The Dove Company
During Atonement 2012 I was given a vivid dream in which I revisited three prophetic encounters that occurred in the mid-90s. One of them involved a vision that I was given of a Brown Eagle beautifully gliding across a body of water. Following the Brown Eagle I saw a White Dove and then behind him a regal White Eagle.
I intuitively knew in this experience that the Brown Eagle represented a profound prophetic message that was given in the prior generation that is essential in the preparation of a body of people to function as a “Dove Company.” This body of people will be uniquely prepared and qualified to function as friends of the Bridegroom to prepare the Bride of Christ (White Eagle) without spot or wrinkle.
Our ministry has been dedicated to recapturing the revelatory messages of the Voice of Healing/Latter Rain Revival and incorporating them in everything we say and do along with the fresh understanding of those messages given in this hour. The Dove Company will be endowed with not only a 21st-century apostolic mandate but also the Spirit and Power of Elijah to help turn the hearts of this young generation back to the faith of our first century Apostolic Fathers in the order of Paul and John.
Furthermore, I once again saw that the Brown Eagle ministry or, the prophetic messages of the prior generation, has been opposed by two diabolical spirits attempting to hinder this generation from embracing that truth. One was criticism and the other fanaticism.
I saw these two spirits functioning like book ends coming from two diametrically opposing directions yet with the same determination to squelch the prophetic release of God’s Kingdom and hinder the harvest. The first was a dark wave of fanaticism that will sweep behind the Kingdom truths that were revealed with the expectation of pressing them beyond biblical parameters and proper balance.
The Fear of Fanaticism
Fanaticism is simply defined as “wildly excessive or irrational devotion, dedication,our enthusiasm; an extreme zeal or enthusiasm as in religion or politics.” Unfortunately, Church history is filled with more instances of spiritual fanaticism than we could possibly enumerate and this has been especially true surrounding the ministry of William Branham.
Every revival in modern times had its fanatical element. Clearly, the prophetic movement has had its fair share of hype and fanaticism that has effectually driven many away from this vitally important aspect of our heritage. Even so, we must embrace the admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 saying:
Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
The diabolical intent of this spirit is to drive things beyond biblical balance and sway people away from the core truth because of the fanatical element that the more grounded Christians desire to distance themselves from.
Of course, fanaticism must be defined within a certain context. I remember as a young college student in the late 70’s, that word got back to my father that I was born again and participating in an on-campus Presbyterian Fellowship. Naturally, the Presbyterian movement is not known for excessive spiritual manifestations yet my unsaved father called me into his office at that time and expressed his concern that I had become, to use his exact phrase, “a religious fanatic.”
This perception primarily stemmed from the fact that I was very zealous about the salvation I had discovered and often prayed, read my Bible and attended Bible studies with other students. You can imagine his shock when I became a Holy Ghost “Book of Acts” preacher. Fortunately, he came around and accepted the Lord Jesus as his Redeemer shortly before his death in 2005.
The point is I do not believe that I would have genuinely fallen into the definition of a fanatic as I am seeing it today. The fanatical spirit will have a tendency to cause genuine Kingdom seekers to sway away from the truth in order to distance themselves from the fanatical element. That would be tragic!
Historical Observation
History records this fascinating observation concerning Martin Luther. Although Luther made glaring mistakes involving Israel and the Jewish people, it remains a historical fact that God used him to launch a great Reformation for God’s people. Many historians marveled not at the fact that he was able to survive his direct assault against the religious organizational structure of the day that possessed great political power to eradicate its enemies, but that he was able to keep his head above all the fanaticism that followed his movement.
My experience revealed the tendency of many saints to turn away from vitally important truth because of various fanatical elements that have and will continue to attach themselves to that truth. We must be like the Bereans and study the Scriptures to see if these things be so. If indeed it is supported by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit then we must embrace the balanced truth in order to become what we are called to be, despite the fanatical element.
The Spirit of Criticism
The other spirit that I saw coming from the opposite direction was criticism. Criticism is defined as “the act or instance of making an unfavorable or severe judgment, comment, analysis or interpretation of one’s theory, doctrine or life.” From what I saw, this season will produce even more harsh critical religious opposition to Kingdom truth with the hope of deterring the emerging army.
Like fanaticism, history is littered with countless examples of unwavering criticism against spiritual outpourings and movements. This was clearly seen in the Azusa Street Revival, the Voice of Healing Revival in the ministries of A. A. Allen, William Branham and others. Even the Charismatic Renewal has seen its share of harsh criticism.
In my experience, I was personally told that the one that I must be the most cautious of is fanaticism, although I am to also be aware of the critical spirit. As an individual, I would be more prone to distance myself from the fanatical element than to give in to criticism. Even so, we must develop fortitude like the early apostles to forge this new day and present to God’s people revelatory truth that has been reserved for our day.
We are literally living in the day foreseen by Jeremiah when he said:
Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand). –Jeremiah 33:3 AMP
Therefore, it should be no surprise to anyone that much of this truth extends beyond traditional belief structures and into the realm of revelation. The Word of God is to be revealed in this hour on a scale never before seen in Church history.
That is the prophetic directive of Daniel 12 and Revelations 10! It will expedite the emergence of God’s people in great power and facilitate the harvest. This prophetic promise will be realized despite spiritual opposition including fanaticism & criticism.
A Major Shift
I believe these revelations are indicating a shift in our emphasis beginning in the fall of 2012 into a more aggressive and offensive posture that will not merely hold ground but begin to noticeably take ground. An apostolic commissioning is soon to take place with many in the order of Paul’s in Acts 22:14-16:
The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. ‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name
This fourfold apostolic mandate is experiential in nature. He was commissioned;
- To Know His Will.
- To See the Righteous One.
- To Here Utterances from His Mouth
- To be a Witness or Testifier of What is Seen and Heard.
Then I heard the question asked; Why do you delay? We are entering a season of no more delay. I believe this will be true for the remnant that has been equipped, refined and prepared for this mandate.
21st-century Messengers of the Kingdom will be commissioned and set forth with profound revelation of the Father’s heart. They will be brightly illuminated lights in the midst of great darkness. The Scriptures tell us that His Messengers will turn many back from iniquity by preserving knowledge and causing mankind to seek instruction from their mouths. (Malachi 2:6-7)
There will be notable acceleration in the emergence of present-day apostolic ministry. Much of this will be done with team ministry as opposed to “lone rangers.” Those who participate in this fresh anointing will have experienced God’s threshing floor having all mixture and corruption sifted from their soul.
Note from Paul Keith: Pastor Steven and Stacy Shelley have become dear friends of ours beginning in 2006. One of the things that drew us together was the realization that we had many of the same revelations and experiences long before we knew one another. This revelation concerning the Eagle and the Dove is one such message. It was extraordinary to discover how similar our revelations were once we met and began to discuss them. I believe you will thoroughly enjoy Steve’s experience and its present-day application.