Is homesteading the solution for the end times?
I've come across a lot of people in the last few years who are worried about the 'beast system' and the end times.
These people, like myself, take eschatology seriously and believe 'these are the last days.’
But the weird thing about these folk I'm talking about is that they seem to think that having a homestead is the solution to all the problems of the last days.
A “homestead” in this context is basically a moderate to large size plot where one can draw water from a well, stay off grid electrically through solar, wind or hydroelectric power, and grow one's own food.
A particular video called, "Ultimate Preparedness: You don't wanna" by vikingprepparedness on YouTube goes so far as to say that to have a homestead is to have successfully "Come out of her O my people" (Revelation 18). He calls the alternatives to homesteading 'the beast system' and the comments to this video are filled with folk that clearly long to be homesteading but for various reasons, cannot.
The Wisdom of Self-Sufficiency
While I entirely concur with the wisdom of being self-sufficient in the last days, putting "homesteading" as the definition of coming out of 'the beast system' is unfaithful for so many reasons. First, property is violently expensive in itself. So in essence, one is putting the 'beast system's' entry fee for owning property....as the price of coming out of the 'beast system.'
While many people have the means to obtain a property and become self sufficient, it flies in the face of logic and scripture to say that obtaining that (by financial means) is the solution to the end times.
Most Christians in history were poor.
Most Christians in history have not been super wealthy.
Take for example an account in Eusebius' Church History (one of the first histories of Christianity outside the Book of Acts):
"Abgarus therefore commanded the citizens to assemble early in the morning to hear the preaching of Thaddeus, and afterward he ordered gold and silver to be given him. But he refused to take it, saying, If we have forsaken that which was our own, how shall we take that which is another’s?"
In this account, a disciple is sent to a king who wants to hear about Jesus, the king offers riches to this disciple who refuses on the grounds that "If we have forsaken that which was our own, how shall we take that which is another’s?"
In other words, many early Christians took literally Christ's words:
"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."
Luke 14:33
That's not my interpretation, however those give up all their earthly possessions would be a lot closer to faithfulness than stretching over the church a line of "unless you homestead you are in the beast system."
“Unrighteous Mammon” - Jesus
Further, the New Testament gravely warns against favoring the Christians who happen to be rich:
"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?"
James 2:1-7
And it could almost, given the number of texts weighted in this direction, be said that the New Testament is anti-riches, or anti-wealth.
Take for example:
20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luke 6:20
[and the converse curse]:
"But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way."
Luke 6:24-26
And Paul speaking about the wealthy Corinthian church members feasting on 'the Lord's supper' while the poor came in late and had nothing left over:
"20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you."
1 Cor 11:20-22
Lastly, Jesus calls all wealth in the world at all to be "unrighteous mammon."
So, while I would utterly commend becoming a prepper, gathering stockpiles of food and all you need to be sufficient, making self-sufficiency in the form of 'homesteading' the equivalent to end times preparedness is ridiculous and borderline infringing on: "despis[ing] the church of God and shame those who have nothing?"
Buying And Selling Much [in the last days]?
Not to mention, if we take Revelation woodenly-seriously, and one 'cannot buy or sell unless you have the mark' then how are you going to pay property taxes? After all you're renting "your" land from the State in the form of property taxes! If you cannot pay your taxes you will have the state confiscate it after all. Therefore your Camelot is a false hope if this is to occur!
So given we don't know how things are going to play out, lets all be as prepared as we each can be reasonably. Lets not make one earthly standard of preparedness equivalent to "come out of her" unless Jesus makes that clear. And as I recall, the gentleman in the video is a pastor of a local assembly, and I believe Jesus means us clearly to come out of assemblage in these days anyhow.
That's my take.
Nate
JPSF