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As we have pointed out in numerous writings, we
believe this generation is on the threshold of experiencing a spiritual
restoration that will equate in its prominence with the recovery of the
Jewish people to the land of Israel. The Scriptures referring
to this day and the various signs of the times explicitly point to this
reality.
Isaiah foresaw the natural and spiritual restoration and
announced:
“Thus
says the LORD, "In a favorable time I have answered you, and in a day of
salvation I have helped you; and I will keep you and give you for a covenant
of the people, to restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate
heritages; Saying to those who are bound, "Go forth,' to those who are in
darkness, Show yourselves.' Along the roads they will feed, and their
pasture will be on all bare heights. They will not hunger or thirst, nor
will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; for He who has compassion
on them will lead them and will guide them to springs of water.
Isaiah 49:8-10
The apostolic reformation will ignite the reestablishment of
the Church to function in genuine spiritual power and authority. From that
identity, even greater places in God await. These will include the
unfolding of the Melchizedek Priesthood and the appropriate Biblical
apprehension of sonship through “overcomers” who have discovered rest in God
and His rest in them. The writer of Hebrews emphasized this, writing:
For
if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after
that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (Hebrews
4:8-9)
The apostle Paul was entrusted with notable understanding
involving the strategy of the Holy Spirit in leading the Church. His
epistles clearly outline the many offices established in God's government
along with various gifts and the impartation of visions and revelations. He
likewise demonstrated powerful teachings that came by the revelation of
Jesus Christ, and affirmed the messages with power. All of this, and more,
will be fully operating in the days ahead.
Many saints will be given the opportunity to experience God
in ways articulated by Paul, John and the notable patriarchs of old. The
Biblical prophecies pointing to the end-time generation highlight a people
who will be anointed with the Holy Spirit, to witness numerous things
through visions, dreams and spiritual encounters. Many will also be taken
into the Third Heaven, and like Paul, experience realms in God impossible to
communicate. The Lord is introducing Himself in a fresh and profound way.
Revelation of His Attributes
One of the most captivating principles in walking with God is
the revelation of His many glorious attributes. It has always been
fascinating to discover through the Scriptures, the diverse reactions of the
Lord's servants when He manifested Himself to them.
For instance, following the Lord's death, burial and
resurrection, He appeared to His bewildered disciples as a loving Friend.
Luke 24 highlights this wonderful encounter. The disciples were gathered in
an upper room behind closed doors, as two excited disciples shared their
supernatural encounter on the road to Emmaus.
While these things were being shared, the Lord Himself
stepped into their midst with a salutation of peace and friendship. Very
quickly, their startled reaction turned to joy as he encouraged them
saying,
Why are you
troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet,
that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and
bones as you see that I have. (Luke 24:38-39)
One can only speculate at the sheer elation that must have
surged through each disciple, as they were warmly invited to embrace the
resurrected Christ. This loving revelation of His attribute as the Friend
and Master galvanized the hearts of His disciples with an eternal bond of
affection and loyalty. The Lord demonstrated His ability to appear in such
a way that His followers are not overwhelmed by the sheer power of His
presence. This revelation of Him as Friend disclosed one attribute of His
great character and forever altered His disciples.
On the other hand, the beloved disciple John, the very one
who once laid his head upon the breast of God, also encountered this same
Christ, but with the revelation of a different portion of His attributes.
In Revelations 1, we discover the Lord Jesus manifesting Himself to John as
the Great Judge.
Falling at His Feet Like a Dead Man
So overwhelming was this experience that when John saw the
Lord he, “fell at His feet like a dead man.” That was
the reaction of the aged apostle when beholding the revelation of Jesus as
the Just Judge. The same Person... only different
manifestations of His attributes, which produced an entirely different
response.
This same pattern can be discovered throughout Scripture.
The celebrated prophet Moses was able to establish a face-to-face
relationship with the Lord and spoke with Him as a friend speaks to his
friend. I cannot think of a more extravagant honor conferred to any man.
Even so, the Lord further introduced Himself before Israel in such virtue
and overwhelming demonstrations of His creative power, that it placed even
the heart of Moses in great fear.
The purpose for drawing this conclusion is to discover that
the reaction is varied but always powerful and awe-inspiring. In this day,
we are being offered an open door to the realm of the Spirit that is truly
exceptional in its excellence. Moreover, it is one that must be
administered with solemn care and reverence.
The Lord is showing us that His people must learn
to discern His true voice, as never before. Likewise, a clear
distinction must be developed in our maturity to rightly appropriate the
proper level of authority and dimension of our spiritual experiences.
Clearly, the Lord desires to touch and embrace His people.
Nevertheless, we should be careful not to call things “Throne Room”
revelations and visitations that are not from that lofty place. Our
directive is to guard, through the Holy Spirit, the great treasure entrusted
to us. We cannot afford to devalue our spiritual currency at this crucial
stage, nor abort or even delay this marvelous opportunity.
Unprecedented Opportunities
We are living in a day unprecedented in history. Great and
divine opportunities are imminently before us as many mysteries of the
Kingdom are beginning to unfold. The prophet Daniel foresaw this day and
was instructed to seal the revelation of his vision for, "the time of the
end." (see Daniel 7 & 12) We are living in that day and the seal is
being lifted from the revelation of end-time promises.
One of the most notable opportunities being given to His
Church is the “open door" presented in Revelations:
After these things
I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice
which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come
up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
(Revelation 4:1)
A body of righteous believers is being given the invitation
to "come up here" that He might disclose things that will be taking place in
this generation. There are many within the Church who are earnestly calling
upon the Lord, corporately and individually, that:
He will answer
you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
(Jeremiah 33:3)
A careful examination of the language in this passage
discloses that it is referring to truth hidden and wisely set apart for a
specific time in the scheme of God. As we "call" He will "show."
This is a divine invitation that cannot be approached carelessly,
presumptuously or flippantly. It is a sacred and holy mandate that must be
addressed with the greatest reverence and awe.
It is essential that we are equipped with the discernment and
maturity to recognize a forged imitation presented with the intent to
deceive. The manna reserved for this day to unfold the Kingdom of Heaven is
of priceless value. The one whose misguided desire to “be like the Most
High,” will attempt, with keen earnest, to keep us from it by appealing
to the imagination and wounds of the people in the arena of the soul.
It is our devoted pursuit to encounter God in this dimension
by responding to this incredible opportunity. On a personal level, that has
been my daily prayer for over 14 years. That one revelation transformed my
life in 1989, when I discovered that door of opportunity. It was
overwhelming to me, and remains so today, to think that the Creator of the
universe would give me, or any man, an invitation and opportunity to
encounter Him in a face-to-face exchange. Even so, we want truth and
the fruit of genuine Third Heaven encounters, which are grounded in the
Scriptures, bearing the seal and endorsement of God.
Our Warning
No doubt history will support that our adversary
will attempt to propel this reality beyond its prescribed Biblical
parameters. That has been his modus operandi over the
centuries. The faithful stewardship of this great responsibility falls upon
those who are pursuing this dimension in God.
Both the Scriptures and Church history provide illuminating
attributes and fruit generated when encountering the Lord in such an awesome
way. This will help us to judge the authenticity of a true Third Heaven
experience and separate it from the excessive and fanatical.
One of the most often quoted passages in Scripture involves
the righteous prophet Isaiah and his opportunity to ascend to the Third
Heaven and encounter God in a "Throne Room" experience. He records:
In the year of King Uzziah's
death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train
of His robe filling the temple. (Isaiah 6:1)
His response to such an experience is quite revealing:
Then
I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and
I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the
LORD of hosts."
(Isaiah 6:5)
Because of his humility, an atoning provision was
offered providing the cleansing he needed to stand in this place.
Much is written about this notable prophet and his standard
of righteousness and commitment to the God of Israel. Both the Scriptures
and history record his stand against the apostasy and infidelity of
God's covenant people. In fact, it is commonly believed that position of
purity to the truth cost him his life. It is believed and recorded in the
Apocrypha, that he was sewn asunder because he refused to compromise.
By no means do we suggest that access is granted
to this Heavenly domain by virtue of any works or merits of our own.
Rather, it is by the grace of God and our willingness to yield to the
consecrating work of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, such an
opportunity is not approached carelessly. It requires devoted stewardship.
There are many who are pursuing this worthy goal in corporate meetings.
Nonetheless, our counsel is to be observant that the genuine does not get
lost in the counterfeit. The judicious administration of this aspect in Him
will require governmental oversight from those anointed with the Spirit of
Wisdom and Revelation.
The evidence and fruit of Isaiah's experience is vividly
portrayed in this Biblical account. No doubt, Isaiah had been given the
privilege of seeing numerous visions and revelations of the Lord in his
office as prophet. He was functioning in his prophetic calling
long before his visit to the Throne of Heaven. Even so, the power and
unveiling of God in this experience left Isaiah, according to his own words,
undone and ruined. It no doubt left an indelible mark on his
life and character.
Equipping Warriors
Our national military has now developed sophisticated
high-tech weaponry that is “off-the-charts” in its versatility and
effectiveness. That is a natural indication of a spiritual reality. What
an incredible waste it would be, of both manpower and armament, if our armed
forces took a rookie, fresh out of boot camp and outfitted him with these
weapons and sent him to the front line. Most likely, he would be killed and
the valuable weapons lost.
So is it in the Lord's Kingdom. There is a place of growth
and maturity required to be entrusted with “advanced weaponry” so the
warrior would not be killed or the weapons lost. With mass media and all
the varied and simple means at our disposal to “approach the front-lines,”
it would be virtually effortless for people with developing gifts to engage
the enemy in a realm beyond their maturity and scope of authority.
The Lord loves us and has plans for our welfare and not our
calamity or demise. He has provided imperative equipping ministries that
afford a place to develop in our gifts and callings and discover the Lord's
weapons and how to us them prolifically and where our zeal is tempered with
wisdom. The Lord's governmental design will provide:
“for the equipping
of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of
Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:12)
The term “equipping” in this passage is “katartisismos,”
denoting- to make fit and implying a process leading to consummation...a
fitting or preparing fully and perfecting; to be fully furnished. This
expression emphasizes a work to be taken to its completion, without leaving
that place until fully furnished.
In this stage of our development, we also discover His
intimacy and fellowship as we cultivate exchange with Him and learn to hear
His Voice— then another we will not follow. Truthfully, this is a wonderful
place that should not be hurriedly departed. It would be like Paul and
Barnabas, who while praying and ministering to the Lord, were set apart by
the Holy Spirit and SENT. Then it is the Lord's bidding and He will cover
and protect His purpose.
In The Spirit
Presently, there are many in the Church who are
oppressed with feelings of hopelessness, fear, doubt and other burdensome
influences exploited by the enemy. It is the purpose and desire of the Holy
Spirit to carry believers above this realm, into the Spirit, where our
blessings and provisions are discovered in Christ. In this place we embrace
hope to displace hopelessness and fear is overcome by faith.
This truth is evidenced in both the Old and New Testament.
On one occasion, the prophet Elisha boldly encountered the Army's of the
king of Aram. Conversely, his servant was battling issues of fear and
doubt. That is, until he was carried above that realm to discover the more
accurate spiritual perspective. God's governmental leader helped the lad
above the soulish realm of fear and doubt by saying:
"Do not fear, for
those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha
prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the
LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (II Kings 6:16-17)
When the prophet prayed for his servant, the impartation of
the anointing allowed the servant access to the realm of faith and
supernatural vision. As a result, he was changed and his perspective
radically transformed. The deceptive view he previously held is the only
one our adversary wants us to comprehend. When we walk by the Spirit, we
will not carry out the deeds of the fallen nature. The experience produced
genuine and evident change in the servant. His life was radically affected.
The Example of Maria Woodworth-Etter
Visions and revelations seemed to be an integral part of the ministry of
Maria Woodworth-Etter. This realm of the Holy Spirit was experienced by
those who were saved and others who attended the meetings to ridicule and
mock her ministry. It is well-documented that many saints who were bound by
various forms of oppression and sickness were delivered through their
supernatural encounter with the Heavenly realm during these meetings.
In each meeting in which this dimension was opened, a
reverential awe permeated the auditorium and forever changed each one it
touched. Lifelong commitments to the Lord were made by many individuals who
discovered that "open door" in her meetings. It is reported that some
actually received the gift of speaking other languages and commissioned as
missionaries to the nations.
Woodworth-Etter reported that prophetic utterances were given
to young and old alike concerning future events, many of which took place
within days or weeks of the experience. Others returned with supernatural
knowledge and insight that they had no way of knowing within themselves. In
each case, the people were captured by the humility and contrition
demonstrated by those given this great opportunity to encounter God in this
spiritual arena. There was no boasting or superficial behavior, only
reverence, contrition and commitments to lives of consecration. Even so,
great joy also characterized her life and ministry.
In one particular meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, the people
of the city were particularly harsh in their treatment of this precious
sister and her ministry team. The meetings were attended by some of the
most hardened characters in the city. Woodworth-Etter wrote, "men
stood on the seats with hats on, cigars and pipes in their mouths, coats off
and sleeves rolled up... women wore dirty aprons... and bare armed... they
would shoot off firecrackers and when we sang they sang even louder and when
we prayed they clapped their hands and cheered. They carry pistols and
clubs and were ready to kill us and tear down the tent."
The end of the story is
quite different. The Lord faithfully heard the prayer of His devoted saints
and responded by opening the Heavens and giving the people visions of Heaven
and hell. They encountered the spiritual dimension opened to them by the
Holy Spirit. The results were, according to Woodworth-Etter, "the
fear of God came upon the multitude. The sweat came on their faces and they
stood as though in a trance; men began to take their pipes out of their
mouths and their hats off. The women began to cover their bare necks and
arms with aprons. They felt they stood naked and guilty before God. They
began to get off the seats (from standing) and sit down but some fell and
lay like dead."
The evidence of a tangible touch from the “Third Heaven” was
evident and easily discerned. This was true both for those who were saved
and those who were not. The fruit was apparent by the responses of the
people. It is often recorded in Woodworth-Etter's writings that sinners and
saints alike, would often cry out in reverential fear when the Heavenly
dimension was opened to them.
Conclusion
A phenomenal opportunity to encounter and embrace God, is
being given to the Church of this day and it is one that must be welcomed
and protected. It is our heart and ambition to encourage every believer to
pursue this reality in God. Nonetheless, at the same time we must also
emphasize the importance of discerning the fruit of His voice so that we
would not be deceived by another nor would we identify something from that
sacred realm that it is merely an expression of our imagination.
On one notable occasion the prophet Samuel stood before the
people of Israel as a credible voice and representation of God. His words
did not fall to the ground nor did he beg from the people for his bread and
sustenance. When he shared his revelations, the people listened attentively
to the validity of His voice because he had cultivated a genuine exchange
with God. That is the position we as the church must maintain in this
crucial hour. It is time for the prophetic ministry in the Church to emerge
with a credible and trustworthy voice to address the notable issues
presently unfolding.
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