In our last study, we ended with the prophecy in Isaiah 60 that declares how at the very time deep darkness is coming upon the people, the glory of the Lord will be appearing on His people. Before we leave the situation concerning Achan, we need to make one more observation that highlights just how this contrast between the light and darkness is going to come.

For Achan to have taken that which was under the ban was also rebellion against the clear command of the Lord. One of the ultimate evils of the last days is lawlessness, which is the basic contempt for and disrespect of authority. This cynicism has been growing dramatically in the last few decades, and will be one of the ultimate corruptions which will bring the greatest troubles upon the world at the end of this age. However, those who are growing closer to the Lord and are being prepared for His purposes, the establishing of His kingdom, will be growing in the opposite spirit. They will be growing in increasing respect for authority.

A kingdom is the realm that is under the king’s authority. To be trusted with authority in the Lord requires that one be under authority. There is a respect for authority, rules, and order that we must have or we will be a great danger to ourselves and others if we were to be given more authority. This does fly in the face of the way that the world is going, and we can expect this contrast to increase.

Authority, discipline, and rules are not necessarily legalism, though they can cross that line. However, in their preparation for leadership in the Lord, I have not met one person who carries significant spiritual authority who was not at some time subjected to either an extreme form of legalism or overly controlling authority. One of the great examples of this in Scripture is King David. King Saul was the tool that God used to fashion David into the great king that he would become.

How did David react to the authority in his life that was so unjust and had even been demonized? David honored him to the end, refusing to lift his own hand against Saul, even when he was trying to kill David. David even rewarded the men who recovered Saul’s body and gave him a proper burial. He then went to a completely unprecedented extreme and honored Saul’s children, which was exactly opposite of the way of kings in those times, who quickly slew the children of any rivals. But David was of a different spirit.

It was David’s great respect for authority, those who were “anointed of the Lord,” that enabled the Lord to entrust him with such remarkable authority that he was even used to establish the throne that the King of kings would sit upon. The Lord Jesus Himself would be affectionately called “the Son of David.” Now consider these exhortations from Scripture concerning authority:
 

It is noteworthy that the highest authority in Paul’s world at the time he wrote this was Nero, who was one of the most corrupt, evil, and demented of the Caesars, who actually was destined to have Paul himself executed. Nowhere does it say to only be in subjection to the most righteous, just, authority, but rather “all” authorities.

Many are disqualifying themselves from receiving more authority from God because of the way they disrespect civil authority in its many and diverse manifestations, including bosses at work. Remember, it was because of David’s high calling that he was subjected to such a great test with a cruel, demented king like Saul. If you want to walk in great authority, learn to pass this test.  

There is an erosion of respect for authority taking place in our times. It seems to be fast becoming a veritable meltdown. This will happen before the end of this age, and it will be the primary cause for “the great time of trouble” or “the great tribulation” (see Matthew 24:21). However, regardless of how outrageous governments or the authorities become, those who will be trusted with the authority of the coming kingdom must in every way treat them with dignity and respect. This is “the Saul test.”

Do not speak evil of your leaders. Do not disrespect the police, mayors, governors, or any others in authority, and teach respect for them to your children, beginning with their teachers, principles, etc. This does not mean that we cannot disagree with their policies or actions, and in the cases of teachers this might include some of their teachings, but we must do it in the most respectful way possible. In I Timothy 2:1-2, we are given a more positive approach to authority,

Here Paul exhorts them to do this “first of all,” as the primary thing they should be doing. When I was a young Christian, I discerned that there was deception in President Nixon and I began to gloat about being right when the Watergate scandal broke. However, the Lord rebuked me and said that if His people had been praying more for the President, he would not have fallen to the corruption that he did. I was blaming the President, but the Lord was blaming me for not being the intercessor I was called to be.

That may sound severe, especially for a new Christian, but I prayed from the beginning to walk in true spiritual authority, and the Lord was answering my prayer by illuminating what could keep me from this. This is also one reason why I have tried to do all that I can to honor every President, whether Democrat or Republican, by not complaining about the things they do which I disagree with, but rather praying for them to have wisdom from above.

In contrast to the growing lawlessness, there is an emerging generation of spiritual leaders who will come forth in the opposite spirit. These are the ones who will preach the gospel of the kingdom with power because they will have been found trustworthy to handle this authority.

It was the Gentile centurion who understood the nature of authority and how it came by being under authority. The Lord commended him as having greater faith than He had found with anyone Israel (see Matthew 8:5-10). This is what we must understand if we are going to be trusted with the authority, which is going to be given to the trustworthy.