Meeting Father God from my book "His Grace"

Chapter 28

Meeting God (From my book "His Grace")

A young man and woman stood before me in a brightly lit room. They both looked about 12 years old. We stood on some plateau and a large childlike mobile hung above our heads. Cutout shapes of moons and stars draped down just above my head. The strings that held the shapes seemingly had no origin as I looked up.

The young man came up to me, and said, “Well, you pulled the right strings”. I didn’t know what he meant and I was surprised. Suddenly a face popped down and started to talk to me. It was an old man about 75 years old. His face had distinct lines and was overly expressive. The face was exaggerating every word and syllable but I could not hear what he was saying clearly. I asked the boy what he was saying. He said with a big Cheshire-cat grin, “You pulled the right strings, now you get to go to heaven!” Two angels came and began to carry me up to heaven. I could see where they were taking me and that it was on a higher level. A small chasm divided us and there was no way of getting to the higher level except by angel flight.

As we rose over the crest, my heart jumped for joy. There before me stood the Father. His back was towards me and He was talking with some small children. His long robes and his hair were as white as snow.

There were many children in the room all walking on the same path He was. I looked to be the oldest in the room, and guessed my age about 12. Most were babies and the medium age was about 5 years old. I had never seen such golden-hearted people. Every person I looked at was a gem of God’s and their hearts were so pure. They radiated with God’s love. In all the other parts of heaven that I had been, I had never seen such people.

A young man came up to me with disbelief in his eyes and spoke to me. “No one from down there has ever made it this far before. That is indeed a privilege to come this far and meet Him!” I immediately burst into tears. The intensity of His love was so overwhelming. I thought I was going to explode. Every pore of my being was trying to turn inside out. I wanted to laugh, scream, cry, and fall down all at once. The intensity of this moment was indescribable. I knew that He had given me an incredible gift, which had no earthly measure. When I looked down, I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a beautiful little dog with pure white long hair. I think it was a Pulik or Puli. (Later I found out that this rare dog is a Hungarian sheep dog and its nicknamed “Lion of Judah”) I picked it up and began to pet it. It was God’s dog I thought, and I liked him! I saw Daddy talking to some children so I grabbed hold of Daddy’s robe. When I touched Him, I began to weep. I could not stop weeping and thought I would burst. Love itself was pouring through His robe to me. The intensity was overwhelming.

I was not about to let go of His robe for anything. I felt such peace and never wanted to return to earth ever again. I found the love I had been searching for all my life!

Side by side, we walked together through the streets of heaven. I held the dog in one hand and clung to His robe with my other hand. We stopped occasionally while other children came up to greet Him. He spent time talking to them and just loving them. We would continue a little farther and some more children would stop to talk to Daddy. I looked at the children walking by and they looked at me incredulously, which caused me to weep even more.

Daddy began talking to me but I could not make out everything He was saying. Some words were clear others were more like mumbling. I watched His hand as He spoke and He constantly made gestures with it as if even His hand was speaking to me. His hand fascinated me and I could not stop studying it as we walked. His hand was pure white and had clear signs of being old. I knew that He was “Ancient of Days” and that He was wisdom.

I looked up at Him but the angle that I was at, would not allow me to see His face. He kept talking to me continually but I could only hear certain sentences clearly. I began to weep again thinking I came this far to talk to Daddy but I can’t hear Him very well. I was waiting for a good moment to interrupt Him but none came since He was talking continually.

I finally interrupted Him and asked Him “Daddy, could you please heal my hearing so I could hear you better?”

My voice sounded like a little child and it surprised me when I spoke.

He stopped instantly, turned towards me, knelt down on His right knee and put His hand over my left ear. He turned His head down and to my left so I could not see His face. I looked at the top of His head and His pure white hair. I felt the most incredible anointing on my ear. The only way to describe it would be to call it pure love. Daddy responded so quickly; I thought I would ask for something else. A sudden boldness came over me and I asked, “If there is anything else that needs fixing could you fix that too please?” I figured that just about covered everything. With that, He took His hand off my left ear and placed it put over my heart and laid it on my chest. This surprised me and frankly, I had never thought that my heart needed fixing. Again, I felt that intense love and began to weep even more. I was about to ask him something else but He heard my thoughts and said “Ssshhhhhhh, it was a difficult thing you asked”. The love I was feeling was so intense I could not stop weeping. I closed my eyes and began soaking in this moment.

Suddenly I am waking up in bed and immediately burst into tears. It was now four in the morning. I had been gone for four hours! I could not stop sobbing. That same intensity of His love and that feeling of bursting was still in me. I could clearly hear the song in my head, “He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am his own”. I knew it was true. He really does!

Every time I thought of what I saw, I would immediately burst into tears, with deep sobbing.

I am physically deaf in my left ear and I began to think about Daddy laying his hand over my ear. My heart sank as I realized I could still hear the ringing in my ears and I wasn’t healed. Suddenly it dawned on me that maybe God healed my spiritual ears. My spirit jumped inside. I decided to test it. Nervously I asked, “Daddy?” He spoke audibly to me, “Yes, my son. You pulled on my heartstrings. For four and a half years, you cried out to me morning, noon, and night just to hear my voice more clearly. Today I have granted that request. You have truly sought me out and I have given you a great gift. I have never given such a thing to a man as this before. This is indeed a privilege. You need not get vain about this, for it was I who gave you the unquenching burden to find me”. I started to weep again. I felt so privileged.

The next hour or so we talked back and forth and I asked Him many pressing questions that I had been asking Him for many years. He answered me clearly and without hesitation. Many times I had to stop Him in His answers because they were too wordy and I wanted to get on to the next question, fearing He would leave. His voice sounded like an ocean swirling around. Like a million voices in perfect unison. He spoke to me. “Tell my people, I want to be found by them”.

After this meeting with the Father, I began a new journey. When I look back I wonder how I even survived the trials I went through. The Lord began to give me dreams of my childhood. Each one of these dreams began to reveal the terrible neglect I went through as a child and how it affected me as an adult. The Lord was true to His word and began to heal me of all my afflictions just as He promised. I knew in the word it said, “That if my people would humble themselves and pray and seek my face I would heal their lands”. I was a living example of someone who pursued God above all else and now, I was reaping my rewards. I sometimes spent weeks in what seemed utter agony reliving my childhood. I had forgotten as a 4-year old, being locked out of the house all-day long. I would huddle up against a wall to keep warm in the sun. I was bored and lonely.

The Lord revealed to me during this time of rejection and loneliness that He began to speak to me. I could clearly see how He was my comforter and my teacher.

I started to excel in my understanding after my encounter with the Father. All the deeper mysteries in the word were as clear as a window in heaven. Every time I read the word or people challenged me about some word it was easy to understand. I could not hear everything He was saying to me during our walk together in heaven but somehow it all got in anyway.

Sometimes, I am just bursting at the seams with great revelations He has shown me and have no outlet to share them. He is the giver of wisdom.

The children in heaven haunted me. I could not get their small frail bodies out of my mind. If they were on earth, they would be much too small to walk let alone talk. The purity of their hearts was outstanding. Their beauty was beyond anything I have ever seen. After several months of their faces, the mystery began to unfold. These were the aborted children! They were rejected ones just like me! That’s why the Father brought me there. He allowed me to see His heart for the rejected children and put in me a new passion, which sometimes just overwhelms me.

He once told me a long time before that He was sending me forth as his Solicitor. To take back from the enemy His lost children. I thought it meant the Christians but now I realize it’s more than that! The children are defenseless. They have no ability to run away from the deadly needle nor can they take this robbing of their life to court. These children are murdered daily and no one is doing anything about it. Now when I look at children, I am overwhelmed with the love I feel for them.

A pattern was emerging in all of my encounters with the Lord. Jesus was introducing me to the Father. I began to read the gospels again and I found scriptures I had never seen before.

MT 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

It was clear that in this scripture, that it was the decision of Jesus, to bring me to the Father. He indeed fulfilled that! I realized all kinds of new things. Most of the church today was stuck on the bridge (Jesus). We had only come partway. We were never fully restored to Him. That’s why we weren’t healed! We set up camp on “Bridge Jesus” and never pursued the Father, as we should have. This is the place where we get our needs met and our lives restored. We were trying to get our healing under our own steam instead of pursuing our creator.

We had used new methods of reciting certain prayers over and over again only to find nothing happening. Jesus came to bring us back to the Father, so we could be restored to Him. When Adam fell, he was kicked out of the garden, where he enjoyed a sweet companionship with the Father. Jesus came to undo all that Adam had done, so through Him we could be restored. Only problem was, we only came partway. We needed to enter fully into the Promised Land.

I felt like I was in the wilderness for my entire Christian walk! Since I have entered into this new understanding of the Father, I feel like I walk in the garden all the time. I feel His presence 24/7. I feel such peace, which is unshakable. Although people would look at my life and wonder how I make it each day. I feel that I have never been happier in my whole life. He talks with me everyday just as if we were in the garden. I know that these last few years have been an incredible surrender for me but I wouldn’t change this walk with Him for anything!

Dream of the desert. and the stock market crash 2007

This dream has a new meaning to me lately. With all thats going on in the middle east I see this dream in a new light. It could be the end of gas could come through this crisis.

The coming judgment

It looked like a vast dark desert filled with worldly possessions piled high. Cars, money, diamonds, and even large houses were strewn about aimlessly. Jesus stood next to me not saying a word. Suddenly the sound of an earthquake bellowed from the earth below. A large hole began to develop, swallowing the possessions. Fear gripped me as I started to lose my footing. I will be sucked down too, I thought! Jesus began to fly high in the air and called out to me. I started to fly right up to Him and He grabbed me around my waist. We flew right out of this world and into space.
Far below me, the planet earth disappeared. Soon, we were in a different solar system and earth could no longer be seen. Jesus began to fly even faster and flew us to the end of the universe. We took a turn at the end and flew at an incredible rate around the complete circumference. Occasionally He would slow down and show me other solar systems and planets that appeared much like our own. We would then fly fast again onto the next sight, finally all the way back to good old planet earth. Before He returned me, He looked at me and said, “I know every sparrow”. With that said, He returned me home.
When I awoke, I knew that we were in for some difficult times but I also knew that He would look after us.

In 2007 I had this very vivid dream. I was driving through some winding roads in Virginia in the country. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were no other cars on the road. As I came around a sharp turn I was met with five angels standing on the road and applied my brakes. I got out of the car and approached the angels. I recognized some of them from other encounters over my life. The one standing in the front was obviously the leader and almost immediately began to speak to me. "Get ready, for the stock market is about to crash. Life as you know it is going to change dramatically".
It seemed strange that such a big effort was put into this message. I have been telling people for years to get ready for the great crash. The Lord had come to me in the past with dreams of a great famine. I saw people all over the United States and even in places in Europe starving to death. I saw bodies piled up at the end of driveways that were nothing but skin and bones. No one wanted to get ready but I couldn't stop the dreams coming to me.
In 2008 the stock market did indeed crash, but people still did not heed my warnings and get ready for the greatest depression man has ever known. Even now they act as if it’s all going to bounce back anytime now.

The Old Women

I was outside the church door sitting at a picnic table with friends. We were laughing and joking. I felt close to them and felt free. I could hear in the distance thunder but I just ignored it since it seemed far away. Suddenly a thunderbolt cracked close by. We jumped up and someone suggested we go into the church to be safe. I turned the chrome handle of the brown steel doors and walked inside. An old woman in a wheelchair sat before me. She was dressed in an old Victorian dress with a high collar, something like the Queen of England would have worn in the 1600s. It was black, like something one would wear at a funeral. Her eyes were black and vacant. The hair started to stand up on the back of my neck. I knew she was dead and somehow she could still move her limbs. Everything in me wanted to run as fast as I could out that door. She had several people standing around her in a circle. Men, in finely dressed suits attended her. Some were on their knees worshipping her. Proud and arrogant men served her and placed things she asked for in her hands. These men are the elite people that service this dead woman. I became sick to my stomach, realizing this was a demon of great power, which had occupied a dead body and was pretending to be real.

It was clear in this dream that this woman was the false church. The church today is nothing but an empty shell of what Jesus had built in the beginning.

A great delusion had fallen on God’s people and they seemed worse than the non-Christians. I began to pray and ask God about the false church. Little by little, He revealed more and more to me. I was on a quest to discover the truth. Although He gave me so much information, it could fill another book. He also gave me a nutshell version that was easy to understand.

The true church is only ever a people. It is never a building, an institution, a denomination or even a doctrine. All of those other things were the false church.

It was then that God began to unfold my understanding of the story of the prodigal son. I had always thought that the story was about a singular individual but never once did I look at it in this light until God brought my attention. When God spoke to me He even gave it a new title and called it "My two sons".

As the story goes there was this wealthy farmer who had two sons. Both sons at one time had been working in the fields. One of the sons decided he had enough of this life and wanted to experience the world. He asked his father for his inheritance now instead of waiting. It was then I saw this was the prosperity church. It was the prodigal son that didn’t want to wait until he got to heaven to receive his inheritance but wanted it now, here on earth instead. They no longer did the work of the gospel anymore but instead lusted after the things of the world and cried out to God for even more. He granted their request and gave them what they wanted. The Father also knew they would never be satisfied with the things of the world and eventually it would all come to nothing. He knew the money would run out (economic collapse) and the prodigal church would come running back.

It all made perfect sense now. Even the second son who stayed behind and did the work made sense. The true church stayed behind and fed the homeless, provided for the widows and the orphans and brought many into the kingdom. This is the church that will one day be jealous that God welcomed back the prosperity church after their great falling away. When all the money runs out and they lose all of their things, are starving and dining with the pigs, the father will welcome them, but the jealous son may not.

2TI 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

 

1TI 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Spiritual Covering "UNCOVERING the "COVERING DOCTRINE"

UNCOVERING the "COVERING DOCTRINE"
-by Cheryl MacGrath.

In a number of the denominations I've been involved in, including at leadership level, a "doctrine of covering" was taught and accepted. And for many, many years, I never questioned this teaching. After all, everyone believed it; the leadership upheld it, so it must be right, right? It is only as the Holy Spirit has impressed me to study the scriptures more deeply on this teaching that I've had to come to terms with the fact that He NEVER originated it! In His infinite grace, He chose to wait patiently for a time when the Spirit of Truth would become dearer to me than the traditions of men.

The teaching on "covering" goes like this. Everyone needs to be accountable to someone who is spiritually his or her superior. This someone may be your cell group leader, the head of a church department or your senior pastor etc. In turn, these leaders receive covering from someone further up the line, for instance a denominational leader or a "recognised" apostle. The necessity for this covering is based on the belief that believers need to be safeguarded from falling into error and/or sin. So covering is provided by those who are more spiritual than we to protect us from such error. At the top of this pyramid of covering there is quite often a well-known and recognised "name" but the chances of meeting or having any kind of relationship with that person if you Are at the bottom of the pyramid are fairly slim. Currently, there are several networks offering this kind of covering to those in some form of church leadership or ministry, more often than not for an annual fee. The annual fee usually provides for the running of the network, and conferences where you can fellowship with others under your particular brand of covering. You may also be denied entrance from one of these networks because you don't have the appropriate credentials.

One of the strange things about this "covering" teaching is that rarely is anyone asked about their spiritual covering, until they step outside their particular church, denomination or network. However, the minute a believer shows signs of having something important to share with the wider Body of Christ, suddenly all and sundry are interested primarily in that one important question: "Who are you covered by?" It all sounds pretty reasonable except for one problem it’s NOT FOUND in scripture. In fact, the early church was taught to rely on the inner anointing to discern the spiritual source of potential ministers. (1 John 2:20; 1 John 4:1)

So, where did this idea originate that believers need to be "covered" in order to serve God and minister within Christ's Body? Are you, like many others, living your Christian life under the shadow of this fear that without "covering" you dare not minister, preach, pray or do a myriad of other things you're called to do by the Spirit of God, because you will somehow be ministering without protection?

The purpose of this article is to shed some light on this issue based on scriptural truth. To begin with, though, we need to understand that this need to be covered by a perceived spiritual authority, and the scriptural instruction to submit ourselves to God's delegated authorities, are NOT necessarily one and the same thing. Furthermore, New Testament authority as demonstrated by Jesus and the first apostles, is servanthood- authority, upholding, strengthening, reinforcing and overseeing the Body from BENEATH, not DOMINEERING, CONTROLLING and RULING from ABOVE. Therefore, it is vital in examining this issue that we begin from a correct understanding of Biblical submission and Biblical authority.

'LET THIS MIND be IN YOU'

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,being in the form of God, thought in not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:5-8)

The current mindset we carry in much of the church concerning submission is quite unrelated to the submission taught and demonstrated by Jesus and the early apostles. There is a desperate need to return to the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. The scripture tells us that though He was equal with the Father,
Jesus CHOSE to submit Himself, He CHOSE to humble Himself, He CHOSE to obey. This is the key to Biblical submission, and the model laid down for us by both the Father and the Son.

Submission is firstly a choice; a choice that can only ever be made by the giver. Biblical submission can never be demanded or forced. That kind of relationship is subservience, not submission. Jesus chose to subject Himself to the Father, but the Father "so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son." Sacrificial giving and sacrificial submission are married to each other. In the Spirit, you cannot have one without the other. If you try, you will invariably end up with control, dependence and abuse rather than humility, interdependence and grace.

The New Testament concept of submission, or subjection, is one of a totally voluntary attitude of giving, of yielding one's preference and deferring to another. In this way, Jesus as a child was subject to His parents, yet the scriptures record that He did not even consult them when He was "about His Father's business." (Luke 2:49,51)

"IT SHALL NOT be SO AMONG YOU"

"Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit." (Hebrews 13:17, NLT)

"But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all." (Mark 10:42-44)

"Jesus got them together to settle things down. "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around," he said, "and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads." (Mark 10:42 The Message)

There is no question that the scriptures instruct each one of us to submit to God's delegated authority. It is the understanding and the application of that authority we often stumble over. The Bible records that Jesus taught the twelve this Kingdom authority as they walked along the road to Jerusalem. His face had been set toward the Cross, and it is certain He was keenly aware of the short time He had left with them. Perhaps He was conversing with His Father about what were the most important lessons He could impart to them during the time that was left. We know that He heard them disputing over who among them was the best "leadership material". Perhaps Peter, having not long before witnessed Jesus' transfiguration, thought that gave him special status. Perhaps James and John felt they were more likely candidates for rulership than impetuous Peter. Shortly before, they had asked Jesus to give them special places of honour in
His Kingdom. Whatever had started their dispute, Jesus certainly knew how to end it!

"Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave....."
(Matt. 20:27).

The Lord was speaking to a group of people who had grown up under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Romans exercised their authority through forced subjection and harsh cruelty. In fact, the literal translation of the words Jesus used in reference to Roman rule mean "to be under the power of" and "to be subdued." Despite having witnessed Jesus using a very different kind of authority and power, the disciples had not yet understood exactly what He would require of them. The Romans were, in the political sense, their masters. Yet here was Jesus stating that to exercise the authority He was going to invest in them they would need to become slaves to one another, and not masters. One might safely assume these weren't words any of them particularly wanted to hear that day!

Kingdom authority has nothing to do with titles, positions, educational qualifications or reputation. Kingdom authority is granted by the Lord according to the measure in which He can trust us to wield it with humility. The greatest authority in the kingdom is reserved for His bond-slaves.

WHAT about ACCOUNTABILITY?

In today's church system we have confused the word "covering" with the need for accountability. Consequently many are holding themselves accountable to people with title and position, regardless of whether or not they are developing an ongoing transparent relationship with that person. In the Kingdom, it is not possible to be truly accountable to those with whom we are not actively growing in relationship. How can I be trusted to call you to account righteously if I don't love you in Christ? How can you love me with Christ-like love and not call me to account?

Paul was able to correct the Corinthians because he had true relationship with them. He had travailed over them, nurtured them, wept for them and rejoiced with them. Therefore he was able to reprove them, for their edification and not for their destruction.
(2 Corinthians 13:10)

When we turn to the scriptures for guidance on this issue of accountability, a startling fact confronts us. The News Testament mentions accountability ONLY in terms of the believer towards God. The scripture teaches that we will give accountability TO GOD ALONE in the following areas:

*Stewardship (Luke 16:2)
*Ourselves (Rom. 14:12)
*Fruit (Phil 4:17)
*What we do in the flesh (1 Pet. 4:5)
*Leaders shall give account for the souls they watch over (Heb. 13:17)

What then, DO the scriptures teach about how believers, as members of the corporate Body of Christ, are to relate to one another?

"... all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
(1 Peter 5:5)

In Galatians Chapter Two we read of a journey Paul took to Jerusalem. He states that he went up "by revelation", that is, at the instigation of the Holy Spirit, in order to confirm that the gospel he had been preaching was approved by the eldership of the Jerusalem church. He goes on to state that "those who seemed to be something, whatever they were, it makes no difference to me," had nothing to add to his teachings. He further adds that when James, Cephas (Peter) and John perceived the grace God had shown him, he was given the "right hand of fellowship."

At the instigation of the Holy Spirit, Paul had subjected himself to the Jerusalem eldership, including Peter, for the purpose of accountability. One may safely assume that Peter, having spent around three years day and night with Jesus, and highly regarded by the early believers, held very great authority in the church. Paul, however did not ask Peter to cover him. Instead, he did not hesitate in calling Peter to account when Peter was later swayed to go back on his word by the fear of men (Gal. 2:11-14). Bear in mind this is the same Peter who stated "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)

These men understood the nature of relationship through the Holy Spirit; ALL of you be submissive to one another, ALL of you be clothed with humility. Each of us is accountable to one another, whatever our function in the Body, whether apostles, teachers, deacons or helpers. This is the church Christ is building.

To say that we are demonstrating accountability to a person or group of people we may briefly rub shoulders with at a meeting once or twice a week, or perhaps once or twice a year, is ludicrous. True accountability is about how we express Christ in us – our lifestyle, our character and our integrity in families, jobs and church community. This cannot be measured outside Godly relationships, and without a humble willingness to be in subjection one to another. Each one of us needs to seek out and submit ourselves to those in the Body the Lord has placed close to us to provide that accountability, regardless of their position, title or function. Each one of us needs to be willing, in humility and service, to provide that same accountability base for others in the Body. This applies to leadership equally as it does to the newest, most inexperienced member of the Christian community.

Sadly, what we see today in so much of the church, is a frenzied jockeying for position under the supposedly protective umbrella of some ministry name or reputation, in order to prove ourselves "covered". "WHO COVERS YOU?" has become one of the most frequently asked questions among Christians, and too often it is the deciding factor in assessing a ministry's integrity or otherwise. Consequently, an unsatisfactory answer to that question in some church circles can label you "outside the camp" and almost certainly not to be trusted. Christians are judging each other's worth and relationship with God on this issue of covering, and using it to justify self-righteousness and spiritual elitism.

In Part Two of this study we will talk about what is at the root of this distorted doctrine, and the clear choices that lie before us in order to be free from it.

Part TWO

".....then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering." Isaiah 4:5

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Ps. 91:4

IT'S about HIS NAME

"Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?" (Luke 20:1-2)

As we see from this portion of scripture, the question "who covers you?" is not new. The chief priests, scribes and elders were not simply asking Jesus where His supernatural power came from.
More than that, they wanted a NAME. "Who is he?' Come on, tell us Jesus, who is the scribe, who is the rabbi, who is the prophet who covers you? And no more of that over-spiritualised talk about your Father. We want the name of the person who said you could do these things!"

The apostle Paul confronted a similar problem in the Corinthian church.

"For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptised in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor. 1:10-13)

The Lord is jealous over us concerning His Name. We were bought and paid for by His Blood, and His Name is the only Name by which we are to identify ourselves. When believers choose to find their identity in another name other than His, the Spirit is grieved and His Name is dishonoured.

IT'S ABOUT the FLESH

"Don't ever let anyone call you `Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters. And don't address anyone here on earth as `Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don't let anyone call you `Master,' for there is only one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant." (Matthew 23:8-11, NLT)

The Corinthians were apparently separating into factions according to whom they considered was the most authoritative teacher. They were following after men, and for that reason Paul took issue with them. Further in his letter he goes on to challenge them by describing this kind of mindset as carnal and fleshly rather than spiritual:

"For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not CARNAL?"
(1 Cor. 3:1-4)

Finally, he instructs them:
"Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come-all are yours. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. 3:21-23)

The Corinthians had become so obsessed with the attributes of certain teachers they were idolising them. They wanted to regard particular individuals as their "master", "father", or "teacher", but Paul wanted them to understand that in doing so they were falling short of their full inheritance in Christ. He wanted them to see that all of these teachers, belonged to them as servant-ministers, and not the other way around.

IT'S ABOUT a SUBSTITUTE KING

At the heart of the Corinthians' idolatry was the age-old desire for a ruler, a king. The flesh would much rather fear man than fear God. The flesh would much rather submit to the control of law than submit to the freedom of the Spirit. This principle is seen throughout scripture.

Afraid they would die, the Israelites begged Moses to be God's messenger to them, rather than hear His Voice for themselves.

"Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." ( Exodus 20:18-19)

God desired for the people to hear Him for themselves, but they refused. Effectively, the Israelites were elevating Moses as their mediator. The entire nation had been called as a kingdom of priests, but their preference was to be ruled by one man. (Exodus 19:1-9)

Many years later, when the prophet Samuel officiated as Israel's judge, Israel's carnal desire for a man-king surfaced again.

"Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them... However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behaviour of the king who will reign over them." So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, "This will be the behaviour of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots... And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day." Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us..." (1 Samuel 8:4-22)

The key to Israel's demand for a human king, rather than the direct reign of Yahweh over them, was "that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." They wanted a name and a face that could "go out before" them. They wanted someone visible they could show the other nations. They wanted a symbol, a token leader who could take responsibility for how they would live and conduct their lives. They wanted someone with a reputation they could identify with. They wanted to be like the world. They wanted human "covering."

You see, friends, there is a place for governmental leadership, there is a place for accountability within the Body, there is a place for submission to legitimate God-delegated authority. All these are valid and in order, but only insofar as they are not permitted to substitute for the direct rule of God in our lives. And only in as so far as they are not sought out as a counterfeit for the sovereignty and ruler ship of the Holy Spirit within each believer.

IT'S OF a DIFFERENT SPIRIT

"You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones." (Ezekiel 28:14)

Many Bible scholars agree that God's rebuke to the "king of Tyre" recorded in Ezekiel 28:1-19 is prophetically addressed to Satan.In it, we find that originally this fallen angel was called the "anointed cherub who covers". Some scholars believe he was especially anointed to cover the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. In the Presence of God, he walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. The passage states that when iniquity was found in him he was cast out of God's holy mountain, and removed from the midst of the fiery stones.

This Hebrew word "to cover" means "to hedge, fence about, shut in, block, overshadow, screen, stop the approach, shut off, cover" (H. "cakak" Strongs 05526). It is a word than can be used either in relation to defence or oppression.

Beloved, Satan still desires to walk back and forth in the midst of God's living, fiery stones. He still desires to be the covering cherub on God's holy mountain, but the covering he offers is oppressive, designed purely to hinder believers and rob them of the freedom and full potential that is ours through Christ.

The doctrine of covering is an old lie with a new name. It is fundamental to the maintenance of a false hierarchical religious system controlling many Christians in this day. Without the power of this erroneous mindset, it is even doubtful that some sections of the "church" could survive.

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is OVER ALL and THROUGH ALL and IN ALL. (Ephesians 4:3-6) The scriptures plainly state that it is God alone who is OVER all. Only God can cover His people, and only the Holy Spirit can unite them. The most disturbing aspect about the covering teaching is that it subtly encourages believers to look to men and women rather than develop their own deep relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. It upholds a man-made church built on hierarchy rather than a spiritual temple built through the unity of the Spirit. It promotes a class system of rulership by title, human appointment and personality, and DEVALUES the PRIESTHOOD of every believer. It negates leadership by the Holy Spirit and discourages believers from hearing the direction of the Spirit for themselves. It is a DOCTRINE OF DEMONS being used to deceive and bind countless believers.

Now, about that freedom we were talking about at the beginning of this article! Don't, repeat DON'T, use your newfound liberty as a licence for rebellion against authority. If you have been trapped in this covering doctrine be wise in how you appropriate your freedom. There are many, many humble and faithful men and women overseeing and serving the Body of Christ with humility and devotion, and it may well be that whoever has been "covering" you is one of them. If you are blessed enough to be aligned with a servant-leader who demonstrates true Biblical authority, honour them, support them, and submit to them. But don't expect them to cover you - that's not theirs to give.

False doctrines are mindsets and beliefs that can only be cast down by the Spirit and the Word together. And ultimately, our walk in the Spirit is not the responsibility of leadership; it is our own responsibility. It is time for each one of us to choose - do we want the rulership of kings, or do we want the rulership of THE King?

Finally, let me leave you with these thoughts:

1) Who covered Philip when He went down to Samaria and started a revival? (The apostles heard about it and sent Peter and John down to check it out!) (Acts 8:4-8)

2) Who covered Philip when the angel of the Lord directed him to the Gaza desert? (Acts 8:26-40) (There's no record of the Ethiopian eunuch asking him for his "covering" credentials!)

3) Who covered Ananias when he was sent to pray for Saul? (He went to pray for a known enemy of the church and didn't event get permission!) (Acts 9:10-18)

4) Who covered Apollos when he taught boldly in the synagogue, even though he had not yet received the full gospel? (Acts 18:24-25)

5) And who covered Aquilla and Priscilla when they took Apollos under their wing to instruct him further? (Acts 18:26)

6) Who covered Agabus when he traveled down from Judea to deliver a prophetic word to Paul? (Acts 21:10)

The answer is the same in each instance: The Holy Spirit covered, protected, led, and enabled. He is the only covering we need. The real question is this: is He the only covering we want?

Turning to salt

11 March 2007

Dream: I dreamt I was near some Expressway in Toronto.  I think it was the 400 and the 401 cloverleaf. I was in a ditch and there was a well dressed gentleman standing across from me in a dark suit. I thought  about going back into the world system and was thinking God had abandoned me since nothing seemed to be happening that I prophesied regarding the economy and the stock market crashing. Also everyone came against me and quite frankly I just gave up. The man in the nice suit started scaling the hill to the top. I started to follow him and I was about 15 feet behind him. I knew once he got to the top things would be fine and that prosperity was waiting there. When he got to the top of the hill he stood there for a moment and I don't know what he saw but he instantly turned into a pillar of salt. I stopped as fast as I could fearing I might accidentally look and turn into salt myself. I turned around and slid back down the hill to the bottom. I was very frightened at the judgments of God.

When I awoke I repented of my frustration and waiting for God and I knew the economic collapse was very imminent. NOTE THE DATE OF THE DREAM. IT WAS A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER THE STOCK MARKET CRASHED September 16, 2008

Dream of foreign troops on American soil. Feb 25th/2011

25 February 2011
I dreamt I was standing in the US somewhere. There were several people around me and for some reason seemed quite content. It was a beautiful sunny day, very peaceful in fact. The sun was shining the air was warm you couldn't ask for a better day. I looked at a woman who stood across from me and I recognized her from some church. She seems gloriously happy for some reason and had it look of contentment on her glowing face. I suddenly heard a sound behind me and turned around to see who it was. We were suddenly surrounded by foreign troops in dark uniforms. (Black Ops) Some were sporting machineguns others high-powered rifles. They started escorting us pushing us and shoving us against our will. They seemingly came from nowhere and somehow I knew they were taking us to concentration camps. Fear gripped me inside. I thought to myself why didn't I leave the US why did I stay here. I knew this was coming and I knew it was coming on a bright sunny day when people would least expect it. I knew I was going to die and that we're all going to be eventually shot.

Steps to a Jewish Orthodox Marriage

Steps to a Jewish Orthodox Marriage

1. The Father picks the bride for his son.
2. He then goes to the girls father and invites her over.
3. The son and the girl drink a glass of wine together and then become legally married.
4. After that they are removed from each other to spend a season apart whose length does the Father determine and only he knows the time. (It could be a year or a month)
5. During this time the son begins to prepare a home for this girl.
6. The girl begins to separate emotionally from her parents and begins to surrender in her heart to her husband.
7. They are legally married at this point even though they have not consummated it. (They can only be separated by divorce)
8. The Father then sends a trusted friend of the groom to tell the girl that the time is up and she can return to the son.
9. The son plays a game where he goes and secretly takes her from her parents and they run together and come to the reception.
10. They drink a toast with the guests and then leave and consummate the marriage. (Make whoopee)
11. The guest of the wedding begin a feast including drinking wine and don’t end it until the bride and groom arrive.
12. The bride and groom come back to the guests and now they are fully married and the party ends. This could last over a week!


Notice the similarities to the four Gospels.

1. Jesus had a communion including drinking a glass of wine with his disciples right before his departure.
2. He said that he was going to prepare a place for us.
3. He said his return he did not know that only the Father new the time.
4. The bride groom is supposed to announce the return of Jesus
5. Indeed the true bride will be stolen from the traditional church.
6. The marriage supper of the Lamb

REV 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.

REV 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear."

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

REV 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."
7.
REV 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

End of Florida and the occupation of America

I just cut out the piece from the two hour video regarding the destruction of Florida. Its seems its long before the Earthquake in California. Remember what you learned in school. Get under your desk, put your head between your legs and kiss your butt goodbye.

HIS GRACE (from my new book)

The early morning air was brisk. The slight cold wind bit into my face. At first I thought it was a small lake but as I looked further I realized it was more like a long canal. Hundreds of well-dressed people were skating. They had on proper winter attire and seemed oblivious to most of those around them. Smiles covered their cold faces and they looked very content. I stood on the shore not even on the ice and hadn't quite realized that Jesus himself was standing next to me being perfectly silent. He wasn't looking at me but watching the many people on the ice.
Most of the skaters seem to be going around and around and staying in their own little area. A few seemed to take off down the canal towards a big castle far away. I'm not sure if it was a castle or just a very large estate but even from this great distance it looked very majestic.
Jesus still hadn't spoken at this point and seemed to be waiting for me to notice things. Every time I looked at His face He seemed to be studying something out on the ice that I hadn't noticed. I looked to see what He was looking at. Along the shore I noticed some very perplexed looking people crawling on all fours and had no skates on at all. It looked very strange since they seemed to be acting like the ice could break at any moment and they were going to be ready. Their faces certainly didn't look content like the skaters. They were on the ice but they seem to stay as close to the edge as possible where the ice was thickest.
In the center there was another group of people who were almost the exact opposite of those who stayed close to the shore. They were jumping up and down on the ice as if trying to break through. They seemed somewhat arrogant and sure of themselves. I almost wondered if they were trying to make everyone fall in. What was funny about this group is that they also seemed to have no peace about them and did not seem content like the skaters.
It was then I heard a loud crack. The group in the middle had somehow managed in their jumping up and down to create a crack in the ice. They did not flinch at the loud cracking sound at all but it was the skaters and those along the shore that responded to the loud crack. The skaters jumped and their happy faces turned to worry. Yet they still continued to skate. The ones crawling on all fours near the shore jumped off the ice and onto the shore.
I was perplexed by what I saw and I turned to Jesus hoping He would open up my eyes. He responded quickly.
“You asked Me to help you understand My grace and today I have granted that request", He said softly. “The ice you see before you is like My grace. It is strong enough to support you and if you follow it along the canal it will take you into the kingdom. Those you see along the shore crawling on all fours are those who have an understanding of My grace but have a greater fear of My judgment”.
I saw myself in those people in the early days of my walk with God. I have seen God's judgments in my life and it caused me to walk on eggshells fearing God could rebuke me at any moment. I had no peace in that time that I walked in fear.
Jesus then spoke again. “Those in the middle who are jumping up and down on the ice are those who are abusing My grace. They think they can do what they want in this world and I will never bring judgment to them but their end will come quickly and they will discover how cold the water is that lies below them. Grace only has value when there is a threat of judgment. And they have forgotten My judgments.”
I immediately knew whom He meant. I have discovered in my walk people who come from the cheap grace movement. Many of the people I have met were involved in all kinds of sin and debauchery and had no fear of God's judgment at all. Often when I quoted a Scripture to them of God's judgments in the New Testament, blank stares would come over their faces and they would walk away. They did not seem to understand the bad doctrine they were embracing and many of these people adopted other New Age doctrines.
Jesus interrupted my thoughts. “The contented skaters are those that have a balanced view of My true grace. They understand that My grace came to them at a great cost and that cost was paid on the cross. They don't abuse it with frivolous indulgences but walk in holiness instead respecting my grace. They know the ice is firm enough to hold them and they can skate freely to their destination as long as they obey the rules. They don't live in fear of God's judgments because they've separated themselves from the world and remain pure before Him”.

HEB 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

JNH 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

Avalanche in the US Dream Sept 18/2010

Dream Saturday, September 18, 2010

I was in Virginia in the wintertime with my daughter. We were walking down a very snow filled road and she had a friend with her. It was in the evening just after the sun went down. It was very slippery as the roads were covered in thick ice. I heard a sound behind me like a loud train rumbling when I saw a huge tidal wave of snow coming over the mountain towards us. I began to run as fast as I could with the kids. My daughter’s friend fell down and I grabbed her hand and started to drag her on the ice to get away from the snowy death. Fear gripped me thinking we were all going to be buried alive. I was in the Shenandoah Valley.

When I awoke God spoke to me immediately saying “The want of this world has stolen the hearts of my people. I am sending a great destruction to this place.”