So the world wants you to believe it knows the truth. We have been shown by all types of mediums such as news, music, films, companies, social media, TV, video games, and especially popular culture, that destruction, despair, and the plight of humankind is coming. Sadly, they may or may not know they are prophesying for the prince of the power of the air. They undoubtedly can be referred to as the many false prophets spoken of in the Bible. And I have to be honest, for the world, destruction is coming. But there is hope!
For those who live and breathe the prophetic life, continually seeking God’s Spirit, and watching for His movement, each one knows they must look behind what they are actually seeing in the physical world. Why? Because they know we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but with the spirits of the principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness. One thing that almost always gets lost in the world’s translation of our musings is that believers do not wish ill, harm, or judgment upon the world. Believers are the body of Christ, and they only want those who would have eyes to see and ears to hear to be reborn into the family of God and live in eternity in peace and harmony. No person can condemn another to hell, that judgment is reserved solely for God and His righteous judgment. As part of the body–the seers, the prophets, and those willing to do the Father’s work–we see the signs of what is to come, warn those who will listen, and encourage all to see the hope and redemptive power of Christ Jesus
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12 KJV
The body of Christ is made up of those He was given by the Father to perform His works here on earth after He went back to heaven. By Jesus fulfilling His destiny as the head of the body, the Comforter, called the Holy Spirit, was given legal authority to remain in the vessels that choose and believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Still, there is a faction that will not select eternity with God. They are the ones in league with the son of perdition.
And there shall in no wise enter into it (the new Heaven and Earth) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:27 KJV
Jesus spoke in parables so that those who would seek Him and His righteousness, with the faith of a mustard seed, would be filled with a desire to know the Kingdom and seek wisdom. Being in right standing with God produces the supply for all our needs without toil, but since the fall of Adam, it does require a choice and working out one’s own iniquities and maturing into a Kingdom citizen. Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” in Matthew 6:33.
It is later in Matthew 7:6 that Jesus teaches on casting your pearls before swine.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Matthew 7:6 KJV
The word pearl in the parable here means a word of great value. Jesus gave this parable, this knowledge of great importance, after describing how those who judge or condemn others by their outward sin should rule themselves and rid themselves of their own beams–iniquities, or inward sin–instead of being religious hypocrites. Yet, because of our fallen nature, we remain hypocrites under Grace, relying on the power of Christ working within us to work all things out to our good.
In the parable, Jesus spoke to the disciples, all who heard His voice and those that followed Him up the Mount of Olives. He also knew He was talking to all those who would read His words in the Bible. Now, this new wisdom teaching was freely given by Jesus. Still, not everyone heard it because not everyone chose to go up the mountain, and not everyone desires to learn the Kingdom through studying the Bible and having a relationship with Jesus. This is a perfect example of man’s free will. It also illustrates how much a believer is willing to give up to mature in his or her faith. We should also not forget the innocent who Jesus forbade the disciples to keep from Him. They, too, are a part of the Kingdom.
Jesus tells us to take care and discern the crowd. When you try to speak about God to a dog or an impudent man–a man who shows no respect or honor–you are wasting your God-given breath. I would suggest that the multitude which remained at the base of the mountain was filled with them. When someone casts their words around without care and have an insulting, rude purpose or spirit behind them, they will not produce Godly results. I can see the crowd, some standing and some sitting around before the raised land of the mountain, with people dispersed throughout whispering and placing doubt in others who are almost ready to go up the hill. Yet, they stammer and join in with their friends who sway them from the truth and remain at the bottom. Praise God for His mercy that not all will stay there.
Words can only produce results in the physical realm from out of the spirit they are spoken–the fruit if you will–good or evil. The choice is binary. There are no gray areas; life or death, good or evil. The Father is the owner of all that there is, and He established the kingdom system and how it works. He is the worker, the Holy Spirit is the carrier, and the Word is the deliverer. An evil spirit, whose father is the Devil, can speak the words out of the Bible established by the Word and will never have any power to complete them for good because there is no good in him. Evil will bear evil fruit. However, God, and His spirit, can work it out for the good because His Word does not return void of His intent.
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
John 14:10 KJV
The swine, the arrogant, will reject the Truth and congregate with like-minded spirits, never wanting to see or learn about goodness or godly wisdom. The very words they use out of an evil spirit disguised to do good, will, unfortunately, cause the very thing they secretly wish on others to be manifested on each other, tearing themselves apart. They are so deceived by the glamour of the words of the false prophets, they will go wherever the herd leads. The loudest voices in the group, the leaders, the ones raised up from the crowd, could be characterized as false prophets of Baal, one of the most important false gods worshipped by the Canaanites as you’ll see next.
An example of the herd following the false prophets is found a few verses after the parable of the pearl in Matthew chapter 8:28-34.
And when he (Jesus) was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.
Matthew 8:28-34 KJV
Jesus had just crossed over the Sea of Galilee into the country of Gergesenes, which means a stranger drawing near. The descendants of Canaan lived here (Genesis 10:16), the Girgasites, and did not know God. They worshipped the false god Baal, and he was their lord and master. Canaan was the 4th son of Ham, who was cursed by God for defiling his father’s honor, just as Ham had done at seeing Noah’s nakedness. Here we can see the remnant of a generational curse. (Genesis 9:18-25)
We know if someone is possessed, there is an Antichrist spirit behind it and that its father is the Devil. Now, the two were standing in the way of anyone passing by to go down that road. They had the power to keep anyone from entering and were consumed with the spirits that possessed them. The presence of Jesus, the Son of God, who carried the anointing of Christ, brought them out of the tombs. They knew who He was. They knew because their father, the Devil, was cast out of eternity where he had been in the presence of Christ Jesus. The spirits also knew that their time was limited. They tried to do a “gotcha” question asking Jesus if He was there to torment them before the God-appointed time. Notice, Jesus says nothing and does not respond to the trap.
We must also note that the word tomb in this passage can mean a monument, a grave, or a tomb. At its root, the term implies memory or bring to remembrance. The Girgasites had set up shop, made camp in their prosperous city, and only remembered the things that were dead instead of seeing what was right in front of them, eternal life. Jesus was there to remind them of who they were, but they chose not to see, learn, or repent. They refused to be under Jesus as Lord and remained under the possession of Baal.
Jesus did not reply to their question, so the devils broke the silence of the moment and implored Him to send them out into the drove of swine. They did not hear a word from God or any direction on what to do…they listened to their possessors, the evil spirits of Baal, and spoke what they heard from him. They wanted to live on in the swine’s body, the arrogant ones, instead of being rebuked by Jesus. Here inlays the rub for the two spirits, they knew who He was, what He could do, yet chose to live in arrogance instead then be born again and submitted to Christ Jesus, the Lord of all creation. This is the classic textbook definition of the Antichrist spirit.
Jesus told them, “Go,” however, it was their actions that took them over the cliff. He only bid them do as they wanted, and the consequences were in their response. He did not condemn them, nor did He tell the swine to go over the cliff.
One of the saddest things about this story is that of those who kept the swine. The word kept here means to feed, or graze, and can also represent a Christian teacher’s duty to properly train up members of the Church in spiritual wellbeing, security, protection, prosperity, and overall welfare. Of course, the false profits do the exact opposite and teach the herd to bow down to Baal and his false teachings.
Next, those false prophets departed post-haste and sought safety within the old walls they had built and did not inquire to learn more. They were afraid of what took place in front of them, but God does not abide in fear only the enemy of God does. They went into the walls of the cities they built and shared what had transpired. After the events, they give what I can only imagine was the most fearful account of the two demon’s fate. Then, the whole city came out to meet with Jesus. When they became aware of His identity and became conscious of what was required, they chose to ask Him to leave their region and allow them to remain in the state they were. The boundaries of their city were designated by their own choice. God can only meet you at your level of faith and obedience.
In Matthew chapter 9, verse 1, Jesus then boards a ship back to His own city, Jerusalem. Those from Canaan’s land, the followers of the Antichrist spirit Baal, who would not cross over in obedience and chose to remain in rebellion against God, were afraid. They were stuck in old memories and grew comfortable in their sin, not wanting to move into a new identity. They did not receive the healing He continued to perform, nor did they choose to accept the forgiveness of sins He brought with His Kingdom.
Oh, but there is hope! There is hope in the finished works of Jesus Christ. He laid down His life on the cross at Mount Calvary to redeem the land, the ground, the flesh, where Satan’s temporary reserve has operated, and we are in the final minutes of his reign. I would encourage anyone reading this that it is not by chance that you are. God needs you to understand this truth about the false prophets. We must each choose to rise out of the muck and the mire at the base of the mountain. Stop listening to the naysayers and those who cause division in this world. Turn off the false prophets spewing lies and repeating the words of their possessors and all those planting seeds of the son of perdition. Take up your cross! Bring your mind out of the old memories and fill them with the infallible truth of God. He has provided certainty for His children. It is found in the Word, the Bible, and the testimony of Jesus Christ through the prophets. Leave what you have been taught by this world and embrace the grace, redemption, salvation, and freedom that only the living God, the great I Am, can provide and become mature in the ways of the Kingdom. That is my prayer. Amen.
Feature Image: Bigstock.com | Unless otherwise attributed, scripture quotations are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible.
