil industry was linked with Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The area toward Hebron was known for the wine industry and grape vineyards which produced some of the most desirable grapes in that part of the world. Even the twelve spies were so impressed that they brought back clusters of grapes so large that two men had to carry them on poles (Num. 13). Another major industry, especially in the time of the Temple and the building programs of Herod the Great, were stone masonry and carpentry. Joseph was a carpenter according to Mark 6:3. Thus, Israel’s economic base was fishing, farming, oil, wine, grains, stone masons and builders. We can also add net makers, pottery makers, salt miners and other jobs that were important but received less recording in the Scriptures. Had you been living in ancient Israel during both the Old Testament and the Roman period (Christ’s time), you would have dealt with several things which, individually or collectively, could have destroyed the economic base for a family, business or entire nation. There are records of no rain in Israel for forty-two months, which caused droughts and famines that were so terrible, people were eating dove’s dung and donkey’s heads to survive (2 Kings 6:25). Wars and civil uprisings caused raiders to invade homes, taking valuable spoil and then burning the homes, leaving families without shelter (1 Sam. 30). During farming season there was always a threat of locusts and pestilences that could destroy entire fields of precious crops, leaving a farmer without food or income. Each year financial pressure fell upon the breadwinner of the house as

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