In the last Prophetic Bulletin, I wrote about the coming "Winds of Change." I took this theme from the "four winds of the earth" prophesied in Revelation 7:1. In this Bulletin we will take this theme a bit further so we can better understand and be prepared for the four great storms that are now beginning to sweep across the earth as a result of the releasing of the "four winds of the earth."
There was a recent movie entitled, The Perfect Storm in which several different atmospheric conditions all came together in such a way that they produced a storm of unprecedented power. The same is about to take place as different spiritual conditions created by the four great winds of the earth begin to combine. These storms are going to release both great destruction and great blessings, which will be blessings for those who are prepared for them and destruction for those who are not. The main factor that will determine which it will be for us is if we are abiding in the Lord by obeying His Word. As we read in Matthew 7:24-27:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, which built his house upon the rock.
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
"And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
As the Lord warned in this Scripture, it does us no good to hear His Words unless we obey them. Our goal for understanding the times must always be to obey the Lord and to do His will. Our goal must be more than just being able to stand and survive through the coming storms--we are called to be part of the forces of truth and righteousness that will prevail and conquer during the most difficult times the world has ever faced.
As a reminder, and for those who may not have read the last Bulletin, the "four winds of the earth" that are addressed in Revelation 7 are: 1) military power, 2) religious power, 3) political power, and 4) economic power. These are the four great forces from the earth that have dictated the course of human history. These should be distinguished from the "winds of heaven" (Daniel 7:2; 8:8) that are divine influences. We also want to distinguish the religious power here as being religions that "come up out of the earth," or are of human origin rather than that which comes down from above. As Revelation 7:1-3 declares:
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.
And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads."
We see here that there will be a time when these four winds will be held in abeyance until the bondservants of God are sealed. Also implied in this is that they will be released to do harm after the bondservants of God have been sealed. We are fast approaching that time.
Authority Over the Storms
On December 31, 2002, I was awakened early in the morning with a warning that these winds were going to begin to be released, and that great storms would begin sweeping across the earth. I was also told that those who are under authority would be given great authority, even over the coming storms. As a confirmation I was told to turn on the television to The Weather Channel. When I did, a section of their programming called "Storm Center" was on. They were highlighting a tornado warning that was the result of a strong line of thunderstorms moving across the Gulf coast area. It looked like these storms were only
about an hour from striking the very place where my family was at the time in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I was greatly disturbed because my family was in danger, so I went into another room to pray for the Lord to calm these storms. When I came back to get an update about a half hour later these storms had calmed down, and the tornado warning area had been reduced to a strong thunderstorm watch area.
Did these storms die down in response to my prayer? Yes. I am sure that the Lord intervened because I prayed. I also believe if I had not prayed, it could have been tragic, which was the message of the dream that woke me--a call to wake up to our authority and responsibility. In this I was also reminded of Acts 2:17- 21:
"And it shall be in the last days," God says, "That I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
Even upon My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy.
And I will grant wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the LORD shall come.
And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
It should be noted here that the Spirit is going to be poured out upon His "bondslaves." These are the same ones the angels have been sealing that are written about in Revelation 7:1. Therefore, one of the crucial questions is: "Who are the bondslaves?"
Not all professing Christians are bondslaves, though we are certainly all called to be. A bondslave exists to do the will of his Master. A bondslave does not just go out freely spending money because it does not belong to him--he is a steward of his Master's resources and lives that way. A bondslave does not just wake up and decide what he wants to do that day--his time belongs to his Master. He wakes up asking the Master what He would have him do that day. Again, a bondslave does not live for himself, but to do the will of his Master.
In truth, most professing Christians go on living their lives for themselves, thinking that the Lord lives more for their benefit than their having been called to serve Him. The distinction made in the verses we have quoted are for "bondslaves," not just in word, but in truth. This is the primary call going forth in the earth at this time, the ones who the angels of God are now sealing. When the number appointed have been sealed the winds of the earth will be released.
One of the results of the Spirit being poured out on the bondslaves is that they will prophesy and be granted "...wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth below..." (Acts 2:19). According to the Scripture, one of the great evidences that we are in fact entering the last days is the pouring out of the Spirit, prophecy, dreams, visions, wonders, and signs. These have all been increasing for the last one hundred years. This increase has tended to come in waves, with each one being more powerful than the previous one. This is the same pattern that birth pangs tend to come in, with the contractions coming upon the mother with more intensity and more frequency as she gets closer to the birth. This is now happening in the church because she is about to give birth to the last day ministry, which will become the body that is here to do His will, as we read in Hebrews 10:5-7:
Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me; in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure.
"Then I said, `Behold, I have come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me) To do Thy will, O GOD.'"
If you are under conviction that you really have not been living as a bondservant, there is still time to repent. However, the longer we wait the more costly our disobedience will be. As we read in II Corinthians 6:1-4:
And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--
for He says, "At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you"; behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation"--
giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited,
but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
This is the time to cast off our selfishness and to live for the will and purposes of the Lord. As a last call the Lord is sending a special kind of storm to help us.
Ice Breaks Through
At our New Year's Conference for 2002, (December 2001) Bob Jones gave a word that an ice storm was coming that would "break the drought and wash away the refuse of lies." North Carolina was experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history. Also during that same period, the enemy seemed to have stirred up more lies than we have ever had to face in our history, so this was a very encouraging word to us.
Even before the conference was over an ice storm was forecast for the area and we started to rejoice in how fast it seemed that the Lord had confirmed His Word. This one was just a token--however, it was a minor ice storm and the drought was not broken.
Then, just before our last New Year's Conference for 2003, (December 2002), we had the biggest ice storm in our history, and the most costly. This was the beginning of two months of wave after wave of rain, snow, and almost every other form of precipitation coming to the state. The rain deficit from the drought has been made up, the reservoirs and water tables are full, and they are now overflowing. The spiritual atmosphere seems to have followed the same pattern.
We also need to understand how and why this ice storm was so costly for our state. Tens of thousands of people lost power--for weeks! The power company lost millions. Why? The ice brought down trees on the power lines. If these trees had been properly pruned away from the lines as they should have been, this could have been avoided. I'm sure that those who were in charge of keeping the trees pruned and away from the lines thought that they were actually saving the company a lot of money, but ultimately their failure to prune ended up costing them much more.
Likewise, the Lord is going to send storms to break the drought that so many of His people are in. They will begin by pruning those things in our lives that should have been removed a long time ago. This is grace from the Lord. It will be costly because it was not done when it was supposed to be done; but it will be even more costly if they are not pruned now. We cannot allow these things to continue to exist in our lives any longer.
A part of Bob Jones' prophecy was that this ice storm would "wash away the refuse of lies." At first I rejoiced in this because so many things were being said and written about us that were not true, and I thought the Lord was going to send a storm to deal with these things. However, the Lord showed me that this was not what He was talking about--it was the branches in our lives that should have been pruned and were not-- the lies that He was sending the storm to wash away.
Fruit trees are pruned to remove the branches that do not bear fruit. These branches are just consuming the nutrients and resources of the tree without producing anything. We also tend to have many things in our lives that are just producing wood and not fruit. They consume our time, attention, and our resources, but give nothing useful in return. These are the "lies" that His storm will wash away. These lies will be removed from our lives so they will not continue to dissipate the life that we have been given.
There are lies that the devil is spreading about God's people that the Lord will also deal with. In dreams and visions lies are often represented as flies. One of the titles for Satan is Beelzebub, which means "the lord of the flies." Flies feed on refuse, dung, and other filth. This is how they spread disease, and likewise how the devil spreads many of the spiritual diseases that have afflicted the spiritual health of Christians for so long.
Another relevant characteristic of flies is that they swarm to battlefields to feed on the dead and wounded. After some of the large Civil War battles it was said that the sound of the flies coming to the battlefield made a loud, dreadful roar. Have you ever noticed the way lies multiply around spiritual battlefields as well--like
church splits or other conflicts between people? The devil is "the father of lies" and "the lord of the flies," which are really the same. There is a great storm coming that will wash away many of these lies from the church. When it is over we will not be so prone to believe evil about one another.
Take Your Stand
The good news for the coming times is that we are going to learn just how much authority the Lord has given to His people. The bad news is that we are going to begin reaping the consequences for not praying or using the authority that we have been given.
We are entering the times when the Lord is removing His common grace from the earth. Common grace is the grace that He gives to all men, causing His sun to shine on both the just and the unjust. It is a grace that we can, and have, taken for granted. For us to continue to do this will be increasingly devastating. We must begin praying for His grace in everything, including the weather.
We must also begin to pray for protection from the storms that are going to be coming from the stirring up of the "four winds of the earth." The Lord will hear our prayers in regard to problems from the military, religious, political, and economic powers, which will become more and more out of control.
It is important for us to understand that the Lord is beginning to remove His common grace from the earth. It will not happen all at once nor will the "four winds of the earth" be released all at once. It will be as if the gates for each one will be opened gradually in certain regions of the world. Military forces may go on a rampage in one region, political upheaval will break out in another, religious conflicts somewhere else, and economic storms in yet another place. Then gradually they will start joining so as to increase in power, wreaking even more havoc.
Again, this will unfold gradually. With some of the great world problems we are now facing we may think that the worst is already upon us, but we are just seeing "the beginning of birth pangs." If these things were to happen all at once the entire social structure of the earth would collapse. Grace and patience are basic to the Lord's nature, and we are still experiencing a lot of His grace. These forces would have destroyed the earth long ago if it were not for His restraint. Basically the earth is headed for the final and ultimate demonstration of what life is like without God. There are no remedies for human problems without God and the whole earth is about to learn this.
We must also understand that He restrained these forces for the sake of His bondservants, so that they might be sealed, and prepared for their purpose. These "winds of the earth" are now being released because His bondservants are maturing. These storms are also going to help in their maturity, not only to prepare them for the culmination of this age, but to reap the full benefit of the very purpose of this age-- training for reigning for those who are called to be joint heirs with Christ.
The Abiding Ones
Intercession is no longer just an option for the church. The basic calling of the church is to be "... a house of prayer for all nations..." (Mark 11:17). In Hebrews 7:25 it says, "...He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." When the Lord ascended He did not just sit down and wait for the end. The Lord Jesus is right now interceding for us! He is performing His duties as the High Priest of God. All of those who are abiding in Him will also be devoted to intercession. That is our calling as priests.
We will soon see prayer become the chief purpose and focus of the church, above any other activity. Churches that are devoted to prayer will soon be sought out far more as the spiritual homes of believers than those that have even the greatest preaching, teaching, music, hospitality, facilities, or even great youth and children's ministries. Prayer is soon going to become our greatest devotion because the true believers, the bondservants are going to know that He answers prayer.
This is not to imply that we should esteem the other important functions of the church any less than we do now, but we must esteem prayer more. It must become the main focus of the church as it is supposed to be. The Lord never said that His house would be called a house of preaching, or singing, or fellowship, or even evangelism, etc. These things are important, and are supposed to be in His house, but they were never intended to be the main room of the house. In fact, we will not be able to continue to expect the grace of God upon these things without prayer. Again, we will come to know that the Lord answers prayers, and we
will also come to know the consequences of not praying.
Watchmen to Your Stations
In the Old Testament prophets were often called watchmen. Intercessors were also called watchmen (see Isaiah 62:6). It is no accident that the words "prophet" and "prayer" are first mentioned in the same verse in Scripture (see Genesis 20:7). These two are inseperable. Not everyone who prays is a prophet, but every true prophet prays. Prayer is part of our ministry as priests and the foundation of all ministry. However, there is a special need for the combining of the prophetic and intercessory ministries at this time.
In Scripture the watchmen were found in three different places--1) on the walls (see Isaiah 62:6), 2) walking about the streets of the city (see Song of Solomon 3:3, 5:7), or 3) in the countryside (see Jeremiah 4:17, 31:6). The Lord is likewise raising up watchmen for these three stations today.
The watchmen on the walls are those who have an elevated place of both vision and protection. They can see either the enemy or the Lord coming from a distance. It was their job to communicate to the elders who sat in the gates what they were seeing so that the elders could determine how to respond. Of course, if it was the king or his representative, the elder would command the gates to be opened and sound the alarm that would begin the proper protocol for welcoming them. If the ones approaching were deemed to be a threat, the elder would then close the gate and sound the alarm to mobilize the forces protecting the city. Every congregation and city needs these spiritual watchmen in their places at this time. Those who do not have them will be victims of that which could have otherwise been prevented.
Today's counterpart to the watchmen who walked about the streets of the city are those who are called to move about the body of Christ watching for problems that are arising from within. They not only guard against robbers and thieves which have somehow gained entry to the church, but also will be the first to spot fires or other dangers. These were also the ones who called out the times as they walked, and represent the modern "sons of Issachar" (I Chronicles 12:32) who were called to know the times and what Israel should do.
The watchmen in the countryside were commissioned to guard the fields (see Jeremiah 4:17), as well as the borders of the nation. Today's counterpart to this type of watchmen are those who have been given vision for fields of ministry and missions, as well as the borders of spiritual movements and domains such as large ministries or denominations.
All of these watchmen had to be trained in their duties, and commissioned by the leaders of the cities, the farmer's whose fields they watched, or the leaders of the nation whose borders they patrolled. Likewise, leaders of congregations, missions, and all other ministries must invest in training and deploying watchmen or they are going to suffer increasing loss and unnecessary tragedies.
Discerning Our Place
The Lord who called us before the foundation of the world began to prepare us for our stations in ministry long before we were aware of it. When the Lord spoke to me in the dream mentioned earlier in this Bulletin about taking authority over the weather, this was very familiar territory for me. As a professional pilot my office was the sky. I lived in the weather every day, I studied it continually, and to this day I watch The Weather Channel more than any other channel, even though I only fly a few times a month now. Over the years I witnessed quite a few "weather miracles" that enabled me to get out of problems I encountered when flying. My faith for seeing the Lord intervene in weather situations in answer to prayer has grown steadily over the years. Like healing ministries who do not see everyone they pray for healed, I do not get everything I ask for when praying for the weather, but I have probably more faith for weather miracles than I do for healing miracles. Of course, some of my favorite prophetic stories in the Bible are those that deal with weather, such as Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream, and where Elijah declared that it would neither rain nor dew except by His word.
The Lord compared knowing the signs of impending weather to knowing the signs of the times. Consequently, I want to have an even greater understanding of the times and major current events than I do the weather. I also want to have spiritual authority in the economy, in major political trends that will affect the gospel, as well as having authority to stop famines caused by droughts in both the natural and spiritual realms.
Discerning Our Authority
The Lord is raising up different people to have authority over different areas. Some may have a special burden for diseases and plagues, while others may specialize in watching over political trends. Some are called to be watchmen over schools, who watch and pray for the schools in their neighborhood, or maybe even in their city. As they grow they may be given increasing spiritual authority over education in their nation. Others who are called as watchmen over their offices will grow to have authority over companies and will grow up even further to become seers for whole industries.
We must be able to see how things in the natural are reflected by spiritual realities. The church needs to then grow in faith and spiritual authority to affect the areas that we have been given to watch over. This will usually come by the watchmen developing a good relationship with the elders who are called to "sit in the gates" or have authority to make judgments over that domain. It should not surprise us to be given such authority. We are being groomed to even judge angels, as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 6:3: "Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life?"
Romans 10:17 states, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." The reason I had faith to take authority over the line of storms that were threatening my family was because of the dream I received in which the Lord told me I could do this. I also confess, that in spite of the dream I do not know if I felt more faith or fear in this situation. I was deeply alarmed and concerned for my family. I also felt the Lord remind me that it really does not take much faith even to move a mountain, and that my prayers for things such as calming storms was an act of faith. We cannot go on feelings in such things, but in simply determining what the word of the Lord is.
We only have true spiritual authority to the degree that we are in unity with the King. This is why our first responsibility as watchmen is to watch for the Lord, as we read in Habakkuk 2:1: "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me..." In Micah 7:7 the prophet says, "But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD..."
Psalm 5:3 states, "In the morning, O LORD, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch." The phrase "in the morning" could be interpreted as "early." If we are becoming prophetic we should be able to see farther and farther into the future so that we are not continually surprised by events. Then we can also begin to pray earlier.
As a pilot it became my goal to know weather so well that I was never surprised by any conditions that I found enroute or at my destination. I want to get to the same place spiritually, knowing the times and what the Lord is doing so well that I am never surprised. I still have a long way to go in this. I believe it is not only possible but it is our calling.
When I started flying, weather forecasting was not nearly as reliable as it is now, so I had to determine that I was going to know the weather better than the forecasters. This was not done in arrogance, but because I felt my life depended on it. They sat in warm offices. I was out there nightly in the ice and storms. My hands were usually full just flying the planes and navigating even without unwelcome weather surprises. I came to the place where I could look at reported conditions around my destination and see quickly that the forecasts were probably wrong. The forecasters were rarely offended when I pointed out such things, but rather appreciative. I think it was this kind of humility for most weather forecasters that has enabled them to get to the place that they are today, which is almost always correct. Today, if they are wrong at all it is usually more a matter of degree than being completely wrong.
As bad as weather forecasting was when I first became a pilot, it was still much better than having no forecasts at all. They never could have become as accurate as they are now, if they had not been allowed to learn from their mistakes. The same is true of the present state of the prophetic ministry. It is still young and immature, but it is maturing and getting much better. Even in its most immature state, I think it is much better to have the prophetic ministries than not. Those who want a mature prophetic ministry will need the faith and humility to endure an immature prophetic ministry while it grows up. Those who are not willing to do this will be without any prophetic ministry, without any watchmen, and at the very worst of times, blind.
The time will come when those who are now acknowledged to have prophetic gifts will deserve the title of "prophet." They will rarely be wrong. However, they will not be able to get there if they are not allowed to learn from their mistakes as they mature. Presently, there are very few safe places where they can go and do this, but they are increasing. As we read in Acts 2:17-21, one of the signs that we can expect in the last days is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which results in dreams, visions, prophecies, signs, and wonders
even in the heavens. These are the times that the prophets of old desired to look into and you have been chosen to live in them! Embrace the pruning of the Lord so that you can fulfill your purpose as a part of His body for which you were born on the earth.
Summary
Psalm 115:16 states, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the sons of men." He gave the earth to man to rule over. This is why He will not do major things on the earth unless we pray. We are entering a time when we will learn just how true this is. The church is growing in spiritual authority, and we must learn to use it.
Proverbs 4:18-19 says "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble." By this we see that the light gets brighter and brighter like the dawn for the just, and darker and darker for the wicked. As it gets lighter you can see farther as well as more clearly. That should be the nature of our walk. II Corinthians 13:5 exhorts us to: "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!..." This is one of the most basic tests. If we are on the path, our spiritual vision should be growing so that we can see both farther and in more detail. This is a call to grow in both vision and authority.
Overall the prophetic ministry today still needs the same kind of humility that the weather forecasters had thirty years ago. We must always keep in mind that the Lord gives His grace to the humble and we need His grace much more than we need any human acknowledgment. Even so, the prophetic is maturing and getting more and more accurate and useful. Also, many of the mistakes that are now attributed to "the prophetic" are being made by people who are not really called to that ministry, but have presumed they were, and are causing trouble for everyone. But this can also help the prophetic if we will just embrace the humility. Amos 3:7 is the Word of God and we can be sure that it is true: "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets."
MorningStar Ministries News
As a ministry the last few months were were some of the most difficult we have ever experienced and also some of the most fruitful. The loss of Stephen Coffey and Laura Elizabeth Dunnagan from our team has been by far the most painful experience in our history; however, it quickly began to bear much fruit in waking everyone up and imparting a new resolve to follow the Lord in all things. Now the ministry seems to be experiencing a significant spiritual advance in every area.
The distribution of our materials has been breaking our previous records, and in almost every service there is a noticeable growing intensity. Not only does there seem to be more focus, there is more revelation and power being poured out than we have experienced before. We seem to have been prepared for this in almost every way except for our meeting facilities. With the exception of the early morning service on Sunday, most of the meetings in Charlotte are overflowing with many people standing. The early service is also growing quickly. However, if you are planning on visiting the Charlotte church, this is the best meeting to come to. If you are planning on attending any of the other services, please come early to get a seat.
We are still trying to acquire much larger new facilities in Charlotte, and have a deal pending for great facilities with room to expand, which we hope can be done by this summer. However, in the meantime we intend to be thankful for the facilities we have and to do the best we can to make everyone as comfortable as possible.
The Wilkes and Winston-Salem congregations are often filled to capacity. We are hoping to begin construction on our new facilities at West Meadows this Spring (the Moravian Falls area), and are presently negotiating for new, larger facilities in Winston-Salem.
After the first of the year we began School of the Spirit meetings in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, and they also seem to be growing fast. There seems to be an increasing hunger everywhere, and we have been experiencing a number of what we consider noteworthy miracles in the last month. It also seems that prophetic clarity has grown dramatically since the beginning of the year.
s�a �����n our congregations and in every class of our MorningStar School of Ministry (MSM). However, they represent but a few in every congregation and in each class of MSM. I can discern them because they are so different. While others are growing spiritually, these are growing radically. While others are having a good time, these are studying, praying, going out onto the streets and witnessing, casting out demons, and praying for the sick to be healed. That is their good time.
There are some aspects of our ministry, such as our Christian day school, the Comenius School for Creative Leadership (CSCL), that I have been commanded to steer more and more to the develop-ment of the children who are called to be a part of this force. I have had to steer some of my own children to other schools because they were not called to be at CSCL. This was a difficult thing for me, and it is hard for many of our parents and even our teachers to understand. I honestly do not expect everyone to understand it, at least not until some future events begin to unfold. Fortunately, there are also many other great Christian schools available that most of our children should attend.
I am not steering our entire ministry to fit into this group, but there are some necessary things that we have had to do to accommodate them. These things are certainly not to everyone's liking, but they will be to everyone's benefit. Misunderstanding is a price I am very willing to pay, but I do not suggest you do what we are doing unless you are responding in obedience to a clear directive from the Lord.
The perfect church is perfectly modeled after the Lord's own ministry. He had a ministry to the multitudes and He had another, smaller group that He gave more attention to. He then had a very small group that He shared everything with. This is why I believe that the Tabernacle of Moses and the temples that were built all had three sections.
If we only want to minister to the "elite" and do not have something for the multitudes we will become unbalanced and possibly delusional and divisive. If we only minister to the multitudes and do not have a group that we are helping go farther, deeper, and higher, then we will tend to be very shallow and possibly even promote lukewarmness and unsanctified mercy.
Just as the Outer Court was the largest section of the Tabernacle where the most people could always be found, I think the largest part of every ministry needs to be that which will draw in the multitudes. However, once someone is in, they need to understand that they can go as far in the Lord as they desire to go. This is their calling.
Those who would go on also need to know that the standards for those who will minister in the Holy of Holies are very different. The things that you can get away with in the Outer Court can get you killed in the Holy Place. The way is open to all, but you must go to the altar and die, go to the laver and be cleansed, and understand that when you enter the Holy Place there will be no natural light there. The only light we can see by when we have entered there is the light of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. As we proceed on into the final, smallest compartment the only light is that of the glory of the Lord.
To be able to stand and minister in the anointing and in the glory, is beyond what many can do. Many do collapse and are "slain in the Spirit" just by getting close. However, we must learn to stand and do our duties even in His manifest presence. The mature have learned not to fall down. More than anything else we need those who can stand--stand in His presence, as well as stand against any onslaught of the devil. The Lord is again asking the great question that He asked through Jeremiah.
"But who has stood in the council of the LORD that he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?
"Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
"The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it.
"I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied.
"But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds. (Jeremiah 23:18-22)
