The Two Manifestations
Last year I had a vision of a room full of people. I sat and watched them as they were going through all kinds of antics to try bring the power of God down. The core subject was they were trying to come into the power and authority of Son-ship. Some were speaking endlessly in tongues, others were fasting and praying for many days, others were proclaiming loudly verse after verse and "claiming" their Son-ship. I watched some engaged in writing and selling books and "HOW TO" come into the authority of Son-ship and others buying up these books and tapes and putting into practice all they had been told would bring Son-ship into their life and reality. It was a whole scene of 120 people attempting to implement Son-ship and the fullness of Christ upon themselves. At this point I will point out the 120 people gathered here were like a representation of a false "upper room" seekers. They gathered like the prophets of Baal gathered to try implement or initiate the authority that is of Son-ship in Christ. It is what many have come to term the realization of the Manifest Sons of God. (I use this term as a description and not as a point for debate about the issue.) As I watched these 120 people attempt every angle they could conceive of to come into the fullness of Christ I looked down at myself and saw that I was clothed in a robe and a ring had been put on my finger and I was in the fullness of Christ with the fullness of His authority. There was nothing I did that enabled me to bring it forth and no scriptures I proclaimed that brought it forth and no amount of prayer or fasting. It was simply the sovereign choice and act of God that it was so.
Throughout the Bible it is common that when God makes a promise of something it is often the case that the enemy comes in first and before the real fulfillment as a counterfeit to deceive. We have Ishmael before Isaac as our primary type. This is an apt depiction of what much of Christendom, especially those in the prophetic arena, are engaged in at this point. There are many, many people who have a grasp or the knowledge that there are those who are coming forth with the authority of Christ. These are trying to find ways to be counted in that number. There is a lot of preaching going on that everyone can come into this same place and it is making the same sense as the Jehovah's Witnesses claiming to have fulfilled the 144,000 who are to come forth. Every time there is a revelation about something God will bring forth; there is a worldwide endeavor by many to try become that fulfillment. "Elijah will come before the Day of the Lord" - therefore you can go over the globe and find thousands of Elijahs walking around and proclaiming themselves as such. The two witnesses of Revelation are to come - so (as dealt with in the past) you can find quite a few sets of these wherever you go who are attempting to be the fulfillment of that promise. This is the state of the prophetic section of Christendom today. And it is much like Elijah looking on while the prophets of Baal did all they could to effect power from their God. I am not implying that so many people are NOT Christians who are engaged in this behavior. Many have simply fallen prey to the instructions of men who profit from them purchasing their books. Some have fallen prey to the carnal side of their walk. They are reminiscent of the prophets of Baal in this manner - their God has not been Jesus Christ - but rather their god has been "the promise". Thinking yourself to be one of the Two Witnesses (if your doctor gives you a note saying you are schitzo you are allowed to be both) is not about serving God or making Jesus your Lord - it is getting wrapped up in the intoxication that the promise applies to you. Like alcohol becomes the god of many so they seek it above all other things - so this intoxication has come into the lives of thousands who are seeking to become the fulfillment of some promise yet to be fulfilled.
We are all called to a position in Christ and we all need to find out what that position is. We absolutely SHOULD NOT seek to be something we are not. We are not all called to the same office nor is any one person called to function as the whole body in himself. The government of God DOES work on a structured and leveled basis; but we have subverted His intent. We "carnally" attempt to tell Him (or someone else) where "our/their" place should be. Remember - there is no such thing as an elitist Christian or an ivory tower where the chosen ones congregate. Our flesh wants to USE God's hierarchy instead of allowing God to CHOOSE and USE as He desires. This is why so many Christians are engaged in the carnal implementation of trying to bring forth the power of God upon themselves. Our flesh thinks in terms of position and promotion just as James and John did when they asked to be seated on each side of Jesus in the Kingdom. God in His sovereign way chooses whom He will to fulfill positions according to His purposes.
The hand of God has five fingers - Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors and Teachers. As I look at these five all of them fall short of what I perceive as the Son-ship I have seen manifested in the spirit. Some people teach a fivefold ministry and there are some that teach a seven fold ministry. The other two positions being Kings and Priests. In these two positions I perceive the makeup of what are the characteristic fulfillments of the Sons of God. Now again - to avoid controversy we are told that we are going to be Kings and Priests. There should be no Christians who would disagree on this point. The augment concerning this issue is WHEN this will manifest. Most consider we will be this when we go to Heaven or when Jesus sets up His Kingdom on earth. Others sense or feel there is more to it and feel that some of this, such as a first fruits type of manifestation upon the earth will come forth in some people before the Kingdom is setup on earth or at some transitional period prior to His physical return. I do believe that the Lord will come first TO the church before He comes FOR the Church - otherwise I don't have a clue as to what will bring the Bride to a spotless state and without blemish before He takes her home.
As I read the statement of faith of the Mormon Church recently I was flabbergasted at my own response. I did not read anything I disagreed with in their basic statement of faith. They have written down well what the framework of the Government of God should be - the real issue and problem in it is that they have taken the framework of the Government of God and have self applied it to themselves and have proclaimed that they are the fulfillment of that promise of God's Government upon the earth. They truly believe they are that government. This is the error. What is the cause and basis for so much delusion in the Body of Christ? It is the error of wrongly self applying the promises of God to oneself or of a group to that group.
Now it is very important to note and keep in mind that just because there have been so many Two Witnesses that there is no such thing as a real pair of Two Witnesses. Be assured the Two Witnesses will come as will Elijah and the 144,000 and many other things - whoever and whatever all that is. They will likely be doing the work of God and fulfilling the will of the Father. They will likely NOT be engaged in self proclamations that they are the fulfillment of some promise we are yet looking forward to.
Let me also clear the air on what I said above. I said I saw myself in that authority and that there was nothing I did to receive it. I was a SON and was not trying to implement anything that would make me a son or bring me into that authority and power. I am NOT writing here to say I am or will be a "Manifest Son of God" upon the earth as that doctrine implies. I DO NOT have revelation that that really applies to me. I am saying I DO have revelation on THE DIFFERENCE of those who are trying to walk in the power of God by carnal attempts and those who I believe will come on the scene and simply BE the fulfillment of such things. The Two witnesses will simply come and they will BE the fulfillment and not by anything other than God's sovereign choice in the matter as well as will be the 144,000. etc. etc. etc.
To share further in this matter I had a totally new spiritual experience last night that was an eye opener. One thing in the Christian walk that has always been over my head and stuff I just did not grasp was the concept of "Spiritual Warfare" and "Spiritual Warriors". Strange as it may seem being in ministry for some 30 years - this topic has totally eluded me. I have just NEVER had a clue as to the mechanics of this area of the Spirit. I have never understood why angels have to fight and so forth. I have never understood what people meant when they referred to themselves or others as being spiritual warriors. It has always appeared to me that those engaged in this arena were those who would spend endless hours pounding their fist into a chair and yelling at the devil assuming by all this to be doing spiritual warfare. It always struck me as a hard task to engage so much energy in going after the authority it took to battle spiritual forces. But it was the experience I had last night concerning spiritual warfare, I was NOT brought to a place where I found myself engaged in some form of trying to implement authority over evil spirits. As I was lying in my bed the spirit of God came over me and, like the vision above, I WAS the authority. Like the vision above, it was something I WAS - I was a son in the full authority of a son and in this second example I was not trying to get authority over evil spirits I WAS the authority over evil spirits. These two experiences are a sampling of the full nature of Christ manifested in a vessel. I do not claim to be a manifest son of God and I do not claim as I am writing this now that I AM or have authority over demons right now. Again - these revelations are showing the difference of those many, many individuals who are attempting to implement so many things by carnal acts when it is all going to be the sovereign choice and act of God that will bring these things into being. I can only pray that God has chosen me to be effectual and clear, merciful and humble in whatever it is I have yet to accomplish. I know more and more each day - the futility of trying to implement the power or authority of God over any matter or situation. In most everything at this time I have no power as it is compared to what I have witnessed by these visions and I am only able to pray for someone or some situation, but as God comes more and more into His purpose to gather in this Harvest we shall see His will and His authority manifested as it was meant to be and as it will be on earth as it is in Heaven.
There is a warning in this. Desire to do the will of God and look out for anything that is a temptation toward applying the promises of God to yourself or your group. We must come to a position where we are trying to love God with all our hearts and all our minds and our neighbor as ourselves - rather than loving the promises of God with all our hearts and all our minds (self applying them to ourselves) and despising our neighbors. In the first vision of being a son in the authority of Christ, many of those 120 people became very angered at me because I was simply who I was. They were upset that they had not come into that position by all their efforts and felt cheated and angered with me. And I saw this take on the whole range of responses. Some became murderous; while on the other end of the scale many people had their spiritual eyes opened through seeing what a SON really did and what a son should look and act like. The position gave me no hierarchy place above any of those I was looking at. I looked at them all as my brothers and sisters with that compassion of Christ that saw the bondage of their circumstance as was the bondage of the prophets of Baal - that being the error, trickery or delusion that they could by some means of the carnal nature bring forth the power and Son-ship into their own life and upon themselves implement the fulfillment of such promises.
I believe these things are coming forth, whether I am of one position or another is not and should not be my focus. I want to love Jesus Christ and the Father and I want to walk in their will and to know the Love of God and the Compassion of Christ and there is NO position of power that could be offered to me that could compare to this. I want to serve God's people in mercy, for it is through mercy that healing is brought forth. I want to walk in humility otherwise I am not going to be safe - especially from myself.
These things are coming forth and the admonition here I wish I could share is that everyone should be on guard against becoming intoxicated with the promises of God instead of being filled with the desire to be with God on an intimate and continual basis. More can be said of this and the current condition of the Body of Christ and in particular the prophetic arena. May God grant me a path that I might be a vessel to bring that healing back to His Bride. The desire of my heart is to love God and to see His people restored and having eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of the Spirit in full measure.
May God free us from the bondage of our carnal attempts at serving Him and may God give us the clarity to know the path He has truly chosen for us as that will be the only place we will find our fulfillment in Him and the fullness of fellowship with Him and the fullness of our joy in Him.