Balaam was a prophet. Now the Word does not call Balaam a false prophet. Being a false prophet was NOT Balaam’s problem. This is not why we are told:

Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Notice, These men named, Cain, Balaam and Core, corrupt themselves in what they know naturally, as brute BEASTS. Now see that this clearly identifies these three men as BEASTS. Now see, that it does not mean an animal beast. It is a Scriptural beast. This means a religious hypocrite, a serpent. Surely, you must know that Cain was not an animal? Or at least you know that Balaam and Core were not animals?

So then, God calls men who live in their natural understanding, (what they know naturally)--beasts. So, something marks these people as being Scriptural beast. What is this MARK? It is written all through the Word of God. It is just that people have overlooked this when they read. I will be showing you many of these examples in the days to come, as I have time. Today I am showing it in Balaam and Core. I may even touch a bit on Cain. All three of these men had this mark of the beast. See that God called them beast? This proves that they were marked as a beast. What marked these men as brute beast?

Notice this Scripture said that they ran greedily after the error of Balaam for REWARD. Who is this speaking of who ran greedily after the error of Balaam? Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

Jude 1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; Jude 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Now all of the above gives us a clear identification of the character of these beasts with this mark. It said they walk after their own ungodly lusts. So, what did they lust after? Money, reward. They are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts. Verse 4 said they turned the grace of God into lasciviousness. So what is that? It means LUSTS, lewd and wantonness. So this is showing that these men, from of old (before the flood)-- turned from Grace to lusting or desiring money and rewards. So they turned from the Mark of God (giving) to the mark of the beast (lusts). The love of money is the ROOT of all evil. That root began its life in the Garden of Eden, of old. That mark was on Cain. See, Cain is one of the men mentioned here, so it proves we are going back to the other side of the flood.

This is why so many miss the real truth of the Word of God. They never read it and analyze each word. They miss most of what is actually told. Cain is named as one of these men whom these evil men patterned after. So, Cain, Balaam and Core are our three examples of this turning grace into lusts.

Now we know that Balaam did receive the true prophecy from God. He did say I can only say what God tells me to say. So in doing this, he blessed Israel, instead of cursing them as the King wanted him to do. He knew he could not go against what God told him. But he still wanted that reward money the king had offered him. So what did he do? He devised a way around what God had said when He blessed Israel. Balaam knew how to make God turn against these Israelites and destroy them. The Word tells us this: Re 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Balaam wanted the reward from the King. So he sent out his doctrine. Yes, the man had a doctrine. It was casting a stumbling block before the children of Israel, teaching them to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. In doing this, he received the reward from the king. So see that Balaam sold out to get money from this king. This was his MARK, that he was a brute beast, this love for money, this selling religious things for money. See that verse 14 and 15 shows that the saints will execute the wrath of God upon all these ungodly mockers, who sell out the things of God for money. (Psm. 149). So now what about Core? He is the man who coveted that golden wedge and the Babylonish garments which he found in Jericho when it fell.

He had been warned by Joshua not to take anything from this accused city. But he sold out to his lusts. He coveted this gold. So, he had this mark of being a brute beast, this love for money. Because of this sin, he and his entire family were destroyed by the earth opening up and swallowing them alive. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. These are mockers. They mock the truth and those who do the work of God FREELY, as Jesus told us to do, without lusting for reward.

We find that Cain also turned away from Grace, to lusting for worldly things. He set up a city, which is now world-wide, Babylon. I know it was called in his day, after the name of his Son, Enos, but it is the Babylon of Scripture. Adam and Cain are its head. They built this city on MERCHANDISE. It was their ‘trafficking�?/I>. Trafficking means their many different avenues of making money and merchandise off religious worship. This is why Cain killed Abel -- because Abel was interfering with their ‘trafficking�? Abel was teaching the same thing Jesus taught -- freely GIVE the things of God. Do not place a price tag on it.