If signs, wonders and miracles done with great perseverance are the hallmarks of an Apostle, as our brother Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:12, then what is or are the hallmarks of a King – a great King? Any king can have great power, pomp and majesty, but it does not make him great. Any king can strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, but it does not make him a great king—no more than signs, wonders and miracles make a true Apostle.
Indeed in Revelation 13:13,14 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.
Certainly not since Elijah had fire been called down; not even Jesus had done it. Although those of us, who knows our Jesus, will know that He rebuked the disciples for suggesting that they should call fire down from heaven in Luke 9:54. Jesus rebuked them as He had said, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”
Yet the world and the church will be deceived by signs, wonders and miracles. That does not mean we are to fear the deception and so avoid signs, wonders and miracles completely. No, we just need to be sure of our knowledge of whom we have believed in—that is—Jesus Christ and His Father and God—who is God Almighty! No more then should we fear those who call themselves apostles—In fact, the ability to test those who claimed to be apostles, but proved to be false was a commendation that God gave the church of Ephesus in Revelations 2:2 “I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.”
So, as we meet those who claim to be apostles, we should test them, and never be impressed with signs, wonders and miracles. Not even if it is fire from heaven in the sight of men—especially in fact, if it is fire in the sight of men. I once called fire from heaven to devour an accuser when I was first saved in 1990 and I thank God no fire came down. Oh the things we say and do when we have faith, but not knowledge and the pride we brew when we have faith, knowledge and wisdom, but no understanding. That’s why you are to always cry out for understanding. If any situation makes you cry, it’s because understanding is coming to you. So rejoice even as you cry. Tears must precede the manifestation of understanding. That is why it is written, “Blessed are you who mourn, for you will be comforted.” Matthew 5;4 and “Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21
No, we are equipped to test, even those who claim to be apostles. Testing is not judging, but proving that which is claimed to be true. When you are met with those who claim to be apostles, ask them when did they see the Lord Jesus personally, and what is their personal gospel from Jesus. Ensure that they have their own gospel if possible—although there may be those who do not have a personal gospel like Peter, John, Paul and Mary Magdalene.
However, a personal gospel and a face to face encounter with Jesus, does not an apostle make either – For a true apostle must show great perseverance and a unique characteristic – For is seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 1 Corinthians 4:9
A person who will not show patience and desires to come first does not qualify either – It is all seven signs – or else; because otherwise, we are insulting the apostleship of Paul who was Jesus’ choice. And this perseverance of Paul is what percolates to become loyalty for a king.
Jesus is the King of kings and our Apostle. And just as He displayed all the attributes of an apostle, so He displayed the most important ingredient of kingship – loyalty to His subjects…loyalty to His people…loyalty to His friends…and loyalty to His Father.
Jesus displayed His loyalty to the eleven many times—but the greatest of them all was when He was arrested and said in John 18:8 “I told you that I am He—If you are looking for Me, then let these men go.” As He had taught, so He practised when He said, “I lay down my life for the sheep…” “The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” John 10:15, 12-13
In as much as you have all been taught to listen to Jesus and follow Him only—so that it would be none of our business what Jesus has called you for—it would be correct for you to go and not care for the rest of the flock, if Jesus did not also say and command, “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command.” John 15:12-14 The pledge of Jesus’ loyalty to us is—“And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
And I can tell you this—truly blessed are you if you can serve a loyal king with fellow loyal yokesmen…or fellow loyal servants. A loyal king is one who is loyal to you and fellow loyal servants are those, who are not loyal to you—no, but are also loyal to the king as you are and even more.
David did not have the privilege of serving under a loyal king. Indeed, the king he served under, King Saul was ungrateful and jealous, and disloyal to the point of wanting to murder David. Disloyal because he did not remember it was David who killed Goliath and saved his kingdom…but then…Saul was disloyal to God. David himself was not perfect—being disloyal to Uriah the Hittite, one of his great men whom he murdered; but David’s saving grace was his loyalty to God, so that when confronted by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:13, David confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord.”
For loyalty does not only mean steadfastness, or faithfulness—Loyalty carries with it the sense and need of courage and not only courage—righteousness. Righteous courage which is steadfast and faithful will produce loyalty. It takes courage, not just faithfulness and steadfastness, to take the stand of Eleazar, son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men; he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 2 Samuel 23:9-11
It is not enough for you to have met Jesus and received your gospel… and I am not impressed with signs, wonders and miracles—but with your perseverance and willingness to come last.
Our brothers had an easier task. Yes, easier because they started the work—and laid the foundations. But to finish the work - to put the finishing touches to a work—anyone who has ever done any building will know it is harder to do a perfect finish than a perfect start.
So, what is demanded out of you and I is more than personal interviews with Jesus and gospels from Him with signs, wonders and miracles. What is demanded is loyalty to Him and His word. Loyalty to strict adherence to what Jesus laid down—even if it means you will be deserted by the army or church—Note that it was Israel who deserted Eleazar—not Eleazar who deserted Israel.
Jesus said, “Wait for the gift My Father promised…. the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:4,5; “When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth….by taking from what is Mine, and making it known to you…” John 16:13,14. This possibly included Jesus’ choice for Judas replacement, but they did not wait. Neither did they stand up against James the Younger’s recommendation of Acts 15:6-21 of not drinking blood when they knew Jesus taught them to drink His blood. Peter, as Paul records for us, quickly stopped eating with the Gentiles when men from James came to him. Galatians 2:11,12 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was in the wrong. Before certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
The great Peter was afraid—afraid of those who were of the Old Testament. He who could raise the dead and cripples became afraid of those who couldn’t do anything except make more rules upon rules—the lion was scared of the mouse! You and I can become like that—and Peter showed great disloyalty to the Gentiles!
Do not be like that. For we are the omega group, as surely as they were the Alpha group; and what is demanded of you is loyalty. Loyalty that must exceed that of our loyal forefathers, the martyrs—and such loyalty can only come from a heart totally submitted to God’s love—revealed to us only by the Holy Spirit, as He makes known to us what belongs to Jesus.
In this transitionary period, when we will be moving on with Jesus…what will be tested in you and I is our loyalty—first to Jesus and the Holy Spirit—and then to each other—laying down our lives for one another—not only the Lord and the Lord.
The first test will be and always is to Jesus…will we be able to stay listening to Him and practising His word only without deviation—or will we be persuaded by the words of men?
The science of hearing and listening is to be able to hear everything accurately that which is said. The art of hearing begins when you hear how it is said—however the art of hearing is not complete, until you can hear what is not said.
On the mount of Transfiguration, in the presence of Moses and Elijah, God the Father spoke from the cloud concerning Jesus—“This is My Son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” Matthew 17:5 God made no mention of Moses or Elijah, for Moses struck the rock twice and Elijah ran off before the cloud arrived and then ran away from Jezebel.
In the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus said seven times: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Not once in any of those letters did our Lord Jesus make mention of what Peter, Paul or James the Younger was teaching. Did you hear what was not said? The Father did not make mention of the prophets to the church; and Jesus did not make mention of the apostles to the church.
Now, we are to move on and go with Jesus and leave the baggage behind. The baggage that are the traditions of the churches, based on listening to men. If you are true in your loyalty to Jesus, you will now move on as a church and as a group and not as individuals, seeking vain glory for yourself, but move on listening only to Jesus and the Holy Spirit—and stop listening even to the prophets and apostles that have gone before, showing yourself to be worthy of the kingship you have been called into by displaying unflinching loyalty to your King of kings, and your fellow kings, who likewise are listening only to the Lord Jesus and the Lord, the Holy Spirit and moving as one body…loving one another as Jesus loved you…the fruit of your loyalty to Jesus being displayed by your loyalty to each other, forgiving each other, putting up with each other, rebuking and correcting with great gentleness and patience, being slow to anger and never stop loving each other—never letting each other out of your hearts—unless the Lord has commanded us as a whole group.
For now, while the Holy Spirit is still with us to do what He does so well for us in revealing Jesus to us—is when our loyalty is developed and tested—so that when He is gone, we who are left behind will have loyalty formed solidly in us. Loyalty to Jesus to remain and continue to work until He returns, and loyalty to each other who have endured the same tests—for when the Holy Spirit is gone, it will be the written words of Jesus that is reminded to us through each other which will be our guide. When the Holy Spirit is gone, we who are left will fellowship with each other in spirit and in Truth—we who have each other’s best interest and good written on each other’s hearts. For God has warned us through Daniel of these times: “…and many who are not sincere will join them…” Daniel 11:34. And through John, Dear children this is the last hour, and as you have heard, that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They (the antichrists) went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us; they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us-- 1 John 2:18,19
John is not talking about physical going out—for many were sent out, physically away from the Churches to spread the Gospel. It that is what he meant, then they would all have been antichrists. No, John was not writing of the flesh, but the spirit by which they left—For if John was speaking of separation of the flesh—then Paul’s departure from the Ephesian Church in Acts 20:13-38 would have made him an antichrist. No, John was speaking of the spirit by which they departed. For Paul remained intensely loyal to the Ephesian Church and at his departure, he said a fond farewell as did they. Acts 20:36-38 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Though Paul was called away by the Lord, the Ephesian Church remained in his heart and he in their hearts. Indeed, the teaching of Paul must have remained in their hearts, for Jesus was able to commend them, “But you have this in your favour, you hate the practices of the Nicolaitians which I also hate. Revelation 2:6
In the days to come, especially the days when we are the only lights left in the world, when the Holy Spirit has left, we may be scattered; moved away all over the world—but one thing that will hold us together in spirit and in truth is loyalty. Loyalty to our King and loyalty to one another…so that as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit…
So we shall be away in the flesh, but together in the spirit—When you are able to display this loyalty to each other, after your loyalty to Jesus and the Lord, the Holy Spirit—you will find that the hallmarks of kingship will be manifested in might and dominion, and you will “Rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Be fruitful and fill the earth and subdue it.” Genesis 1:28
You will find that, even the least of you will have power to shut up the sky…and to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they [we] want…Revelation 11:6
And fire will not come out of heaven in the sight of men, but from their mouths and devour their enemies, Revelation 11:5 for our King has said, “To him who overcomes and does My will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’--. Just as I have received authority from My Father. I will also give him the morning star.” Revelation 2:26-28
Your kingship, be it male or female, will be determined by your loyalty—loyalty to the King of kings and loyalty to each other as He commanded. “Love one another, as I have loved you.”
As the loyalty for the Lord and His chosen ones manifests in you—in your heart—so the powers that come with the crowns of the Lord, both His regal and His suffering crowns, will manifest in your life and not only will you witness it, but the world will also.
COME LORD JESUS, COME. AMEN.
