Wolves in sheep’s clothing : false shepherds

.

An article by Derek Prince
Signs and Wonders do not determine Truth

There has been in recent years a worldwide explosion of signs and wonders. Some have
been biblical and helpful. Others have been bizarre and unbiblical. Signs and wonders are
not new. They are recorded in various passages of the Bible and in different periods of
church history. However, the current explosion extends more widely than any particular
church or denomination and has attracted widespread attention in both the religious and the
secular media.

I want to make it plain that I have no personal prejudice or anxiety concerning unusual
manifestations. In actual fact, I have in my own lifetime experienced quite a number of them.
They do not frighten me. I am not negative about them. As I recorded in my booklet Uproar
in the Church, my own personal encounter with Jesus in World War II began in a very
unconventional way. In the middle of the night, in a barrack room of the British Army, I spent
more than an hour on my back on the floor, with my body first racked by convulsive sobs and
then filled with a river of laughter which grew continually louder.

Next morning, I found myself a completely different person, changed not by any act of my
will but by yielding to the supernatural power that had flowed through me. I then looked up
various passages in the Bible that speak about laughter.

To my surprise, I discovered that (for God’s people)  laughter is not primarily, as we imagine,
a reaction to something comical, but rather an expression of triumph over our enemies.

In Psalm 2:4, David actually depicts God Himself as laughing: He who sits in the heavens
shall laugh: The Lord shall hold them in derision. Here God’s laughter is not a reaction to
some comedy that is being enacted on earth. Rather, it is His response to the ridiculous
human midgets who have the effrontery to oppose His purposes. It is His expression of
triumph over all the forces of evil.

Sometimes, God fills us with His own laughter that we may share in His triumph over those
who are both His enemies and ours.

Later I pastored a fellowship in London that met on the top floor of a five- story building. One
evening a lame man was miraculously healed and threw away his crutches. We all burst into
spontaneous praise. At that moment the building began to tremble and shake with the power
of God. The praise and shaking continued for about thirty minutes.

I realized that something similar was recorded of the early church in Acts 4:31: And when
they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

At that particular time, our fellowship was conducting several evangelistic meetings each
week in the streets of London, and we certainly needed more than natural boldness.

But with regard to any kind of manifestation, there are two questions that I always want to
ask. Number one: Is it a manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God? Or is it a manifestation from
some other source? And number two (and this is related to it): Is the manifestation in
question in harmony with Scripture?  In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is the author of all Scripture, and He never
says or does anything to contradict Himself. Every genuine manifestation of the Holy Spirit
will, in some way, harmonize with Scripture.

Now, I want to begin with some warnings of Jesus, particularly related to the end time period
in which I believe we are living. These are warnings against deception. They are found in
Matthew chapter 24, verses 4, 5, 11 and 24. In other words, four times in 21 verses, Jesus
specifically warns us against deception in this period of the close of the age.

The first thing  Jesus said about the events leading up to His return, in Matthew 24:4: “Take heed that no
one deceives you.” Verse 5: “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah
(Christ),’ and will deceive many.” Verse 11: “Then many false prophets will rise up and
deceive many.” And then in verse 24: “For false messiahs (christs) and false prophets will
rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

So, Jesus warns us four times against deception. Anybody who shrugs off that warning or treats it
lightly does so at the risk of his own soul. The greatest single danger in this End Time is not
sickness, nor poverty, nor persecution. It is deception. If anybody says, “It could never
happen to me,” it has already happened to that person, because that person is saying
something could never happen that Jesus said would happen. That is a sufficient indication
that such a person is deceived.

Next, I want to say something important about signs and wonders. They do not determine
truth. It is very essential to understand that. Signs and wonders do not determine truth! Truth
is already determined and established, and it is the Word of God. In John 17:17, Jesus is
praying to the Father, and He says, “Your word is truth.” And in Psalm 119:89, the psalmist
said, Forever, 0 Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Nothing that happens on earth can
ever change the smallest little sign or letter of the Word of God. It is forever settled in
heaven.

Now, the Bible speaks about signs and wonders. It says some things about them that are
good, and some that are very frightening. I want to turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and
read a few verses there, beginning at verse 9. The coming of the lawless one [that is the title
of the Antichrist] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send
them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who
did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

So, Paul says here there are such things as lying signs and wonders. There are true signs
and there are lying signs. True signs attest the truth. Lying signs attest lies. Satan is fully
capable of supernatural signs and wonders. Unfortunately, many in the Charismatic
movement have the attitude that if something is supernatural, it must be from God. There is
no scriptural basis for that assumption. Satan is perfectly capable of producing powerful
signs and wonders to attest his lies, and the reason such people are deceived is because
they did not receive the love of the truth. On such people God will send strong delusion.

That is one of the most frightening statements in the Bible. If God sends you strong delusion, you
will be deluded. I think that is one of the most severe judgments of God recorded in
Scripture, sending these people strong delusion. They will be condemned, these people,
because they did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Therefore, signs and wonders are not a guarantee that something is the truth. There is only
one sure way to know the truth. It is in the Word of God. Jesus said in John 8:32, “You shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” There is no other way to be sure that we
can escape deception in these days except that we know and apply the truth of God’s Word,
the Scripture.

In 1994, for the first time, I was brought into fairly direct contact with one of the groups where
those manifestations were occurring. A group of leaders went to some of their meetings and
returned all excited, saying they had experienced something wonderful and we all needed to
experience it. They said, “Now, you don’t test it. You don’t try it out. You don’t examine it.
You just open up to it and receive it.” That was the first time that I really began to be
suspicious of some of these things, because such a statement is directly contrary to
Scripture.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Paul says to Christians, Test all things: hold fast what is good. So, if
we do not test things, we are disobeying Scripture, and anybody who tells us not to test
things is, himself, not in harmony with Scripture. Our hearts cannot be relied upon to give us
the truth. Proverbs 28:26 says, He who trusts in his own heart is a fool. So do not be a fool.
Do not trust your own heart. Do not rely upon what your heart tells you, because it is not reliable.

Again, in Jeremiah 17:9 the prophet says, The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?

That word deceitful in the Hebrew is a very interesting word. In 1946, I was attending the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem as a guest student studying the nature – or the law – of the
Hebrew language. I was listening to the head professor in this field at that time talking about
this verse: Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things. He gave reasons which I
cannot carry over from Hebrew to show that this form of the word deceitful is active, not
passive. It does not mean that your heart is deceived. It means that your heart deceives you,
so you cannot trust your own heart.

The professor gave a very vivid picture of what it means to find out the truth about your own
heart. He said it is like someone peeling an onion. You peel off skin after skin, but you never
know when you have reached the last skin – and all the time your eyes are watering. So that
has remained with me now for 50 years – such a vivid, scriptural warning against relying on
my own heart to tell me the truth. There is only one source of truth, and that is the Scripture.

Mixture produces confusion and division

Now I would like to give briefly my summation of this whole phenomenon or movement or
whatever-you-want-to-call-it, based partly on personal observation and partly on what I
believe to be reliable reports. My summation is very simple: it is a mixture of spirits, both the
Holy Spirit and unholy spirits. They are mixed together.

In Leviticus 19:19, God warns us against mixture. He is opposed to mixture. God says this,
“You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You
shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come
upon you.” So, God warns against three things: breeding mixed livestock, sowing with mixed
seed and wearing a mixed garment.

We could say that sowing with mixed seed represents the message that we bring, when it is
partly truth and partly error. Wearing a mixed garment would be like a lifestyle that is partly
scriptural and partly of this world. And letting livestock breed with livestock of an
incompatible kind would be equivalent to a Christian ministry or group aligning itself with a
group or ministry that is non-Christian.

It is an interesting thing about such breeding; its product is always sterile. For instance, you
can mate a horse with a donkey and the product is a mule. But a mule is always sterile; it
cannot reproduce. I think that is one reason why there are so many “sterile” operations in
Christendom – they are being bred with the wrong mate.

Now, I have observed this carefully, and I have had grievous experience of this condition of
a mixture of spirits. I find that it is something which the Scripture warns us against. For
instance, there is a character in the Bible, King Saul, who had a mixture of spirits. At one
time, he prophesied in the Holy Spirit; at another time, he prophesied in a demon. His career
is really a warning. He was a king who ruled for forty years. He was a successful military commander.

He had a lot of successes. But mixture was his undoing, and his life closed with
tragedy. On the last night of his life, he went to consult a witch, and the next day he
committed suicide on the battlefield. Surely that offers no encouragement to any of us to
cultivate any kind of spiritual mixture in our lives.

I have observed that the result of mixture is two things: first of all, confusion; and then
division. For instance, we have this mixed message, part of which is true, part of which is
false. People can respond in two ways. Some will see the good and focus on it, and
therefore accept the bad. Some will focus on the bad, and therefore reject the good. In either
case, it does not accomplish God’s purposes.

Once upon a time I was a pastor, a long time ago, but I remember that the most difficult kind
of people to deal with were people who were a mixture. I will give you a little imaginary
example. We have Sister Jones in our congregation. One Sunday she gives a beautiful,
prophetic message and everybody is uplifted, excited. But two Sundays later, she stands up
and gives a revelation which she had in a dream. The further she goes with this revelation,
the more confused and confusing it becomes. Eventually, as pastor, I have to say to her,
“Sister Jones, I thank you, but I really don’t believe that is from the Lord,” and she sits down
- but that is not the end. After the meeting, Sister White comes to me and says, “Brother
Prince, how could you talk to Sister Jones like that? Don’t you remember that beautiful
prophecy she gave two Sundays ago?” And when Sister White is gone, Brother Black comes
to me, and he says, “If that’s the kind of revelation she has, I won’t listen to any more of her
prophecies!”

So, you see what we have? Confusion, and out of confusion, division. I believe that is
exactly what is happening in the church: confusion resulting in division. Certainly there is
tremendous division! I believe confusion will always produce division.

The Bible gives us no liberty to tolerate the incursion of evil into the church. We are not to be
passive; we are not to be neutral. Proverbs 8:13 says, The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. It
is sinful to compromise with evil. It is sinful to be neutral toward evil. In John 10:10 Jesus
spoke about the thief, the devil, who comes: to steal, to kill and to destroy. We always need
to remember, whether it is in an individual life or in a congregation, the devil only comes with
three objectives: to steal, to kill and to destroy. I can remember many times I have been
speaking with a person who needed deliverance from an evil spirit, and I have said to that
person, “Remember, the devil has three reasons for being in your life: to steal, to kill and to
destroy. You need to take a stand against him, not be neutral – you must drive him out.”
What is true of an individual is true of a congregation. It is true for the body of Christ,
worldwide.

Some of these unusual manifestations have been compared with unusual manifestations
that accompanied the ministry of John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards and
Charles Finney. Undoubtedly there were unusual manifestations in the ministries of those
four men, and I have studied some of them myself, but I think the differences are greater
than the similarities with the present situation. Let me point out to you three differences:

• First of all, all those men majored on the strong preaching of God’s Word. They hardly did
  anything until they had preached the Word of God, or apart from the preaching of the Word of God.
• Finney, himself, commented somewhere about his ministry, “I usually spoke an hour
  or two.” I do not know how many contemporary Christians in the West would listen to a two-
  hour sermon, but Finney gave the Word in its purity and in its power.
• Second difference: All those men made a strong call for repentance. That was their primary
  demand on the people to whom they ministered. Some people call what we are seeing today
  “a refreshing,” but in Acts 3:19 Peter says that refreshing must be preceded by repentance.
  Any refreshing that bypasses repentance is not scriptural.
• The third difference is that in the ministry of those men, there is no record as far as I know
  that any of them laids handson people. I am not saying that it is unscriptural to lay hands on people,
  but there is a difference. There is a situation in which people receive directly for themselves from the
  preached Word and another situation in which people have hands laid on them by others.

If I could take a simple example. It is like rain. If you are out in the open and the rain falls upon
you, you have received your rain direct from heaven. But, on the other hand, if rain is caught
and stored in some kind of a cistern, then you are not receiving that rain direct from heaven.
You have to take into account the cistern and the pipes through which you receive the rain.

This is very vivid for me, because my first wife, Lydia, and I lived in Kenya for five years in a
house where our water came from rain caught on the roof and channeled into concrete
cisterns. Although the water came from heaven, we quickly learned by experience that if it
stayed for any length of time in the cistern, worms developed in it and, consequently, we
always had to boil our drinking water. There was nothing wrong with the rain as it came
down, but something happened in the channel through which the rain came to us, and it was
no longer pure. I think this can be true of laying on of hands. It is a channel which is not
always pure.

Recently some ministers have moved from actually laying on hands to some other action of
the hands – such as waving or pointing. However, this does not change the fact that
something is being transmitted through the hands. Otherwise, there is no reason to use the
hands at all. The important question still remains: Are those hands pure channels through
which only the Holy Spirit can flow?

For instance, Ruth and I were in a meeting fairly recently where ministers deeply involved in
the current move were speaking. We were sitting about two rows behind a woman who was
having a terrible experience. She was like somebody continually trying to burp or trying to
vomit, and she just went on and on and on. Eventually, I said to Ruth, “I think we ought to try
to help her.” So, although it was not a meeting for which we were responsible, we went over
quietly and started to talk to her. We discovered very quickly that she was speaking in a
tongue, but for both of us it was evident that it was a false tongue; it was not a Holy Spirit
tongue. We challenged her to confess that Jesus is Lord, and she was not willing or able to
say that. So I conclude that she had a false spirit.

Later on, the people who were with her came over and talked to us and asked us what they
should do about it. I asked them, “How did it happen?” And they said, “Well, she went to a
church that’s involved in this move and somebody laid hands on her and this is the way she
has been since then. But,” they said, “she’s convinced it’s from God. We can’t help her.”
That is just an example of “rain” that came through a “cistern” that was not pure.

Also, in the present move, there is a great deal of emphasis on love. I agree that love is the
greatest thing. But the trouble is that people are not always clear about the nature of love as
it is described in the New Testament. First of all, love in us is expressed by obedience to the
Lord. Any kind of love that does not result in obedience is unscriptural love.

In John 14:15, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” or, in
a perhaps better text, “You will keep My commandments.” In other words, what is the
evidence that you love Him? The evidence is keeping His commandments. Then in verse
21a. Jesus says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them. it is he who loves Me.”
And in 1 John 5:3, it says, For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
Therefore, any kind of love that does not result in obedience to the will of God revealed in
His Word is not scriptural love. It is a counterfeit, a substitute for the real thing.

Then, we need to consider the way that God expresses His love toward us. True, God is our Father,
and He loves us. But as a Father, if necessary, He is prepared to discipline us. In the
messages to the seven churches depicted in Revelation, I would say that Laodicea is
probably the one that corresponds most closely to the contemporary church in the West. And
to that church the Lord said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous
and repent” (Rev. 3:19).

So, God’s love is not sloppy. It is not sentimental. It is right down-to- earth. If we are straying
from His ways and if we are disobedient, His love is expressed in rebuking us and
chastening us, and He commands us to repent. Once again we have the problem of trying to
get what God promises, but bypassing the basic condition of repentance – which is a
deception.

I recently read the following comment by a British Bible teacher: Some Christians take the
text “God is love” and turn it around to mean “Love is God.” In other words, nothing can be
wrong if it is rooted in love. However, any love that comes between us and God is an
illegitimate love … Likewise any love that diverts us from obedience to God’s Word is
illegitimate.

The identity of the Holy Spirit

In all of this that we are speaking about. this worldwide phenomenon, I believe there is one
central, underlying issue which is often obscured. In fact, very seldom do we come really to
grips with this issue. This issue is the identity of the Holy Spirit. How do we recognize the
Holy Spirit? How do we know what the Holy Spirit is like? And how do we distinguish the
Holy Spirit from other spirits? I read a statement recently by some New Ager in which she
said about the “New Age,” “When the holy spirit comes, then the New Age will be here.”

Of course I am sure most of you would understand that when she talks about the holy spirit, she
is not talking about the same Holy Spirit that the Bible speaks about. This is one of various
indications that there is a counterfeit holy spirit. It is nothing new for Satan to produce a
religious counterfeit. Since the time of Jesus, history records a whole series of counterfeit
messiahs who have risen among the Jewish people. All of them had a following. Some like
Sabbetai Zvi, had a widespread and enduring influence. The latest of them died in 1994.

Another religious counterfeit is the being titled the “blessed virgin Mary.” With all the claims
that have been made for her and all the titles that have been ascribed to her, she bears no
resemblance to the humble Jewish maiden who became the mother of Jesus, and later of
His brothers and sisters. Yet over the centuries this counterfeit has claimed the devotion of
millions of sincere Christians. We need to be on our guard, therefore, that we do not
entertain a counterfeit “holy spirit.” I want to suggest to you three ways to identify the Holy
Spirit, to recognize who the Holy Spirit is.

The first way I refer to in my little booklet Uproar in the Church, which I wrote about two
years ago. I will just quote a few paragraphs: Another danger that threatens those who
minister in the supernatural realm is the temptation to use spiritual gifts to manipulate or
exploit or dominate people. At one period in my ministry I found myself casting spirits of
witchcraft out of church-going people. Eventually, I asked the Lord to show me the true
nature of witchcraft. I believe the Lord gave me the following definition: Witchcraft is the
attempt to control people and get them to do what you want by the use of any spirit that is
not the Holy Spirit. After I had digested this, the Lord added: And if anyone has a spirit that
he can use, it is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and no one uses God.

That’s very important. The Holy Spirit is God, and no one uses God. Then I went on to say, Today I
tremble inwardly when I see or hear of a person who claims that he has spiritual gifts which
he is free to use just as he pleases. It is surely no accident that some of those who have
made such claims have ended in serious doctrinal error.

It is important to see that there is a difference between the Holy Spirit Himself, as a Person,
and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 11:29, Paul tells us that the gifts … of God are
irrevocable. In other words, once God has given us a gift, He never takes it back. We are
free to use it, not to use it, or to misuse it. But even if we misuse it, God does not take it
back. Otherwise it would not be a genuine gift, it would only be a conditional loan.

It is a fact that people do misuse gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Paul provides a clear example in 1 Corinthians 13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. Obviously the Holy Spirit Himself
does not become a clanging cymbal. But the gift of speaking in tongues – when misused -
can become an empty, discordant noise. Unfortunately this often happens in Pentecostal
and Charismatic circles.

I believe it is possible to misuse other spiritual gifts – such as a word of knowledge or a gift of
healing. This can happen when a person uses a spiritual gift to achieve a result or promote a
movement which is not in harmony with the will of God. One obvious misuse would be for
personal gain. In such a situation, our safeguard is to be able to recognize the Holy Spirit as
a Person and to distinguish between Him and His gifts. This, then, is the first and most
important fact about the Holy Spirit: HE IS GOD. And we need to relate to Him and treat Him
always as God.

The second fact about the Holy Spirit is that He is the servant of God the Father and God the
Son. This is an exciting revelation because it gives such a high value to servanthood. Many
people today despise the idea of being a servant. They feel it is demeaning and undignified
to be a servant. But I think it is wonderful that servanthood did not begin on earth. It began in
eternity and it began in God. God the Holy Spirit is the Servant of the Father and the Son.

This does not demean Him or make Him less than God. But it is a fact that we have to
recognize about Him, which directs His activities and the things He does. In John 16:13-14
Jesus gives us a glimpse of the Holy Spirit’s ministry and activity: “However, when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak on His own
authority [literally: from Himself] but whatever He hears He will speak: and He will tell you
things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” So
we see: the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself; He has no message of His own.

Isn’t that remarkable? He only reports to us what He is hearing from the Father and the Son.
Secondly, His aim is not to glorify Himself, nor to attract attention to Himself, but always He
glorifies and focuses attention on Jesus. That is the second important way to identify the
Holy Spirit.

Now, I want you to listen to this carefully, because it is revolutionary. Any spirit that focuses
on the Holy Spirit and glorifies the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Spirit. It is contrary to His whole
nature and purpose. Once you have grasped that, it will open your eyes to many things
which are going on in the church that are otherwise difficult to understand. For example, we
have a very beautiful chorus that we sing about the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The first
verse says to the Father, “Glorify Thy name in all the earth.” The second verse says to Jesus
the Son, “Glorify Thy name in all the earth.” The third verse says to the Spirit, “Glorify Thy
name in all the earth.” I love to sing the first two verses, but I decline to sing the third verse,
because I do not believe it is scriptural. The Holy Spirit never does glorify His own name. His
purpose is to glorify the One who sent Him.

Let me make another statement which may surprise you. I have not found in the Scripture
anywhere an example of a prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit. So far as I can understand,
no one in the Scripture ever prayed to the Holy Spirit. You probably would do well to check
that for yourself, but I have looked carefully and have not found one example. You might
ask, “Why so?” And I would give you this answer: It is a question of heavenly “protocol.”

There is so little respect nowadays for protocol on earth that we sometimes do not realize
that there is protocol in heaven. It is protocol relating to a master-servant relationship. In
such a relationship, when you are dealing with a servant, you do not speak to the servant,
but to the master. You ask the master to tell his servant what to do. It is wrong to directly
address a servant when his master is available for you to speak to. I believe that is heaven’s
protocol. When you recognize the relationship of the Holy Spirit to God the Father and God
the Son, you understand that we never give orders to the Holy Spirit. When we want the
Holy Spirit to do something, we address our request to the Father or to the Son.

When I was looking through this, I found a passage in Ezekiel chapter 37 which I thought, at
first, was an exception. It is part of Ezekiel’s well-known vision of the valley full of dry bones
with no life in them. First of all, he prophesied and the bones came together, but they were
still lifeless corpses. Then, in verses 9 and 10: Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,
prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four
winds, 0 breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”‘” So I prophesied as He
commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an
exceedingly great army.

So, I thought that the “breath” is really a picture of the wind – or the Holy Spirit – and so
Ezekiel was praying to the wind. But he was not praying. He was prophesying.

And it did not come from himself. He merely passed on to the wind a command that he had received
from God Himself. Therefore, as far as I have been able to discover, there is not a single example
anywhere in the Scripture of praying to the Holy Spirit. Now, I am not seeking to make a big
issue out of that. On the other hand, I think it is very important as we try to discern the nature
and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. You would say to me, “Well, doesn’t God hear our prayer
when we pray to the Holy Spirit?” I think He does. But we are not praying in full accord with
heaven’s protocol. If we really want to please the Lord and show respect for Him, we will
show respect for His protocol.

The third important fact about the Holy Spirit is what is indicated in His name: He is Holy.
This is His primary title: the Holy Spirit. In Hebrew it is the Spirit of Holiness. He has many
other titles: for instance, the Spirit of Grace, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Power, and so
on, But they are all subsidiary. His name and His primary title is the Holy Spirit. Anything that
is unholy does not proceed from the Holy Spirit.

The Scripture also speaks of the beauty of holiness. There is a beauty in holiness when it
proceeds from the Holy Spirit. It is not necessarily external. It may be internal beauty. For
instance, in I Peter 3:4, Peter speaks about the hidden person of the heart, and he speaks
about the adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price.
This is not external beauty. It is internal beauty, which comes from the Holy Spirit. I want to
say, however, with the utmost emphasis: Anything unholy or ugly does not proceed from the
Holy Spirit.

I will give you a list of 12 adjectives, all of which I believe cannot be applied to the Holy Spirit
or to anything that is the product of the Holy Spirit. As I go through the list, I suggest you
check mentally and see if you agree with me. Here, then, are words that would never apply
to the Holy Spirit:

1. self-exalting
2. self-assertive
3. degrading
4. flippant
5. rude
6. sham
7. vulgar
8. indecent
9. insensitive
10. stupid
11. silly
12. degraded

I have in my heart, if God wills and I live, to write a book at some time of which I have
already chosen the title. The title is this: Holiness Is Not Optional. Only God knows whether I
will ever succeed in writing the book, but I want to say, in any case, that the title states the
exact truth. In the Christian life, holiness is not optional. Many Christians seem to think about
holiness as if it is like something added to a car, such as fancy leather upholstery instead of
the normal kind of plastic. But that is not true. Holiness is an essential part of salvation.

In Hebrews 12:14 the writer says, Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no
man will see the Lord. What salvation do we have that does not bring us to see the Lord?
But without holiness, no one will see the Lord.

We have in our contemporary Western Christianity a very incomplete picture of salvation. “If
I get saved and born again, and then I want to go on and be holy. I can do it – but it is an
option.” I want to tell you that your salvation depends on your being holy. And holiness
comes only from the Holy Spirit.

There are many features of purported moves of the Holy Spirit that I could pick out and hold
up as examples of things that are not holy. But I will only deal with one, and that is: animal
behavior in human beings attributed to the Holy Spirit. There are many such examples,
some I have witnessed and some have been reported.

First of all, there is no passage in Scripture that I know of where the Holy Spirit causes any
human being to behave like an animal. There is the example of Balaam, but that is a strong
contrast. God caused Balaam’s donkey to speak like a man – but He never caused Balaam
to bray like a donkey!

There was one man whom God caused to behave like an animal: Nebuchadnezzar. He was
driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his
hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:33) But that was
God’s judgment, not His blessing! Revelation 4:6-8 depicts four living creatures that
surround the throne of God. Three are there as representatives of the “animal” kingdom: a
lion, a calf and an eagle. But none of them make noises that express their “animal” nature.
All of them alike proclaim the holiness of God in pure and beautiful speech. It is important to
understand that there is an order in God’s creation.

Man was created in the image and likeness of God to exercise authority over the animal
kingdom (see Genesis 1:26). Man is, in fact, the highest order of the creation described in
the opening chapters of Genesis. This has a bearing on the way the Holy Spirit blesses us.
He uplifts those whom He blesses. He will at times cause an animal to act in some ways like
a human being. But He will never degrade a human being by causing him to act like an
animal.

I have a certain amount of experience in this area because I have encountered animal spirits
many times in Africa. I recall one particular deliverance service that I held in Zambia with
about 7,000 Africans present. When I had finished the teaching and began to command the
evil spirits to manifest themselves and come out of the people, there were all sorts of animal
spirits that were let loose. By “animal spirits” I mean evil, demonic spirits that enter human
beings and cause them to behave like animals. The first thing that happened was that a man
with a “lion spirit” tried to charge me. But someone tripped him up and he did not reach me.

You need to know that the reason these Africans in this part of Africa have so many animal
spirits is because many of them are hunters of animals. They have this superstition that in
order to hunt an animal successfully, you have to get the spirit of the animal in you. So a
man tends to have the spirit of the animal which he seeks to hunt. For instance, the man
who is hunting a lion, will get a lion spirit.

There are many others. We dealt with spirits of wild boars that caused people to burrow in
the earth with their noses like a wild boar rooting for something. Then there were many
snake spirits. These were mainly in women, and when they were manifested, the women
were flat on their bellies slithering around like snakes. All these I actually witnessed myself.

There was one other spirit that I did not witness, but heard about from the missionary couple
who organized the meeting. Later I met the lady concerned. She was a very sweet Christian
lady – a school teacher – but her husband was an elephant hunter. When she came to the
missionary couple for deliverance, they commanded the elephant spirit to come out.
Immediately she dropped on her hands and knees, crawled out through an open door, put
her forehead up against a small tree, and began to try to push it down. Wasn’t that
remarkable? Perhaps some well-meaning Western Christian might have said, “Our sister is
pushing a tree down for Jesus,” but that was not the explanation. The elephant spirit in her
was causing her to do what elephants regularly do, which is push down trees with their
foreheads.

As soon as she was delivered from that spirit, she no longer had any urge to
push trees down with her forehead. In the West, we sometimes tend to speak about the
people in Africa as unsophisticated and to consider ourselves more sophisticated. However,
I think in this realm of animal spirits it is we, in the West, who are unsophisticated and the
Africans who are sophisticated. They have lived for generations with such spirits, but until
the gospel came, with the power of the name of Jesus and the Word of God, they had no
way to deal with them. Thank God that many of them now know how to deal with them!

Another example of which various reports have been given is people behaving like dogs. I
am a dog lover, but I think dogs should be kept in their rightful place. I do not believe that the
Holy Spirit ever causes anybody to bark or to run around like a dog.

Where such manifestations of animal spirits have occurred, there are certain steps that we
need to take. We cannot tolerate or encourage such manifestations. Nor can we merely
sweep all this under the carpet and go on as if nothing had happened.

In Matthew 12:33, Jesus instructs us: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else
make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” Wherever there is bad
fruit, it comes from a bad tree. It is not enough to get rid of the bad fruit. We must also cut
down the bad tree that produced it. If we fail to do this, the bad tree will go on producing
more bad fruit. Undoubtedly, the tree that produces animal behaviour of this kind is some
form of occult or pagan practice. For instance, there are frequent manifestations of animal
behaviour in some parts of Africa and India.

To cut down the tree requires that the leaders responsible identify the problem, confess it as
sin and repent of it. Nowhere in the Bible is there any ground to suppose that God will
forgive sins that we are not willing to confess. Somebody has said, “The confession must be
as wide as the transgression.” If leaders have tolerated these things in the presence of their
people, then in the presence of their people they need to confess it as a sin and cancel it.
Otherwise, if the bad tree is not cut down, it will go on producing bad fruit.

In closing, I want to give a little “parable” of my own construction, which is about my
relationship with my wife. In this parable my wife represents the Holy Spirit and I represent God.

Now please understand, this is a very simple little parable and I am fully aware that the
Holy Spirit is not the wife of God. But with those cautions, let me relate the parable.

A friend comes to me and says, “I saw you and your wife together on the platform the other
evening and she looked so beautiful, so fresh, so full of the Holy Spirit.” So I say, “Thank
you. That’s really how she is.” Then, a little later, the same man comes to me and says, “You
know, yesterday I saw your wife in a bar with a man drinking.” And I say, “That was not my
wife! My wife is a pure and godly woman. She does not go to bars and she does not drink
with strangers. My wife was right here with me all day yesterday. Don’t speak that way about
my wife!”

But a little later, he comes to me and says, “You know, I saw your wife yesterday sunbathing
topless on the beach.” Then I get really angry. I say to him, “My wife was nowhere near the
beach yesterday, and she would never expose herself like that! If you want to remain my
friend, you’ve got to come to the place where you don’t identify that loose, immoral woman
as my wife, because that’s an insult to her and to me, If you want to remain my friend, you’ve
got to change the way you speak about my wife.”

The application, of course, is this: if you want to remain a friend of God, you cannot afford to
identify His Holy Spirit as something that is loose or immoral or ugly or unholy, because that
angers God intensely.

Now we come to one final Scripture, which is in Matthew 12:31-32. Jesus says, “Therefore I
say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be
forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit it will not be forgiven him, either in
this age or in the age to come.”

That is a very solemn and frightening warning. We are warned by Jesus Himself to be very,
very careful how we speak about the Holy Spirit, how we represent the Holy Spirit.

Jesus uses the word blasphemy, and I decided to look it up in my big Greek lexicon. The
primary meaning of to blaspheme is given in the lexicon as this: to speak lightly or amiss of
sacred things. So when you speak lightly or amiss concerning the Holy Spirit, or
misrepresent the character of the Holy Spirit, by definition you are close to blaspheming.

If you have ever done that, or been prone to do it, or been associated with those who do it, I
want to offer you some sincere advice: You need to repent. You need to settle that matter
once and for all with God and never again be guilty of misrepresenting God’s Holy Spirit. For
the Holy Spirit is holy and He is God.

_______________________________________________________

Originally published July 1996
Revised and expanded November 1996.

Derek Prince Ministries – International
DPMI Web Site- http://www.derekprince.com/

]]> http://www.issacharministry.org.au/teachings/protection-from-deception/feed/ 1 http://www.issacharministry.org.au/teachings/identifying-the-absalom-spirit/ http://www.issacharministry.org.au/teachings/identifying-the-absalom-spirit/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2006 05:27:58 +0000 admin http://issacharministry.org.au/?p=88

A teaching by Peter McArthur

One of the most insidious attacks against the Body of Christ comes from those who are
disaffected. This refers to those who feel they are not appreciated, recognised in their calling,
or simply have a rebellious attitude towards eldership.

This attitude has plagued the Body of Christ from its earthly inception, and was even at work in
Old Testament times in one of King David’s sons, hence the term. We shall look briefly at the
Biblical account as it highlights some important principles for us.

Absalom was David’s third son. We read how his sister Tamar was raped by her brother
Amnon (2 Sam. 13: 8-14), and when Absalom perceived this all he said was; Hold your peace
my sister…do not take this thing to heart (2 Sam. 13: 20).

Such was the heart of Absalom. He was grossly insensitive and acted unjustly. To Amnon his
brother he spoke neither good nor bad (2 Sam. 13: 22). The consequence of this incest
brought forth foolishness and hatred in Amnon (verses 13-15), which then resulted in anger
and hatred within the family (verses 21-22).

Festering guilt mixed with anger led Absalom to plan his brother’s death, after which he fled
the scene and hid for three years. (chapter 13). Eventually upon returning to Jerusalem he was
banned from approaching his father, David (2 Sam. 14: 24).

When, by another act of treachery, Absalom does get to see his father again (14: 28-33) he
immediately sets about to draw attention to himself by providing for himself chariots and fifty
men to run before him (15: 1).

The working out of this mind-set causes Absalom to not only draw attention to himself, but
also to draw people to himself (15: 2-6). This of course is the basic pattern of the Absalom spirit .

There is a definite plan to all this. Let’s note the sequence of how it is enacted:
1. Absalom chooses to rise early (2 Sam. 15: 2)
2. He deliberately stands at the gate to the City, where much traffic passes by.
3. He focuses in on issues the people have (in Heb. lit =controversies).
4. He also seemingly approves of their dissatisfaction (15: 3), thus cunningly aligning
himself to their concern, and vice versa.
5. Then he sows seeds of discontent by declaring that only he has the ability to make wise
decisions (15: 4).
6. The result is that people are duped and pay him homage when they should be going to
their God-appointed leader, in this case, King David (15: 5-6).
7. Absalom then uses a religious ploy to prepare the next stage of the deceit (15: 7-8).
8. This brings about an uprising against the legitimate God-appointed leadership (15: 10)
by drawing others into the web to act deceitfully (the spies of verse 10a).
9. The final working out of all this is the setting up of a competitive seat of power (15: 10b).

So, we see the treachery that is acted out by one close to leadership. Sadly, this pattern still runs its
course today and we find churches and fellowships undermined by this very same spirit .
Based on this Biblical account, what then are some of the factors to watch for?

THOSE WITH AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
Clearly we are to look for those who have an attitude that betrays an independent spirit. Such a
person no longer wants to serve the Body but seeks recognition and reputation for itself. It may
well have been that the person initially did serve others, but often this is only short-lived.

THOSE WHO SUBTLY SEEK SELF-PROMOTION
The next step is when such a person begins to manoeuvre to receive the praise of others. We
have already seen in 2 Samuel chapter 15 how Absalom stood by the gate of the city and stole
the hearts of the people .

SPIRITUAL PRIDE RISES UP
It’s usually those who lack clear discernment who give accolades and praise to the
Absalom-type among them. As this takes root in the heart of the perpetrator he begins to believe
that he’s more spiritual than others, and certainly wiser than the current leadership. He becomes unteachable.

AN OFFENDED SPIRIT COMES TO THE FORE
The spiritual pride that resides deep in the heart of the Absalom-type turns into Offence. Almost
anything begins to cause offence because his spiritual insight isn t appreciated. All the time he
works to have his ideas, doctrines and plans promoted. When it’s clear his suggestions are not
being accepted, he is greatly offended and seeks out others to back him – and to get them to
agree with him about the great offence caused. Disaffected people can so easily seek after
others of like spirits, who in turn are drawn to him.

A CRITICAL SPIRIT BEGINS TO OPERATE OPENLY
Once the pattern gets this far it ‘s not too long before a critical attitude toward leadership begins
to operate openly. This will soon result in nearly every decision, major and minor, being
questioned by the disaffected ones.

About the same time that this begins to operate openly, the Absalom-type feels he can no
longer receive any spiritual input or guidance from leadership. He begins to distance himself
from leadership, and complains that they’re the ones who are causing all this. He is reinforced
in his thinking that only he has the wisdom to carry the group further spiritually. Because there’s
no balance in his thinking he hears only those voices that approve of him, and he can even
begin to find Biblical texts in support of this. He has entered very dangerous territory at this
stage.

A SPIRIT OF COMPETITION ENTERS THE FRAY
What now emerges is a direct confrontation, which will ultimately lead to more and more
confusion. The Absalom-type will set himself up in competition to the leadership by deliberately
throwing innuendo and doubt into even casual conversation with the disaffected ones.
Because they too feel unloved they will readily nod their agreement. All the while their
conscience tries to alert them to the fact that something s not quite true – yet they ignore this
alarm bell and continue in aligning themselves to one of like-spirit.

Later the Absalom will begin to distort some of the teaching given by leadership, and
misrepresent certain facts and decisions they make. Thus it moves from a sense of emotional
hurt and lack of appreciation, to challenging doctrine. By this stage there’s now occurred a
major crisis in the pattern.

THE DELIBERATE SOWING OF STRIFE INCREASES
Now Absalom begins to take the strife to a wider plane, often contacting other individuals in the
church to spread the dissatisfaction; always of course making sure the hearer understands that
this isn’t gossip, but truth that needs airing!

When it’s something that occurs through a chance meeting with another disaffected person, it’s
one thing; but when it becomes more organised it’s quite another. By the use of phone calls,
invitations to a cuppa or a meal, and even through clandestine gatherings such as home
fellowships, the strife spreads like a cancer. Absalom is keen to seemingly promote God, the
teachings of the Bible, etc, to validate the reason for speaking against the leadership.

Invitations to attend a cuppa, a meal or gathering are given out to selected ones, who Absalom
knows will readily accept. At the outset of such gatherings Absalom makes sure that the
attention isn’t drawn to him – it is God who is our focus, he readily announces! This soon
changes however, and gradually the gathering turns into a meeting of bruised souls expressing
their sense of hurt.

ACCUSATIONS FLY
The greatest accusation any believer will have to face is; You don’t love me enough! We all
know in our hearts we fail at this point, and the poisoned arrow of accusation can go deep. This
becomes the one great area of faultfinding, especially directed at leadership. Usually its not
Biblical love that’s the issue here, but emotional love .

While the disaffected ones are giving voice to their hurt, Absalom waits (somewhat impatiently)
for an opportunity to turn it in a certain direction. He isn’t really interested at all in their
grievances; he wants to air his own feelings.

A Bible text is usually flung about, as if to legitimise the gossip. It doesn’t take too long before
Absalom speaks forthrightly against faults that he’s noticed in the leadership. Topping the list
will be lack of love , followed by an accusation that the current leaders are grieving the Holy
Spirit .

Close behind these accusations will often come a comforter . In the Bible Absalom was keen
to evidence loyalty to both God and David (2 Sam. 15: 7-9), yet his actions showed otherwise.
This use of Biblical quotes or principles, especially that we should still love the leaders whom
we’ve left brings a kind of comfort to the disaffected. They feel they’re not really attacking
God’s leaders at all, because they, at least, still love them! So they think.

Attacks are often related to the spiritual qualifications required of leadership as set down in the
Bible, and how the current leaders fail to measure up to them. Even minor failures in this regard
will be made to be seen as major flaws.

OPEN DISLOYALTY FOLLOWED BY DIVISION
Once this has reached a certain point, it’s not too long before open division rears it’s head.
Absalom doesn’t necessarily need a large group to implement his next move; even a small
band of followers will be sufficient. He knows he has them, he has stolen their hearts (2 Sam.
15: 6) and they have unwittingly given themselves over to him. They have come under bondage
(see 2 Pet. 2: 19).

Soon the disloyalty is shown by the making some sort of declaration (2 Sam. 15: 10), either in
public or in private. It’s remarkable how often those who seek to break away, declare their
intention by any means rather than a face-to-face meeting! A hurried phone call or a short letter
announces their intent; it is curt, to the point and there is no entering into further dialogue. A
final parting dart is flung at leadership when it’s announced, “Others feel the same way I do!”
(compare 2 Sam. 15: 10-13). This of course makes the leader wilt and perhaps feel guilty.

Often  it’s only at this point that the leadership actually becomes aware of the division. How
necessary it is then that leadership should pay attention to God’s warnings via prophetic words
and dreams!

Now the awful truth has come into the open: and the people must make a choice between their
current leaders and the Absalom who has deceived them all by treachery. Usually the larger
group are not swayed by the Absalom-type, but he has caused enough division to foster doubt
in the remainder of the congregation. A un-ease now hovers over the people.

A CONGREGATION TORN APART
Amongst those whom Absalom has beguiled are the naïve ones (2 Sam. 15: 11). These are
those who “only wanted the best of church life , those who wanted to move into something
greater , those who truly did desire the deeper things”  and “who wanted the freedom of the
Spirit”. Sadly these ones don’t see the truth until much later, and they become confused, and
some ultimately leave fellowship altogether.

Both sides are now in a flurry to re-establish and establish their respective groups. At this point
the leadership may try to encourage the remnant through all sorts of ways, in an attempt to
stabilise them. Sadly there’s often a great over-reaction in this and the people sense the
leaders are trying too hard to keep them. This can actually cause further unease.

Absalom however will begin to gloat, all the time making certain this isn’t seen publicly. But the
signs will be there, and sooner or later, what’s in his heart will overflow in his words and
actions.

One thing the Absalom-type cannot fail to do is to speak against what he’s left behind. He will
actively seek out teachings that will seemingly approve of his actions.

Those who align themselves with him will find some comfort in these teachings, as it seems to
validate their choice. However the instruction they receive from him will be un-balanced and its
source is often other Absaloms. He has now set himself up as a wise one , subtly imposing
upon his group the view that he can lead them into something more spiritual , unlike the
previous leadership.

When the Absalom sees something go wrong in the church, he’s quick to say that God’s
judgement has fallen upon the leadership. Sadly, even insignificant events will be seen as
signs that God has approved of the split. Spiritual discernment cannot possibly function in the
breakaway group because of the bitterness and pride that’s taken hold there.

THE JUDGMENT THAT WILL SURELY FOLLOW
There’s a Biblical principle that states: If the root is evil then the fruit shall also be evil. This
simply means that a group birthed from the workings of an Absalom will suffer the same fate
in due time. Disloyalty, gossip, and eventually rebellion will follow as sure as night follows day.

Note that in Scripture, Absalom died in a most revealing way; his head got caught in trees and
he was left dangling until he was executed. Caught by the head! In Biblical typology the head
stands for authority and leadership.

Absalom set himself up as head and by his head he was judged! (2 Sam. 18: 9-18).

May the Lord and His teaching Spirit guide us into ALL of His wondrous ways and increasingly
deliver us from the spirit of Absalom : may MATURITY be the hall-mark of today’s church!

Blessings and grace to you,

Peter McArthur

The Issachar Ministry

________________________________________________________________________________

Often when we enter into some new Biblical revelation we might think we are beginning
to get a fairly good hold on what the purpose of God really is about. Even if we think we
do have a handle on it, there is always more.

It’s not enough to have an understanding of the Grand Purpose, we also need to know
HOW we are to participate in it, and also HOW God is working all this to its appointed
end.

Correct vision of this purpose and right “seeing” is important, but do we understand the
ways in which God will bring all this to pass? There are certain spiritual principles (“laws”
if you like) that God uses in order to bring things to their appointed end.

When we can truly say in our hearts that we not only “know” the vision but also what in
us is likely to stymie it, only then can we have a valued testimony and stand before the
brethren to speak it. Then they will say about us; “This one knows the vision and can
even alert me to the pitfalls along the way – to this one will I listen, for he has heard from
heaven”.

So God will use men and women of Heavenly Vision who are able to state what it is, to
disclose the ways in which God will bring it to pass, and who are able to adjust the
thinking of those who might be prone to hasten or even short-circuit the prescribed way.
We dare not entertain doing this unless we have first “seen the Lord”. From the
Beginning of the gospel period to its End we find those who have “seen the Lord”. The
apostles saw Him in His resurrected state, and in John’s grand revelation he saw Him in
His glorified state. The whole New Testament from start to finish is a collection of
writings that cry out “We have seen Him!” There is literally no greater vision than this.

Everyone from that first point on who has lived out the gospel has also “seen Him”. It’s
this vision of Him and Who He is and our part in it, that glues the whole story together.
When we get the right vision it will stay firm within us despite all the daily grind, the
times of fleeting doubt or soulish fretting, even the illnesses and seeming injustices of
life.

When we can stand in “a broad place” (Psalm 18:19) and see things as they are
eternally meant to be, then we can proclaim from the very depths of our inner man and
say “I know this to be true despite what the circumstances of life might otherwise say”.
We will stand firm in our conviction.

This is one reason why correct vision is so important. True heaven-sent vision that has
engaged one’s heart and become a foundation deep within, will bring us through. Recall
that it was Joshua as a young man who remained faithful at the door of the Tent of
Meeting to keep his focus and vision centred (Exodus 33: 11).

Imagine this for a moment. Moses had come down from the mount only to find another
“vision” had been placed before the people; the golden calf. After this idol was destroyed
we find young Joshua remaining at the Tabernacle, the meeting place of man with God,
the place of extraordinary heavenly vision. No doubt he wanted to keep close as
possible to God’s original vision for Israel. He stayed focussed. He didn’t let the sin of
false vision, as displayed by the golden calf, sway him off course.

Later this would happen again. At the entrance to Canaan, Joshua was excited to at last
see the Promised Land. He, along with Caleb and the other ten entered in according to
God’s command. They saw and they tasted the fruit of that Promise. Two grasped what
God’s intent was about; ten let the circumstances speak a different vision to their hearts.

The ten said, “We SAW the giants…we were like grasshoppers IN OUR OWN
SIGHT “(Numbers 13: 33). Take note of what their vision dictated to them. It was
strong enough to make them fear, doubt and rebel.

But when God forbade the people to enter into Canaan that first time, when they had to
endure the forty years of hardship, mumbling, fear and regret, Joshua kept his vision
focussed. He kept the vision sharpened. He undoubtedly reminded himself of what was
yet to come. This enabled him to be ready to go in when the Lord spoke the second
time. He wouldn’t let unbelieving hearts dictate to him now. He had accepted what
Heaven spoke to Moses and he held fast to it, not wavering in it, but letting it day by day
grow deeper and deeper in him, and yet at the same time, letting its truth rise to the
surface.

Joshua’s vision of “entering in” was always just below the surface. True, it had gone
deep in him at first, but when it had formed a solid foundation within, it began to rise
towards the surface. Day by day it must have grown within him, so much so that no
doubt he groaned waiting for its reality. When that day came and Heaven spoke to enter
in, he was ready. He was prepared. He was not slack. He was a man of the given vision
and he had not let it wither those forty long years.

There are many today amongst the brethren who are hearing this wonderful purpose
and vision extolled. Not near enough are hearing it, but at least more than in previous
generations. However unless the proclaimers of this Grand Purpose of Harmony are
also able to warn about the pitfalls, to alert the brethren of the subtle deceptions, and to
disclose God’s way of bringing it to pass, we will have “ten” more who will balk when the
“entering in” is at hand.

Those ten spies (note how they are described!) would’ve known the vision that Moses
had repeatedly spoken about the Promised Land. But when the crunch came they were
self-focussed. True vision actually means death to self-vision. We need to get that
straight in our thinking.

Joshua was not identifying himself so much with the vision of “entering in” as if it was
some “thing”, or some “purpose” to be fulfilled. Rather he was identifying with the Mover
of that purpose, God Himself. There’s a great difference between aligning with a
“movement or purpose”, and aligning with God who is the Mover of that purpose.

Some people will readily jump on the band-wagon of a new movement, they will clamber
to identify with a new church across town who has a great vision, and they will readily
give themselves to the “new work”. They speak of commitment, and maybe even
consecration to the new work, but when things become difficult and Satan or the soul
presses in, they cave in. What’s happened?

They have made the error of aligning with the “vision or purpose” rather than aligning
themselves to the Mover, the Lord God. Worse still they may be the type of people who
live off second-hand revelations rather than receiving the call direct from the Lord. Our
commitment or consecration must always come out of identification to the Lord, rather
than our identification with the vision. He must always take the priority.

As we allow the Lord to take His rightful place, we begin to see what He’s really about.
We glimpse the vision He has, and it’s out of seeing like He sees that we’re moved to
identify with that vision. In other words, commitment to a vision should come of out
seeing as the Vision-Giver sees, not just because we approve of the vision itself. We
need to see as God sees.

There’s a principle in the Word: “Seeing precedes entering in”.

Think about that for a moment. Abraham had to “see” the stars in the heavens before he
could move on in his journey. Moses was taken up the mount to “see” the Promised
Land before the people could enter in. The disciples had to “see” what the Kingdom was
about through signs and wonders, before Jesus could send them out to proclaim it.

A wise pastor or elder will not get too excited when people want to join their church
because they “like the vision”. He will be cautious, because such people often put the
vision before He who gives it. They’d never say that of course, but their words and works
will eventually betray that attitude. How important it is to make certain the flock under
one’s care know the Vision-Giver first before they sign up to the vision itself.

Without “seeing” the vision for ourselves we are prone to want to adjust it later as we tire
of, or get frustrated with, the outworking of the vision. Our own ideas may begin to
surface in an attempt to rescue the supposed decaying vision. Striving soon takes place,
and a spiritual battle will ensure. Sadly this often ends in spiritual depression for some
and usually results in a parting of ways for others.

So it is that we first need to get to know God’s great eternal purpose, as clearly as
possible in our heart. Once we have seen what He purposes then the next step falls into
place.

That next step is to be so close to Him that we know His heartbeat. We recall that Jesus
said the twelve were no longer servants but friends to Him (John 15:15). Servants
certainly know about their job description, they act according to given commands.
Friends on the other hand are closer and they know the mind and heart, and they are
even privy to certain issues not disclosed to others (Matthew 11: 13).

We need to know both the “outward” eternal purpose as well as the “inward” heartbeat
of our Divine Friend. When these two are harmonious in a person’s life then we’ll have
people who know the Vision-Giver well, and are equally clear about the vision itself. This
marrying of the inward and outward will bring about a consecration of a person’s will to
the task. Such a person becomes both a Knower and a Seer of the grand vision.

It’s this combination that enables a person to remain steadfast to see the vision through.
It will be tested, certainly, but the Knower-Seer will stand and wait, assured that the
outcome will truly come to pass.

How will God bring us to His desired end? What spiritual laws will He use in our
preparation? One of the most fundamental ways, which God uses to prepare us for our
destined role, is the New Birth. Just as Jesus was a Son from above, so we too, who are
Born Again from above (John 3: 3 margin note) are members of “the First Family.”

We are partakers of the Divine Nature of God (2 Peter 1: 4), a very real “next of kin” if
you like. In fact our association with and to the Lord Jesus enables us to be of one Spirit
with Him:
“The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him”
1 Cor. 6: 17

This is our starting point; our preparation for having right vision is the New Birth. It
propels us into a new order of being. This spiritual heredity enables us to perceive the
Eternal Vision of the heavens; our mindset can now know the Purpose, while the carnal
mindset cannot:
“The mind of the flesh is enmity towards God; for it is not being
subjected to the Law of God, and neither can it be.”
Rms. 8: 7

Jesus Christ is THE Son; He is the mould, the prototype, the “image” of what all other
Born Again ones are to be like. We are “spiritual blood-brothers” to Christ.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh
nor of the will of man, but of God. ”
John 1: 12-13

This relationship with the great Son of God is not confined to being of “one family” but
extends to actually partaking of His glory. He said:
“…and I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they
may be one, as We are One.”
John 17:22

Thus the purpose of our being is unravelled even further with this understanding. Paul
prayed that his readers would begin to grasp this wonderful truth when he wrote:
“(I pray) that the eyes of your mind having been enlightened, for you to
know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory
of His inheritance in the saints.”
Eph. 1: 18

Only by a divine revelation of God’s eternal purpose can we ever begin to know what
has been proposed for us. Only by the Holy Spirit enlightening our regenerated mindsets
can we see this truth, which begins with the New Birth. This then is the first spiritual law
that is enacted to bring about our “seeing” of the vision.

A second spiritual law that soon follows is that governing time. “Time” is a fundamental
characteristic of those who are coming to maturity. Saints who begin to appreciate the
seasons and times of God, particularly in relation to waiting, are on that road.

The outworking of any vision requires the obvious passage of time. Time must elapse
before the vision becomes a concrete reality. This is so in the natural realm and it’s even
more so in the spiritual. Rarely if at all, do we see an “incarnation” of a vision come
about quickly. We must wait, expectantly, yet with an increasing desire of yearning for
the vision to come to pass. Patience is of paramount consideration. It’s a testing.
As God is still seasoning our flesh and mind in this waiting period, but we’re prone to
want to hasten the day. This can occur in various ways.

A practical sort of person, like a pastor for instance, might want to use some method or
programme to help the vision become a reality. He may attempt to “prime the pump” and
help the spiritual flow come forth. He may even subconsciously misread events around
him to try to convince either himself or others that “something is moving in God; can you
sense it?” Discernment is displaced by undue haste. Confusion begins to take root and
wrong decisions soon follow.

Or there might be a prophet who was initially used by God to prophesy the vision, which
may become impatient and start to prophesy slight alterations to God’s programme. The
prophet who at first spoke boldly about the coming Move might cautiously add to the
original word as time seems to pass by rather more slowly than expected. The prophet
who first saw what God revealed tends to live in that future realm and often finds the
waiting hard. This is particularly so with immature prophets. If they’ve been so foolish as
to prophesy a date or time they inwardly panic as the day draws near with no sign of the
Move breaking forth. Right at this point they “add” some later “revelation” to save face.
Of course it’s all done subconsciously, and they would never think it’s them – but it
usually is.

Little “excuses” creep in; subtle changes to the original vision take place; and impatience
comes into the mind. The excitement of first grasping the vision, of seeing it and being
thrilled by its grandeur, begins to fade as we await the hour of its fulfilment. But it’s this
very passing of time that the Lord can use to adjust our thinking.

It’s a truth that we usually don’t comprehend the full nature of the initial vision until much
time has elapsed. Only then do we truly see what it’s about. This “blind spot” is done by
the Lord in an attempt to increase our faith. It also quickly sorts out those who have
really appreciated the given vision from those who have put their hand up without
considering the responsibility it requires.

Now a third spiritual law comes into play; that of the adjustment period. We’re not
expected to simply get the vision, and then wait around until one day it comes to pass.
No, there’s a requirement for us to be corrected, adjusted and transformed during this
time. More often than not it requires suffering!

The suffering is of course the challenging of our mindset by the Lord. How often do we
see or hear of saints who leap into fervent action when a vision is prophesied or first
presented. They might even appreciate the need for a waiting period, much like a
pregnancy, before seeing the fruit. After all, they concede, that’s Biblical enough.

But they’re not ready for the transformation of the mind that MUST take place if the
vision is to change them. The suffering it will entail brings all the dross of their inner life
to the surface and they can’t cope with it. Hurts, regrets and unresolved issues quickly
surface as the Spirit stirs the depths within.

It’s at this vulnerable point that the vision they were once so excited about takes a dive
while they focus on the mess that’s floated to the surface of their mind. Over and over
we see such people consumed, no longer by the God-given vision, but by the sewage of
the past.

At this moment God’s wonderful grace and mercy can cleanse and restore them, but
more often than not the process of adjustment is too much to bear. In order to find some
relief from their inner woes they begin to attack the Keepers of the Vision to divert
attention. A displacement of purpose and vision takes place, and unless there are wise
men and women of God to help restore such ones, the outcome is often tragic.

As painful as this is, it’s nevertheless one of the ways which God uses to purify the
outcome of His vision. He yearns for the vision to remain pure and intact. Inevitably there
will be some “deaths” along the way. Some may “die” in the early stages of the vision,
only to find a wonderful opportunity of restoration later. Others may well “die” and never
see a resurrection from their inner struggles that would enable them to be part of the
vision.

At this stage a rather wonderful thing happens. The initial vision, which could only have
been in embryonic form, begins to expand outward. The very core of the vision, coming
from God Himself, does not alter, but it does take on a new shape as it were.

As we yield to the correcting, adjusting and patience needed to see the vision unfold, our
spiritual eyes begin to take in a grander panorama than first envisaged. Our spiritual
horizon expands quite markedly, and in some cases very rapidly. What we saw from one
perspective is now seen from another, and the scenery is breathtaking. From this new
vantage point, that of submitting to God’s ways, the view encompasses so much more
than we first thought.

When this begins to take place, the former vision is not abandoned, but actually
enhanced; it becomes broader. Right at this point others who were not aligned with the
earlier vision begin to line up with this new “seeing”. The new blood brings a great
thrusting forward of intensity, and it can be a very exciting time.

But some who initially refused the earlier vision may now try to jump on the wagon and
be part of the new move. Sometimes the Lord allows this; other times He resists the
resisters for not moving on in faith earlier. It will require wisdom to know just who is
approved by the Lord in this and who is not. No one should think they can simply “get”
the fresh vision and join the parade. This vision is not “got” – rather it is “given”.

This is precisely where the maturity of apostles and prophets comes into play. The
mature prophetic voices will herald the broadening horizon, and encourage the saints to
go with it, while at the same time warning people to have a right heart in their motives for
wanting to be part of all this.

There’s also likely to be a marked increase in dreams, visions and prophetic words at
this time. However the words of the prophets will not be enough to stabilise the ship. The
spiritual fathers, the apostles, will need to know how and when to apply the truths that
will cause the vision to become a reality. Generally they will do so in tandem with local
eldership.

The prophets will proclaim the fresh vision to the Body, the apostles apply its truths for
the Body, while the local elders administer these within the Body.

One sees the vision and speaks it; one applies these truths to the here and now, and the
other facilitates it locally.

Of course it’s not as clear cut as that, for there will inevitably be some overlap as each
ministry works in harmony with the others to bring the saints into greater maturity.
This exciting marrying of ministries will set the church on a new course of life. Currently
this is where the Body of Christ is heading, but there’ll be many labour pangs yet to
come before we see the birth.

Blessings and the Lord’s favour upon you,
Peter McArthur

____________________________________________________________________