Introduction

Due to the devastating terrorist attack in France a few days ago I would like to share with you as God's people, a word that the Lord gave me about two months ago.
The message is intended to help us, despite the current chaotic situation in Europe, to obtain a clear overview to bring prophetic view and hope midst hopelessness.

2 Peter 1:19-21:
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Even if there are events in our lives or in our immediate environment that are associated with a large shaking, I'm someone who wants to know the instruction of God in all the events.
Before commencing, I invite every reader to read the contents of this message with spiritual eyes and ears that hear, as well as ask the Holy Spirit for spiritual understanding regarding this matter (see 1.Corinthians 2:13 i.c.w. Revelation 2:7a).

1 Corinthians 2:13:
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

Revelation 2:7a:
7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  …

There are field reports in the Word of God that might appear upsetting to us, because God wants to make us aware of a certain point.
If we read these field reports merely with our natural eyes and understanding, we will assess them only by the flesh. This will result in something, that does not equate to what the Holy Spirit actually wants to tell us. It is therefore indispensable to have enlightened eyes of the heart and ears of a disciple (see Ephesians 1:18 i.c.w. Isaiah 50:4).

Ephesians 1:18:
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  …

Isaiah 50:4:
4 The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

The Levite and his „Concubine“ from Judah in Bethlehem

I would now like to go into the story from the book of Judges 19-20, where we read about a Levite, who lived as a stranger in the hill country of the tribe of Ephraim (see Judges 19:1) together with his Concubine, who came from Judah (note: means “worship”) in Bethlehem (note: means “House of Bread = God's Word”).

Judges 19:1:
1 In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

Here I would like to say that in the prophetic context for us today the concubine depicts the scope of duties of pure apostolic worship according to Psalm 149:6-9. For the Levites had the task of serving God in the Holy of Holies, and the tribe of Levi was the tribe of priests among the people of Israel (see Numbers 1:48-53).

Psalm 149:6-9:
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword (note: powerful, living word/ guidance of God; see Hebrews 4:12) in their hands, 7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9 to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people.
Praise the Lord.

Numbers 1:48-53:
48  The LORD had said to Moses: 49 “You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. 50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it.
51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.
52 The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.
53 The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.”

The Concubine's Place of Origin and the Birth Place of Jesus

It is also no coincidence for me, that the Levite's concubine came from the place (note: Bethlehem in Judah), where Jesus Christ was born (see Matthew 2:4-6).

Matthew 2:4-6:
… 4 When he (note: Herod) had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written (see Micah 5:1): 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Wrongly Aligned Worship

Furthermore we read in Judges 19-20, that the Levite's concubine was unfaithful, as she offered her sexual services to other men (see Judges 19:2). This was an indication that the people of Israel arbitrarily concentrated their worship on other things than on God alone.

Judges 19:2:
2  But she was unfaithful to him (note: went whoring). She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, ...

The Levite's Way of Life as a Sign

During that time the prophetic office of the Levites was closely connected with their office of priesthood and was later only separated by God under Samuel (see 1.Samuel 3:1-21). As the lives of the prophets served as a sign of God, the way of life of the Levites was therefore a prophetic sign for the people of Israel (see for instance Ezekiel 4:3).

Ezekiel 4:3:
3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.

Restoration of the Relationship of the Levite and his Concubine

As afore mentioned the Levite's concubine came from Judah in Bethlehem and arbitrarily returned from the area of Ephraim back to her father's house, where she stayed for four months.
Because of this the Levite followed his concubine to Judah to restore the relationship between them. This is a sign for us today to move into the center of true worship in spirit and truth, as this is connected to the Father (see John 4:23-24).

John 4:23-24:
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

What do we do when worship diminishes in our life?

If we are careless, it can happen that the worship for our LORD may diminish, as our heart has turned its attention on other, worldly things by seduction through the devil (see Mark 14:38).

Mark 14:38:
38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

If this has become the case, it is indispensable that we move our longing for worship back into the proper center, which is the center of the Heavenly Father.
In Judges 19-20 we can see that the father of the Concubine insistently invites the Levite to stay longer than he had originally planned.
His stay amounts to five days and is a reference to the love and grace of the Father, which is Jesus Christ (see Judges 19:3-10a i.c.w. John 3:16; Titus 2:11-12).

Judges 19:3-10a:
… 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents’ home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
4 His father-in-law, the woman’s father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.
5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go.”
6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.”
7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.
9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.”
10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left  …

John 3:16:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
 
Titus 2:11-12:
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, …

Hospitality and the Angels of God

On the basis of the above mentioned scripture from Judges 19 we can see, that the hospitality (note: symbolises “the readiness to receive the ministry of angels”; see Hebrews 13:2) of the father-in-law plays an important role in the restoration process of the Levite and his concubine. This lead to the Levite staying for five days with his concubine, in order to continue on his way early on day six (note: the day starts in the evening; see Genesis 1:5), which carries the number of the “son of man, who came in the flesh”, and to settle in the region of the tribe of Benjamin (see Genesis 1:27.31 i.c.w. 1 Corinthians 15:45).
During this time great immorality, willingness to compromise with the world and lack of hospitality prevailed in the land of the tribe of Benjamin in Gibeah (note: „Benjamin“ means „Son of luck; Son of the right hand“ and „Gibeah“ means „hill“= „seat of government“), which points to the governmental seat of Jesus, as Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father (see Judges 19:15 i.c.w. Colossians 3:1).

Judges 19:14-15:
14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
 
Colossians 3:1:
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Necessity for True Apostolic Authority

The reason for the immorality and willingness to compromise with the world in the area of Benjamin was, that they did not have a king, no true apostolic-fatherly guidance, which would have given the people clear and precise direction (see Judges 19:1).
Through the region of Benjamin God addresses us today as His people here on earth, for we hold the governmental mandate of His son Jesus Christ.

Readiness to receive Help from Angels

God longs for us to be ready to receive the help of His angels and don't reject them, as it happened in the time of the judges in the tribe of Benjamin, who did not show any hospitality (see Judges 19:14-15 i.c.w. Hebrews 13:2).

Judges 19:14-15:
14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.

Hebrews 13:2:
2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Influence of the Wisdom of God

When we encounter personal resistance similar to that of the Levite, who was on his way to restore true worship, it is necessary that we are willing to allow room for the leading of the Holy Spirit in wisdom and to accept His leading, which is closely connected to the Fear of the LORD (see Psalm 111:10 i.c.w. Proverbs 9:10). This way, we will be able to acquaint the whole people of God with the true order of apostolic worship, which is a covering worship, that contains the leading of God (note: means „to be sent with an assignment/ mandate“; see Matthew 10:16 i.c.w. John 20:21).
This leads to the removing of all corruption among His people, and everyone in the people of God pushes back the darkness in unity, without compromise and conquers the promised land (see Judges 19:16-21 i.c.w. Judges 20:4-9).

Judges 19:16-21:
16  That evening an old man (note: symbolises „wisdom“) from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields.
17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me in for the night.
19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”
20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.”
21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.

Judges 20:4-9:
4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
5 During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died.
6 I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance, (note: 12 tribes = apostolic order; see Luke 6:13), because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel.
7 Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.”
8 All the men rose up together as one, saying, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. 9 But now this is what we’ll do to Gibeah: We’ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots.

Confrontation on the Seventh Day

It was no coincidence, that the malice of the people from the tribe of Benjamin in Gibeah was confronted by the Levite on the seventh day, and that the spirit of the Fear of the LORD is the seventh characteristic of the Holy Spirit (see Judges 19:25-27 i.c.w. Isaiah 11:2).

Judges 19:25-27:
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.
26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

Isaiah 11:2:
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.—

The number “7” stands for “completion”, which points to the fact that time and measure of malice among the Benjaminites at the time of the Levite were complete, which led God to announce a new day and a new time frame.
The Levite handing his wife over to the evil mob, so that on the seventh day she ended up dead with her hands on the threshold of the house of the old man, where the Levite was staying, may sound incomprehensible and upsetting.
God records such stories, because He pursues an objective, even if it upsets us as His people to the core. For this reason I wrote in the beginning how important it is to see, hear and understand this story with spiritual eyes and ears.
This shaking of our heart is supposed to lead us to search the guidance of God, that can be found within the story.
Of course, it is quite upsetting to read how the Levite cut his concubine’s dead body into twelve pieces and sent them to the respective tribes of the people of Israel, especially after restoring the relationship to her in her father's house a few days previous, while she was still alive. The Levite knew what it meant to “cut up a sacrifice” in order to sacrifice it before God for the people or himself and I am convinced, that the Levite remembered his duty in the house of God, i.e. to accept the sacrifice of the people of God and to slaughter it (see Leviticus 1ff.).
The act of the Levite points towards the act of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary, but with one big difference - i.e. that His blood (note: the blood of Jesus) did not just cover Israel but the whole world in order to lead them into the love of the Father and into true worship. Jesus completed the seventh day to point to the day of fellowship with the Heavenly Father in His house similar to the Levite's concubine laying dead with her hands touching the threshold (note: which is entrance and exit) of the house of the old man (see Isaiah 53:4-12 i.c.w. John 3:16; John 10:9; John 14:6).  

Isaiah 53:4-12:
4 Surely he (note: Jesus Christ) took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgement he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

John 3:16:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 10:9:
9 I (note: Jesus Christ) am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

John 14:6:
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Conclusion

It is our assignment, duty and mission to lay down our lives before our Heavenly Father, so that He is glorified (see for instance Luke 9:24 i.c.w. Galatians 2:20).

Luke 9:24:
24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Galatians 2:20:
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Amen and Amen.

In His Wisdom,

Daniel Glimm