Of the four Gospels (the “good news” about the Kingdom of God), the Gospel of John is the most personal and morality-focused in my opinion.  John tells us literally dozens of Truths that we need to be continually aware of as we walk with the Lord in our daily lives.  In this series I will bring out some of those Truths which deserve extra attention for they are often overlooked or dismissed.  Like muscles, if they are not “used” they will fade away.  Admittedly, I will “cherry pick” those that I believe all who call themselves by God’s name, myself included, need to periodically bring to mind, meditate on and fix in our psyche.  There is a “roaring lion” out there seeking whom he can devour.  By keeping these and other Scriptures in mind we can keep him at bay.  Unlike most of my teachings which are subject-centered, in this series I will discuss the passages when I come to them regardless of the subject.  We will begin with chapter 11 verse 51.

In 11:49 and 50 we find a contingent of Pharisees meeting with the chief Temple priests.  The subject of their conversation is a man called Jesus Who is about to get them into trouble with their Roman rulers who will destroy the entire nation if this rabble rouser is not stopped.  Caiaphas, the high priest, had the solution to the problem.  They would frame Jesus and take Him before the Roman authorities who had the power to kill their captives.  Because of their inferior status, Jews did not have the authority to put people to death.  In his speech Caiaphas said something that is extremely relevant today and will become more relevant in the near future.  He said that it was expedient that one man should die for the Jewish nation, as well as for the Israelites who had been scattered abroad.  The importance of this Truth is evident to those who study the Bible regularly and thoroughly.  In this instance we will focus, not on the Truth He spoke, but on the speaker himself.  Caiphas, a corrupt priest and an enemy of God, spoke a Gospel Truth, perhaps the premier Truth found in the Holy Scriptures.  In the series titled All That Glitters (key word–Glitters), I point out that some of the greatest statements ever made, and some of the greatest acts ever performed were said and done by the very worst of people.

This truth creates a problem, especially among Biblically challenged church people who believe that if someone performs miracles in the name of the Lord, or has a huge church, or is famous, etc., that person must be of God.  Read Deuteronomy 13:1-5.  Note that God tests us to see if we will stay true to Him and His Word and not follow a false prophet because he can perform miracles, has a large congregation, etc.  As one who was preaching, healing the sick, casting out demons and knowing the unknowable long before I was converted, I speak from a grat deal of experience concerning this matter.

A few examples of this “looks can be deceiving” truth are in order.  At one point Jesus had 82 disciples whom He sent out with the power to perform miracles, signs and wonders.  Though seventy of His disciples had performed many miraculous works, their hearts had never left the world out of which He had called them.  Upon hearing Him say what they disagreed with, they “went back into the world (Lk. 10:1,17/Jn. 6:68).  Which brings us to modern times.

Recall that the False Prophet of Revelation 19:20 will perform all manner of miracles in order to persuade all people on earth to worship and serve his god.  Then there is Judas Iscariot.                In John 12:6 we learn that Judas had been a thief from the beginning.  He had routinely stolen money from the group’s money pouch.  However, we are told in Acts 1:16 and 17 that he had been numbered with (ministered in the same way as) the other eleven disciples.  Peter called Judas’ ministry his “bishopric” into which he had been ordained in order to be a witness of Christ’s resurrection.  Upon his suicide, the other eleven chose Matthias to take his place as a witness for the Lord.  Going back a couple of days (chapter 13;1,2) we find Jesus and the 12 disciples eating the Last Supper.  Here we learn that, before they had eaten, the devil had convinced Judas to betray Jesus.  No doubt this was not a sudden urge on the disciple’s part.  He had undoubtedly been thinking about the money he could make by identifying Jesus, which he did later on that night in the garden where Jesus had taken the other eleven to pray.  Judas was following in the footsteps of Adam and Eve who, long before they partook of the forbidden fruit, had committed sin in their hearts.  In the eyes of God, Judas had already committed treason before going before the Temple priests and making his offer.  He had been preaching God’s Truth and performing miracles right up to the night of the Last Supper.

Jesus warned salvation seekers about those who would come in His name and deceive “many” with wonderful sermons, signs, wonders and miracles.  Notice that He told us to: “Let no man take your crown” (salvation)–Rev. 3:11.  Satan uses men (false prophets) with their false truths to direct salvation seekers from the right church and the right path (Mat. 7:13,14; 24:4,5,11,24).  Many of these prophets will perform miracles.  And these miracles are real.  Many years ago when I was still in the Catholic/Protestant Church System I was physically touched by a miracle-working preacher and the next thing I knew I was on the floor.  No one pushed me.  My knees simply buckled and down I went.  The miracle, called being “slain in the Spirit,” is real, whether one is touched by a messenger from God or a messenger from Satan posing as a messenger from God.  Keep this in mind: IN MANY, IF NOT MOST CASES, THE MIRACLES ARE REAL REGARDLESS OF WHO PERFORMS THEM.                                                                                 

So how do we know which is which?  As I have noted many times: EVERYTHING GOES BACK TO THE WORD.  God did not depend on word of mouth to pass His Truth from generation to generation.  He placed it in writing and preserved it for thousands of years so that we would always have His Word to which to refer and upon which to depend.  Without the printed Word, God’s Truth would depend on whoever is speaking or writing.  Truths or  lies, right or wrong would always be subjective–left up to the individual.  You know, like whether one is male or female, which can supposedly be changed with a thought and from moment to moment.  God’s Truths soon disappear when subjectivity enters into the right versus wrong question.  There must be written Truth that remains Truth throughout all generations.  When Christianity becomes totally subjective we are left with a situation in which “every man does what is right in his own eyes.”  In other words, what we have left is the any-way-you-want-it religious mess known as the Catholicism/Protestantism Church System.   L.J.