After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Revelation 4:1-3.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Have you ever watched a pigeon climb up a few stairs to a higher place where there are crumbs? His stride is not wide enough to step up the stair that he wants to climb, so to go up each step he just opens his wings and lets the air current lift him up to the step, and he will do that for each step until he reaches the top.
But then have you noticed to come down again to the ground level, he does not need to use his wings, he just comes to the edge of the step and hops down.
What do you know what I am showing you in the Spirit?
In his exile on Patmos, John could have stayed in fear and depression just looking into the cave and the sparsely vegetated island, but what did he do? What he was used to doing since Pentecost Sunday. “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” Revelation 1:9-11.
He was praying in the Spirit.
And when he turned to see who was speaking behind him, there, standing among seven golden lampstands was My risen Son in all His glory and out of His mouth was coming a two edged Sword. Revelation 1:12-16. The two mouthed Sword (diastomos in Greek) of the Spirit. Two witnesses My Words in your mouth. I am one witness you are the other. Jesus is the faithful witness.
When I give you My armor I tell you to take up the Sword of the Spirit, which in My Word, how do you do that? Paying at all times in the Spirit. Ephesian 6:18. Tongues.
Then there on Patmos to John, Jesus delivered a Word by the Spirit for each of the seven churches of that day. After these messages were delivered to John in the Spirit, John looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which he had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with him, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately he was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne with a rainbow around the throne. Revelation 4:1-3.
The wings of the Spirit had lifted him up to a whole new level.
Do you see now about the pigeon? To ascend up higher, to a new level above, he needed his wings, but to go down to the ground, the level of the flesh, he needed no wings. He could hop down there on his own.
To come up higher takes the wings of the Spirit, to go down just takes your flesh efforts. The wide road to destruction is easier at the moment. To go up higher, you must walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, which is the narrow road. Not by human power and might, but by My Spirit.
Those who wait on Me will soar with eagle’s wings.
Before he heard messages by the Spirit to churches and nations after that went even higher to see visions of the things to come, John had to enter into the spirit. The flesh cannot go there. It cannot bear it until you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus told that to His disciples before the fullness of Pentecost had come.
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:12-13.
Walk in the Spirit (upward call, upward ascent in faith) and not by the flesh (downward jump, takes no faith).
For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the unbelievers, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 1 Peter 4:3-4.
You have a purpose, a mission to fulfill. It is time to leave the old manner of life of the flesh, filled with distractions that trip you up; and to go forward with My plan for your life.
The path of life I put you on is a pathway of ascents. It only goes higher as you aspire to set your mind above where you are seated in the Spirit with Jesus at My right hand and capture the vision. And when you capture the vision I show you in prayer in the Spirit you must put it to work to bring about My plan in the earth.
To go forward you must capture the vision that I am revealing to you and you will not be able to do that if you just remain in the flesh all day operating in the concerns of worldly things and never going apart to listen to Me.
Think of when I gave the vision of the tabernacle in the wilderness to Moses in the cloud of My presence on Mt. Sinai. This was revelation and impartation and it had nothing to do with the flesh. Moses was not distracted there in My glory. He was focused and never even noticed that he did not eat or drink for forty days and nights as he was caught up in the Spirit that was on him.
What did he do to capture the vision? He wrote it down.
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, and how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time.” Habakkuk 2:1-3.
And the provision is in the plan. I had planned since I first told Abraham of the four hundred year slavery of his descendants in Egypt that when I redeemed them to take them to the land I had promised to give his descendants I would bring them out very wealthy with great possessions. Genesis 15:13-16. And I told that to Moses too when I spoke with him from the burning bush on Sinai when he first heard My voice. Exodus 3:20-22.
The provision was in the plan. And so it is with the plans I have for you that are all prepared in advance. The provision comes with the vision to bring it to pass.
And you will see the same over and over. David’s vision and plan that he wrote down for his son Solomon to build Me a magnificent house I had already funded by the treasures of the conquered nations I poured into the treasuries of Israel, David and his mighty men. And they, like the Israelites I redeemed out of Egypt, donated from what I had given them back to Me for the building of the plan.
And when Joash had the vision to repair and restore the temple, the people came and filled the treasuries with the tithes they had not paid for years while they worshipped the Baals and idols even in My house under the prior rulers and there turned out to be more than enough for the work. 2 Chronicles 24:4-14.
And that was what happened in building the plan of My tabernacle in the wilderness. Moses finally had to stop the people from giving more for there was more than enough to take care of all the magnificent plan. I do not impoverish you with the plan. I add to you more besides.
And consider when I returned the captives back from their exile that begun in Babylon back to Jerusalem by order of Cyrus the king of Persia, he even sent them off with treasures and funds to rebuild My house in Jerusalem that had been burnt to the ground. And I told the discouraged people,
“Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing n comparison? But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:3-4.
And how was this going to happen. By My Spirit.
“As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!”Haggai 2:5.
Not by flesh figuring it out but by My Spirit. By faith. You can purchase anything by faith, now matter how high the cost if it is in My plan.
For thus says the LORD of hosts, “Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the LORD of hosts. “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,” declares the LORD of hosts “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,” says the LORD of hosts, “and in this place I will give peace,” declares the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:6-9.
And once in the Spirit you have captured the vision and written it down as a plan, you start to gather the provision as I send you the skilled workers and experts you need to build the plan. I sent Moses those that My Spirit filled with the skills necessary to do the intricate craftmanship that was needed to furnish and build the tabernacle in which I traveled among them.
I gave Solomon experts in cutting stone, timber, doing embroidery, and craftsman in works of bronze, silver and gold.
I sent skilled masons, bronze workers, and builders to Joash that were diligent and honest, trustworthy to handle the funds. 2 Chronicles 24:12-14.
But now I would like to turn to the vision captured by Nehemiah and how he had to instruct his fellow people of Judah who had returned from exile at the king’s decree, how to build to protect the project from the threats of their enemies who wanted to stop the project and tear it down.
And that is what Satan will try to do with your vision and plan. He will try to stop it by intimidating you, discouraging you, and making you lose heart and back off. And he does this by what seems to be not enough finances, failures, seeing the vision tarry, fear, doubting the vision, persecution, and exhaustion.
But take courage and work, for I am with you. And I am the LORD of hosts. The angelic armies know how to shake the nations and bring in provision as I direct. And I send them on fiery chariots to surround and protect you, just as Elisha saw earlier when the enemy army came to take him captive. And I send them to strengthen and encourage you as I did for Elijah as he ran from Jezebel, and thus from his high calling.
Nehemiah was one of the exiles of Judah taken to Babylon. Seventy years later, right at the time Jeremiah had foretold by My Spirit. I began returning the captives to Zion and giving the funds to rebuild the temple. But Nehemiah had a vision he had captured in his heart to rebuild the wonderful walls and gates of My city Jerusalem. It grieved his heart that the walls lay in ruins burned and destroyed by the enemy.
He begun to pray the vision and ask Me for favor with the king of Persia, to whom he was the cupbearer. And I opened the way for him to present his plea and to his joy, the king granted it and gave him the permission, the timber, and funds to go. And the people of Judah who had returned from exile had a heart to work. And so the vision began to be built.
But the enemies of Jerusalem in the nation round about tried to stop the word and intimidate those on the project with threats and distractions. But Nehemiah would not back down or quit the work to negotiate with them.
He had the people work with building materials in one hand and their sword in the other ready to stop the enemy should he attack. And they stationed those with trumpets to sound the alarm should the enemy come near. And they even slept with their clothes on, ready to jump up and take down the enemy should be come to tear their work down.
Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a sword. As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built . . . So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his sword even to the water. Nehemiah 4:17-18, 23.
And this all applies to your life. You must be sober and alert for the devil knows his time is short and his rage is furious. He is trying to tear down the work of the Kingdom and you should not be unaware of his tactics. You should keep on My full armor that I give you. At all times you must have your shield of faith up and have the Sword of the Spirit in the hand of your tongue. Like I showed John on the Island of Patmos in his vision of Jesus. There was a sharp two-edged sword coming out of His mouth to take down Satan and all his followers. Revelation 19:15, 21.
Death and life are in the hand of your tongue. Be ready to speak the truth to cast down and take captive every lie, threat, imagination, and intimidation of the evil one. Be alert and NEVER put down you guard. Keep you Sword ready in your mouth to speak only My Words and the second witness who will establish it in the world. I have put My Words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of My hand to plant the Kingdom and establish it in the earth.
To go up higher you must be in the Spirit and I tell you how to do that.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God through all prayer and petition, praying at all times in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17-18.
Build yourself up in your most holy faith and keep yourself in My love by praying in the Spirit at all times. As you pray in tongues I lift you up and reveal mysteries to you for your edification. It takes you up higher.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21.
When you are praying in tongues you will not sin. You will not use abusive words to others. You will not gossip and you will not think on harmful, impure things. It is perfect protection. And it will bubble up joy and the anointing of joy into your spirit and that will go out to every part of your being. Rivers of living water. And the devil cannot discern what you are saying. Do you pray in tongues? You can, I have given you your own prayer language in the spirit. And those who pray in tongues never get Alzheimer’s disease or bitter roots. Selah.
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourself and one another in psalms and hymns and songs of the spirit, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. Ephesians 5:19-20.
And once the projects were done of Moses, Solomon, Nehemiah, and so many others up to this day, what did they do? They had a solemn celebration and consecrated their work to Me. And My glory filled the house so that all that could be seen was the glorious cloud of My presence.
And now you are My temple, My house, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. So fill your heart with glory right where you are this very moment. You will spend days of glory no matter where you are. Just take up the Sword of the Spirit, praying in the Spirit at all times. I have visions for you to capture and complete. Let Me give you the plans, the provision in the plan, and the skills and skilled brethren you need to complete it. Then consecrate and celebrate and souls will be saved, Kingdom business done, and My glory shall cover the land as the waters cover the sea. And the rivers will be pouring out of you. John 7:37-39.
I love you. Come up higher. That is where the freedom of My children is so gloriously celebrated.