In the first and second chapters of the book of Genesis, we find an account of the creation of man.

God
created him in His image and likeness and breathed into him the breath of life - man became a living
being. Having created the whole universe, God designated a particular location on earth which He called
Eden and placed man there. From that point, man was mandated to be fruitful, multiply, subdue and
have dominion over the whole earth - Eden was just the beginning point. There was supposed to be a
gradual expansion of this process impacting, affecting, and spreading throughout the rest of earth's
territories. From one man, it was intended that a civilization of people would multiply and spread
throughout the land - a people carrying the image and the likeness of God. An important thing to note is
that man was required to manage and have dominion over the MATERIAL universe. However, in what is
commonly referred to as "the fall," that process was hampered. That trajectory was hindered. And there
was a pause in the course of purpose that God had begun. We witnessed the emergence of an alien
culture that sprang from a warped view of God and fellow man, where murder, resentment, toil, and
suffering—things that were never meant to exist in the first place—became rampant. The nature of
everything in creation changed from what it was intended to be. Worse still, the enemy established a
system to govern, control, and dictate how life was to be lived on earth. This way of life was utterly
opposed to God and anything on earth that revealed His character. From that point onwards, society
was embossed with the qualities of an alien system and the driving force behind it was a spirit called
Mammon.

Contrary to what have heard in the past, in describing Mammon, we are referring to something that
transcends money or finances. Remember, at that time, civilization was still young and fragile. There was
NO money. But despite the absence of money, this spirit ruled over human hearts - and we are going to
see how. You can be held captive by mammon today even if you don't have any money - and that is
something we are going to expound further in later chapters. You can be so cultured in this mammon
system such that you never notice that something is wrong — it is like living in an invisible dome or
prison that you are not even aware of - not knowing that something is wrong. Today, whatever you see
around you as human invention, whether it be the economy or market, or anything else that involves
commerce or exchange, is almost always a product of the spirit of Mammon. This book will go in-depth
to explore the origin of mammon, how it manifested or manifests itself, how to recognize when you are
being influenced by mammon, and—most importantly—how to deal with mammon in your life. You will
also learn the pathway that God has provided as an exit from this system. At the end of it all, we shall
share some pointers on how you can exist within the civilization of the Kingdom, just as God planned,
designed and established without being touched or influenced by mammon or mammon economy.

CHAPTER 1

God's Original Intent

For a considerable amount of time, people have spoken, written, and otherwise been heard to bring up
the subject of Mammon. And because the terms "Mammon" and "money" are nearly always used
interchangeably, throughout history, thinkers have argued about it, professors have taught about it,
preachers have openly condemned it, and regular people have lived in terror of it. Jesus is the only
person to use the term "Mammon," and ever since, a great deal of commentary and literature has been
produced in response to this topic. While we are going to spend a lot of time looking at Mammon, our
goal is not to add to the existing body of knowledge; rather, we want to bring clarity to the topic with
the hope that your eyes are going to be opened to the subtle workings of this elusive spirit. More
importantly, that you may deal with it. Money and the unhealthy pursuit of gain are inextricably linked
to the concept of Mammon. It's crucial to note that money is something that was invented after the fall.
However, even though there is no record of people actually trading physical money, the system and the
spirit that controlled the existence of life on the planet was rife and developing. As we are about to
discover, money does not necessarily refer to the folded note that you save in your wallet or the coin
that you place on the counter to buy something or even cryptocurrency (But we will get to that shortly).
If man never fell, there would have been no requirement or need for money as currently constituted. To
live with and for money was never part of God's plan

for man. Right from the beginning, His desire and intent was for man to live by His voice, - what we refer
to as the proceeding word. Thousands of years later, when Jesus was in the wilderness, He was
confronted by an adversary who demanded that he provide for his own sustenance. In response, Jesus
said:- "Man shall not LIVE by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
(Matt 4:4). The word "live" in the above text means, to exist; to pass life. It means "living" or "being." His
life was not intended to be governed by that which is earthly and temporal; rather, it was designed to be
determined by a reality that originates from the unseen realm. That reality was what determined how
he lived His life on earth. It was the engine that propelled him through each day. That reality is what He
referred to as "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" or, more simply, the proceeding
word. Let us emphasize that again so that it's clear:- The original intent for man was for an existence on
earth driven by a word that came from the mouth of God. In the passage that was just read, the devil
offered Jesus a choice to satisfy his hunger by attending to his stomach. This is the very same thing that
the enemy presented in front of man in the garden of Eden, where the temptation was to indulge in
eating. Food and Money The debate about money (or lack of it) is an ongoing topic that never seems to
have an end, as it is usually laden with innuendos and opinions that protect the status quo rather than
seeking the truth. Have you ever noticed how people become agitated whenever the subject of finances
is brought up, particularly in Christendom? People tend to come up with all kinds of questions and
opinions, such as whether money is mentioned in the Old or New Testament, or whether it's related to
law or grace. Food and money are the two items represented in Genesis chapter 3, and we will
investigate this further. The enemy spoke to Eve and said, "Has God

indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (Gen 3:1). That statement led to man
eventually eating what God had forbidden, and mammon was the result. When man was told by the
enemy to "eat," and he ate, the result was mammon. Food came first, and when he submitted to that
suggestion, mammon was birthed. The only other instance in which God said He "hates" someone is due
to eating food. God said, "Esau I hated" (Mal 1:2,3; Rom 9:13), and the reason was that he despised his
birthright because of food. Even when it came to Jesus, the enemy tried to tempt Him by offering Him
food. "Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these
stones become bread [that you may eat, now that you are hungry].'" (Matt 4:3). Whether it's Adam,
Jesus, or yourself, the pattern is always the same. In the event that you, like Jesus, are successful in
getting past that obstacle, the next thing that will come your way is called mammon. In Matthew 4:8-9,
the devil took Jesus to an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory. He said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." When
we talk about "food," we are not referring to what you are eating, such as lunch or dinner. Rather, the
topic at hand is something quite different. Consider this question: In the case of Esau, how could the
Almighty God "hate" someone because of a bowl of soup? How could anything as insignificant as a bowl
of lentils or red beans prompt God to remark, "Esau, I hate"? Don't we all consume food, some of us
more than necessary? Does God despise or hate us? Not at all! So, we are not talking about literal food
here. We are discussing what "food" represents. To understand this better, let us explain the term 'form
and function.' A good example to explain this would be the blood of Jesus. When we say that the blood
of Jesus washes away our sins, we are not referring to the literal physical blood. If we did, then Jesus
would have to go back to the cross and shed His blood

for each person every time. So, when we say that the blood of Jesus washes our sins, we are referring to
its function, not to the literal blood (form). Therefore, form and function is where something does not
literally portray its form or "shape," but instead conveys its "function." When we talk about food, we are
NOT referring to the kind of food that you put in your mouth; rather, we are defining what the term
"food" signifies. Therefore, God did not detest Esau because of the actual food that he consumed;
rather, The point being made here is that our perception of certain biblical principles, such as tithing,
can be influenced by our relationship with money. When it comes to laws regarding sexual immorality or
murder, for example, we have no problem accepting them as right and true, regardless of which
testament they appear in. However, when it comes to tithing, which involves giving a portion of our
income to God, we may struggle because it involves giving up something that we value and hold dear -
our money. This struggle with mammon can be a hindrance to our spiritual growth and can prevent us
from fully embracing God's principles for our lives. It is important to recognize our own biases and
tendencies towards mammon, and to work towards toppling it from its throne in our lives. This can be
done through prayer, seeking God's guidance and wisdom, and intentionally cultivating a heart of
generosity and giving. Ultimately, the goal is to align our values and priorities with God's, and to live a
life that is pleasing to Him. This may involve challenging our own beliefs and attitudes towards money
and material possessions, and embracing a lifestyle of simplicity, contentment, and generosity. By doing
so, we can overcome the influence of mammon and experience greater spiritual freedom and
abundance in our lives. Greed and Need: The Truth About Giving and Waiting on the Lord It's important
to understand that God doesn't respond or react to our emergencies just because some

something is urgent or important to us. A foolish or selfish act driven by greed or need on our part does
not compel a response from God. Praying for assistance or a resolution to a problem after acting in a
selfish or foolish way is not effective. Sadly, many have exploited this tendency to set us up. The idea
that we must sow a seed when we have a need is flawed. Sowing only takes place during times of
harvest or when there is plenty available, not during the time of need. Acts driven by foolishness, greed,
or need should be avoided. When it comes to waiting on the Lord, it's essential to understand that it
doesn't imply inaction or passivity. Rather, it's derived from the role of a waiter in a hospitality setting,
waiting for someone to place an order so that he can carry it out. When we wait on the Lord, we should
expect to be active, carrying out what he has called us to do. It's important to ask ourselves if we've
engaged in any activities that could be considered as greedy, leading us to do something unwise or
foolish. The desire for wealth can cloud our judgment, and we must be careful not to fall into the trap of
making financial commitments we cannot keep. Giving should not be a way of avoiding responsibility.
Simply giving to God does not mean we can relax and let him take care of everything else. Instead, we
must remain active and responsible, knowing that God does not give deadlines for us to give. We must
give generously and freely, without any expectation of receiving something in return. In conclusion, we
must avoid acts driven by greed, need, or foolishness and remain active and responsible in our waiting
on the Lord and giving. Let us give generously and without expectation, trusting in God's provision and
timing. The origin of Mammon Let us begin in the book of Genesis because this is where everything
began. The book of Genesis presents us with a very intriguing scenario. First, God creates the heavens
and the earth, then populates the earth with all of the necessary requirements needed for man to exist.
Something to note is that in that abundant environment that God places man for him to exist and
function, money is absent. We do not see God saying to Adam, "Here is your capital to enable you to
operate. Here is your pocket money. Here is your pay or allowance." Before the fall, there was no such
thing as money! When God created man in the early chapters of the book of Genesis, it was always His
plan for man to function perfectly well WITHOUT the need or use of money. Man's provision with
money as a means of subsistence was not part of God's original plan. Money or monetary systems began
to emerge AFTER the fall of man. When we talk about returning to the first and second chapters of
Genesis, what we really mean is that we are going to a place where the pursuit of money is not the
primary motivation in people's lives. Money is not what we work for. Money is not what drives our lives.
Therefore, we need to ask ourselves: what then is the place of money? We will come to that shortly. If
man never fell, there would have been no need for money. And yet God had made a complete plan for
man to exist without it. Because of how we have existed throughout life, we can confidently say that we
do NOT KNOW any other existence without money. We have never experienced life without money.
That's why there are certain passages from the scriptures that we read and skim over them because
they do not make any sense to us. Take Isaiah 55:1 as an illustration; it says, "Come buy without
money." You ask, "What is Isaiah talking about?". Because to you, the word 'buy' means transaction, you
think of a purchase, an exchange, or a trade. We tend to view everything as if it were a transaction or an
exchange of some kind of value. We always think that God transacts with us. Please note that you
cannot transact with God. You cannot buy or sell anything to God. There is nothing you possess that is of
value to Him. After the fall, man devised his own set of rules, which led to the development of money,
the emergence of trading and exchange, and the beginning of the practice of buying and selling.
Mammon was activated. In addition, man also came up with a system of religion that we now refer to as
the "Church As We Know It", or CAWKI (a term you will hear a lot in this book). We brought this
Babylonian method (of buying and selling) into church with us. That's why you will hear someone saying,
"In order to receive healing, you must give." This is an exchange; this is buying and selling; this is a
transaction; an exchange! Even though we never think of it as "buying and selling," this practice has
become so widespread and common in churches that it is difficult to imagine a church without money.
The idea that if you give something, God will give you something in return is one that has been
propagated in CAWKI circles for a long time. There are cases in which a person will be told that they are
sick because they do not tithe or that they are experiencing difficulties because they did not give. Does
this imply that God punishes people with illnesses if they do not offer Him money? Consider this God
whose way of dealing with you is, "If you do not send me money, trouble is going to come your way."
That cannot be the God who created the universe and everything in it. That can only be a particular God
who lives nearby - and he is a god with a small 'g'. When God created man, what He had in mind for him
to be sustained by was His word, - not money. He intended for us to live by a word from God - a
proceeding word. If God did not intend man to live for money, where did money come from? The Origin
of Money Whenever we read or study the Bible, we always view whatever is written therein through the
lenses of the fall. We never consider how things were supposed to be if the fall hadn't taken place or if
the fall never happened. For us to understand well something written in the bible, we have to consider
the context from which it was spoken from - not the context of where we are now or where we have
fallen. If we talk about work, for instance, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is a job, a
salary, or something along those lines; these are all issues that are connected to the context of work
today. To our way of thinking, work and pay are inextricably linked. Work cannot be separated from a
wage, nor can it be separated from toil and hardship. We are unable to comprehend that the conditions
we are working in today were NOT present prior to the fall! In the state that existed before the fall,
Adam was given work without pay, without toil, without suffering, and pain. So what was work for?
Genesis 2:15 tells us that "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend
and keep it." That is work. Please note, verse 16 says: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat..." Eating was NOT connected to the work of "tending"
and "keeping" the garden. At that point, work was NOT for provision. He was not working to provide for
himself. Everything was already provided BEFORE any work had commenced. Therefore, the command
to "freely eat" was NOT payment for working. Gen 1:29 God declared that He has given man "every herb
that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it
shall be for food....", and it was so. God had given man food or provision before He commanded man to
work. He did not even specify the times for his eating. He was free to eat whenever he wanted and in
any manner that suited him. However, things changed after he fell. Terminologies and realities that
never existed before the fall such as "toil" and "sweat" where introduced. Let us examine how that
happened. Genesis 3:17-19 (this was now AFTER the fall). “Because you have heeded the voice of your
wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: ‘Cursed is
the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it
shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat
bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall
return.’ Please understand this statement well: “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife…
cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life." God is NOT telling
Adam not to heed or listen to his wife! Don't read that statement with your cultural lenses on. God is
not instructing Adam or men in general to disregard the advice of their wives or to not listen to them!
"The voice of your wife" was NOT Eve's voice; rather, it was the voice that Eve had listened to, which
was the voice of the enemy - and that voice had said, "You shall not surely die." (Gen 3:4,5). This
assertion came from the enemy. God was not actually cursing Adam and Eve when He pronounced the
'curses' upon them; He was just announcing the consequence of their disobedience. He was making it
clear to them that the consequences of their disobedience would be the following. When God said,
"Cursed is the ground for your sake," He was not actually cursing the ground; He was explaining to Adam
the "now" state of the ground and the reason why it is in that state—the "why" being their
disobedience. He was not pronouncing a curse to the ground; He was simply telling them what had just
happened as a result of their actions. Adam used to have unrestricted access and would freely eat, but
after the fall, the ground became cursed for his sake. The ground will produce little for Adam, and that
will be through toil and sweat. Thorns and thistles were not present in the original creation plants and
appeared after the fall. God was protecting man from himself since in his new fallen state, he was bound
to abuse everything in his environment. If things had continued the way they were even after the fall,
man would not have seen any need for God; he would have continued in his fallen-ness as though it was
a normal thing. If one identifies thorns, thistles, toiling, and laboring in their life, they are operating
under a fallen state, and the solution is to go back to the place where they were supposed to be. The
role of the cherubim Genesis 3:24 ‘So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the
garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.’ To
understand this, let us go over some of the things we have said. That man ate from the fruit of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil. He was supposed to live on the tree of life but he didn't. God said that
"Now I will drive you out because if you stay in the garden in your fallen state and eat from the tree of
life, in will remain forever in a state of fallen-ness. Your fallen state would never die. You will be
eternally fallen and therefore, irredeemable." Gen 3:22-24 "Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man
has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the
tree of life, and eat, AND LIVE FOREVER" Note what happened here. After driving man out of the garden,
God made a statement that pointed toward the atonement that will take place at Calvary. He stationed
cherubim’s with a flaming sword that can turn in any direction in order to guard the path leading to the
tree of life. God placed those cherubim’s in that location to ensure that man would never get lost in
finding his way back. We usually think that the cherubim’s were placed there to keep Adam from
entering. It is never stated anywhere in the Bible that God put the cherubim in the garden to keep Adam
OUT of the garden. It says "to keep the way TO the tree of life.", not "FROM" the tree of life. When you
"keep the way TO," you are implying that there is a way to get there. When you keep the way "from,"
you protect it from being accessible. The presence of the cherubim maintained that there was still
another way to get there. There was a divinely ordained path that could be taken to get back to the
ground. Man was toiling; the ground had been cursed for his sake; thorns and thistles had appeared;
everything man did was accomplished through toil. God made it difficult for man to produce anything in
order for man to give up and look for God rather than find a way around difficulties. Have you ever
considered the meaning behind the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus (the second Adam)
during crucifixion? That was to enable us to gain access to the tree of life. The fall created such a difficult
environment such that everything has to be accomplished by the sweat of your brow. A fruit tree did not
have thorns before the fall, but after the fall, it grew thorns. When you try to pick the fruits off of it, it
pricks you with its thorns, and that causes you to bleed. Since "life is on the blood", your life gets
drained. As long as you continue to function in the fallen state, it takes sweat, blood and your life being
drained in order to acquire or obtain anything. Does it sound anything like Babylon to you? That's why
Jesus asks his disciples later on, "Is life not more than what Adam reduced it to—what you should eat;
what you should drink; and what you should wear?" Now that man has been corrupted, now that he has
a different nature, what was God's plan for him? What was he supposed to do in this state? Was he not
supposed to start looking for God? When you go through trouble and toil, isn't seeking for God the most
obvious thing to do? Imagine this: If one day you are in the garden with access to everything, then the
next day you have to struggle and sweat to get the basics that used to be the norm, what are you
supposed to be learning from this experience? That you are in the wrong place! That the current state is
not your state! That you absolutely need to find your way back! God said to man, “In the sweat of your
face you shall eat bread, UNTIL you return.” (Gen 3:19). Man was supposed to return. The Cherubim
were keeping the way TO the ground; they were leading the way to the Tree of Life. Man was supposed
to go back through the cherubim. Yes, there was a flaming sword, but the sword was just a picture or a
representation of the word. The fiery sword was not intended for murder but rather for severing that
which was in error. The word is like a "two-edged sword dividing between soul and spirit". Man was
supposed to return! The phrase "UNTIL you return to the ground from where you came from" (v.19) is a
very straightforward assertion from God that man was supposed to return. But we have made it too
complicated and loaded it with all kinds of earthly meanings such that when we read it, we never see
what it actually means. God was telling Adam, "You've fallen from somewhere. Things have gone wrong.
But things will become right when you return to where you came from." Otherwise God would have told
him, "It's game over! You're done!" Instead, He said, "This status only exists and it's only going to last
UNTIL YOU RETURN TO THE GROUND FROM WHERE YOU CAME FROM." We have always interpreted the
phrase "until you return to the ground from where you came from" to mean "until he dies." If we
interpret it in this way, does that mean that the ground was supposed to be "un-cursed" when he dies?
What good would it do to remove the curse from the ground after he dies? If "the ground is now cursed
for your sake," but it will be 'un-cursed' when he returns to the ground, which, we assume, means when
he dies, then what is the point of un-cursing the ground in the first place? You will already be dead!
Imagine for a moment that I told you that the day you pass away, the curse on the land will be lifted. For
what use? This passage of scripture has always been interpreted in this manner. However, that is NOT
what it means. But rather that the curse on the ground will lifted once you return to who you are.
Genesis 2:7 - "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living being". This is the place where you become dust again
because you have already been told that, "UNTIL you return to the ground, for out of it you are taken,
for dust you are and dust you shall return." I must emphasize once more that this does not mean when
you pass away or die. No. This refers to the time when you turn back into dust so that God can take you,
shape you, and breathe new life into you (verse 7). When you return to that place called "back to the
garden" and breaths on you afresh, you start your journey again. In that place, the ground is not cursed.
But we all know that never happened. Adam and Eve never returned. Instead of finding their way back,
the devil stepped in with a solution. He appeared with an alternative. Creation and the world Now we
have a scenario where, instead of man returning, the devil came up with something new. The Bible says,
'Jesus is the lamb who was slain BEFORE the foundation of the world...' (Revelation 13:8). In order for us
to have a solid comprehension of the activities that take place in Genesis chapter 2, there are two
aspects that we would like to highlight here: The difference between creation and 'the foundation of the
world'. The phrase "Before the foundation of the world" is often misunderstood to mean "before
creation." No, it doesn't mean that. Scripture says that "In the beginning, God CREATED the heavens and
the earth". This means God "created" - NOT founded. The word "world" is not mentioned at any point in
this first verse. Therefore, the phrase "before the foundation of the world" does not refer to creation or
to the time before creation. But we will get into that shortly. The difference between creation (heaven
and earth or universe) and 'the world'. Heaven and earth were CREATED; the world was FOUNDED (not
created). "The world" did not originate with God - He did not create it. It was established by another,
and that is the devil. The Bible refers to him as "The god of this world." (2 Corinthians 4:4). The heavens
and the earth were created by God, but the devil founded the world. The phrase "Jesus, the lamb who
was slain before the foundation of the world" refers to the time period before the world was founded by
the devil or before the fall of humanity. Matthew 4:8 tells us that the devil presented Jesus with a brief
vision of the kingdoms of the world (not the earth) and offered them to him. The devil is the one who
declared, "These are given to me," and he was right - they are his. Jesus did not dispute it. He had
rebuked him on everything else except that statement. He did not challenge his assertion because He
knew that he is indeed the god of this world. He was the one who devised the system that is used to run
the world. The word 'world' used in John 3:16 ('for God so loved the world…'), is not the same word that
is used in the verse that you just read above - Matt 4:8 (the kingdoms of the world). We must
differentiate between the two, because failing to do so will either lead to confusion or lead us to believe
that the Bible contradicts itself. The same John tells us that, 'Do not love the world,'. But he does further
and explains which world he is referring to. 'Do not love the world or the things in the world for the
things in the world are the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life.’ They are only three things.
These are the same three things that are described in Genesis that the serpent offered to Eve. "And the
woman saw that it was good to the sight, good for food, and good for making one wise." If you look up
the word "world" as it was used by John and by Jesus, you will notice that both are different in meaning
and in context. Jesus told his disciples to, "Go into all the world," but John said, "Do