Economists and economic historians contend that current levels of trade openness are the highest they have ever been (see link). Daniel foresaw that 2,500 years ago. He wrote in Daniel 12:4, "... even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Modern supply chains are unprecedented in their density, complexity and scope. Trade volume is exponential in modern history.
Trump's well-known weapon is "tariff" -- the most beautiful word in his dictionary. Tariff is all about trade. The second and last time the word "trade" is mentioned (Trade War 2.0?) close to the end of the King James Bible. The context is the probable nuclear destruction of Mystery Babylon, New York City -- the world number 1 financial center -- Trump's old stomping ground.
Revelation 18:17 "For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off".
Given the rate that the Eagle is poking in the eye of the Bear and Dragon, the pushback is bound to come. Will they attack in retaliation according to Duduman's prophecy? The outrageous proposals of President Trump in his first 30 days appear to point to his plans of establishing America as the unrivaled maritime superpower. The freedom of navigation in the Strait of Malacca and Taiwan Strait has been guaranteed by the US Navy since World War 2. Panama Canal will soon be under American control if not already^. The strategic US control over Greenland, if it pans out, will elbow out Russian or Chinese influence in the upcoming Arctic sea route when sufficient ice melts due to climate change. The Riviera in the Middle East at Gaza could potentially be a Trojan horse to allow for a shorter route for the Red Sea to connect to the Mediterranean Sea in the controversial Ben Gurion Canal project to bypass the Suez Canal. This is speculation of course.
[^ Note: Two days after I wrote the article, the news broke that BlackRock had agreed on a deal to buy up the ports on both ends of the Panama Canal. One down for Trump.]
Trump 2.0, if successful, will result in a New World Disorder. Maybe he is part of the Plan, too. Destroy first, rebuild next. War first, then peace -- the occultic Phoenix rising from the ashes (Strong's H666 word is "ash"). Trade War 2.0 may lead to World War 3. (Trump mentioned WW3 two times in a recent meeting with Macron at the Oval Office; two days ago he accused Zelensky of risking a third world war.)
The president of Russia began to speak insistently, “Why let ourselves be led by the Americans? Why not rule the world ourselves? They have to be kicked out of Europe, too! Then I could do as I please with Europe!” ~ Dumitru DudumanThe next four years are exciting to watch.
The Greek Word for Trade
This word is ergazomai (G2038), which means to work, trade, wrought, labor, do, commit, minister. I chanced upon this word in the list of 970 Strong's Greek words in the Book of Revelation (see link). The English translation "trade" is interesting; it appears only 2 times out of the 39 occurrences of ergazomai (5%). The English word "work" appears the most in the KJV translation at 59%.
While the second mention of the word "trade" in Rev 18:17 refers to commerce and business, its first mention as found in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:16 refers more to stewardship, "Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents."
Stewardship is about the Father's business, not commercial, but divine business. Work is serious business to God and Jesus. "My Father worketh (G2038) hitherto, and I work (G2038)." (John 5:17) Lest we entertain the erroneous notion of a work-less Heaven where its citizens are on eternal vacay, this verse smashes that idea totally. Isaiah gives us an idea of the scope of eternal work, "Of the increase of his government ... there shall be no end". With so much work, a celestial DOGE might be necessary to constantly improve efficiency to meet the never-ending increase in government.
Jokes aside, the warnings issued by our Chief Executive Officer in the Book of Revelation are sobering. Believers, make sure you get the memo. To each of the seven churches, the CEO begins their performance appraisal with these four words, I KNOW THY WORKS (G2041 -- noun of G2038).
On a more cheerful note, His yoke is light and work should be fun (Matthew 11:30). Training is provided for skills upgrading, too (2 Timothy 3:17). Fear not.
970 Strong's Greek Words and Much More
There is much more to knowing that there are 970 Strong's Greek words found in the Book of Revelation and that there are 970 mentions of Jesus (real and pure) in the New Testament. According to the Accordance Bible Software, the number of different forms based on the KJV translation is 2042. Take the English word "after" (lower case). It has 9 different forms:
"after" = 9The Greek words, G3326 (meta) and G3694 (opiso), are translated as "after" 6 and 2 times respectively in the KJV. In one instance, the word "after" is added in the KJV with no matching Greek word; hence, it does not have a key or Strong's number to go with. For this case, the verse is Rev 18:14, "And the fruits that thy soul lusted after (no matching Greek) are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all."
G3326 meta μετά = 6
G3694 opiso ὀπίσω = 2
(No Key number) = 1
From the set of 2042 forms, there are 970 unique Strong's Greek words and 43 unique forms with no key number; for example, although there are 118 entries with (No Key number) = 1, it is counted as 1 unique form. The table below partially tabulates the total number of unique forms -- 1013 (970 + 43) -- based on the '2042' set of different forms.
The grey block represents the 43 unique forms with no key number. The light blue block represents the 970 unique Strong's Greek words. The 888th Greek word is humon (G5216) which means "your" or "of you". You can read about the unbelievable codes hidden here at this link. The last column consists of the 1013 unique forms in the original unsorted order. The Greek word ergazomai (G2038) is found in the same row as the 888th Greek word in the table.
The 2038th form of the unsorted '2042' set is the Greek word G5216 -- the 888th word! This is supernatural!
What is the secret hidden in G2038?
The Chief End of Man
The Westminster Catechism states that man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. This is not a scripture although it has scriptural backing. The conclusion of the whole matter according to the Preacher is this -- fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
John ends his book on the Apocalypse with this beatific vision, "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him". This scripture is congruent with Westminster Catechism and the Book of Ecclesiastes. Man is God's crown of creation -- he is quite a piece of work! Work is originally designed to delight the worker and to glorify his Maker. Sin spoiled it all. Now man had to sweat for his bread. When Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, in that day his servants shall serve him with joy. Then, work will no longer be toiled by the sweat of one's brow.
G2038 is the verb and G2041 the noun for "work"; hence, the "works" referred to in I KNOW THY WORKS is the latter. My eyes sparkled when I saw these two numbers! They appear as CV (chapter-verse) numbers of the two verses that contain Strong's H666 words in 1 Kings -- 20:38 and 20:41 !!
What has "work" (G2038 & G2041) to do with "ash" / "covering" (H666)? The key lies in Lucifer. What?! Satan is the anointed cherub that covereth (Ezekiel 28:14). His job was to cover! That was his main work! He had the privilege of walking up and down in the midst of the stones of fire before the Almighty. He beheld the glory of God nearer than any created beings. Indeed, he guarded the throne of God and overshadowed it with his wings as depicted on the mercy seat of the ark. That is some work!
As the bride of Christ, believers are granted access to the Holy of Holies to draw near to serve God. We must have moved the Devil's cheese! No wonder the church is the object of his fury.
In the workplace, when the boss is away or on leave, the worker covering him is a successor candidate, the next in line. Likewise, in the absence of Jesus, the bride is His cover. The veil (covering) separating the holiest from the holy place is Jesus -- His body -- the bride. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, ... the excellency of the power ... of God". Paraphrasing, the believers cover within the body the glory, treasure, power of God. A Spirit-filled believer is the most potent, sacred living object walking up and down the face of the earth. What a frightening, humbling thought!
What is the Meaning of Life?
At some point in our life, this question pops up in our head. Life is fleeting. We toil, struggle to make ends meet, strive to get ahead, keep a roof over our head, put food on the table, enjoy life to the fullest if we can. And so on.
The Book of Ecclesiastes grapples with this issue. Everything seems meaningless, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Wealth, enjoyment, lifestyle, work, power, status, knowledge, or even wisdom, none seems to satisfy. Just when you think this is a book on nihilism, a negative book that has no place in the canon of Scripture, the Preacher pulls back from the abyss and ends with a 'Westminster Catechism'-like admonition to believers to fear God and keep his commandments.
Work and labour under the sun is a BIG theme in Ecclesiastes, unrivaled in the Old Testament.
The words "work*" and "labour*" appear the most in the Book of Ecclesiastes in terms of count per chapter. This is consistent with the conclusion of the book -- life and work without the fear of God only feeds one's vanity with no lasting value nor real satisfaction.
The third verse of the book frames the question nicely; it helps the readers stay focused on the theme of the book, "What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" Why do we work so hard? What's in it for us? What foundation are we building our house on? Is it rock or sand? Implicitly, we are asked to count the cost.
In any dealmaking, profit is of prime consideration. This is clearly seen in the Trade War 2.0 started by the Dealmaker-in-Chief. Profit isn't necessarily in pure dollars and cents. Peace and security is another important consideration. A poor country has no leverage. So profit or economic strength is still key in diplomacy.
The Hebrew word for profit is yithron (H3504). It appears 10 times in Ecclesiastes and no where else. It is the only Hebrew word in Strong's that has a gematria value of 666! It appears in Ecclesiastes 7:12 for the 8th time in chapter 666 of the Bible!
Ever wonder why the richest man who ever lived required 666 talents of gold as tribute from his tributaries? Perhaps there is a linkage between money and the beast system.
The words of Jesus in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?", is a grim reminder on who, or what, we should work for. Choose wisely. Make your decision based on which 'next world' you wish to be in. Be not swayed by the allure of this present world.
That Certain Saint
This is the mystery person or angel who appears in Daniel 8:13. He is Palmoni, the Preincarnate Christ -- the Wonderful Numberer. In the account, this certain saint, appears to be of a higher rank than the other two saints. He appears to be a numberer, giving precise number information to his companions -- "two thousand and three hundred days".
It is therefore not surprising that one can find Palmoni encoded in the '2042' set of different forms that are extracted from the KJV translation of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
- The total number of forms without key number is 259, consisting of 43 unique and 216 repeated forms. The Hebrew gematria of Palmoni is 216.
- The total number of forms with Strong's Greek number is 1783, consisting of 970 unique and 813 repeated forms. Palmoni is found in Daniel 8:13 !!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Doves, the Greek word ergazomai, translated as "trade", is found in the passage that describes the destruction (possibly nuclear) of Mystery Babylon, New York City in Revelation chapter 18. The current Trade War 2.0 may potentially lead to major global conflicts that will eventually be settled by nuclear warheads.
The Greek word ergazomai is predominantly translated as "work" in the KJV. Following the word meaning trail, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Tariff 2.0 morphed into Work 2.0. In the process, we gained a new perspective on the real nature of work -- that economic activity necessary for livelihood yet rarely embraced passionately by workers the world over. But for pilgrims like us, awesome heavenly work lies ahead of us. Once we get up there, chill all we want. But to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to relax, and a time to work. Going by the patterns set by the priesthood of the old covenant, each out of the 24 courses of priests, needs only to serve about twice a year, seven days each shift. So there is plenty of free time to unwind and decompress in Heaven!
The twists and turns of trade and war is quite a spectacle to behold. With Trump in the White House, business is no longer as usual. Much as I enjoy the drama playing out before our eyes down here, I would rather sit under the tree of life up there any time, sipping a cup of cappuccino in one hand, and counting with a calculator in the other :)
Come, Lord Jesus!
John