There are always many decisions that must be made for the brethren, the churches, and the different projects that are before us. As I feel my own inadequacy for this, I realize that a growing tide is coming in the walk, that of almost despising the humility which confesses, “I don’t know, but I’ll seek an answer from the Lord.”
I think this walk could very easily break down by expecting an apostle to be a superman instead of just being one whom God raised up to seek His face and get a few answers now and then that are foundational. I know there will be a crisis in this walk, and it is not too far off. That crisis will be over the subject of humility, when God deals with the arrogance that still parades in the walk and with those of us who are called to be leaders, to see if we will walk humbly with the Lord. Some will arise, even as Paul warned in his day, who will seek a place and will draw disciples after them.
We will be facing many problems, primarily those of growth. Hearts will be open to what God has to say, but only those who have deep revelation and perception will know what it is all about. Humility has never been understood. We still don’t understand the gospels when we read of the Lord Jesus Christ and how humbly He walked. Not many understood that. They couldn’t grasp it in their minds and they couldn’t even accept it when they saw it. We will be facing that again. The pride and the arrogance of this generation is so evident. Watch the arrogance of people you read about in the newspapers and notice how God is bringing down the proud.
I want to tell you about the one danger you must guard against in the days to come. You still do not understand how treacherous and deceptive the demonic powers will be, and how they will motivate people, even people in this walk. I have had revelation of many things that I know are coming and I’m concerned about giving you something in Scripture so that you will be able to understand these things when they do come, and the enemy comes against you. It is not a distant thing; is has been on the church for several months.
This walk is probably the most revolutionary concept in the history of Christianity. You’ve become conditioned to the fact that you’re liable to hear most anything from the pulpit and that you will probably believe it, because there is a certain anointing upon what comes and there’s a restraint to keep us from saying that which should not be said. The truths that will come in the days before us will be very interesting.
Matthew 24:4–14 is an important passage. And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birthpangs (notice: the beginning of birthpangs).
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. And at that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Notice that it is the Christians who will fall away, who will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, it is he who shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.
It is essential for you to see that the Body of Christ, the remnant, will go through a period of betrayal. Many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
Matthew 26:1–16 gives us an account of some of the events leading up to Jesus’ betrayal. And it came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be delivered up for crucifixion.”
Then the chief priests and elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth, and kill Him. But they were saying, “Not during the festival (the Passover), lest a riot occur among the people.”
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined at table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “What is the point of this waste?” Notice that all the disciples were protesting. “For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For the poor you have with you always; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume upon My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, and said, “What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you?” And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver. And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him. Notice that Judas was looking for a good opportunity to betray the Lord; and this he did.
Jesus was bound and then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that he had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself.” And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. Matthew 27:3–5.
I have a revelation from the Lord that these days will be repeated. You’re going to walk in a time that will see many Judases. Judas was called the “son of perdition.” The antichrist is called “the son of perdition.” The stories of Judas and the prophecies concerning the antichrist have one thing in common: they speak of the days of betrayal.
I’ve always felt very unworthy, and I am not one who can really call for loyalty. There is only one basis on which I could ask for it. If the Lord has shown you who I am and what I am to do in the earth, I can ask that you recognize that this treasure is very much in an earthen vessel and that you pray for it and hold it up before God. There is no worthiness in me that I could call for your loyalty or your submission. There is only an anointing and a position that God has given me to fulfill in the earth. If you see that, by the grace of God, then call for the grace of God to help me.
I’ve been aware that we are ready to enter into another period. I’ve been through many such periods in my life, but there will be another period of betrayal. There will be a time in which God is going to test and shake every one of you again. I could pray much about it, but it would be pointless. It is in His plan to sovereignly bring it to pass. I could say, “Lord, grant that not one will be lost,” and yet it is for the purpose of shaking every one that it comes.
I have watched things slowly shaping on the horizon, and now I see the picture even more clearly. I entreat everyone who has just recently been commissioned and set in an office, everyone who has been delegated into a place of authority, that you earnestly cry out to the Lord that you will move by a spirit of revelation and not by human understanding. It is very difficult to say this, but I am weighing and testing every relationship and every statement that is made to me, because the Lord has spoken to do so. I want to know what you really feel in your heart.
If there is rebellion and withdrawal in your own spirit from the divine order that God is bringing, you should know about it. There is a chance that you could repent. There is a chance that you could make it. If you have been moved by your circumstances and situations until you find it very easy to be rebellious against the apostolic ministry, I ask you to look to the Lord about it. Follow the truth.
As we stand on the threshold of the whole world being moved by this walk, you must realize that people will not be jumping on the bandwagon because it is popular. Only those who have been tried and tested and proven very deeply will be loyal and dedicated to it. You cannot give your consent to this walk and say, “Yes, it is right,” without going the whole way. I have done this in my own heart.
During the past few months, I have been especially careful to make sure that every man has a chance. Even if I saw the seed of rebellion or rejection of authority in the heart of a brother of whom the Spirit had given indication that he should be set aside or set into an office or commissioned, we did so without any hesitancy. We did this only because the Lord said to do so. You have to be in a position where you will be tested.
Brethren will rise to betray brethren, thinking they are doing the will of the Lord. The days of Judas are in the earth again, as well as the days of Christ. In the restoration, we not only see God again bringing forth the ministries, but we are also seeing a counterpart where Satan is bringing forth once again many of the things that have existed in ages past, to torment the Body of Christ and come against them. In the future you will recognize more than ever, that just as you look for an opportunity to serve God, others will become rebellious and start looking for an opportunity to betray.
Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. John 6:60–64. Believe me, the ones who will betray are the ones who do not believe.
Don’t tell me that every one who comes to this church believes. This walk has to be a revelation to your heart. You have to believe it. Three or four years ago I prophesied that the great influx of people would still see God testing everyone of them. It is inevitable. Some who have been here from the beginning have been tested. Some who have come in recently will be tested too. This is not an ordinary church. This is part of a remnant to whom God is going to entrust the end of an entire age and the power and blessings that will open up a new age. This will not be lightly given to an untested people. Just because you happen to sit in this church for a few months does not mean that you will be worthy to be a partaker with the remnant of the things that are coming to pass. You will have to open your heart to go through what God wants to put you through.
And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father. As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him any more. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” How true! Before you ever leave this walk, think about this: Where will you go? Where will you go?
“And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him. John 6:65–71.
Lest you say, “I’ve been moving in the gifts of the Spirit,” don’t forget—so did Judas. “I’ve performed miracles.” So did Judas. “I’ve prophesied.” So did Judas. When a solemn word like this comes, it is very important that you search your heart, and if something is missing, get down on your knees and say, “God, reveal this walk to me.” If you’re carrying in your heart bitterness or rebellion, if you’re carrying in your heart a nonsubmission, if something is eating away at your insides because you can’t get rid of the thing in your spirit, find an answer before you do as Judas did. This is not a day to let an open wound fester or to let something boil away in your blood until it turns you into a spiritual vampire to prey on the Body.
There is no witchcraft out in the satanic world as effective as the witchcraft that has arisen during the past twenty-two years within the Body. I wish you could all ride along together, but the day will come when those who are half in and half out, the mixed multitudes around the fringe of the camp, will find the fire of God falling on them and consuming them because they have murmured and complained. They didn’t see what God was doing, and therefore they were never open in their heart for it.
It is important that we do not have in our hearts a spirit of rebellion that will play into the hands of the son of perdition. It can be very religious. You may feel that you have so many answers. You can reason it out so many ways, thinking that you are so right. Remember, all the disciples were fooled on that one act of a woman squandering some precious oil on Jesus. They thought it was stupid, and by human standards it was. I can understand their reasoning as though I were there. Imagine what it was like to walk in sandals that were worn out, in clothes that were old and tattered, and no end to it—month in and month out—one year, another year, and yet another year, and then another half year. A small amount of money would have been so welcome. They had left all responsibilities of family and everything else behind. They had to sleep by an open road and walk with Him who had no place to lay His head. Then after all of that, some reckless woman comes along and in one moment squanders a year’s wages. That was enough. Judas probably said, “That does it!” And he looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
You may feel too, “I’ve gone through my trials; I’ve gone through the battles; I’ve had a terrible time keeping my head above water.” When you’re right at the end of your rope, what does it take? What kind of a stupid act would make you react as Judas did? All the disciples were ready to think the same thing about this woman. What would it take now for some who are discouraged and oppressed today to push them over the brink? Stop and think about it!
We are coming to the time when we will walk into the Kingdom, and you cannot put your hand to the plow now and then look back and be fit for the Kingdom. This is another day! You’re not playing “old maid” now. This is another game played with another kind of a deck. You’re playing for real! It is life and death! God has given you His word, and you either believe in it, play out your hand and walk with God, or you’re going to lose it all.
Be sure that the spirit of Judas is not in you. I entreat you: Do not betray the word God has given you. Don’t lift your eyes and look upon any faults or frailties of mine and turn aside, because I have a hard enough time myself not doing it. I’m aware of my own problems and faults. I ask God every morning for strength not to blow it. I’ve never been more shattered than I have been this year, and yet, look at what this year is turning out to be, how God is opening doors. I think I’ve also learned humility as I never learned it before.
We need to be one. We’re God’s family! Every day that I live God gives me more answers, and yet the questions are multiplying too fast. Let’s walk with God and ask Him to show us the truth. Lord, reveal to our hearts this walk, the divine order, and how we’re to walk with You.
Even if some of our brethren stumble, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to make it. They’re trying. They will pick themselves up and seek God and go on. It will be difficult for you to figure things out. You will be in confusion unless God shows it to you. Someone may come along and say in a very noble way, “Look at my standards, look at my principles, how I’ve walked right before God,” and then throw a lie at you. Some other brother who has stumbled along the way, but who loves God with all his heart, will give you a word from God, and the devil will say, “You can’t count on that; look at him.” These are the situations you will face among your brethren, among your elders.
If you don’t have a revelation from God, you will not know where to stand; you will not know the truth. Underneath the veneer of those who seem to be so righteous, there is such a rottenness. I suppose that we will walk through some very difficult days.
I’ve never recognized the importance of humility as I do now. Dear ones, we must walk humbly with the Lord. We must be willing to suffer for the Lord, to go through difficulties and not turn aside. There are some who have stumbled and failed; yet if they have a word from God over them and they will pick themselves up, we must stand by them and keep praying for them.
The betrayal will come and again it will be a stupid thing that triggers it off, just the same as in the days of Christ. Keep your heart open. Listen. Keep listening.
There are sermons that are words from the Lord. Sometimes there are words from the Lord that cannot be called sermons. Such was this word from the Lord.