Five-Fold Today - God's Mysteries - Rulers Rise and Fall At My Command - The Justice of His Love - All You Who Are Weary - A New Level of Intercession

May 18, 2001

God's Mysteries

By Mario Liu

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deut 29:29)

It is humiliating to be told that I am not allowed to know certain things. Yet there have been numerous occasions when I could not get an answer from God, and many of my prayers have not been answered.

The bible says that occasionally people can communicate directly with the Lord, even after the Lord has resurrected from death and has returned to heaven:

'In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"

"Yes, Lord," he answered.

11The Lord told him "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."'(Acts 9:10-16)

I have been given some opportunities to communicate with whom I believed to be the Lord in visions. (For those people who do not agree with this sort of experiences, please stop reading now for I do not wish to stumble you.) Many times I asked for things and the Lord said 'no.' One of my early ambitions was to know the Bible so well that I can know the 'truth' better than anybody else. The Lord quickly killed that.

I was asking the Lord to explain to me the Bible, one verse at a time. The Lord went along for a little while, and then gently suggested that I was wasting my time. There are many passages in the Bible I cannot fully understand. For example, the living creatures in the following passage:

"As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces."(Ezek 1:15)

The Lord told me that there are numerous things in heaven that I will not be able to comprehend in this life even if He takes the time to explain to me. When I inquired about the obscure passages in Daniel and Revelations, I sometimes obtained partial answers. The Lord said that some areas must be kept secret. Some will be revealed at a later date, and some verses are not intend for man to understand, because the bible was not written for man alone, that there are other intended target audiences. I do not even understand some of these answers.

Today there are many bible scholars who are very confident of their mastery of the bible. And the result is we have numerous denominations, schools, and disagreements. It seems that the more we research and study, the more we argue among ourselves. Let us remind ourselves of Paul's thought on the value of knowledge:

"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."(1 Cor 13:2)

"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part."(1 Cor 13:8-9)

In an earlier article, I shared that the Lord is restoring 'end-time apostles' today, and that the church is expected to be able to identify false apostles in its midst:

"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars."(Rev 2:2)

Jesus praised the Church of Ephesus that they were capable of identifying false apostles in their midst. These people claimed that they were apostles but were in reality liars.

After posting that article I received many responses. Some people agreed with the article and said that they are receiving similar revelations from the Lord.

There are also some people who have confused 'judging a tree by its fruits' with 'discerning a true end-time apostle by his or her functions.' This error usually manifest itself as follows:

Step one: List out all functions and characteristics and fruit of an apostle: e.g. humble, loving, kind, plants churches, works miracles, see visions, teaches the bible, follows by signs and wonders..

Step two: Walk up to somebody and uses this 'check-list' to identify an end-time apostle.

The result can be total confusion. It is not easy to test someone's fruit of the spirit without having a close relationship with that person. Usually I cannot tell a person's fruit by listening to sermons alone. The Lord told us that false prophets perform signs and wonders too. Evangelists also plant churches. And pastors and teachers also teach. How then can we discern true apostles from false, and to tell between the different offices of the five fold ministries?

The correct answer I believe is that we cannot! I believe that having an in depth knowledge of the bible is no guarantee for discerning the identity of one who is chosen by God. The learned Pharisees of Jesus' days failed to recognize Jesus as the son of God. Personal holiness and closeness to God are no guarantee either. God told Samuel to anoint one of Jesse' sons as the next king, and Samuel thought that Eliab was the chosen one:

"When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."

7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."(1 Sam 16:6-7)

Supposing that today there are 10 real end-time apostles. They were chosen, called and trained by the Lord. I call them apostle 1 to apostle 10.

Then there are other apostles. Apostle 11 to 20 are chosen, trained, commissioned and sent by various churches, bible colleges, conference-meetings, and some self-proclaimed 'super-apostles.' Apostle 21 to apostle 30 are chosen and trained and sent by the devil, just as the false prophets mentioned by Jesus, and can teach, plant churches and works signs and wonders. Apostle 31 to 40 are self-proclaimed, or have confused their own callings. They may be true prophets of the Lord with signs and wonders following, but are now calling themselves apostles because they see that as the natural career path progression. They may be successful pastors who have a church that grows beyond a certain size, and feel that they should be honored with the correct title of 'end-time apostle.' They may be eager 'wannabes' who honestly believe that they should be end-time apostles, not knowing that they are self-deceived.

Given such a complex scenario, can I be confident that I can tell the true from the false? Would a complex checklist of spiritual fruit and apostolic functions help?

In chapter three of the book 'The Harvest,' Rick Joyner wrote that the five-fold ministry would be restored in the reversed order. 'During the second move a true APOSTOLIC authority will be restored and recognized within the advancing church.' In chapter nine Rick Joyner wrote, 'because delusions can be based on truth, we will not always be able to identify them merely by their compliance with Scripture; Satan quotes Scripture to deceive, just as he did to Jesus. We can judge only by the fruit.Publicity will be a burden to this new breed of minister, not a thrill. They will not seek attention for themselves, or their ministries.'

My own experience is that if someone approaches me and claims that he or she is an apostle, then it is my duty to test this claim before I accept it. Usually by examining the fruit such as a lack of humility or a lack of love, I can identify those who are liars(Rev2:2). But I cannot confirm with certainty that somebody is an apostle by examining fruits, signs and wonders etc. The person can be a prophet or a teacher who bear the true fruit. On the other hand, a young Christian may fail to demonstrate fruit of the spirit now, but a few years later may grow into a spiritual giant. Saul was a proud, murderous Pharisee before Jesus broke him in. Testing the fruit cannot identify future apostles.

In Acts, Paul walked around obeying God's commands and functioned as an apostle. He was busy ministering to people, bringing people to Christ and planting churches. He did not walked around 'claiming' to be an apostle, even though occasionally he did identify himself to his own spiritual children in some epistles.

Most of the time true end-time apostles would not walk up to other people and 'claim' to be recognized to be an apostle. Their humility would stop them, and they also would have learned that their identity is a secret of the Lord. It would only be revealed directly by the Lord on a need to know basis to certain people, just as the Lord told Samuel not to be deceived by the outward appearance of Eliab, and that David was the one chosen. There have been several occasions I witnessed the Lord revealed the identity of His apostles and prophets through direct revelation. The purpose is for developing relationships and to form teams in doing the Lord's work. Sometimes the Lord reveals identities of apostle-to-be and prophet-to-be, so that these young people can receive appropriate nurturing and mentoring.

I have mentioned in my earlier article that true end-time apostles must meet the following three criteria: 1. directly chosen by the Lord, 2. personally taught by the Lord, and 3. fully knowing the cost and still willing to take up the mantle of an apostle, with the correct motive of love of God and not love of fame or power. Judas Iscariot met the first two criteria but has failed the third. We cannot tell if a person meets the first two criteria through any human methods. We can only know for sure if and when God chooses to tell us through divine revelation.

The identity of the Lord's end-time apostles is a mystery of God.

mario@storm-harvest.asn.au

Rulers Rise and Fall At My Command

Stephen Hanson

The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. [37] He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. [38] Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. [39] He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. DA 11:36

"I AM at the base of the foundation of this world. When the Spirit was moving upon the waters I was there. In Me, all of creation was spoken of. Before the earth was formed I was there. Before the heavens were created, I was there. Before light was separated from the darkness, I was there. Before there was time, I was there. Before the stars, before the mountains and hills, before the oceans were created and their depths were measured, I was there. There was never a beginning, and there will be no end. "

"I breathed into man the breath of life, and I set eternity within him. But even as there is eternity set within the heart of man, there are times and seasons for him to live out his life. There is a clock set within the seasons. There is a clock set for the hills and the valleys. There is a clock set for the moon and the stars to shine. There is a clock set for a child to live out his days. There is a clock set for nations to rise and fall. There is a time set for rulers to rise and rulers to rule. There is a time set for them to live out their reign. "

"Even so, as there are these times that are set, there are rulers who will come to power that they often misuse their power. And I have said in my word that one would exalt himself far beyond what anyone has done it before. For the enemy has been scheming this for some time now. I will tell you something: The people of Israel looked for a king, and they found one who was a head taller than the others. But he was not the rightful king as many of you know. He was full of himself and he was full of corruption. So, even now, many have looked for a leader like this. One who would take them out of their present dangers. One who would help rebuild the present monetary system, and one who would know the strategies of war and of peace. But man cannot take you out of this present danger. Any leader, no matter how great he is, can do this. But know that this man, this ruler, will emerge. Remember that I have spoken about these things in my word. Even now, that man is "coming of age" to this. But you, my holy people, are to look to Me. Rulers rise and fall at my command. "

Stephen Hanson http://www.angelfire.com/in/HisTruth/prophetsite.html
words-from-the-father@theprophets.org

The Justice of His Love

Debbie Cossu

Justice and Righteousness, Stand side by side, as the decree of My love goes forth...

But let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24

The waters of My Love know no bounds.

I come with justice to procure that which has been decreed from the courts of heaven upon the earth, and into your hearts.

As these waters flow over the walls of self-protection, walls of prejudice, walls of pride erected through your own efforts.....they shall crumble before Me, and be washed away, as My waters wash over you to cleanse and refresh you.

These waters come not to destroy you, but to build you anew. Not to drown you, but to free you at last. Not to overwhelm you, but to cause you to over come that which has been erected by your own efforts, so you can behold Mine.

Righteousness stands beside Justice and will cause you to stand as well.

I am gathering a remnant that will walk in My ways without compromise. Holiness is still what I long to find in those who bear My name.

The waters have been falling over you in difficult and piercing ways through tears of injustice, tears of misunderstanding, tears of unrepentant hearts shed in the secret places only I can see.

Justice, understanding, and repentance are granted this day.

It is time for the stream I have forged, to begin to flow. This stream will be unlike any other, for it shall not just be a kaleidoscope of those coming from various waters already flowing, but shall contain fresh new life, coming to be a part who never swam before. There was no water to be found where they lived, until they finally were splashed with the waves of My love, flowing from you, as you moved once again beyond the walls, that no longer exist.

My waters, ALL the pools, streams, rivers, tributaries, lakes, seas, and oceans of life and love are coming together to become an ever-flowing roadway of righteousness the world has dared to be true.

Will you help answer the challenge and be a part of what the world needs now My love....

The waves of My love, that knows no bounds, are flowing this day, over you. Let them flow through you as well...

debbcossu@juno.com

All You Who Are Weary

Sandy Warner

My Beloved Wife, I have been wanting to tell you something for some time now. And yet I have been unable to reach you. It grieves Me to see you work so hard to produce. You work until you collapse, then come to Me to fix things. Oh how I want to be a part of your daily load, not merely at the beginning or ending of each day! I want to walk with you each step for when you divide the load in fellowship with Me, your part become light and easy. My grace is always sufficient.

This weariness that you are feeling is threefold. Part of it is because you feel that you must produce to win My favor, My approval. This is far from the truth, and you already know that in your mind, but you haven't internalized it. Let go of your striving and accept My unconditional love for you. Part of it is because the enemy is wearing down the saints for great darkness dwells in the world. And part of it is because I AM allowing your stress. For when you come to the end of yourself, you come to Me. And I want YOU. I am a jealous Husband and I want My wife.

There is a better way. If you would bring each responsibility to Me, I will help you streamline and simplify your life so that each day has a better balance. If you would give Me access, I can teach you how to delegate to others who have the skills and the heart to help you. I can spotlight the unnecessary things for you to let go. And I want to be a part of the process of that which remains. Then we can have fellowship in every part of your day. We will take one thing at a time and enjoy the process as duties unfold. My Presence is always close to those who would seek Me. My Presence is ready to bubble up within you, with the effervescence of many delights. A sudden burst of joy can lighten your load like no other.

And if you would but listen, I can speak to you through the parables of what you are doing with your eyes, your hands, your relationships, your duties. My Spirit will breathe upon a parable and you will suddenly know with pure delight that I AM the One Who silently stands with you and speaks in every thread of your life, if you would but listen. I delight in building bridges of communication with you, and delight as your eyes are opened to this wonderment! Your days will become "our" days and nothing will be the same again. For when your day is yoked with Me, it becomes light and easy and I will give you the pause and refreshing recreation for your longing soul.

Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand--and even more, besides. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. Mark 4:23-25 NLT

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matt 11:28-30 NKJV

Sandy Warner
swauthor@usa.net
www.thequickenedword.com

A New Level of Intercession

Lori Thomas

"You were birthed into a new level of intercession; a new level of authority in the Spirit. I have put others around you in answer to your cries for help and understanding. They will be with you on this journey. What you have received, you must give away.

You cry out for more words; more expressions of love. I will fill your mouth for you have cried out to Me. I have made you to be a mouthpiece to usher in this movement of My Spirit. I WILL fill your mouth and I WILL expand your heart. You ARE My mouthpiece.

As you pour yourself out, you will be filled again and again. Listen carefully and see what wonders and mysteries lie ahead for those in this special calling. Don't try to figure it out- only trust that I am your Father and I will serve to you warm bread for nourishment and the evil one I will restrain. Victory awaits and is calling you deeper and deeper into My love. I desire intimacy with you even more than you desire it with Me. I yearn for you more than you yearn for Me."

==============

I believe that what the Lord is saying through these and other words, is that He is calling us to greater intimacy with Him and that is where our victory lies. He is calling out intercessors who praise Him and worship Him in Spirit and truth. This is warfare. He desires to form holiness and strength in us. For those who feel a tug on your heart that there is something more, be assured that there is. The Father is doing a mighty work in His children and we need to pray for one another as we enter in to this dimension of higher levels of intimacy.

Prayerfully submitted by Lori Thomas
thomase@knology.net

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