One of the easiest ways to get into an argument in Christian circles is to raise the subject of the so-called "end-time wealth transfer." It is a topic that immediately inflames passions, and ignites oftentimes acrimonious debate.

On one side are those who say: To believe that God is going to miraculously transfer wealth to Christians in the end-times is akin to the "cargo cult" mentality of some of the Pacific islanders—that one day, if we just sit and wait long enough, goodies are going to come tumbling out of the sky from some cosmic Santa Claus.

On the other hand, and this is where I find myself, are those who believe that we are moving into the end-times (if you need convincing, just read the newspapers and watch the TV news—famines, earthquakes, false prophets, lawlessness, violence, plagues, roaring waves, wars and rumors of wars.) I believe there will be an unprecedented harvest of souls before the end comes, and that God will provide Christians with the money needed to finance this immense "end-time harvest" of souls all over the world.

Is there biblical evidence of such a "wealth transfer"? I believe there is. The Bible tells us that the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous (Prov. 13:22), that "to the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God" (Eccl. 2:26).

God tells us that the wealth of the seas and the riches of the nations will be brought over to us (Is. 60:5), that we will feed on the wealth of the nations and boast in their riches (Is. 61:6), and that our gates will always be open so that men may bring us the wealth of the nations (Is. 60:11).

Job 27:13, 16, 17 says, "This is the portion of a wicked man with God ... though he heap up silver like dust ... the innocent will divide the silver." And it doesn't get much clearer than how the Message Bible puts Haggai 2:7, "I'll shake down all the godless nations. They'll bring bushels of wealth, and I will fill this temple with splendor."

Some more examples from the Bible? The wealth of surrounding nations was brought under Joseph's control in Egypt (Gen. 47:13-26); the Israelites "spoiled" or plundered the Egyptians when they left Egypt under Moses (Ex. 12:36), using four lepers God transferred massive wealth from the Syrians to the Israelites in one day, ending a terrible famine (2 Kin. 7:15-16); and the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were miraculously destroyed, leaving the righteous King Jehoshaphat with a three-day job to collect the wealth and treasure they had left behind (2 Chr. 20:22-25).

The Next Step—Pure And Holy Channels

Respected Christian leaders talk of the end-time wealth transfer. Here are just a few recent examples:

• C. Peter Wagner—God is poised to release enormous, unprecedented amounts of wealth for the advance of His kingdom here on earth. I believe that the timing for this is now upon us ... my sense is that we are not talking just seven or eight figures, but nine and ten figures.
• Benny Hinn—We are going to see a transfer of wealth upon this earth which the Bible clearly teaches throughout the Word of God ... And we are about to see it during our time.
• John Avanzini—In these end times ... God is raising up a special people to receive abundant wealth—a peculiar people who will be willing and soon able to give large portions of wealth, a people who will take the Bible literally in one of the most amazing transfers of wealth ever envisioned.
• Walter James Taylor—God has reserved money and the wealth of the sinner for His harvest in the last days. Money has a mission, and it is crying out to be in the hands of the righteous.

But in a practical sense, what can we as Marketplace Ministers—"culture missionaries" and ambassadors of Christ—do to prepare for this enormous, prodigious, colossal and stupendous release of wealth to God's people?

In a word—well, two actually—BE HOLY.

God commands us a number of times in His Word to be holy, just as He, our Lord is holy. To be "holy" means to be set apart for God, and to be clean and pure and righteous. To be "Christ-like."

This is because God will bring the transfer of wealth through people like us—His blood-bought saints, who will trust Him and obey Him implicitly. In one of the great mysteries of history, God chose to limit Himself to using human beings in almost all the great events recorded in the Bible:

But if He is going to use us to be the channels for the end-time wealth transfer, He will only use us if we are clean, pure and holy, so the wealth can pour unimpeded as through clean and unobstructed pipes or conduits. We should ask God to test and refine us, and open ourselves up to His cleansing and purifying Spirit.

We should allow Him to bathe and wash us in the water of His Word—Ephesians 5:26—let the all-powerful Word-water sluice away all the dirt and filth that we pick up in the marketplace, and ensure that we are ever ready to be God-cleansed, holy and pure vessels that are at every moment open to His Will.

"Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am God, your God. Do what I tell you; live the way I tell you. I am the God who makes you holy ... Live holy lives before me, because I, God, am holy. I have distinguished you from the nations to be My very own" (Lev. 20:7-8, 26, The Message).