313. Go Anywhere Else, Just Not. . .

From the time Jesus revealed to His disciples that He was the Messiah, He began to show them that He must go up to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matt. 16:21-23.

It was just as though Peter had said: Go anywhere else, just not to Jerusalem; just do not suffer and die; do whatever is necessary to save Yourself.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it.”

God said to Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Gen. 22:2.

If Abraham had conferred with people, they would have cried out in chorus, “Go anywhere else with your son, just not there to sacrifice him—that would be crazy!” That is the voice of reason. It is totally contrary to faith and the way of faith.

Stephen said: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” The prophets proclaimed the way of God, but the priests and the people responded with heart and mouth: anywhere else, just not God’s way. Acts 7:52 and 19:23.

“Come I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Rev. 17:1-2.

Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17:15.

We see from this that all those who dwell on the earth are drunk with the wine of her fornication. Who are these who dwell on the earth, who are they who are earthly-minded? It is all those who are not redeemed from the earth and who do not follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Rev. 14:3-4.

All these have drunk the wine of the harlot’s fornication. If you ask them about the narrow gate and the straight way, they will all answer, “Go anywhere else, just not there. If you go there, we will lose you forever.”

If you ask anyone about the way that leads to Jesus, outside the camp, you will get the reply, “Go anywhere else, just don’t go there. I’m sure you can find another assembly inside the camp that suits you!”

Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ . . . .” Gal. 2:20. What must I do to be crucified? They would answer, “Do whatever you like, and follow any doctrine you like, but just don’t be crucified.”

In Philippians 3:10 it is written “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

If you ask some people, “How can I come into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, and how can I be conformed to His death?” they will answer: “Stick to the teaching of ‘sin and grace’; this is most appropriate for you. And whatever you do, you can go anywhere else, just don’t go where they teach the way of sufferings and death, because that is a dangerous doctrine (dangerous for the flesh).”

1 Timothy 3:16 says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit . . . .”

If you ask people to interpret this mystery, they will tell you very emphatically that it is extremely dangerous to be so godly that Jesus can entrust you with His mysteries. Go anywhere; just don’t go to people who can talk to you about this.

We see from this that the whole world has become drunk with the wine of the harlot’s fornication. Jesus says, “For those who get drunk are drunk at night.” It is dark at night, and we understand clearly that the darkness is very great now. There are numerous congregations of the dead. I imagine that most people there are resting very sweetly, and to send some rays of truth from the Day Spring and the bright Morning Star would be upsetting and distressing and would cause division. Prov. 21:16.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever. Psalm 33:11. This was the counsel that Paul preached. You can see this by what he said when he spoke to the Ephesians at Miletus for the last time: “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” Acts 20:27. When it pleased God to reveal His Son in Paul, that he might preach the gospel among the Gentiles, Paul did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did he go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before him; rather, he went to Arabia and then returned again to Damascus. Gal. 1:16-17.

When you seek counsel from people and live according to what they tell you, you demonstrate that you are not a prophet of God.

Jesus did not receive testimony from man. John 5:34. On the contrary, He said, “But beware of men.” Matt. 10:17.

In Jesus’ time the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves. Luke 7:30. There is nothing new under the sun. Today, too, they reject the counsel of God for themselves, and it is just the same as it was in those times: their livelihood takes precedence over the counsel of God. Therefore do not confer with flesh and blood, but be obedient to the Word and the Spirit! Then you will personally receive the testimony of Jesus Christ: Spirit, water, and blood. This testimony is greater than the testimony of men. With this testimony in our hearts, we can declare like John: “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:6.