Mammon

Published on 19 July 2026 at 08:18

Son's of Perdition Series

...So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (1)

...She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (1)

There is no hope for you. You were only born to choose the path of Perdition. Well this was the case of Judas. He was destined to fail. His own unbelief condemned him (2). How can it be that one is already condemned? Except for the fulfilment of the Word (3). Is it possible to have a destiny of unbelief? What is it that ties our souls to this condemnation? What set's us apart for the fire (4) as a hopeless cause? As a chaff gathered together for burning (5). How can we become chosen? How can we escape this destiny with Perdition and the great falling away (6)? How can we succeed where Judas failed?

Jesus prayed for Peter but not recorded to have done so for Judas. For Judas He gave warnings and opportunities but it was not recorded a prayer as it was for Peter (7). Why was it recorded the prayer He made for Peter and not for Judas? We all knew there had to be a Son of Perdition and there will be a great falling away. Jesus knew as well and even who it would be. Yet why was there not recorded a prayer only warnings? Why did he not pray for him? Because He knew his heart (8). He probably searched it out. Yet could not find the gap to convince him of his iniquity and hypocrisy.

Though he was daily exposed to the word of God, the son of God Himself. Yet it was not enough to cleanse Him through the Word. Was not enough to make him let go of what he treasured inside of him most, mammon. The world and its treasures. He valued more the treasures the world could offer every time he would touch the offering of the people, than the kingdom of God and security in Jesus. Everyone left their life behind but Judas kept his life in his pocket. As that was his life. Money. Yet those little insignificant shekels could not awaken this disciple to his state. Jesus preached many times to let it go. But he just did not get it. He did not understand that he had not yet truly let go of this world because of those little shekels he insisted to hold onto and to build in the little space of his pocket

That little hole in his pockets that would always escape those few shekels so that he would desperately go to seek more. An endless dissatisfaction for more. Building his kingdom in this world so that he was not yet understanding the kingdom that awaited him.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (9)

How could the Saviour get through to him. How could he finally convince him of the passing joys of sin that would amount to nothing. How could He warn him. How was He able to warn Peter and not him. Why was he unable to see his condition?Why was he unable to let go? Why was he chosen to be the son of perdition?

He saw Zachariah sell all that he had to give to the poor (10). He witnessed the rejection of the rich young ruler and the hope that yet remained (11). Why was he unable to let go of this idol? The silver and gold. We can compare and take a look at another in his like state. Rachel... Rachel was the beloved and chosen of Jacob to be his beautiful betrothed wife. Yet Leah surpassed her sister by the deception of her father Laban (12) who insisted the eldest must be married before her younger. In this way God honoured Leah and rejected Rachel.

A judgement that was made evident by the later actions of Rachel when departing to return to the Promised land and the God of Jacob her new husband. An iniquity, greed and bad character of Rachel. It happened as they were departing this became evident as Rachel upon departing stole the idols of her father Laban who was an idolator. Though she heard, learned and accepted the God of her husband as her sister Leah did at marriage. Though she knew of the inheritance and promises that the God of Abraham had in store for his descendants. A new covenant, a covenant that was without idols or gods of the nations as it happened in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Rachel in her unbelief kept holding onto her security of this world even to steal. Rachel hid the gods of her father which was in those days called mammon which is also known as money. So Rachel essentially stole some money from her father as she departed for the Promised Land. Rachel held onto the idol of mammon, not fully believing and trusting in the God of Abraham who called her and her new husband to return to Promised land (13).

Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.” (13)

There God would be his God, his Father and his friend and would take care of him. Rachel did not fully believe. She did not fully believe in this so called Promised land. Her heart was still attached to the security that the gods of her father could offer her. What Mammon could offer her. What money could secure for her.

Unlike Leah who believed, had faith and embraced the God of Abraham who called him out of the land of his fathers the land of idolatry. Leah believed and proved why God made her to succeed her sister Rachel who was the beloved of Jacob. Why God allowed the deception in order to have through her children of faith. Children who would come from her who would also believe. Like Abraham and like Sarah. Rachel did not believe, held onto those idols exchanging her faith in the God of Abraham and the Promised land that awaited for the security of mammon.

Being confronted by her father when he caught up in the desert was her opportunity but also whilst she lived still in the desert to confess and surrender her unbelief to God. It was as though she did not have faith in Jacob who represented Jesus. Nor in God who gave the command and the Promise. A similar journey of faith was mirrored in the relationship between Lot and Abraham. God who gave the command and Promise. Abraham who obeyed left everything to go to the place God was sending him. Lot who did not fully believe and started to build his own kingdom that brought strife and ended in the separation (14). Leaving behind a faithful Sarah submitted to Abraham and the Promise yet to be fulfilled through her body.

And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. (15)

Like the old generation in the desert both Rachel, Lot, Judas and all the Sons of Perdition fell away from the plan of Salvation in the end. Rachel like Lot, Judas and all the others, in fulfilling and fighting for their hearts desire were unable to go all the way. Rachel died in childbirth. Trying to bring her dream to life. The dream that she envied (16) of her sister to have a child. She did not repent, she like Judas did not confess. She died not entering the Promised land and was buried along the way (17).

In the same way Judas too did not believe in the Promised land of the kingdom of God that the Lord Jesus came to prepare for those who would believe for those who love him. So much so Jesus waited till Judas left to remind His disciples of those things that He was preparing for those who believe (18). For those who love Him more than anything else in this world. Those like Abraham willing to leave behind father, mother, gods and idols to go to the place where God would show them. The place that He has declared through His Son. I am the way the truth and the life and no one can come to the father accept through me (19).

To those like Leah who believe and will give birth to children who also believe and surrender leaving behind the gods of their fathers to follow the one true living God. To those who like Peter are not perfect but have left behind wives, mothers, fathers to follow Him (20). Though Judas love was money, Peter was his wife and his sword. He truly put his wife in second place to follow the Lord Jesus but the sword came later after he cut the sword of the officer at the arrest. Judas had the shekels in his pocket. Peter had the sword. They both insisted to hold onto them until the end. Yet in the end Peter found repentance and Judas did not. Peter threw away his sword because he truly surrendered to the kingdom of God. He confessed and took the action of returning to the disciples humiliated for what he did. Judas did not believe so that he did not return. He only felt bad and did much worse than stealing money. He took his life.

Still why is it that Judas love of money in his pocket was so detrimental more than Peters sword in his? Rachel’s idols of mammon more than Leah’s insecurity in trying to please Jacob for him to love her? It seems more than insecurities and a pride to fight and defend oneself is the direct affront that mammon has in confronting God. In replacing or even exchanging Him for mammon. In challenging His Sovereignty, Lordship as a good shepherd and total dependency on Him as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end for all provision, safety and security. So that God allows famine, floods and natural disasters to restore the balance. So that mammon may bow down (21) before the One worthy of honour, and praise. (22)

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”(23)

Is the name Abraham called the mountain in which God tested where his heart and allegiance lied. In the blessing that was his son, his earthly inheritance. Or in his faith in God. Abraham unlike Rachel, unlike Judas agreed and took what was most precious to his heart. His god of his dreams and future security of his descendancy. The only son born from Sarah his beloved wife. Abraham was able to do this because he believed and loved God.

Leah let go of her insecurity to please Jacob because she believed and worshiped God through the name of her last son Judah(24). Peter was able to let go of his sword and return to the disciples because he also believed. Judas did not believe. He did not believe in the kingdom of God. In the Promised land of eternal life. He did not believe like Lot who chose to depart from Abraham and the plan of salvation that God would begin through him. He departed (14) to the idolaters of mammon to Sodom- sexual exploitation and Gomorrah money and power. Even though the angels saved him from the city before the fire came. The decietfulness of sin, the hardness of the heart and pride made it impossible for him to return to the father of faith. To the Promised land and covenant of faith with God. Only through his descendants. Through Ruth the Moabite would he find in his seed a heir of righteousness and inheritance towards the city made without hands (25).

So Judas was a Son of Perdition because of his unbelief. The decietfulness of sin and the hardness of heart. He did not believe so he held onto his idols in mammon as his lord and saviour. Stealing to secure his place. He did not believe so he did not have courage to confront and confess when he was exposed. He did not believe so Jesus was not able to convince him. He did not believe so sin led to sin. From stealing to betrayal. And above all he did not believe so that he took his own life and rejected the hope and faith of salvation that is through Jesus Christ.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (26)

Why is it that money is such a direct confrontation to God? Because money. Mammon the god of money. Was what Adam and Eve exchanged the peace, security and dependence on God to have when they chose to eat from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil that would make them like God. Mammon makes us like God. Self sufficiency. Providing for ourselves, looking after ourselves. Without needing to consult God. Without needing His help. Only when it is past our own strength we then turn to Him. Otherwise "my world, my money, my rules".

Mammon measures us up to God, like the Tower of Babel in Babylon. The god of mammon, the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, to be like God (1). Mammon controls consumption, movement, freedom and provisions. Things that God naturally had ready and freely available in the Garden (27). Today through offerings, we remind ourselves to let go of mammon, to surrender it and exchange it for the faith we have in Christ Jesus our only Lord and Saviour (11). This allows us to worship God and show our expression of faith in His sovereignty and greatness over mammon, wealth and power. That He is our provision, freedom and consumption.

Mammon is a constant reminder to God of the time when Eve exchanged God for mammon. Mammon is an affront to God reminding Him when man said I do not need you I can take care of myself.