Experiential Truth
Throughout the world millions recognize this present day as the consummation of the ages and God’s grand finale with Latter Rain Truth. The Scriptures tell us that the Spirit of Truth is promised as our heritage to guide us into all truth and to show us things to come.
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” –John 16:13-15
The deep things of God are known only to Him, but are revealed to us through His Spirit. That is the promise of 1 Corinthians 2. Therefore, it is our expectation to witness an unprecedented outpouring of His Spirit and unfolding Last Day mysteries that will perfect the bride and empower the Sons of the Kingdom.
Mere human knowledge is not sufficient to bring in the great harvest. We must be endowed with God’s supernatural provision that is clearly promised for this hour. To do so, every saint of God must come to the realization that Christ is “all in all.”
He is Light; He is the Way, Truth, Life; He is the Resurrection; He is Wisdom; He is Righteousness; He is Goodness; He is Understanding; He is Alpha and Omega; He is the Beginning and the End; He is All in All.
To merely acknowledge these as doctrinal truth is not sufficient. They must become experiential reality through personal encounters with the Living Christ. The Lord is standing at the door knocking with a personal invitation for profound fellowship and the unveiling of Latter Rain revelation. For those who will forsake all else to dine with Him, this will be an age of greater glory and personal transformation into His very image.
Soaring with Him
Indisputably our great desire is to soar in the Spirit and obtain revelations of God’s nature, power, strategy, and insight. However, to best accommodate this great privilege, we must be firmly “rooted and grounded” in Him. According to the Holy Spirit’s admonition spoken to me while in a Canada; “Go deep in order to go high!”
WE MUST BE:
- Rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17).
- Rooted and grounded in faith (Colossians 1:23).
- Rooted and grounded in truth (2 Timothy 3:15).
I cannot overemphasize the importance of these three foundations in order for us to be trusted with the Lord’s secrets. We are living in a generation privileged to be endowed with the Spirit of Revelation leading us into comprehension of the mysteries of the Kingdom. To facilitate this in us, we must be established in Truth, Faith, and Love to properly understand and appropriate His heart.
The more firmly we are grounded, the more capable we become to penetrate Heaven by the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation and embrace insight with understanding.
The pursuit of truth will lead us to places in the Spirit yielding the fruit of righteousness and power. The quest for knowledge without truth can result in pride and arrogance.
A clear distinction between the two is essential for personal transformation and maturity. When we cultivate a love for truth, we will not be turned over to deluding influences that will characterize those who have rejected Christ in the last days (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
In the Spirit
Presently many believers are oppressed with feelings of hopelessness, fear, doubt, and other bondages which the enemy exploits. It is the Holy Spirit’s desire to carry believers above this realm, into the Spirit, where our blessings and provisions are discovered in Christ. In this higher realm, we embrace hope to displace hopelessness and fear is overcome by faith.
This truth is evidenced in both the Old and New Testaments. On one occasion, the prophet Elisha boldly encountered the armies of the king of Aram without timidity or reservation. 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 his servant above the soulish realm of anxiety and uncertainty 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. —2 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 limited view this servant previously held is the only one his adversary, the devil, wanted him to comprehend.
Likewise, the enemy desires that we see only the seemingly insurmountable obstacles and difficulties that stand between us and our destiny. Therefore, when we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the deeds of our fallen nature.
In Elisha’s servant, the above experience radically affected his life—his eyes were opened and he saw. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit desires that we carry this anointing that opens eyes and distinguishes between the deceptions of our adversary and the provision of our Redeemer.
Experientially comprehending our Source unleashes supernatural faith to live above this worldly realm and access the heavenly dimension.
Maria Woodworth-Etter
The Holy Spirit has made it profoundly clear to me that this powerful woman’s ministry was a prototype or forerunner introduction to the mature sons and daughters of God. Visions and revelations seemed to be an integral part of Maria Woodworth-Etter’s ministry. This realm of the Holy Spirit was experienced by both 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 touched. Many individuals who discovered that “open door” in her meetings made lifelong commitments to the Lord. It is reported that some actually received the gift of speaking other languages and were 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. Others returned with supernatural knowledge and insight they had no way of knowing within themselves.
In each case, people were captured by the humility and contrition demonstrated in the lives of those who encountered God in this deeper spiritual arena. No one boasted or acted superficially; only reverence, contrition, and a life of consecration to God was evidenced. Even so, great joy also characterized this remarkable woman’s life and ministry.
In one particular meeting held 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. In her journal, Maria 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.”
However, the end of her story is quite different. The Lord faithfully heard the prayers of His devoted saints and responded by opening the Heavens and giving people visions of Heaven and Hell. Through the Holy Spirit, the people encountered a spiritual dimension.
The results were stunning, 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.”
Evidence of a tangible touch from the third Heaven was apparent and easily discerned. This was true both for those who were saved and those who were not. The fruit was visible through the people’s responses and by its consistency with the Scriptures. Often it is recorded in Maria Woodworth-Etter’s writings that sinners and saints alike would cry out in reverential fear when the heavenly dimension was opened to them.
Our Hope
A phenomenal opportunity to encounter and embrace our Heavenly Father is being given to the Church around the world today. It is one that must be welcomed and protected. With the dawning of this new day in Church History, the anointing of Heaven is disbursed in the spiritual atmosphere so those truly seeking Truth can lay hold of it and obtain great insight with understanding. As Sons of the Kingdom ask with sincerity for this deposit, it will be received. Our spiritual eyes will be illumined to see the Scriptures from Heaven’s perspective not merely man’s.
The spiritual realities that are being birthed in the earth now will have no end. They will literally flow into the millennial age and the coming manifestation of His Kingdom on the earth.
Though we do not know when those days will be fully revealed, we do know that the purposes now being birthed will advance directly into that age. We will begin to taste the good Word of God and the Power of the age to come. Like the beloved disciple John in his notable revelations, we will be allowed to eat the open book containing the full manifestation of the Lord’s redemptive plans and purposes. This will be the tasting of His Kingdom Word and a demonstration of Kingdom Might, in order to wonderfully introduce the Lord Jesus in Truth and Power, to an entire generation.
It is my heart and ambition to encourage every believer to pursue this God-given reality.” Sonship” is much more than a message, it is a relationship. The relationship of a son to his Father and the way to sonship is not by “doing” but by “becoming.”