The Bible is full of symbolic representations. It uses the concepts in the physical world to represent something in the spirit. Money, treasure, riches, etc. are no different. The Bible uses these as tangible concepts to represent something much more, something deeper into the spirit.
Romans 11:33 ” O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom andknowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
Proverbs 23:23 “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”
The tangible concepts of the world are an allegory which represents how our mind operates. The mind is compared to the physical world. The riches or money in the world correlate with the “riches” of the mind. Wisdom and knowledge are information in the mind and these represent the treasures, riches, or the “money of our mind”; where our mind uses knowledge (i.e.“riches”) to “buy or sell” ideas and concepts that are thought to be true. Therefore, we hope to buy truth and sell falsities, and to know the difference is true wisdom and true understanding.
But how do we differentiate between a real diamond and a fake?
Isaiah 45:3-4 “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”
The real treasure of God is hard to find and you have to dig deep; so keep looking because true treasure hunters never give up!
Luke 18:22 KJV - Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Proverbs 13:7 “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”
Luke 18:22 is NOT telling you to sell your physical worldly possessions, because physical things are not the true treasures that are worth something in God’s eyes; the true treasure are in the mind. But rather sell your false understandings and false religions, give yourself permission to be “poor” which means to be willing and ready to receive the truth.
Luke 16:9&11, “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations... If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?...Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
1 Corinthians 8:1 “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
“We all have knowledge” and “mammon” represents a type of knowledge, which also represents false gods or “idols” that we serve rather than God, which is a fake diamond. However, “mammon of unrighteousness” is not bad mammon, but actually it is the “riches” that are considered “unholy” to this world because they are unorthodox and contrary to everything you have been told is true in this world. Mammon of unrighteousness is knowledge that is seen as taboo by the “religious world”. Therefore we must become “friends” with this mammon of unrighteousness. And once you make friends with (i.e. stop being critical of, open your mind to it, and become familiar with) the “unrighteous mammon” (i.e. unorthodox views, spirit of the matter and, “unknowable riches”), you will be able to use it to gain the true riches that is true wisdom and understanding; which is understanding and causes you to no longer serve the “oldness of the letter” (Rom 7:6).
Mark 10:23, 25-27 “And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! ... It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
Looking at Mark 10 spiritually, the riches spoken of in verse 25 are not worldly riches. Keep in mind, being rich materialistically is relative to how much money it takes for someone to think someone else is rich [in this world]. It is different for everyone in this world and is subjective. Some who think they are poor may be rich in another’s eyes in another part of the world. The riches spoken of in Mark are spiritual and are riches or knowledge of the mind, and “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” (Proverbs 11:28).
Ecclesiastes 5:19 “Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.”
Ecclesiastes 6:2 “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”
If the rich man spoken of in Mark 10 was talking literally, then Ecclesiastes 5:19 would be contradictory. God gives us riches (wisdom), but those that think they already “know” is what Mark 10 is talking about. And those that trust in their own knowledge (riches) shall hardly enter into the kingdom, but God gives us the true riches that “pays” for our entrance ticket. Compare the riches and wealth of Ecclesiastes 5:19 with 6:2. Riches and wealth that come with honour (i.e. glory and dignity) are knowledge with pride which that puffeth up (honour, glory, prideful). But the riches that God gives also some with humility, love, and forgiveness, which gives us the power to eat, which means true understanding of the knowledge.
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Some knowledge does have a tendency to puff up people with pride, however, let not your high-mindedness blind you to the real understanding which is love.
Colossians 1:26-27 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
The true wisdom of the mystery casts out all the old knowledge and burns the truth into our heart, a humility that forever forgives and loves unconditionally. If your knowledge does not give you this light, then keep looking for the true riches and treasure that gives you the correct understanding.
Colossians 2:2-3 “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
True knowledge is hid and the wisdom in it has to be found, but gaining the understanding of it is the key.
Proverbs 3:13-18 “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.”
There is no amount of material possession that can compare to the “merchandise” of wisdom and gaining understanding.
Revelation 13:10-11, 14, 17-18 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. ... And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. ... And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
2 Corinthians 3:6 “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
1 Corinthians 15:49-53 “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
The knowledge of this world that kills must be killed with the true wisdom of the words. In other words, “he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.”. The letter of the words kill but the Spirit of the words can also bring life. The dragon’s words are deceptive, but we take down the dragon by being able to speak as a dragon so we truly understand the dragon’s deception. Words do kill but the antidote is in the poison itself. Just like a vaccine must be made from the disease itself, antivenom must be made from venom, and incorruption must be made from the corruption. The words have to be twisted around to kill its own self. The words are seen and understood different just in the slightest which is the “twinkling of your eye” you wake up (i.e. raised incorruptible) from your sleep or stupor of ignorance. That which kills with a dagger must be killed by its own dagger. Therefore, use your captivity to “lead captivity captive” (Eph 4:8). In other words, as the human mind is able (beast, man, Rev 13) use your ability to gain knowledge to “sell” the old perceptions of this world that are entrapping you and “buy” a better understanding. Lead captivity captive. “Here is wisdom” ; use the beast to kill the beast of ignorance within you and wake up, open your own eyes (“twinkling of the eye”) and wake up from your sleep.
James 5:1-3 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
The rich man that kills with the sword must be killed so “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,…” (Ephesians 1:17-18)
The sword defeats the sword in the battle of words; the unrighteous mammon defeats the mammon. The beast overcomes itself by waking up and realizing what it truly is and humbles itself, which is the “eyes of your understanding being enlightened”.
Romans 11:33 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”