"THE FORERUNNER- PREPARING THE WAY"
~by Arthur Wallis.
"Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me:
and the Lord whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple" (Mal.
3:1).
In preparation for a great visitation, God may raise up many messengers,
each preparing the way of the Lord in his own appointed sphere. This is
surely a day when God is looking for forerunners to blaze the trail of
revival; not smooth preachers, but rugged prophets: men of the stamp of
Elijah, who, with the hand of the Lord upon him, girded up his loins and
ran before the king to the entrance of the royal city (1 Kings 18:46).
Thus he demonstrated the spiritual work he was doing as a forerunner. On
Carmel Elijah had prepared the way of the Lord, and now the Lord was
coming "as the latter rain that waters the earth" (Hos 6:3).
Those whom God calls to such a ministry - and a call is essential - must
be prepared for a pathway of unpopularity and misunderstanding. "You
troubler of Israel" was the way Ahab addressed Elijah (1 Ki 8:17), and
so this prophet whom God had sent to deal with the "Achans in the camp"
(see Joshua 7:25) was himself accused of being one. John the Baptist
demonstrates also this element in the ministry of the forerunner.
Standing alone as the champion of righteousness, he unmasked the
hypocrisy of the religionists and even denounced the sin of the king
upon the throne. This man, who was "much more than a prophet", was
called to seal his ministry with his blood, yet he succeeded in
preparing the way of the Lord. "Among them that are born of women there
has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11).
A forerunner must be one who can say, "I truly am full of power by the
Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob
his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (Mic. 3:
.
Jeremiah was another forerunner. In a day dark with declension and
judgment his fearless ministry helped to check the evils of the time,
and prepare the way for a reviving that he did not live to witness,
under Ezra and Nehemiah. The commission given him by the Lord is deeply
significant:
"I have set you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break
down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to plant" (Jer.
1:10).
It will be noted that there is twice the emphasis on the negative
element as on the positive; two thirds of his ministry was to be
destructive, and only one third constructive. This is characteristic of
the work of a forerunner. Stumbling blocks of iniquity have to be taken
up (Isa. 57:14) and stones of unbelief have to be gathered out (Isa.
62:10) if the way of the Lord is to be prepared.
The very word "prepare" contains this idea of casting out, emptying, and
clearing as a field before planting. Destruction, ruthless and thorough,
must precede the greater work of construction that is to follow. It
takes a man who "fears no one but God and hates nothing but sin" to
proclaim the message of the forerunner.
The Proclamation:
The first point to note in the proclamation of the forerunner is the
place of visitation.
"Prepare ye in the wilderness. . . make straight in the desert," cries
the prophet. We should not be surprised to discover that God does not
often choose the well watered garden, the fruitful field, or the
luxurious forest as the scene of a divine visitation in revival, for
they have no need.
He chooses rather the dry and weary land, parched and barren, whose
yawning cracks plead to heaven for showers; it is here that God is
pleased to come in the rain of the Spirit. The promise that "the glory
of the Lord shall be revealed" expresses the very nature and purpose of
revival.
God therefore chooses the place which provides the greatest scope for
the demonstration of that glory. When the spiritual wilderness is
transformed into a paradise men exclaim "this is the finger of God";
they acknowledge that "the exceeding greatness of the power" that has
accomplished the miracle must be of God and not of men, and so the Lord
alone is exalted in that day.
"Wilderness" is that which the farmer looks upon as unworkable, and
therefore hopeless.
Maybe that word is a fitting description of the sphere of your spiritual
activities, that which has been for so long the scene of your travail
and tears, your labours and longings.
When it seems a sheer impossibility that there should be a work of God
there, take heed to the command, "prepare ye in the wilderness. . . make
straight in the desert", for God has promised that "The wilderness and
the solitary place shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and
blossom as the rose" (Isa.35:1).
Here is a message of hope for some discouraged servant. The God to whom
no situation is impossible, has chosen the desert as the place in which
to manifest His power and glory. "Strengthen the weak hands," continues
the prophet, "and confirm the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold,
your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will
come and save you... For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert. "(verses 3-7).
Before this wonderful work of transformation can take place a way must
be prepared, a highway must be made straight. But who is to do it? You!
"Prepare ye. . . the way of the Lord," cries the forerunner. But how is
it to be done? "Beginning with me" is the first step. "And a highway
shall be there, and it shall be called The way of holiness" (verse :cool:.
We need to pause to ask ourselves: Is my heart, is my life a highway of
holiness for God? Have I swept away the stones of unbelief? Have the
crooked places of unrighteousness been made straight?
Have I taken up the stumbling blocks of inconsistency, unreality, and
worldliness? When the God of unsullied holiness moves in the
irresistible power of revival, will He find in me the avenue He needs in
this spiritual wilderness? If you cannot answer "Yes" to these
questions, lay down this book and seek the Lord now. When revival comes
it may be too late.
It was said of David Brainerd, "God could flow unhindered through him.
The omnipotence of grace was neither arrested nor straitened by the
conditions of his heart; the whole channel was broadened and cleaned out
for God's fullest and most powerful passage, so that God with all His
mighty forces could come down on the hopeless, savage wilderness and
transform it into His blooming, fruitful garden."
Here was one who truly prepared the way of the Lord in his own life, and
God saw to it that His glory was revealed in revival. When it comes to
the mighty movements of the Spirit, every heart is either a highway or a
hindrance.
"Moving to others" sums up the next sphere in which we must prepare the
way of the Lord. Revival truly begins in us, but it does not end there.
There must be a sense of responsibility towards our fellow believers who
do not yet feel the need or see the possibilities of the hour.
"Write the vision, and make it plain. . . that he may run that readeth
it" (Hab 2:2).
Until the vision is written others will never read; until others read
they will never run, as men with a mission, as those sent of the Spirit.
The vision must be written upon our hearts, upon our lips, upon our
lives, if the way of the Lord is to be prepared in the lives of others.
There must be expectancy in our praying, passion in our preaching,
boldness in our planning, and holiness in our living if we are to stir
the saints.
We must be miniature forerunners, each in our own sphere; it is not
enough to prepare the way in our own hearts, we must prepare the way in
the hearts of others. This is a ministry which demands steadfastness of
purpose, desire, and expectancy, for it is fraught with disappointments.
Some seem to catch the vision at once, but setbacks, delays, or
opposition take their toll, and they lose that vision. Others are slow
to catch fire, but once aflame they are steadfast and irresistible in
their burning.
The Promise:
When we have prepared the way of the Lord in our hearts, in the hearts
of others, in the hearts of sinners, and in the heavenly places, then
"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour
before Him" (Ps. 50:3).
We must expect a spiritual revolution if the wilderness is to be
transformed into the garden of the Lord. God will see to the revolution
if we will provide Him with the roadway. Herein lies the wonder of the
promise. It is not our concern to transform the general situation, to
deal with valleys and mountains, crooked paths and rough places, and
whatever else may make up the spiritual wilderness.
Give God a highway and He promises that "every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of
the Lord hath spoken it". This is the revolution of revival: the
wilderness turned upside down and inside out.
God is promising that this visitation will bring a reversal of values
and a transformation of conditions. The valleys, abased and despised in
the eyes of men, shall be exalted. The fear of God, obedience to His
word, reverence for His day, love of righteousness and truth and equity,
and all the things which have become valleys and depressions, matters of
no account, in the foolishness of man's thinking, shall be exalted to a
place of prominence according to God's original intention.
Similarly, mountains of pride, unbelief, materialism, worldly cares,
pleasures, ambitions and lusts shall flow down at the presence of the
Lord. This is what God promises to do, in greater or lesser degree, in
the visitations of revival.
Lastly, all the promise is gathered up and expressed in one final all
inclusive declaration, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and
all flesh shall see it together."
Here is the highest and holiest thing in revival, the manifestation of
God, the shining forth of His glory before the eyes of men. It is the
soul who, like Isaiah, has caught a glimpse of that effulgent glory -
and one glimpse is enough to spoil him for all of earth - who will go
forth, whatever the cost, to obey the divine command by preparing the
way of the Lord, that men too may behold that glory and be changed.
[-From "In the Day of Thy Power"
"-The Scriptural Principles of Revival"
by Arthur Wallis].
AWAKE AND ARISE
A Word from the Lord to Build Up, Encourage and Comfort
~Ras Robinson
Awake and arise, your day has come. Go forth as a mighty warrior in My
army. You have the equipment you need. And your Commander lives within
you for perfect communication and direction. You are sure to win. Take
the first step and I will handle the rest. Awake and arise, your day has
come.
Acts 26:16 "'But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have
appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the
things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will
appear to you."
Ephesians 5:14 "For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
A CALL TO INTIMACY AND HOLINESS
Open up the door and let the King of Glory come in. All the futile
attempts to please Him in the flesh be demolished, to be torn down
completely. All the wastelands be cleared and built up to be fresh with
the newness of the wine and manna, the Gift of Life which is in the Son.
Jesus is His name. Yes, the Giver of Life is He.
All who are weary and are heavy laden come unto Him. For He will lift
you up and take you into His glory, His eternal haven of rest. My most
precious servants, come unto Me and rest and listen for I have much I
would have to share with you. But you must come unto Me, and be quiet
and still, and listen.
Quit striving and running around, but settle down, be at peace, for I
want to bless you with the touch of My hand alone. Yes, individually
come unto Me and sup for I have much to bless you with, like nuggets of
gold I want to pour out upon you.
You are My children, My precious servants, and I long to meet with you
in the beauty of holiness, in true holiness and fellowship and
commitment to My perfect will. Yes, My call is to holiness, a life of
separation from the world and its ways, and intimacy, true communion
with Me.
Quit striving to make it on your own to build My church. Aren't I the
Master Builder, the Chief Cornerstone? Didn't I say that all men would
be drawn unto Me if you lift Me up? And how are you doing it being
engulfed in busyness and striving after the wind, doing things in vain
outside of My will?
Seek My face when I can be found. Not on the basis of your timetable,
but by Mine. Early....put Me first on your list of priorities to meet
with Me.
Gather with the saints with the purpose of seeking My face, My presence,
and My touch....to minister unto Me alone, and I will do the rest......
to pour out the latter rain as I promised; to prepare My people as the
end time army I proclaimed; to do greater works through them, because I
go to the Father.
Yes, the call is to seek My face....to lay all upon the altar.....to
proclaim the victory of the shed blood of the Lamb.....to pull down
strongholds over the land and any evil vain thing.
For this is the year of jubilee, and I AM coming soon, says your God,
coming for My bride for the Lamb is ready. The marriage supper of the
Lamb is prepared. The table is set and the chairs are ready to be
filled. Come unto Me, My holy ones, My called out ones, My remnant.
Prepare your hearts for the time is at hand for the ultimate rapture of
My love.
Deep calleth unto deep at the sound of thy waterspouts. Listen to the
rushing of the waters ready to sweep you away unto the ecstasy of My
love. Come unto Me, My good and faithful servants. Come unto Me.
THE FORERUNNER- PREPARING THE WAY"
~by Arthur Wallis.
"Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me:
and the Lord whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple" (Mal.
3:1).
In preparation for a great visitation, God may raise up many messengers,
each preparing the way of the Lord in his own appointed sphere. This is
surely a day when God is looking for forerunners to blaze the trail of
revival; not smooth preachers, but rugged prophets: men of the stamp of
Elijah, who, with the hand of the Lord upon him, girded up his loins and
ran before the king to the entrance of the royal city (1 Kings 18:46).
Thus he demonstrated the spiritual work he was doing as a forerunner. On
Carmel Elijah had prepared the way of the Lord, and now the Lord was
coming "as the latter rain that waters the earth" (Hos 6:3).
Those whom God calls to such a ministry - and a call is essential - must
be prepared for a pathway of unpopularity and misunderstanding. "You
troubler of Israel" was the way Ahab addressed Elijah (1 Ki 8:17), and
so this prophet whom God had sent to deal with the "Achans in the camp"
(see Joshua 7:25) was himself accused of being one. John the Baptist
demonstrates also this element in the ministry of the forerunner.
Standing alone as the champion of righteousness, he unmasked the
hypocrisy of the religionists and even denounced the sin of the king
upon the throne. This man, who was "much more than a prophet", was
called to seal his ministry with his blood, yet he succeeded in
preparing the way of the Lord. "Among them that are born of women there
has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11).
A forerunner must be one who can say, "I truly am full of power by the
Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob
his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (Mic. 3:
.
Jeremiah was another forerunner. In a day dark with declension and
judgment his fearless ministry helped to check the evils of the time,
and prepare the way for a reviving that he did not live to witness,
under Ezra and Nehemiah. The commission given him by the Lord is deeply
significant:
"I have set you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break
down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to plant" (Jer.
1:10).
It will be noted that there is twice the emphasis on the negative
element as on the positive; two thirds of his ministry was to be
destructive, and only one third constructive. This is characteristic of
the work of a forerunner. Stumbling blocks of iniquity have to be taken
up (Isa. 57:14) and stones of unbelief have to be gathered out (Isa.
62:10) if the way of the Lord is to be prepared.
The very word "prepare" contains this idea of casting out, emptying, and
clearing as a field before planting. Destruction, ruthless and thorough,
must precede the greater work of construction that is to follow. It
takes a man who "fears no one but God and hates nothing but sin" to
proclaim the message of the forerunner.
The Proclamation:
The first point to note in the proclamation of the forerunner is the
place of visitation.
"Prepare ye in the wilderness. . . make straight in the desert," cries
the prophet. We should not be surprised to discover that God does not
often choose the well watered garden, the fruitful field, or the
luxurious forest as the scene of a divine visitation in revival, for
they have no need.
He chooses rather the dry and weary land, parched and barren, whose
yawning cracks plead to heaven for showers; it is here that God is
pleased to come in the rain of the Spirit. The promise that "the glory
of the Lord shall be revealed" expresses the very nature and purpose of
revival.
God therefore chooses the place which provides the greatest scope for
the demonstration of that glory. When the spiritual wilderness is
transformed into a paradise men exclaim "this is the finger of God";
they acknowledge that "the exceeding greatness of the power" that has
accomplished the miracle must be of God and not of men, and so the Lord
alone is exalted in that day.
"Wilderness" is that which the farmer looks upon as unworkable, and
therefore hopeless.
Maybe that word is a fitting description of the sphere of your spiritual
activities, that which has been for so long the scene of your travail
and tears, your labours and longings.
When it seems a sheer impossibility that there should be a work of God
there, take heed to the command, "prepare ye in the wilderness. . . make
straight in the desert", for God has promised that "The wilderness and
the solitary place shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and
blossom as the rose" (Isa.35:1).
Here is a message of hope for some discouraged servant. The God to whom
no situation is impossible, has chosen the desert as the place in which
to manifest His power and glory. "Strengthen the weak hands," continues
the prophet, "and confirm the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold,
your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will
come and save you... For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert. "(verses 3-7).
Before this wonderful work of transformation can take place a way must
be prepared, a highway must be made straight. But who is to do it? You!
"Prepare ye. . . the way of the Lord," cries the forerunner. But how is
it to be done? "Beginning with me" is the first step. "And a highway
shall be there, and it shall be called The way of holiness" (verse :cool:.
We need to pause to ask ourselves: Is my heart, is my life a highway of
holiness for God? Have I swept away the stones of unbelief? Have the
crooked places of unrighteousness been made straight?
Have I taken up the stumbling blocks of inconsistency, unreality, and
worldliness? When the God of unsullied holiness moves in the
irresistible power of revival, will He find in me the avenue He needs in
this spiritual wilderness? If you cannot answer "Yes" to these
questions, lay down this book and seek the Lord now. When revival comes
it may be too late.
It was said of David Brainerd, "God could flow unhindered through him.
The omnipotence of grace was neither arrested nor straitened by the
conditions of his heart; the whole channel was broadened and cleaned out
for God's fullest and most powerful passage, so that God with all His
mighty forces could come down on the hopeless, savage wilderness and
transform it into His blooming, fruitful garden."
Here was one who truly prepared the way of the Lord in his own life, and
God saw to it that His glory was revealed in revival. When it comes to
the mighty movements of the Spirit, every heart is either a highway or a
hindrance.
"Moving to others" sums up the next sphere in which we must prepare the
way of the Lord. Revival truly begins in us, but it does not end there.
There must be a sense of responsibility towards our fellow believers who
do not yet feel the need or see the possibilities of the hour.
"Write the vision, and make it plain. . . that he may run that readeth
it" (Hab 2:2).
Until the vision is written others will never read; until others read
they will never run, as men with a mission, as those sent of the Spirit.
The vision must be written upon our hearts, upon our lips, upon our
lives, if the way of the Lord is to be prepared in the lives of others.
There must be expectancy in our praying, passion in our preaching,
boldness in our planning, and holiness in our living if we are to stir
the saints.
We must be miniature forerunners, each in our own sphere; it is not
enough to prepare the way in our own hearts, we must prepare the way in
the hearts of others. This is a ministry which demands steadfastness of
purpose, desire, and expectancy, for it is fraught with disappointments.
Some seem to catch the vision at once, but setbacks, delays, or
opposition take their toll, and they lose that vision. Others are slow
to catch fire, but once aflame they are steadfast and irresistible in
their burning.
The Promise:
When we have prepared the way of the Lord in our hearts, in the hearts
of others, in the hearts of sinners, and in the heavenly places, then
"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour
before Him" (Ps. 50:3).
We must expect a spiritual revolution if the wilderness is to be
transformed into the garden of the Lord. God will see to the revolution
if we will provide Him with the roadway. Herein lies the wonder of the
promise. It is not our concern to transform the general situation, to
deal with valleys and mountains, crooked paths and rough places, and
whatever else may make up the spiritual wilderness.
Give God a highway and He promises that "every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of
the Lord hath spoken it". This is the revolution of revival: the
wilderness turned upside down and inside out.
God is promising that this visitation will bring a reversal of values
and a transformation of conditions. The valleys, abased and despised in
the eyes of men, shall be exalted. The fear of God, obedience to His
word, reverence for His day, love of righteousness and truth and equity,
and all the things which have become valleys and depressions, matters of
no account, in the foolishness of man's thinking, shall be exalted to a
place of prominence according to God's original intention.
Similarly, mountains of pride, unbelief, materialism, worldly cares,
pleasures, ambitions and lusts shall flow down at the presence of the
Lord. This is what God promises to do, in greater or lesser degree, in
the visitations of revival.
Lastly, all the promise is gathered up and expressed in one final all
inclusive declaration, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and
all flesh shall see it together."
Here is the highest and holiest thing in revival, the manifestation of
God, the shining forth of His glory before the eyes of men. It is the
soul who, like Isaiah, has caught a glimpse of that effulgent glory -
and one glimpse is enough to spoil him for all of earth - who will go
forth, whatever the cost, to obey the divine command by preparing the
way of the Lord, that men too may behold that glory and be changed.
LESSON ONE - part 3 - CONCLUSION
REALITY OF THE SUPERNATURAL
6. Heavenly Geography
Heaven also has geographical locations. Did you know that? Heaven is a geographical place and there are geographical regions in heaven. Heaven is big. If you actually studied how big heaven is you'd discover, perhaps, that it is like another world. Heaven also has its own unique characteristics as a distinct world or region. For instance, if I go to Hawaii, I find it has a unique location, climate and culture?it is very different from Alaska. It's also very different when I am in Florida as compared to when I am in Utah. Each place is distinctly different spiritually, culturally and in its physical characteristics of climate, terrain and scenery. We love places for their unique features. That is what heaven is like.
In Heaven, the saints won't always be around the throne 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will have journeys in heaven, friend. We will visit different geographical locations in this real world. There will be a whole new creation in heaven. Heaven will be similar to earth in many ways, with the absence of sin, sickness, disease, death and poverty. Isn't earth big; isn't earth beautiful; aren't there geographical locations on earth? Well, there are geographical locations in the spirit too. So, in this life, it's ok for me to say, "Holy Spirit, come, and let me touch with my spiritual senses, now, what is in heaven." That is where my mind and my expectation is. That is where my heart is. I make myself available for God to communicate with me on the basis of understanding the truth of what I am sharing with you today. However, we need to have that scriptural foundation in our hearts that Jesus ascended into heaven and that no one has ascended into heaven, except for him who has come down from heaven, who is in heaven. Yes, although Jesus was on earth at the time, He was in heaven in His mind and in His spirit. He was seeing by open vision. As He said, "I only do those things that I see the Father doing." He was seeing it on the mountain. He was seeing it in prayer. He was seeing it in the wilderness. The Holy Spirit brought Him revelation and opened the eyes of his heart. Jesus was an example to us of the depth of communion we can have with God and of how powerfully the Father can manifest through a totally surrendered child on earth. Jesus was an example of prayer, an example of experience and an example of ministry. You know, I want to follow Him in each way He has demonstrated the life of abundance to us.
7. Made for Signs and Wonders (Isaiah 8:18, 19)
"Here am I and the children whom the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel?"(Isaiah 8:18)
Let's examine this common passage of scripture. I've felt the Lord tell me that this year He was going to release the signs prophet in a greater way. God wants to put on us the anointing of signs and the anointing of the supernatural. This is our inheritance as His children. I believe that this scripture isn't just talking about signs and wonders involving healing of the sick and casting out demons. In addition to those acts, I believe the Lord is saying that He wants us to be prophetic messages. We are to live prophetic lives which speak to the world of God's great love. We are to be a people that, wherever we go? whether we are in the market, the Superstore, the restaurant, the church or at work?we are to be a message to the world. We are called to carry around us an activity of heaven that creates signs and shows manifestations of heaven touching earth. Those manifestations that God wants to accompany our lives include the changing of weather patterns, the cleansing of lepers, the raising of dead, the casting out of demons, the healing of sickness and disease as well as seeing of dreams and visions. The world will forget about psychics when we touch the supernatural realm and, as the church, begin operating in the prophetic and the power of God.
We are to be a sign; we are to be a living epistle. We are to be a prophetic message, a prophetic picture in the earth. God wants the supernatural realm to spill out of our lives and break into the natural realm everywhere we go. We are to be carriers of signs and wonders. God has called us to live in the place of "as it is in heaven" and to walk in the anointing of the spirit of wisdom and revelation. God wants to put that anointing on the body in a greater way so the world won't need Miss Cleo, the psychics or the gurus on Montel and other TV shows. Yes, it is time that we are for signs and wonders, so that our lives give the world a taste of a supernatural, powerful God. Look what happens, according to Isaiah 8:19, if we don't walk in signs and wonders:
"And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,' should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living." (Isaiah 8:19)
When we are not for signs and wonders, people go to wizards, mediums and dead gods. They consult the dead on behalf of the living rather than consulting the living God. If we truly live a supernatural life and understand the reality of the open heavens and heavenly glory, had we created, by faith, a landing place in the spirit where God could manifest, then the world would turn from demonic signs to the true signs. This year God wants to release the anointing for us to become signs to the world. He is releasing the signs prophets. Are you ready for that? Jesus wants us to begin living like He did in John 3:13:
"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."
Though I am down from heaven in physical form, I am a man who is in heaven at the same time that I am on earth. God is now releasing the supernatural. As I am talking about angels, I am actually prophesying so that someone can have an angelic visitation. As you read this lesson, signs and wonder are being released into your lives.
8. End-Time Release of the Supernatural (Acts 2:17-22)
17 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.'" (Acts 2:17-22)
Now what day is that when whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved? Is that a day that is coming, or is that a day that is here? I believe we are living in the outpouring of God's spirit for the release of prophecy, visions and dreams and it is available to the body of Christ. He said He would pour these things out on all flesh. All flesh! All of us have opportunity to be a part of the release of this prophetic dimension which will bring signs and wonders in the heavens and the earth because we are for signs and we are for wonders. It is our destiny to carry that supernatural anointing and to walk in the reality of the spirit of wisdom and revelation. It is our inheritance. But it's even more than that. Look at Acts 2 verse 22:
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--"
This passage is referring to the days of Jesus, the days when God confirmed and endorsed the ministry of Jesus with miracles, signs and wonders. We are just as much sons as Jesus was. John 17 even tells us that the Father has loved us just as He has loved Jesus. We are just as loved by the Father as Jesus was and just as much a joint heir. He has made us to sit in heavenly places with Him. The Father wants to attest and endorse ministry in North America today with miracles, signs and wonders?we need to reach for that! We need to say, "Thank you Lord that it's mine." The supernatural realm needs to become part of our everyday thinking. We need to think about open heavens, angels, visions and dreams. We need to talk about miracles, power and healings. We need thank God for angels and for the prophetic. Now let me tell you about an angelic experience I had a while back.
I first saw the angel called Healing Revival on December 5 of 2000 in Grant's Pass. The angel came to me again in Albany the next February. He stood in the church service with his body going through the ceiling of the church. Then the Lord told me the angel's name and that he was the same angel I saw in Grant's Pass earlier. God also revealed to me that this angel was involved in the ministry of John Lake (Africa and America), William Branham (America) and John Knox in Scotland. This angel, the Lord said, is from the North West Healing Revival and is manifesting again as a sign that God is restoring the Voice of Healing revival and opening up the ancient wells.
In our ministry over the last year, this angel has come frequently and on many different occasions. When He comes I get a gift?the ability to diagnose people's sicknesses with my left hand. At times this angel brings words of knowledge; I get very accurate details from God including people's first, middle and last names as well as nicknames, the year they were injured, the color of their vehicle and the state they are from.
I have been in meetings where I have been able to take whole rows of people and diagnose accurately what is wrong with their bodies. I'll sometimes go into trances and hear the doctor diagnose people's sickness?then they will pull medical documentation out of their pocket confirming what I just said. Many other people have also seen or had contact with this angel in the meetings. And whenever this angel shows up, the miracles go off the charts. Instead of a few healings, we'll get three blind eyes in one night or maybe a cripple will get out of a wheel chair.
I believe the angel showed up in Albany as a sign that God was endorsing what was taking place and that it was opening up a healing well. Everywhere I have seen this angel the miracles continue after I leave and a healing well is established in that church and in that city. When that angel visits, we have another John 5 Pool of Bethesda experience as God releases His approval. That is why God repeatedly visits Jesus throughout His life?to place His stamp of approval on every stage. After we start to examine this topic, it's easy to see how important angels were throughout Scripture.
When I was in South America, I'd pray for someone and the demon would come out and it would come on my left arm. It's like Paul, when he put his hand in the fire and the thing came out and it grabbed his arm and he shook it off. Well that happens to me sometimes when I lay hands on people that I can discern demonic presence or sickness and sometimes it will come off onto my arm. Then people will be instantly healed or delivered. I know when the gift is on because it will come over my arm. Initially I didn't know what to do with this. I said, "God what is happening to me." In some meetings in Grant's pass when the angel first visited, it was during one of my prayer times that I had a vision of a boy in the hospital in a coma. I discovered when I called out the word at the meeting that night that a man had come to the meeting on behalf of the boy's mother. I actually saw this woman in a trance telling me that her boy had come out of a coma; I then saw the newspaper headlines which read, "Boy Comes Out Of Coma." When we prayed for the man who stood in the gap, the boy was completely healed. I heard the testimony later and the headlines really exactly as I had seen. When this all started in Grant's Pass, I didn't think anything of it other than, "Wow, that was a great night of moving in the word of knowledge."
However, when I went to Albany in January and February of the next year (2001), the revelation and healing anointing really blew up. We had all kinds of incredible manifestations of miracles, healings, signs and wonders. In the middle of that season, I saw an angel in the pulpit that towered up to the ceiling of the church. I saw this angel open up a pool on the floor. Then I saw a hole open up in heaven, a shaft of light come down and an angel appear. When I saw this open vision, I didn't know what to do with it. The audible voice of the Lord came to me and gave me some instruction about imparting the anointing and the keys to pastors. Then He told me that this angel had been involved in three revivals in three different countries through three revivalists. He also told me that the angel's name is Healing Revival and that he is like the angel in John 5 that came to stir the waters of the pool of Bethesda. The angel is ranked one position below an arch angel. This angel doesn't deal with principalities over nations, but powers in cities?he comes to establish a regional healing revival, the same type of outpouring of healing that we read about in John 5 where and angel would come down at a certain season and stir the waters.
Then the Lord led me to ask the pastor's daughter what she was seeing." Before I told anybody about the angel, I went across the room to the pastor's daughter and asked, "Excuse me, what do you see in the service right now?" She said, "Todd, there is a large angel standing in the pulpit." Then the power of God came and Denny gives an invitation to the sick because I was so inebriated and under the weight of God's glory that I couldn't do anything. When people came to the front, nobody laid hand on them?they just started falling out under the power. People fell down like dominos, as if there was an invisible line that; when they crossed it, they were hit with God's power. A woman got healed in that meeting of a fractured neck.
After this incredible visitation of the angel, we had one of the most unusual meetings I've ever been in. I didn't think about the connection between the angel and the unusual manifestations until I started thinking more about the angel's involvement in a revival in Scotland with John Knox. Listen, I didn't even know there was a man named John Knox, and had never heard of revival in Scotland until the Lord spoke to me about them. Apparently, John Knox and William Wallace (of Brave Heart) are two of the greatest heroes of Scotland. John Knox was the Martin Luther of Scotland?a real reformer and revivalist who had visitations of the Lord that would last over 7 hours. A week after this meeting in Albany, I was in Portland where the Lord took me in a trance to Scotland. I visited three geographical locations including the memorial and the grave?the place where John Knox was buried. In the natural I didn't even know that he was buried in Scotland. In the experience, I was at some memorial for John Knox in Scotland walking around looking at the castle, the moats and the other landmarks around where this guy's grave was. Two day's later a prophetess friend of mine by the name of Catherine Brown invites me to Scotland. I eventually ended up in Edinburgh visiting the very places that I went to in the trance?I saw all the same details the Lord showed me in the trance.
Now when I had a visitation of this angel in Albany I didn't realize at that time it was the same angel that had visited in Grant's Pass. The Lord also showed me that the second revival and the second movement that this angel had something to do with was the healing revival with John Lake in Spokane and in Portland. Lake's powerful healing ministry first began during his ministry in South Africa. The third healing revival that the angel was involved in came through William Branham during the Voice of Healing revival in America. God also reminded me that, years ago, before I was in full time ministry, during my three-month soaking season of visitation, that I had a visitation of that same angel. Others were in my apartment at the time when the angel appeared, towering over me through the apartment ceiling. It was weeks after that first visitation of the angel that Patricia King called me out, anointed me, commissioned me, took up an offering and I was launched into full time ministry. The Lord told me that the day the angel appeared was the beginning of my ministry and the time when He called and anointed me to take healing revival to the nations.
The Lord explained to me that the angel's involvement in my ministry is why the Lord has launched me so quickly into international healing ministry. He told me that He doesn't just want me to just have a gift of healing; He wants me to help deposit, release and participate in what prophets have prophesied about the explosion of healing revival to come. Many of you reading this are going to be a part of this thing; a whole generation is still to come?we are only in the first fruits of what prophets have prophesied about the nameless, faceless generation. Stadiums are going to be filled with people gathered for healing revival meetings. Generation Xers will be many of the troops in this army.
Over time I've realized that the angel that visited, at these significant times and in various meetings, has been the same angel. I believe this same angel was a part of the whole Voice of Healing revival, was part of John Lake's healing ministry and was also connected to the anointing on John Knox in Scotland. It is very significant that these recent visitations took place in the Northwest. The Lord is opening up the ancient wells. And since those angelic visitations, many others have seen the angel including warlocks and children who knew nothing about the angel. These people will come up to me and say, "You have a visitor in the tent." Then they will describe the angel?how big he is and what he looks like.
My father, a recent convert with a powerful testimony, has been able to discern the angel as well. One of my disciples has, at times, also been able to discern the angel. The angel will manifest in meetings and stand two feet behind me on my left side?that is when the gift comes on my left arm. In Kansas City, when three blind eyes popped open, I saw the angel in the balcony on my left. Just after I saw the angel, my father asked, "Todd is your angel here? I think I just sensed him come into the room." I said, "He's here Dad." He even asked, "Is he up there in the balcony on the left?" That night the miracles increased far more than the previous meetings. Every time the angel comes he pushes back the warfare and the miracles increase?the blind see, the crippled walk and incurable diseases are healed.
Now don't get all excited about the angel?I believe that scripture strongly suggests that we all have angels (Matt. 18:10). I also believe that the Father has commissioned more than one healing angel; He is opening our spiritual eyes so see.
God is uncapping the ancient wells so that we can again see into the spiritual realm. We are living in an exciting time! God wants to anoint you for prophetic vision; He wants to give you spiritual eyes and wings. As the Lord opens the eyes of your heart you will come into the reality of the spiritual realm. God wants to make you naturally supernatural. It's time for your launch into new realms of the Spirit.
