Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: May 24, 2025
Update	: May 24, 2025
Parts	: 01

Synopsis:



As I mention in other BBB Bible articles such as "Who is Babylon the Great?", in the Scriptures, as well as in a few non-biblical sources, first century Jerusalem is described as being a great, international city into which flow multitudes from many surrounding nations. In addition to Jerusalem's obvious religious significance to the Jews themselves and to Jewish proselytes, exactly why would so much international traffic flow through the city? The fact is that ancient Jerusalem was also an important commercial center as well. Seriously, do you honestly believe that the money-minded Jews would not want to take financial advantage of all those multitudes of people who were visiting their city every single year from eastern Asia, southern Europe and north Africa?

One good example can be found in 1 Kings 10 where the wealth of King Solomon is discussed. We are told that even the queen of Sheba -- who was very rich herself -- was very impressed by the level of Solomon's prosperity. Not only did Solomon receive great wealth from her, but he also had an agreement with King Hiram's navy which dealt in gold, precious stones, and other items. Considering Jerusalem's location, Solomon may have also had some interaction with the various spice routes which traversed near, or across, Israel, such as the Nabateans' famous "Spice Route". This particular trade route ran from Arabia, through the Negev Desert, on to Gaza. There was also the "King's Highway", and the "Incense" trade route. Consider the following verses:

"And she [the queen of Sheba] said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.‭ ‭‭Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen ‭it‭: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard . . . And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones . . . Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,‭ Beside ‭that he had‭ of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country . . . And all king Solomon's drinking vessels ‭were of‭ gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon ‭were of‭ pure gold; none ‭were of‭ silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.‭ For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.‭ So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom . . . And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.‭"


"‭‭Beside ‭that which‭ chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.‭"


"And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and ‭some‭ of my servants set I at the gates, ‭that‭ there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.‭ So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.‭"


So what we see then is that there was a fair amount of trade occurring between Jerusalem and the neighboring countries. If there is one thing we learn about the Jews from the Bible, it is that they esteemed financial profit above everything else; including above their own religion. In fact, it's quite evident that they used their religion as a mechanism to gain profit. If you doubt that this is so, then let me remind you of how they polluted the temple compound in Jerusalem with all of their shrewd financial dealings. Many of you will no doubt recall that it angered Jesus so much, that He took a whip to those greedy people, and overturned their tables. This was in addition to how He accused those vile people of oppressing the poor. Consider the following group of verses:

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."


"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."


"And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."


"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! FOR YE DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."


"And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation."


"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."


"And through covetousness shall they with feigned words MAKE MERCHANDISE OF YOU: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."


The financial greed of the Jews extended -- and continues to extend to this very day -- way beyond just oppressing their own people. In fact, the Scriptures inform us in the pages of the Old Testament that the Lord promised the Israelites that if they would remain faithful to Him, He would basically give them financial control of the world. He would make them the head, and not the tail. Exactly how did they accomplish this? By lending large sums of money, charging interest, and never borrowing money themselves. Consider the following group of sample Bible verses which confirm these various points:

"For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and THOU SHALT LEND UNTO MANY NATIONS, but thou shalt not borrow; and THOU SHALT REIGN OVER MANY NATIONS, but they shall not reign over thee."


"The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and THOU SHALT LEND UNTO MANY NATIONS, and thou shalt not borrow.‭ And THE LORD SHALL MAKE THEE THE HEAD, AND NOT THE TAIL; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do ‭them‭:‭"


"‭‭UNTO A STRANGER THOU MAYEST LEND UPON USURY; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.‭"


Please carefully notice what that last verse states. While they were permitted to charge interest to strangers -- that is, to those people who were not Israelites, or to goyim -- it was strictly forbidden for them to charge interest to their own brethren. This same point is further confirmed by Bible verses such as the following:

"If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury."


"And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase."


"Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it."


As we saw earlier, God had told the Israelites that if they would faithfully and diligently follow Him and obey Him, He would mightily bless them, including in a financial sense as well. However, sadly, as I point out in articles such as "The Fruits of Disobedience", the truth of the matter is that they did NOT continue to obey the Lord as they had been warned to do by leaders such as Moses and Joshua.

Not only did the Israelites rebel against the Lord time and time again and become a spiritual harlot in God's sight, but they became extremely greedy. In fact, so much so that they began to financially oppress their very own brethren, which they were NOT supposed to do. As I have mentioned before, the thirty-fourth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel offers us a very clear example of this. Please do take the time to read it in its entirety. The chapter is quite an indictment against the greedy, self-serving leadership of ancient Israel. Following are some additional verses which clearly expose their sins of avarice -- greed -- and financial oppression:

"And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live. Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise."


"He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved."


"He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor."


"But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, AND HATH NOT OPPRESSED ANY, BUT HATH RESTORED TO THE DEBTOR HIS PLEDGE, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; HE THAT HATH NOT GIVEN FORTH UPON USURY, NEITHER HATH TAKEN ANY INCREASE, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD. If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife, HATH OPPRESSED THE POOR AND NEEDY, hath spoiled by violence, HATH NOT RESTORED THE PLEDGE, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, HATH GIVEN FORTH UPON USURY, AND HATH TAKEN INCREASE: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, NEITHER HATH OPPRESSED ANY, HATH NOT WITHHOLDEN THE PLEDGE, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, THAT HATH TAKEN OFF HIS HAND FROM THE POOR, THAT HATH NOT RECEIVED USURY NOR INCREASE, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live."


"In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD."


So if the Jews were so greedy that they even financially abused their own brethren, do you honestly think that they have not done the same -- and worse -- to the rest of the world? As I explain in articles such as "Welcome to Great Israel, USA" and "The International Jew and the Protocols of Zion", that is exactly what they did, and continue to do to this very day. This is not just some wild conspiracy theory. It is verifiable fact, which you can confirm for yourself, if you are willing to take the time to conduct some proper research.

Furthermore, over time, the Jews became so good at managing money and earning a profit, that kings and nations desired their services, not realizing what a terrible trap it was, and what it would eventually lead to. You see, what actually happened is that through shrewd financial dealings, and their practice of lending money with interest, while not borrowing any money themselves, the Jews slowly weaseled their way into one country after another, and took over those nations. Now, of course, once they controlled the national purse, they also controlled the political leaders as well. Does this sound a little familiar to you?

As I said, the end result of all of their sly manipulations is that today, through modern financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Federal Reserve Bank, and other national banking institutions, the Jews have gained control of the financial pulse of so many different nations who are now in their debt. The Jews are in fact the invisible hand behind modern politics.

Down through history, different countries have woken up to the machinations of the Jews. That is precisely why the Jews have a long history of being kicked out of one country after another. They do not know how to be good guests. They always want to be in control. It is in their blood. While the Bible does not say it clearly, I strongly suspect that this may possibly be one of the reasons why Emperor Claudius Caesar ordered all of the Jews to leave the city of Rome somewhere between 41 AD and 53 AD, as we see by the following verse:

"After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome) and came unto them."


In fact, according to historical sources, this expulsion by Emperor Claudius was at least the third time that the Jews were ordered to leave Rome. In the year 139 BC, they were expelled after having been accused of Judaizing amongst the Gentiles. Then again, in the year 19 AD, Emperor Tiberius likewise expelled them from the city for what are believed to have been similar reasons. The third expulsion of the Jews from Rome, as noted by Luke in the previous verses, is likewise mentioned by two Roman historians. In his work "De Vita Caesarum" -- which is also known as "On the Life of the Caesars", "The Lives of the Twelve Caesars" or simply "The Twelve Caesars -- in the section concerning Claudius, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus briefly notes the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

"Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome."

----- End Quote -----

There is considerable debate regarding whether or not the name "Chrestus" in the previous quote is a direct reference to Jesus, or to some other Jew in Rome who was instigating the Jews to riot. At any rate, in his work "Historia Romana" -- or "Roman History" -- Roman historian Lucius Cassius Dio also writes the following regarding Claudius' dealings with the Jews in Rome:

----- Begin Quote -----

"As for the Jews, who had again increased so greatly that by reason of their multitude it would have been hard without raising a tumult to bar them from the city, he did not drive them out, but ordered them, while continuing their traditional mode of life, not to hold meetings."

----- End Quote -----

Finally, the Fifth Century Catholic priest, historian and theologian Paulus Orosius also mentions the third expulsion of the Jews from Rome in Book VII of his "Historiae Adversus Paganos", in which he refers to the writings of noted Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, as well as to the writings of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, as we see by this excerpt:

----- Begin Quote -----

"Josephus reports, 'In his ninth year the Jews were expelled by Claudius from the city.' But Suetonius, who speaks as follows, influences me more: 'Claudius expelled from Rome the Jews constantly rioting at the instigation of Christ [Christo, or rather xpo].' As far as whether he had commanded that the Jews rioting against Christ [Christum] be restrained and checked or also had wanted the Christians, as persons of a cognate religion, to be expelled, it is not at all to be discerned."

----- End Quote -----

So regardless of exactly why they were expelled from Rome, the point is that down through history, the Jews have been a troublesome lot in whatever place they have gone to. In fact, contrary to what you may believe, I suspect that this is how they ended up in Israel not quite eighty years ago in 1948. The truth is that the Europeans had had enough of the Jews. Providing them with their own country was not simply altruism on the part of the Europeans. I do not believe that they were simply being nice people who cared about the welfare of the Jews. Neither were they only motivated by a sense of guilt due to the atrocities which had been committed by Hitler only a few years earlier. It was also the fact that they were just tired of the Jews taking financial control of their countries.

Some of you will no doubt have heard of German-Jewish banker Mayer Amschel Rothschild. I discuss him in articles such as "Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!". For those of you who don't know who he was, he was the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty, and is sometimes referred to as a "founding father of international finance". Many decades ago he famously said the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

"Give me control of a nation’s money, and I care not who makes her laws."

----- End Quote -----

However, by the time that the Jews were booted out of Europe, it was really already much too late. The Rothschild family took over Germany; then all of Europe; then they went over to Great Britain; and then they crossed the ocean to the United States of America. Now they and other powerful German-Jewish families are everywhere, all over the globe. Exactly as the Scriptures state, they have become the kings and merchants of the world. They own and control it all, and in more ways than one.

Again, this isn't just a wild Internet conspiracy theory. It is a fact which you can easily verify for yourself, if you're willing to make the effort. In fact, you can begin by reading the aforementioned series. It will really wake you up to the truth. To reiterate, how did the Jews achieve this level of global financial control? There's a short verse in the Bible which lays bare the truth, and that is the following one. In particular, please take note of the second half of the verse:

"The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower ‭is‭ servant to the lender.‭"


Now, here's the thing. The Jews will attempt to convince you that they have become so financially successful in the world, because they have been blessed by God. Some of them may even point you to Deuteronomy 28:12-13 where God says that He will make them the head and not the tail. However, please do not allow yourself to be deceived by this devilish ruse. Because what they will not mention is how God's blessings are always conditional and are determined by our obedience to His Will. They will likewise not mention the fact that they lost God's blessings when they rebelled against the Lord and became a spiritual harlot in His sight. They will not tell you that they murdered His Son, and thus lost the Kingdom, as we see by the following Bible verse:

"Therefore say I unto you [meaning the unbelieving Jews], The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."


As a result, they became the focus of His wrath, and not the focus of His blessings, as I explain in articles such as my lengthy series "Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem". That wrath was felt with the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple compound in 70 AD. I am also reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in his first Epistle to the brethren at Thessalonika where he describes how the Jews constantly endeavored to impede the propagation of the Gospel message. Consider the following harsh verses:

"For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and THEY PLEASE NOT GOD, AND ARE CONTRARY TO ALL MEN: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost."


Yes, it would definitely seem that the Jews have indeed been blessed in this present world. However, personally, I am by no means convinced that their global power and prosperity is really a result of being blessed by the same God who you and I worship. The Scriptures in fact tell us rather plainly who the real god of the unbelieving Jews is. The Bible tells us exactly who bestows such worldly wealth and power on them, as we can easily determine by the following set of verses:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it."


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"


"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, IS NOT OF THE FATHER, BUT IS OF THE WORLD. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


So as you can plainly see, contrary to their claims, the god of the unbelieving, secular Jews is the Devil. Their god is the false god of this world. Their god is the god of money and materialism. That is the kingdom they wanted, and so that is exactly the kingdom that they got. While the Jews may be the rulers, kings and merchants of an earthly, physical, material kingdom which will one day perish, they will never rule in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven which you and I will inherit one day due to our faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And that, my friends, is all that truly matters.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the BBB Bible web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Abundant Life Doctrine: Scripturally Exposed!
Going Down the Highway of Life
Have You Sold Your Soul for a Pound of Flesh?
Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?
Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation
Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon
Oh Israel, Why Will Ye Die?
The Fruits of Disobedience
The International Jew and the Protocols of Zion
Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!
What About the Poor?
Who Is Babylon the Great?
You've Got It Wrong: Submit and Live!

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the BBB Bible website. There are many treasures for you to discover.