A trend toward persecution is growing in the earth. We are witnessing how God is bringing forth the people who will glorify His name, and, at the same time, how the enemy would persecute them. Revelation 12:4–5 gives a picture of the dragon waiting to swallow up the man child as soon as he is born, but the man child is caught up by God to a place of authority and rule in the heavens. Therefore, we should stand fast in faith and believe for the deliverance of those who are being persecuted and opposed by Satan.
Some Christians do not want to be involved in any way with anything that will be persecuted. One of our churches, which had become a target of persecution in their area, suddenly lost the use of their place of worship; the denominational church whose building they were using canceled their lease. The denominational leader asked them, “Do you understand why?” Of course they knew the reason. He was saying, “We cannot afford to have any connection with anything that would be bad publicity for us.”
That is the way the world is also. If you were to lie on the street dying, would anyone get involved to help you? That uncaring attitude exists in the world, but it should not with us. One mark of judgment when the Kingdom comes is that God will look at us and say, “You got involved. I was hungry and you fed Me. I was naked and you clothed Me. I was sick and you visited Me. I was in prison and you came to Me.” When we respond, “I did not realize that; when did this happen?” He will say, “Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:35–40).
The parable in Matthew 25:31–46 describes the difference between sheep and goats. When the Lord sets up His Kingdom, He will gather the nations before Him and separate the sheep from the goats (verses 31–33). A goat is not necessarily a bad animal. A goat splits the hoof and chews the cud, and thus is considered a clean animal according to the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11:3; Deuteronomy 14:5–6). A goat could be used for sacrifice as well as a sheep (Leviticus 1:10; 3:12), and it was used for a sin offering at the Passover (Numbers 28:22). However, there is a reason why the Lord separates the sheep from the goats in this parable. They are quite different, especially in character.
Sheep will flock together. We generally speak of a “flock” of sheep; but when referring to goats, it is called a “herd.” Goats have their own sense of order, such as determining who will be first in line for food. Every goat will contend for its own place. That is why goats usually are dehorned early in life. Otherwise, there could be some injured goats later on. They butt one another until they finally established a certain order. Each one respects the ones which have a little harder skull, but push around the ones that are a little lower on their social scale.
Sheep do not do that. Why do goats? It is because they never lose their sense of individuality. In a spiritual sense, goats are never swallowed up in the vast Body ministry which is the prelude to the Kingdom. The prelude to the Kingdom is characterized by the fact that we have a deep love and concern for one another (I Thessalonians 3:12).
Have you noticed that the book of Matthew deals with the Kingdom more than any of the other gospels? Almost all of the parables in Matthew are about the Kingdom of heaven, and the teachings found in this book are primarily the principles of the Kingdom. This parable in Matthew 25 shows us the basis of the judgment that determines our entry into the Kingdom: “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom (notice: they inherit the Kingdom) prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ ” Matthew 25:31–34.
The reason they can inherit the Kingdom is because they have entered into the divine relationship and oneness. For several years we have received teaching about relating and communicating and oneness. God has hardly given us any other Word. As I wait before the Lord, I continually receive the same Word from God. By the Holy Spirit’s moving, I am trying to help you relate to one another and move into the Kingdom.
How do we enter the Kingdom? Jesus said, “ ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ ” Matthew 25:35–40.
Does this speak to your own heart? Do you realize how important your involvement is? The whole trend of this age is to be uninvolved. A good example is a murder that occurred on the streets of New York City. Many witnesses heard the victim screaming; some even saw it happen, but no one did anything about it. They would not report it because they did not want to get involved. They did not even report it! Can you imagine people becoming so calloused that they have lost the sense of being a neighbor? They have lost the motivation as human beings to help one another.
when a neighbor helps you, you want to be a blessing to them even if it seems to be some sort of demeaning work. Would you feel that you were stepping down from your station in life by doing it? You may feel that you should make a little money for your efforts. Chances are, you need the money; but you need more than that. You need to be the sheep of His pasture, the citizens of His Kingdom. There is no difference between the two. Learn to open your hearts to one another. Learn to give to one another.
The day will come in which the generosity, the participation, and the involvement coming forth out of every one of our churches will be our identifying mark. If nothing else, our lives will exhibit one major attribute: Right in the midst of judgments, when everyone is grabbing for all he can and trying to find a hedge against inflation, we will show a generous love.
We already have the assurance of the Lord that we have nothing to worry about with regard to the future (Matthew 25:34). But isn’t the King coming in judgment? (Matthew 25:31–32.) Yes, but He is our King; we have already submitted to Him. But isn’t He going to make every knee bow? (Philippians 2:10.) We have already bowed. Won’t He make every tongue confess? (Philippians 2:11.) We have already confessed.
The Kingdom must be such a reality in your thinking. In these days, the Lord is launching more than we realize. It is as if we have been taking a little nap for the past few years, and now when we wake up and look around, we say, “I did not know we had passed the boundary. When did we get into this state?” It happened quite some time ago. Does this mean we are already in the Kingdom? Yes, it seems that we are, even though it does not look that way yet. The land looks pretty much the same, the environment is quite similar, but there is a difference. We have moved into a new age. And because we have moved into it, there is a great joy and expectancy in our heart.
What is the distinguishing mark of a new age? It is like the morning. What is the difference between the night and the morning? At night you try to finish all you had set about to accomplish that day. You say, “I did not get everything done that I was supposed to do today, but I am too tired; I will have to leave it unfinished.” In the morning, however, you get up and say, “Come on, let’s go!” There is a freshness of spirit. We cry out to the Lord as did the psalmist, My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Psalm 130:6a. We are eager for this day to break forth! Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. Hosea 6:3a. He will come to us. The day will dawn; nothing can stop it.
We are reaching into the new day, and the preparation for it is deep within our own hearts. Perhaps you feel, “I am having some terrible troubles in relating.” Take care of it. Deal with the problem. Are you having difficulty communicating? Understand that as we move into a new day, we speak with new tongues (Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4). There is almost an unspoken language among God’s people now. They may not even speak the same language; but because such an understanding is communicated between them when they talk, it seems as though they are speaking the same new language.
In some remote areas where people have a simpler and less refined life-style by today’s standards, you might find it difficult to communicate with them. In fact, occasionally they might appear to be hostile and belligerent. But if you talk to them about the Lord and the Living Word, they seem to change instantly. Suddenly their spirit opens up. Even though there are many differences between you, a common spirit is communicated back and forth. Do you know where this starts? It starts with us. It starts with us among ourselves—with one another.
Everything in the way of differences has been magnified, and we cannot blame the devil for it. God has been a factor in bringing about the difficulties we have had in relating to one another, so that the problem would come out in the open. The unity and oneness that the Lord has brought to us has not been accidental. It has been a blending of our spirits together to prepare us to enter into the Kingdom.
What will the Lord say? “ ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ ” That happens because of all their acts of love. “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on His left (the goats), ’Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:34b, 37–46.
Let us face this revelation; it is rather harsh. A goat, to begin with, is a clean animal. But because it is independent, it never relates to the whole order which God is bringing forth; and that becomes the basis of judgment. It is the basis by which the goats are eliminated. Remember, these goats say, “Lord, when did this happen?” (Matthew 25:44.) They are still of the opinion that they are serving the Lord, even though they are really serving themselves. They are not serving the Lord, or they would be serving His Body. They would be serving others if they were serving the Lord.
I believe this division has already begun. I believe it is taking place throughout this restoration walk. There is a sifting—and it is not a sifting over doctrine. Recently a brother said, “I love this Word; it is wonderful. But I cannot relate to the people in the churches.” God help him. That is the worst thing he could say. According to this chapter in Matthew, he could not have spoken his own indictment any more clearly. What will that man do? I do not know. He said to me, “You are about the only one in this walk with God to whom I can relate.” How sad! What a tragedy that is. I do not know what he will do, but I have a feeling that I alone cannot hang onto him. He will have to open his heart to serve the brethren. When he opens his heart to serve, he will find himself absorbed into the Kingdom of God.
At the beginning of the Church Age, God sent the Holy Spirit; and the first development that pervaded the disciples’ lives when the Holy Spirit fell was that they were all in one accord (Acts 2:1, 44; 4:24). No one said that anything belonging to him was his own (Acts 4:32). At the beginning of that age, there was a foretaste of what we will see in the Kingdom Age. The Church Age began with people selling their possessions and laying the money at the apostles’ feet. They were feeding one another, taking care of one another, loving one another (Acts 4:34–35; 2:45). They were true sheep right from the beginning.
Later, when the apostles and elders at Jerusalem refused to lay the old law of another age upon this new age of the Church (Acts 15:6–19), we learn from the writings of Paul that they did make this one request: “Be sure to take care of the poor.” Paul said, “This we were set to do; we were eager to do it” (Galatians 2:10). Of course, other simple directives such as not eating things which had been strangled were also given by the brothers at Jerusalem (Acts 15:20).
Now we come to the age in which the Holy Spirit is falling again, and once again the experience of the second chapter of Acts becomes real. We can prove this from the book of James, which quotes the same Old Testament reference Peter used (Joel 2:23; Acts 2:17) to show that the experience of Acts 2 will have a fulfillment at the coming of the Lord, when the Judge stands before the door (James 5:7–9). When He stands before the door, the Holy Spirit will fall once again; and, once again, we will all be of one mind and one heart, taking care of one another, loving and serving one another.
Every minister who goes out with the Gospel of the Kingdom should be trained in a trade whereby he can support himself. Then he will not be a drain on the church where he ministers. Just as Paul made tents when he went out in order to serve the Lord, these men will go prepared, trained in a skill that can provide them with a living wherever they go. We are trying to reach into the complete Body ministry. From the beginning, the rule of the Church was that they have the same care one for another (I Corinthians 12:25).
James paints a vivid picture of conditions in the end time. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. James 5:1–5.
Many millionaires have been made through wars. There has rarely been an unprofitable war in recent history. What maneuvering, what folly we have seen in wars! How many young men have died needlessly! It may be true that World War II succeeded in loosing people from oppression; but through the settlements and treaties after the war, even more oppressive nations came into power. Right now, many of them practice torture of their people and are killing Christians.
How true this is: “You nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.” You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. This certainly sounds terrible, but read on—the picture improves in the next two verses. Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:6–8.
Notice the next exhortation, regarding relationships. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. James 5:9. Again, the basis is our relationships with one another. If there was ever a time when you should not be a complainer, it is now.
Will you be a sheep or a goat? Will you relate, or not relate? Will you complain against one another? No, it is not the time for that. Let us flow together as one—in one spirit. Whether we agree head-wise or not, heart-wise we will reach into the oneness that God has for us! It is a new day. There is not a single thing right now which is a big enough reason, or a just enough cause, to create division in your heart. Our oneness and unity is the very basis by which we will have the thrust into the Kingdom.
You do not have to understand this. I do not know where people get the idea that their understanding and their intelligence are essential to their entering into something from God. I have never understood any spiritual gift or ministry before I received it, nor do I understand very much of it while it is in operation, and I cannot explain why or how God does it. It is not based on understanding. You are not to lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5–6).
God is demanding a oneness of spirit. Reject complaining! Go even deeper and get rid of more than simply your complaining. Some may say, “I am not complaining and griping; I just do not care anymore.” That is even worse. You do not care that He is naked, and therefore you do not clothe Him? You do not care that He is hungry, and so you do not feed Him? You do not care that what Christ is bringing forth is imprisoned within your brother?
James 5:9 states that the Judge is standing right at the door. Matthew 25:31–46 describes two outcomes: the greatest judgments that the religious and spiritual world has ever known, and the greatest blessings that the spiritual world has ever known. The judgment is coming because of men’s independence. Some claim, “There are many different denominations, but all roads lead to heaven.” The goats will not go to heaven.
When reading the parable of the sheep and the goats, have you ever felt that the judgment given to the goats is rather harsh? According to this parable, they will be consigned to a place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). One can try to explain this fact away by suggesting that finally everything will be restored, and that this restoration of all things will include everyone—even the devil. I do not believe this is true. However, even if it were, what a tragedy it is that men would walk in such deception so as to make it essential for them to experience the eternal fires, even if only for a time.
How we ought to deliver one another from indifference! How we ought to give! One thing God has required of us is that we be givers. When people give and give continually, they could feel that they are merely supporting a financial program. I cannot believe this is so with us, because no one is profiting from our giving. We are supporting essential needs that God has set before us. Are you wondering what you will put your money into next? Would you like to spend it on yourself? I rather doubt that we will ever again be able to be self-centered. We will be Kingdom-oriented, because it will be our salvation. We will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these other things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).
Does this seem naive? Presumably, if you do not save money, you will not have it in the future. However, that is not entirely true. There are people whom God will bless with an abundance; then, when the time comes, they will share. On the other hand, some who appear to have nothing will obtain, seemingly out of nowhere, sources of supply which are beyond human understanding. Their supply will be like the manna of heaven, when he that gathered much had nothing left over, and he that gathered little had no lack (Exodus 16:18). God loves us; and the blessings will be bestowed upon us because we reach out to love one another and bless one another. God is able to heap upon us abundantly. It was to the Philippian church, which had been so generous to share with Paul, that he wrote, “I am full, having plenty, overflowing. I have received of Epaphroditus your gift again” (Philippians 4:18). He said, “I rejoice for your sakes that your care for me flourishes once again” (Philippians 4:10). After he rejoiced in their giving, he said, “And my God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
It is true that God will supply your need. But that promise is often quoted out of context. There are many whose needs are not being supplied because they have not yet learned the key. The key is to give, but not as a mechanical formula, saying, “If I give out so much, I will receive back so much.” Real giving comes out of the overflowing love within people, a drive that they refuse to resist. Something within them yearns to participate in the flow of life and the flow of provision to their brother.
Our hands are not empty. We give, and it is given back to us: … pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom … Luke 6:38. Somehow, God operates this principle on a human plane. He repeatedly brings back to you, over and over again, what you give out. Few people learn the key of having tender hearts toward one another, but they are the richest on earth. The gold-edged securities, of heaven back them up—the promises in God’s Word which state, “Everything is yours; everything is available” (I Corinthians 3:21–23; II Peter 1:3).
Are you a sheep? Or are you a goat? I have studied goats and learned a little bit about them. One goat I observed had an impressive pedigree. He was born of a special stock. From watching him, you would think he knew he was a special breed of goat, a little superior to the rest. It is interesting to watch goats strut. And this goat had that cocky little strut, as if he were looking down on all the other goats. He even seemed to cast disdainful glances at the humans watching him, as though he were saying, “I am a special goat, and proud of it.”
As I studied this goat, I thought, “Yes, you are surely a goat. And if you were a human and acted like that, you would be one of those put on the left hand when the day of judgment comes—because you cannot learn to be nothing arrogant and selfish in yourself; you cannot flow to become part of the Body of Christ; you cannot flow to be that which will exalt the Lord in all the earth.”
There is no person who is as secure now, and for all the days to come, as the one who lives to serve the Lord and to serve His Body. There is no security as great. Lose yourself in serving the Body of Christ; forget yourself in it. As you do, you will have an open door to the future. Neither the devil, nor circumstances, nor anything else can hinder those who are doing the will of God. They seem to have a strange charm upon their lives, a charm that assures the future to them. A unique thing is happening for them, because they are learning to love one another. They are learning to humbly serve one another. They will walk unmoved through all of the events that will come to pass upon the earth.
One of the most classic comic moments in the old silent movies is the scene in which an entire side of a building collapses around Buster Keaton while he is standing next to it. To do this stunt, technicians carefully measured the wall to insure that his body passed through the door opening when the wall fell. It is an almost heart-stopping shock to watch that side of the building fall on him; but then you laugh when you see him still standing there, totally expressionless, while the wall lies flat on the ground. In his movies, he seemed absolutely immune from any danger. A tragedy could be happening on his right hand, and a tragedy on his left. While many in the audience might be anxiously biting their fingernails from the suspense, he would walk along as though nothing in the world could ever touch him. That is the kind of immunity we want, Lord.
We read in Psalm 91:7–8: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. As you see these things happen, you remark somewhat casually, “My, what a shame; that is terrible,” but you move right on. You say, “Look what is happening here on my right hand and on my left hand,” but it will not touch you. He is able to deliver you.
These coming days will not be easy for the world. Terrible events will mark the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7–8). Deep things will cover the earth, like flood tides of sorrow and tragedy. However, the Lord gives a promise to His people as they walk with Him: Because they are agents to bring in His Kingdom, because they are the vanguard of what is to come, He will protect them (Psalm 37:37–40).
What should you do in order to prepare for the future? Should you invest in stocks and bonds? I do not know the answer to that question. There will be shifting patterns, and I do not believe that any circumstance will be a tragedy of too long a duration. For a while, we will see the manipulation of Babylon. We shall witness a great deal of manipulation, a great deal of greed. Many difficult situations will take place. For a little while we may seem to be in jeopardy, but it is amazing how God will take care of you if you are set to take care of His people. Take care of His Kingdom, and watch Him take care of you.
Do you believe this? Are you prepared to say, “Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth!” (I Samuel 3:10.) Are you one who says, “I am here, Lord, but send my brother.” Or does your heart truly cry, “Here am I, Lord. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8.) If you walk as a sheep, you will receive the blessings and the joys of the Lord. However, beware if you are saying, “Well, I would do more for the church, but … I would enter in more and worship the Lord more, but … I would tithe, but …” Remember, it is the goats that butt.