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 there is a growing tide that almost despises the humility which confesses, “I do not know, but I will seek an answer from the Lord.” This walk with the Lord could very easily break down because of a few who expect one ministry to be a superman instead of just being one whom God raised up to seek His face and to get a few answers now and then which are foundational. I know there will be a crisis, a crisis over the subject of humility. God is about to deal with the arrogance that still parades in this walk with the Lord. He is about to deal with those who are called to be leaders to see if they 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 (Acts 20:30).
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 truly understand. Humility has never been understood. We still do not understand the gospels when we read of how humbly the Lord Jesus Christ walked. Not many people in His day understood, and they could not accept it. We will be facing that again. The pride and the arrogance of this generation is evident. We read everyday of the arrogance of people, but we also see how God is bringing down the proud.
We must be aware of the danger we must guard against in the days to come. We still do not realize how treacherous and deceptive the demonic powers will be and how they will motivate people, even people who are in this walk in the Spirit. I have had revelation of many things that are coming. I am concerned about laying a scriptural foundation so that we will be able to understand these things when they do come. These are not distant things; they are already upon us.
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 birth pangs” (notice: the beginning of birth pangs).
“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 us to realize that the Body of Christ, the remnant, will go through a period of betrayal. Many will fall away, 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 the 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. Judas was looking for a good opportunity to betray the Lord; and this he did. After Jesus was betrayed and seized at Gethsemane and tried before the Jewish council, He was delivered to Pilate. 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.
The Lord has revealed that those days of betrayal will be repeated. We will walk in a time that will see many Judases. Judas was called the “son of perdition” (John 17:12). The antichrist is called “the son of perdition” (II Thessalonians 2:3). The stories of Judas and the prophecies concerning the antichrist have one thing in common: they speak of the days of betrayal.
I have 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 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 this vessel whereby 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 have been aware that we are ready to enter into another period of betrayal. I have been through many such periods in my life, but there will be another such period in which God will test and shake everyone again. I could pray much about it, but it would be pointless. It is in God’s plan to sovereignly bring this testing to pass. I could pray that not one be lost, yet it is for the purpose of shaking everyone 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 been commissioned and set in an office, everyone who has been delegated into a place of authority, that he earnestly cry out to the Lord that he 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 is really in each 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, 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 in the Spirit, we must realize that people will not be brought into it because it is popular. Only those who have been tried, tested, and proven very deeply will be loyal and dedicated to it. No one can give his consent to the truth of this walk with the Lord without going the whole way.
I am careful to make sure that every person has a chance. Even if I see the seed of rebellion or rejection of authority in the heart of a brother or sister of whom the Spirit has given indication that they should be set aside, set into an office, or commissioned, we do as the Spirit directs without any hesitancy. We do this only because the Lord says to do so. Each one must be in a position where they will be tested. Brethren will rise to betray brethren, thinking they are doing the will of the Lord (Mark 13:12). 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 also see a counterpart: Satan is bringing forth once again many of the things that have existed in ages past to torment the Body of Christ and to come against them. In the future we will recognize more than ever that just as we 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.
The ones who will betray are the ones who do not believe. Not everyone who comes into this Body believes. This walk with God must be a revelation to our hearts. We must believe it. Everyone will be tested, established ministries as well as young babes; it is inevitable. This is not an ordinary Body. This is part of a remnant to whom God will 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 a person sits in church for a few months does not mean that they will be worthy to be a partaker with the remnant of the things that are coming to pass. We must open our hearts to go through the dealings God wants to put us 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 with God, think about this: 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.
You may have been moving in the gifts of the Spirit, but do not forget that Judas did also. Have you performed miracles? So did Judas. Have you prophesied? So did Judas. When a solemn word such as this comes, it is very important that you search your heart. If something is missing, get down on your knees and pray for God to reveal this end-time walk to you. If you are carrying in your heart bitterness or rebellion, if you are carrying in your heart a lack of submission, if something is eating away at your insides because you cannot get rid of such things 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 preying upon the Body.
There is no witchcraft in the satanic world as effective as the witchcraft that can arise within the Body. Rebellion is as witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23). The day will come when 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 have not seen what God is doing; therefore, they have never been open in their hearts for it.
It is important that you do not have in your heart a spirit of rebellion that will play into the hands of the son of perdition. You can be very religious and think that you have many answers and are absolutely right. Remember, all the disciples were fooled by 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. Imagine what it was like to walk in sandals that were worn out, in clothes that were old and tattered—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 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, in one moment, squandered a year’s wages. That was enough. Judas probably said, “That does it!” And he looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Have you gone through trials and battles? Have you found it difficult to keep your head above water? When you are right at the end of your rope, what does it take? What kind of stupid act would make you react as Judas did? All the disciples were ready to think the same thing about the woman who wasted the perfume. In this day what would it take to push some who are discouraged and oppressed over the precipice? Stop and think about it!
We are coming to the time when we will walk into the Kingdom. No one can put his hand to the plow now and then look back and be fit for the Kingdom (Luke 9:62). This is another day! We are playing for real! It is life and death! God has given us His word, and we either believe in it and walk with God, or we will 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. Do not look upon any faults or frailties of the leaders God has appointed and turn aside. The ministries have a hard enough time not doing it themselves. They are aware of their own problems and faults. The ministries must ask God every day for strength and wisdom. They have learned and are continuing to learn true humility. As a result, God is opening many doors.
We need to be one. We are God’s family! Every day God gives more answers, yet the questions are multiplying even more quickly. Let us walk with God and ask Him to show us the truth. Lord, reveal to our hearts how we are to walk with You.
If some of the brethren stumble, it does not mean they will utterly fail. They are trying. They will pick themselves up, seek God, and go on. You will be confused unless God shows you the truth. One man may seem to have very high standards and principles and appear to walk rightly before God; but intermingled with the truth he speaks a subtle lie. Another man who has stumbled but loves God with all his heart will give you a word from God, but the devil will tell you that you cannot count on his word. These are the situations you will face among your brethren, among the ministries. If you do not 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 righteous, there is a rottenness. You will walk through some very difficult days. 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 as it was in the days of Christ. We must keep our hearts open and listen to the leading of the Lord.