OUR COVENANT GOD

OUR COVENANT GOD - AUDIO 

Covenant was above all to give man a hold upon God as the Covenant-keeping God, to link him to God Himself in expectation and hope, to bring him to make God Himself Alone the portion and the strength of His soul.

Andrew Murray

We serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which by His Name alone, by association, says that He esteems covenant very highly.  He is our covenant keeping God.  We also know that the Bible is divided into an Old and New Testament, meaning Old and New Covenant.  The whole of the Word of God is about covenant.  Starting with a covenant and ending with a covenant.  Even our rights to stand in the courts of heaven is based on covenant.  Whatever God does for us, is based on covenant. 

And the enemy also has a keen interest in covenant, because he knows that life is in the blood and that there is strength in covenant, both by its blessing and curses, as we see that the world is offered to his willing slaves, at the cost of their souls.  The whole of the matrix is based on covenant as well.

In the ancient times a ceremony took place where various exchanges were made in such a covenant and today it is still the case.   This covenant is always binding and comes with its pros and cons.    The following gives us an indication of just how serious covenant is.

They would exchange robes or coats, which for us would resemble taking off sin and putting on Christ.  We are clothed with Christ, with His rigtheousness, where He took our robe of sin upon Himself. 

They would then exchange girdles.  These girdles represent strength, to which the armor were attached to.  Also remember that when we put on the Armour of God, we are in fact putting on Christ and therefore walking in Christ, so that others do not see us, but Christ.

They would exchange weapons, their swords and bows, declaring to one another, “My enemies become your enemies, and your enemies become mine.”  Both parties are now obligated to defend each other at all costs.  This also denotes the authority we have been given, as only the kings and their sons had swords and daggers made of iron at that time.  Jesus has given us the Sword of the Spirit, as the Father's sons and daughters.

They would exchange names, taking upon themselves the other person's name, which by association would mean that they are one.  Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, and Jacob became Israel.  They took the Lord’s Name, but He also took their names, becoming the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

An animal would be sacrificed and would be cut in two pieces.  With the case of Abraham amongst other animals, a heifer was cut in half and the Lord walked in the middle of the two pieces.  He formed the number 8 as He walked.  This is called the walk of death.  This is why in covenant we receive a new life, from out of death.  The number 8 means covenant because the number 8 is an infinity number.

At this point the two become blood brothers as they both point to these two pieces and say, “you do this to me and more if I break this covenant.”

They then speak blessings over each other, over their goods, households, and descendants saying “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours.”

After that they proceed to speak curses over each other, over their households, goods and descendants.

"According to the ancient Eastern manner of cutting a covenant, both covenanting parties passed through the divided pieces of the slain animal. This ritual was a symbolic picture of the fate that would befall them if they broke the covenant. In other words, by performing the covenant ritual, the two parties were in essence pledging their very lives to the fulfillment of the engagement they made. Covenant is serious business in Scripture!" (Precepts Austin.org)

Lastly they broke bread together and had a covenant meal by drinking from the same cup.  We are reminded then in this of our covenant that we have with the Lord every time we take communion.

They broke the bread and then fed each other with the bread.  By implication saying that as this bread becomes one with you, so I am now one with you.  This is why Jesus said that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood we can have no part in Him, which basically means you cannot be one with Me unless you enter into covenant with Me. This is why Paul talks about being "in Christ" which speaks of our unity in covenant with Christ.

From that time on they are known as friends.  This is also why we read that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Indeed such a friend is in covenant with him, whereas the brother is not.  The obligation much greater when in covenant that even exceeds family. This is also why Jesus called His disciples friends and no longer servants, as He was breaking bread and presenting the cup of covenant to them.  Also why He said that no one has greater love than he who lays his life down for his friends.  He was talking covenant and they knew exactly what He meant.    

But do we?

At the heart of covenant is the promise of, “I will be your God and you will be My people.”  If we see God outside of covenant, we don’t see God.  It is through covenant that He meets with us and shows Himself to us.  Covenant is relationship as you can see from the above interaction and agreement.  It is not a little scribble on paper and a signature on the dotted line…it is paid with blood.  Covenant is kept on the basis of a very close relationship.  Not as an obligation, but out of love where both parties keep covenant out of faithfulness to one another.  God's lovingkindness (a word used in relation to covenant) denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy. God created us for relationship with Him and predestined us to stand in covenant with Him.  Covenant was initiated by Him.  He sent His Son as the Mediator of this covenant and the bearer of the curse of this covenant as well.  He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, which tells us that God knew that we would break our covenant with Him.

The Church is a covenantal entity and people.  We function and execute our redemptive rights on the basis of covenant.  Our life, for His life, our possessions for His, all of us for all of Him.  Giving our hearts to Him is a covenental exchange.  This is why Jesus prayed the covenant prayer as the High Priest in John 17, because as High Priest, He was also the sacrifice.  He prayed specifically to the Father that we would be one with Him and the Father, just as He and the Father are one.  All of this is covenant. 

The terms of this covenant is based on the Ten Commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai.  As we know, the Jews have been trying to fulfill these commandments, adding even more to it and have hopelessly failed.   So have we.  Jesus came to establish a new and better covenant.  Someone asked Jesus which one of the Ten Commandments was the most important.  To which He replied that through Him and through grace a new and better covenant has come, which is the whole of the law.  We know them well.  Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength, the second as the first, which is to love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. These two commandments summed up all Ten Commandments.  However, in Matthew 5 He ensures them that He has come to fulfil the law and issues a stern warning to those who teach others that they are allowed to break these commandments.

Matthew 5: 17 - 20

¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The righteousness that must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, is the righteousness that comes through faith and love.  Remember, the commandments is the agreement of the covenant.

When you throw away the Ten Commandments of the old, you throw away the two of the New.  When you throw away the Two Commandments of the New Covenant, you throw away the ten of the Old Covenant.  It is clear from the book of Hebrews that the New has replaced the Old as the more glorious better covenant, but not in the context to do away with the Ten Commandments, but by which they will be fulfilled.  He still has every intention that we fulfill the Ten Commandments, but on the basis of the new commandments, which speaks of a love relationship, the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.   2 Corinthians 3 tells us that this previous covenant of Moses was glorious, but the New Covenant even more glorious and far exceeds it.  The reason for this, is that under the Old Covenant the people were not able to fulfill its requirements, because it was not done by faith.  This is why the Word says that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  The reason why the New Covenant is better, is because of the Spirit of God now living in us, with the LAW OF LOVE written no longer on stone but on the tablets of our hearts, making us able to fulfill the law, by the grace given through faith.  This is why we are no longer under the law, but under grace.  Because under the law, which is the letter, we cannot fulfill the law, but under grace we can.  The New Covenant does not exempt us from the old, but enables to fulfill it.  We know that we are no longer under the law of rules and regulations, but the moral law of God will never fall away.  Remember, we are talking covenant here.  Keep in mind that this is not about rules, but about covenant relationship.  Through Jesus, He has made a way for us to fulfill the law, by walking as He walked, which is by faith.

The covenant He made with us was at the cross.  The cross is central to the covenant, because there He bore the curse meant for us who have broken the covenant.   So even before we knew Him, He already laid down His life for us.  The word says that whilst we were sinners He died for us.  This covenant is only valid on the basis of us entering into it.  Because He died for the whole world, but not all have come into agreement with the covenant He made through His death on the cross.  Once we give our lives to Him and are reborn, then only is the covenant in affect, because then a life is given for a life.  And He takes it very seriously.  He will never break His covenant with us, which means not only will He be faithful to the promises and blessings that comes with this covenant, but also faithful to the curses of when the covenant is broken.  In the same way that He promise to keep us, and protect and provide for us when we keep covenant, in the same way He promise to remove protection and provision.  This is covenant.  However, by our disobedience, we in fact open the door for the enemy by breaking covenant. Please note that I am talking about deliberate and wilfull sin and not those who are trying to walk in holiness and find themselves sinning.  The one seeks God, the other rejects God, even whilst still in covenant.

In 1 Samuel we find the account of Saul, Jonathan and David.  Saul, in this case, is a type and shadow of the flesh.  Jonathan is a type and shadow of the soul, meaning our will. And David is a type and shadow of the Spirit, even though we know he also resembles Yeshua.  As you all know, Saul was very jealous and envious towards David, whose life was in constant danger because of this.  In Romans 8 we read that the flesh is in enmity with the Spirit.  The flesh is not in covenant with God, but the soul is.  There where your will resides.  The will is constantly in the middle of these two realities, between the flesh and the Spirit, just like Jonathan stood between Saul and David.  The soul has to constantly choose between keeping and breaking covenant. 

We read about this covenant that Jonathan and David made.

1 Samuel 18: 1 - 4

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

² And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

³ Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

What is interesting to me is that the name Jonathan is the same name which John is derived from, and John was known as the disciples that Jesus loved.  This is why we hear John speak so much about love in His epistles and also why Jesus' High Priestly prayer is only found in the book of John.  Love is covenant.  In 1 Samuel 20: 13 – 15 we read how Jonathan also reminds David of their covenant to not cut off his kindness from his house forever, even if Saul, Jonathan’s father, intends to kill David.  

Father knew that we would not be able to keep covenant.  That we would break it no matter how hard we tried.  It is only through Christ that we are made more than conquerors, not by any means of our own.  And often those means are even religious in nature, but they are still a dependence on self.  It is truly a very thin line between the two.  By our covenant with Him, He has promised that our enemy is His enemy and that He will provide us all we need in every temptation and trial.  Together we run this race with Him and in Him, by faith. Everything based on covenant. 

Saul, the flesh, could not overcome Goliath.  In fact, he and his army were terrified and fled from Goliath.  But David, the Spirit and type and shadow of Jesus Christ, took five stones, representing the five books of Moses, and used only one, hitting that blasphemer between the eyes.  You will remember that in one of my devotionals that I spoke about the vision I had of a bull’s skull and the ax that came swooshing past me, hitting it right in the middle of the eye sockets.  The Philistines worshiped Dagon, the Fishgod.  He was believed to be the father of Baal of which the bull’s skull is reminiscent of.  Even there Jesus is saying that He will bring an end to this Baal system, this Babylonian system we find ourselves in.  This same Dagon fell down when the Ark of the Covenant was placed near it and its arms and head were severed, in the same way that Goliath’s head were severed.  This is how God deals with our enemies, because our enemies are His enemies.  However, this system is maintained in the same way that the Christian system, for the lack of a better word, is maintained, and that is through bodies.  The enemy has his body and Jesus has His body.  There is no middle ground.  The word vaccine is derived from the word "Vacca" which means bull, and comes from the word Baal.  He is indeed building his body.  Both are building their body.  The enemy works on the basis of the flesh, and Yeshua on the basis of His Spirit and our spirit. 

The Spirit often came over Saul and he would prophecy.  He wanted to do things right, but towards the end, it was all about his kingdom.  He knew that Samuel had to present the sacrifice before the Lord and to bless them before they could go out to war.  Covenant once again.  However, after the days required by Samuel for Saul to wait for him, Saul became fearful and decided to take it upon himself to make the sacrifice, not willing to wait for Samuel.  Seems legit.  He was doing something that should please the Lord, instead of not doing at all.  However, Samuel was furious with his disobedience.  Firstly because he took it upon himself to do a sacrifice that only a priest could do and secondly because Samuel heard the bleating of sheep and the lowing of the oxen in the background of all the animals he spared.  Samuel gave him strict instructions from the Lord.

1 Samuel 15: 3

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Nothing was to be spared…nothing.  And yet, Saul decided to spare Agag as well.  He also told Samuel that it was the people that spared the animals, but the Word says that he and the people spared the best of the animals.  He lied to Samuel, greed made his choices for him and he feared the people.  He also tried to indicate that he did it for religious purposes by saying that they spared the animals to sacrifice them to the Lord.  He basically blamed the people.

Samuel’s response to Saul was the following:

1 Samuel 15: 17

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

Right off the bat, Samuel exposes the root of his issue.  Pride. Pride is the root of all sin.  Pride is what lies at the heart of the flesh that refuses to be told what to do.  It hates the law, because the law is to it a burden and requires it to do that which it does not want to do.  And this pride sits squarely, this Saul, in each and every person’s heart until He has by His Spirit thrown that stone right in the middle of his eyes and cut his head off.  It is only by the Spirit that our flesh can die.  Pride lies at the heart of all rebellion.

Samuel tells Saul something that should give us pause to think on how Yeshua looks upon sin. 

1 Samuel 15: 22 - 24

²² And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

²⁴ And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Here Samuel is telling him that all his religious efforts will simply not cut it.  God desires obedience.  I looked the word rebellion and witchcraft up, as well as stubbornness, iniquity and idolatry.

Rebellion in the Strong’s Concordance is H4805, which means bitterness, offence, hatred.

Witchcraft is H7081 meaning divination.

Stubbornness is H6484 and it means to peck at, stun or dull, which makes me think of dull of hearing.

Iniquity is H205 which means idol, false, vain and wicked.  Idolatry basically means idol and images.

Now from this we understand that rebellion is as... and stubbornness is as...  In other words the Lord is comparing them in the same class of severity.  He is not saying rebellion is witchcraft, He is saying "as" witchcraft.  The same goes for stubbornness.  So they are equally wicked in His eyes.  So let’s look at the different synonyms of the word rebellion, which is the word bitterness.

Loathing / detest / hatred / enmity / displeasure / objection / abhor and resentment. 

There is actually more, but you get my point.  When we rebel like Saul, when we decide that we will decide when we will listen to Him, or how or what…when we lift our will above His, will you dare to believe that the bitterness, the rebellion of Saul is what you are siding with as explained above?  Can you believe that in that moment, the flesh which is in enmity with the Spirit is whom you are siding with?  I am talking about willful sin.  In that moment you break covenant and side with the enemy.  That is how serious it is.  We however decide on the severity of our sins on the scale of our choice.  Lies are seen less severe than murder, stealing less than homosexuality and the list goes on.  We look at these fruits, and forget about the root.  But He has come to lay the ax to the root! 

Why am I harping on this issue?  Because unless we understand that there is a virus that is much more serious that the current one doing the rounds, which is called sin, we stand to forget that the one can kill our body, but the other can cause us to be left behind or worse, be thrown in hell.  The seriousness and gravity of sin is graphically displayed in the sacrifice made in the covenant with us, the cross.

Maybe some are saying at this point, “But Pietra, what chance do we have? Who can stand before the Lord then?”  This is true that no man can see God and live.   This is why we are told to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life. 

1 Peter 4: 18 - 19

¹⁸ And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

¹⁹ Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

 

Hebrews 12: 22 - 25

²² But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

²³ To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

²⁴ And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

²⁵ See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

We as children, as sons and daughters of the Most High God have received a way to cover us.  Jesus has made a way by His blood.  We are told to come to the mercy seat in a time of need. 

Hebrews 4: 16

¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

The way is via the mercy seat where the blood of the covenant we have with the Father speaks on our behalf.  We come IN Christ to the Father by covenant, and though the Father has every right to slay us, because we break His covenant, we obtain mercy, because He cannot deny His Son’s blood.  His blood cries out on our behalf for mercy.  This is why we have to come and confess of our sins and repent.  All of our Christian walk is based on a love relationship with our David, Jesus Christ, who has made covenant with us by being the sacrifice, by taking the curse upon Him.  The Father gave His Son as the sacrifice for this covenant that is now written upon our hearts and now we have to meet Him daily at the mercy seat where the blood of Jesus covers us. 

Samuel’s response to Agag was to take up his sword and hew the man to pieces.  He was ruthless with his sword, not sparing the flesh.  Are we ruthless with the flesh?  Do we see it for what it really is, not only breaking covenant, but in actuality rebellion or bitterness towards God?  

Hebrews 12: 14 - 15

¹⁴ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

¹⁵ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Sadly, anyone who tells you that you do not have to confess your sins and repent of it, is telling you that breaking His covenant is not as serious as you think.  To say that it is automatically covered by the blood because you gave your heart to the Lord way back, is not true, because when you gave your heart to the Lord, you only entered into covenant and now on the basis of your loving relationship are to keep covenant with Him by faith.  He is making it very clear that without Him we can do nothing.  Our Christian walk is keeping covenant.  The basis is that in covenant with Him we do not have to do it alone, but He teaches us how to walk by faith and He disciplines us as a loving Father and sticks to us as our friend that is closer than a brother.  It is not His desire that anyone should perish, but that all should have eternal life.  When we break covenant with Him, we break the heart of our Friend.  The love works both ways.  He comes to us as David came to Jonathan and He makes covenant with us because He loves us.  It is not based on rules and regulations, but based on love.  This is why He said to the disciples, “If you love me you will do my commandments”.  He was talking covenant.  Our God is a covenant God, not because He loves rules, but because He loves us. May we return with our whole heart to serve and love Him in covenant, understanding that He is faithful to uphold HIs covenant with us, because He loves us.  He is faithful and true, and so we must be too.

I end this devotional with some verses from David out of Psalm 119, remembering that He is a type and shadow of Yeshua.

Psalm 119

¹²⁶ It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.

¹²⁷ Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

¹²⁸ Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

¹²⁹ Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.

¹³⁰ The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

¹³¹ I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.

¹³² Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

¹³³ Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

¹³⁴ Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

¹³⁵ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.

¹³⁶ Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

¹³⁷ Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments.

¹³⁸ Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.

¹³⁹ My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.

¹⁴⁰ Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

¹⁵⁸ I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

¹⁵⁹ Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.

¹⁶⁰ Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.

Link to The Two Covenants - Andrew Murray

FALSE PROPHETS HAVE CREPT IN UNAWARES

 

FALSE PROPHETS HAVE CREPT IN UNAWARES - AUDIO

A.W. Tozer made the following quote.

“Among the gifts of the Spirit, scarcely is one of greater practical usefulness than the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought as being almost indispensable in these critical times.”

If we understand the role of the Church in the end time, how God has chosen her as the agent by which He will establish His Kingdom on earth, we are to take any deception as a serious threat to ourselves, but more importantly to the Kingdom.  The whole focus of deception is to be subtle and clothed in truth, but like a snake, the bite deadly.  In Matthew 24 when the disciples asked the Lord about the signs of the end-time, His first words were…

“Make sure that nobody deceives you…”

Out of all the warnings He could have given, the greatest threat is deception.  This deception comes in the form of false christs and false prophets.  It stands to reason that He was pointing us to through what agents the enemy will cause this great deception.  It also stands to reason that if this is our greatest threat, which I might add, unseen, then the greatest requirement is indeed the gift of discernment.  The gift of discernment comes in various forms.  Some people have the ability to discern things in the spiritual realm.  But others have to grow in their discernment where it is based on our relationship with the Lord and how He teaches us.

Often the thing about deception is that it is presented in a way that would aim directly at the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life.  But the greater deception lies within our own hearts, whether it is by a certain disposition we cling to, our own personal opinion, or our own understanding by which we view this world.  Having then from that disposition, which seems right in our own eyes, to be confronted, it often confronts us to the point where the truth is too hard for us to face.  We choose willful ignorance.  This is because the deception starts within our hearts. We then feel the need to persuade ourselves and come up with various arguments, just as long as we do not have to give up the “golden calve”.  For this very reason He admonished us not to lean on our own understanding and to guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.  We tend to seek the outward manifestation out there in cyber world, whilst unaware of the disposition of deception in our own hearts.  In Jeremiah 17 we read the following:

Jeremiah 17: 9 - 10

⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

¹⁰ I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Truth always requires of us.  Because no matter how we confess a truth, if we are not living in authenticity in that truth, we are living a lie.  Yes, it sets us free, but from what?  From deception.  The only anti-dote to deception is the truth.  But it is not as simple as knowledge of the truth.  As we know, Jesus is the Truth.  Our love for the truth is made manifest in our fruit, that is to say what we do with it.  It will usually require of us to give something up or to retract what we say.  Therefore, knowing the truth, and even believing the truth is not enough.  The only thing that will suffice is the absolute love of the truth.  Because in loving it, we will not compromise with deception, nor tolerate it.  And as I said, this deception starts with ourselves first.  To the degree that we love the truth, is the degree that we will compromise.  Let me put that another way.  To the degree that we love Him, is the degree we are willing to compromise.  We do not like to hear this, but I am praying that you do.  We know that a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.  This is why Jesus says in Matthew 7 that many will come to Him and say, “Lord, Lord…” and then continue with giving a list of all they have done for Him.  He will say, “I never knew you…”  How is this possible?  How can He say that when they are doing all these wonderful miracles for the Kingdom in His Name?  It does not make sense that He says He does not.  They are professing their faith, of His Lordship, and even doing miracles and yet He says He does not know them.  Remember, we are talking about people that come to Him to plead for mercy, which means these people are deceived.  They believed that they were truly serving Him.  And herein lies an important point.  Miracles does not constitute relationship.  If we find our security in how He uses us, we make a grave mistake.  Our security is in walking in obedience to Him.  This is why He says the following before He addresses those false prophets in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7: 14 - 20

¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

¹⁷ Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

²⁰ Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

It is to these false prophets that come to Him and say, “Lord! Lord!” that Jesus is saying “I never knew you…” Even though they did all these wonders. He says we will know these false prophets (which includes teachers) by their fruit.  So obviously the fruit is not the miracles and wonderful works.  Therein lies the deception where the enemy through these miracles and wonders in the Name of Jesus, attacks the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, wolves clothed in sheep’s clothing.  We look to these wonders and we see how sincere they are, coupled with their knowledge of the Word and we approve.  We like what we see and hear.  It is amazing how these wolves in sheep’s clothing are able to have such a great following.  Many years ago Father said to me that I am to be aware of whenever there is some new “thing” in the Church that everybody is flocking after.  He said, “The sheep are called not to follow other sheep, but to follow the Shepherd.”  That gives a new spin on the social media aspect of “following” someone.  Not to mention how eager we are to know how many are following us.  Can you discern the subtle deception in that?  These are demonic entities that are behind social media. 

We lust after miracles even though Jesus said it is an evil generation that seeks a sign.  We do seek these signs as “confirmation” for our idolatry. After all, this person is healing the sick and many are brought to Jesus through his/her ministry.  Please do not think I am referring to the blatant false prophets that is just so obvious like the Prosperity Teachers and the likes.  I’m referring to our everyday Joe or Jolene.  The prophet with the many dreams and visions, and out of this world experiences.  The pastors and teachers with charisma to the likes of a snake charmer.  “They live among us” is not a cliché.  Father did say that He will pour out His Spirit on us and that there will be dreams and visions.  Did you think the enemy was not going to have a counter plan to this outpouring?  Think again.  Because even now we are inundated with the not so obvious false prophets and teachers.  We forget how a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.  And many of us form a bond with these people by our interactions with them and slowly without being aware, we become partial without even knowing it. 

He says we are to know them by their fruit.  This fruit is what is produced by how He prunes us through discipline and trials (John 15. Hebrews 12, James 1.)  Jesus continues in Matthew 7 to sum up the whole of the chapter by describing the qualifications of a wise and a foolish man.  The wise hears and does His words, and the foolish hears, but does not do His words.  The foolish He calls workers of iniquity, which means lawless.  In modern day terms, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”.  The deception in this present time is of such a high level that I fully believe that even the elect can be deceived as He warned.  With that comes a warning of a flood, a flood of deception that will carry away those who profess to know Him, but do not obey Him.  Which is in itself the carrying away of those who are already deceived and apostate, the lawless ones. 

I wonder by what power are these false prophets doing these miracles and wonderful works.  We know that the anti-Christ will come in the same fashion and we read in 1 John that many anti-Christs have already come.  Indeed it is the anti-Christ spirit that is already at work in these deceivers.  Not to deceive the world, but to deceive the elect, the Church.  Our focus can easily become about the deception in the world, unaware of the deception in the Church.  Once again, I am not talking about the obvious deceivers.  The world is already in the bag, but the Church he desires to devour.  The reality is that much of the Church are still very deceived in following these wolves and do not want to believe the worst of their favorite pastor, teacher or prophet.  They want to hold on to the cyber relationship they have built with him.  The relationship with these wolves is by far more important than their relationship with the one whom they profess as their Lord.  The reality is that they love not the truth.  They love knowledge and understanding.  They love miracles and goosebumps.  They love the “anointing” they feel when these people are singing, all the while being serenaded by sirens in the spirit.  They respect the truth and enjoy finding out about it, but they do not love it and therefore are not jealous for the truth.  Not in their Church, and not in their own personal lives.  Satan is the master deceiver, the father of lies.  Make no mistake that when Jesus says that we are sheep and they are wolves, He is not merely talking about wolves in the context of people that want to deceive, but demonic entities masquerading as humans.  In all honesty, what chance do we have? 

The only antidote to deception is to love the truth. The Truth of His Word, but also He who is the Word, which is both our knowledge and revelation of the Word as He teaches, and our obedience in love of both the letter and the Spirit.  There are some who demand the accuracy of the Word, but have not grown in discernment when it comes to the leading of the still small voice of the Spirit.  Then there are those who depend solely on the still small voice and are willing to ignore the accuracy of the Word.  This is why we need each other, because nobody has all the puzzle pieces.  We are to protect the flock.  The only way to know the Word of God is to abide in it, which means to actually do it.  And the only way to know Him, is to allow Him to work out the reality of His Word in our lives and walk in obedience to the still small voice of the Spirit.  Holiness transcends knowledge of the Word.  It is the embodiment of the Living Word in us and the outworking of that reality in us.  These are those who abide in Him, which includes His Word.  Hence why He says in John 15, “If you love Me, you will do My commandments”.  It’s a “no brainer.”  We are to covet the pure undefiled water of the Word of God.  At the same time He tells us that His Spirit is that living water that flows from our innermost being.  The two are one, the Spirit and the Word.

At the heart of deception lies our heart.  Not the deceiver. Not what the wolves are doing, but our propensity to be deceived.  Our own compromise in our walk with the Lord, that leavens the whole lump, is what opens the door for deception.   I know leaven is the leaven of the Pharisees, but the root of all sin, is pride. The compromise in our lives is what defiles the Word already in us, which opens the door to deception. 

We read the following in 2 Peter 2.

2 Peter 2: 1 – 3

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

² And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

³ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

What is this way of truth that shall be spoken evil of?  Jesus says, “I am the way”.  And He also said that the way is narrow.  He also said that He came to show the way.  There is no confusion, “the way” is the way of the cross.  The crucifying of the flesh in all its categories, because that flesh which is in enmity with the Spirit (Romans 8), is the very means by which the deception comes first in us.  Just like the Holy Spirit prepares our hearts to receive the seed of His Word and the ability to grow, in the same way, the enemy, the spirit of deception, prepares our hearts through compromise and disobedience, to receive the implanting of the seed of deception.  He prepares our hearts and this is why I am saying, deception starts in our hearts.  Can you understand why it is so vital that we guard our hearts with all diligence?  Crucifying our flesh is crucial to our ability to discern.  So those who speak evil things of the way, are those who say we do not have to die to ourselves, we do not have to deny all and we can “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”. Sounds very familiar to me. Satan is known as the Lawless One.  And just so we are perfectly clear, Peter expounds on this a bit more by giving us a description of these false prophets, which includes teachers.

2 Peter 2: 9 – 10; 12 – 22

⁹ The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

¹⁰ But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

¹⁴ Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

¹⁵ Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

¹⁶ But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

¹⁷ These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

²⁰ For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

²¹ For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

²² But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

When we read this it sounds as if we are talking about occultist and the unsaved, but these are those that say, “Lord! Lord!” that brings many to believe in their teachings, dreams and visions.   They are a law unto themselves and therefore speak evil of the way. 

Second Peter has to be read with the book of Jude.  It’s as if they were taking notes together.  Jude has the following to say about these false prophets.

Jude v 3 - 4

³ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

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.

These false prophets have crept in unawares in our churches and different media.  They have one aim and that is to turn God’s grace into lasciviousness.  Lasciviousness means to be lacking legal or moral restraints and marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness. Ask yourself, “Does it not stand to reason that these false prophets and teachers would be subtle in their deception?”  They have crept in unawares.  Meaning they have successfully blended in, knowing what to say and how to say it, with a very good knowledge of the Word.  Very sincere with great testimonies of how the Lord loves us all and love them.  Just dripping with sainthood.  However, they are lawless.  He describes them further in verse 16 - 19

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.

¹⁷ But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

¹⁸ How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

¹⁹ These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

                                             

Can you believe this of your favorite pastor, teacher or prophet?  When we read this, the association is so far removed that we are just simply not willing to believe that this can be true.  But here we have Jesus, Peter and Jude and many more saying, this is who they are…DO NOT BE DECEIVED!

Jesus as the patterned Son came to show us how to discern.  Isaiah says:

Isaiah 11: 1 – 3

¹And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

² And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

³ And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

The means by which He will judge is by the Sprit.  That Spirit that rests upon Him, that does not trust upon the sight of His eyes, neither by the hearing of His ears.  The next verse says…

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Righteousness is His standard, and we who are walking in righteousness and not in lawlessness, will be able to judge righteously as He admonishes in John 7.

John 7: 24

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Jude ends his letter with the following hope.

²⁰ But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

²¹ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

²² And of some have compassion, making a difference:

²³ And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

I cannot stress enough the call to discernment in the time we are in.  Not only because it will draw us away from the truth, but also how the Most High looks upon this. Following false prophets is a covenant with death.  Please hear what the Lord is saying in Isaiah 28.  Most of the chapter is about false prophets and those who follow them.  The blind leading the blind.  You will see the similarity with Matthew 7.  He speaks a judgment over these false prophets and we should not think that He looks lightly on those who follow them.  Judgment is about to come upon the Church.  Understand that this covenant of death is with the anti-Christ.  We do well to heed the Spirit in searching our hearts and to have a fresh look at all those we are subscribed to.  Do we feel that we have the right to enter heaven whilst at the same time following a false prophet, even if we are unware?  Ignorance is not an excuse.  He warned us.  Also read the word Father gave me in the beginning of the year, called "Enough is Enough!"with regard to exposing false prophets. 

Isaiah 28: 14 - 19

¹⁴ Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

¹⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

¹⁷ Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

¹⁸ And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

¹⁹ From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.