The Bride’s End-Time Harvest Anointing Part 4
As Wanda and I have traveled the U.S., Canada and abroad we have noticed one consistent theme throughout the Body of Christ involving those who are earnestly contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints…that is they have been through notable trials, tribulations and refinements. Clearly, we are living in the days foreseen by the prophet Daniel when he was told:
Go your way Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. — Daniel 12:9-10
Many of God’s people have known firsthand the purging, purifying and refining process. Possessing understanding of God’s ways is of vital consequence and will be a major dividing line between those who are fruitful and those who have the seed of the Kingdom stolen from them. (Matthew 13:19&23) The Scripture tells us that many of God’s people perish for lack of knowledge and comprehension of the times. Nevertheless, great understanding is being released that will catapult a body of people into notable fruitfulness.
I remember the early days when I first realized that God still deals with His people in all the same ways outlined in the Bible and how excited I was to discover the ministry of Kenneth Hagan. One of the first of his books that I read that greatly impacted my life was, “I Believe in Visions.”
To this day I am still contending for what the Lord used that book to impart into my life. Through Dad Hagan I learned the message of supernatural faith, living a life in the miraculous, and our promise of divine health and overcoming the schemes of the adversary. Even so, it is undeniable that many of God’s choice soldiers who live in realms of radical faith have been through extreme conditioning, refinements and pruning that have been somewhat difficult to interpret.
This however has been for a good cause. Though it is difficult to reconcile this process with our belief in the abundant life promised in Scripture, many are about to emerge from this refinement with divine character and a clear vision of God’s end-time plan because of these dealings. They will be called the Bride of Christ and there will be a very specific anointing that will characterize their lives and ministries.
I believe this company of people will be synonymous with those described in Revelations 2 & 3 as those who “overcome.” “To him who overcomes” is a notable phrase with substantial spiritual benefits and blessings. They include:
To Eat From the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God
To Not Be Hurt by the Second Death.
To Eat of the Hidden Manna and Receive a New Name Written on a White Stone.
To Rule the Nations With a Rod of Iron and Receive the Morning Star.
To be Clothed in White Garments, and He will not Blot Out His Name from the Book of Life; but the Lord Will Confess His Name Before the Father and Before His Angels.
To Become a Pillar in the Temple of God and the Name New Jerusalem.
To Sit with the Lord on His Throne as He Overcame to Sit with the Father.
Victorious Ones
In the Greek language the expression “to overcome” means “to be victorious.” Presently, there are a number of people emerging as “victorious ones” having overcome diverse circumstances that have trained and refined their character. Many of the Generals of the Faith throughout biblical history discovered a higher place in God through their trials.
Clearly, David found faith and rest in God during the season Saul attempted to abort his opportunity to rule. The three Hebrew children discovered the Lord in the fiery furnace and emerged totally set free from all bondage. Daniel found God’s protection and sovereignty in the lion’s den. Moses discovered God’s rest in his forty-year training season while tending sheep. Peter was sifted like wheat in order to emerge with the level of character needed to preach on the day of Pentecost one of the greatest sermons ever delivered.
The list could go on and on. It is not our intent to prophesy more trials and tribulations, but the emergence of a company of people from them into a place of significant anointing and authority. The fact that many have been in this process is undeniable, but we need the understanding that this has been part of the qualification…not disqualification as our Accuser would like for us to believe.
Daniel prophesied this would take place resulting in a body of people with considerable insight who had understanding of God’s ways and God’s relevant times and seasons. That is what we are fervently contending for. The Spirit of Understanding is being released to a company of people who emerge with genuine spiritual authority and power in order to facilitate the harvest.
Many are genuinely being baptized in the Holy Ghost and FIRE that consumes the chaff of selfish ambition, human striving, and improper motives. The God who desires to fill us and abide in us is a consuming fire and a jealous God. He wants all of us!
Revelations 5:6 declares:
And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
The One who walks among the lampstands has perfect revelatory insight to see the issues standing between us and our highest calling. God desires for us to be enlightened and see ourselves and our circumstances from His perspective. In so doing we are on the journey for victory and the activation of our destiny.
Sevenfold Spirit of God
In previous newsletters I have addressed the impartation of the Sevenfold Spirit of God promised to this Bridal Company called to do the “greater works.” Isaiah 11:1-2 declares:
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Jesus prophesied that as He was sent so shall we be sent to do the works He did. We have already outlined the basic functioning of the Spirits of Wisdom & Understanding and Counsel & Might and we will now seek to more fundamentally understand the Spirits of Knowledge & Reverential Fear of God.
The Spirits of Knowledge and Reverential Fear
As with the other spirits outlined in Isaiah 11:2, the Spirits of Knowledge & Reverential Fear of the Lord work in unison; seemingly in a “cause and effect” function. We see this demonstration clearly outlined in John 1 involving Nathaniel’s encounter with the Lord Jesus.
In the process of choosing His disciples the Lord journeyed to the region of the Galilee and found Philip and commissioned him as a disciple. Philip in turn went to his friend Nathaniel and shared with him his enthusiastic encounter with Jesus. Nathaniel responded rather apathetically saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip wisely responded by encouraging him to see for himself.
While Nathaniel was yet approaching Him, the Lord said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile!” As the exchange continued Nathaniel was somewhat puzzled by this response and asked the Lord how He knew of his character. The Lord said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” That single expression involving supernatural insight provided by the Spirit of Knowledge provoked Nathaniel through the awe-inspiring nature of God and he responded saying, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”
That response was quite a distinction from his earlier perception! Clearly there was a spiritual atmosphere that surrounded this encounter that pierced Nathaniel’s heart provoking him to awe-inspiring faith that changed the remainder of his life. This is the functioning of the Spirits of Knowledge and Reverential Awe.
Knowledge and Reverential Fear Defined
The Spirit of Knowledge is taken from the Hebrew word “da’ath” and could be defined as spiritually imparted knowledge, skill, awareness, comprehension and discernment that are conveyed as instruction and insight from God’s heart and sovereignty.
The Spirit of Reverential Fear is taken from the Hebrew word “yir’ah” meaning awe-inspiring, terrible, and awesome. Reverential Fear in its purest form is birthed out of love. We fear God because we love Him and have a revelatory knowledge of His nature and character. It is a working of the Holy Spirit that produces a reverential fear of God. The Fear of the Lord does not make us afraid of God, but instead catapults our faith into the supernatural realm through a revelation of how great He truly is.
These two spirits functioning in unison constitutes the working of the Holy Spirit that imparts a comprehension from God with ability to discern the hearts of men and diverse situations, resulting in a wholesome and reverential awe of God. Knowledge and reverential fear opens the spiritual realm and enlightens our eyes of understanding to look unto God that produces a healthy and overwhelming reverence for the character of God that promotes intimate relationship and abundant spiritual blessings.
Secrets of the Heart Revealed
This same principle is also outlined in 1 Corinthians 14:25:
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.
In this passage the apostle Paul is describing how supernaturally imparted secrets of the heart produces awe-inspiring results. I have actually seen this concept in operation when the Holy Spirit is powerfully present to reveal knowledge and information about a person’s life that the individual ministering had no natural way of knowing. This always produces the same result Paul describes in this passage. The people will acknowledge that God is present and doing awesome things. It is then up to the individual to make the decision to accept or reject the grace God is offering.
As I have studied Church history and in particular what has been known as the Voice of Healing/Latter Rain revival, I noticed numerous occasions when this principle operated and produced tremendous results. I have actually interviewed a number of individuals who attended those meetings in the ’50s and ’60s. I have often asked what it was like to be in an atmosphere when the manifest Presence of God was present to reveal individuals names, addresses, secret desires, personal needs and other information known only to God.
Invariably the response is consistently the same… they all said the Fear of the Lord was so manifestly presence that it felt tangible and the attitude prevailed that anything was possible in this atmosphere of God.
How desperately we need to return to those blessings and function in the Sevenfold Spirit of God producing these results. History records countless millions who were saved through that revival and scores of others who were supernaturally healed and delivered of the most heinous infirmities. The pathway to this reality can be discovered through the embracing of our refining and grooming process so that we emerge with the character and compassion to be entrusted with the “secret of the Lord” and divine information to be administered in healthy ways that produces an atmosphere of Reverential Awe.
Psalms 25 declares:
Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.