I will speak prophetic things.
Many leaders and churches waited for the old ministry format to return. They waited for the virus to be over. Others began to believe in conspiracy and other theories. Because something has to be done with revelations about stadium revivals. But the world has changed, and now such prophecies are farther and farther from reality.
Jesus “wasn’t sick” with the millions. He looked for disciples, made them real people of God and sent them into this world not to get crowds, and not even in order to make a revival. He sent them to manifest the Kingdom of God, to demonstrate it and live in it. This is a much more difficult mission than “turning on” the gifts of administration.
We touched Thomas Aquinas in our Mantle school. He “married” philosophy and theology, Aristotle and Augustine. Many people lift it up today – that reason is finally justified, and science has “made friends” with the Bible. But there are bad things about it too, because we have lost our simplicity in Christ. It is so difficult for us to receive heavenly walk with the construction of Aristotle! Something has been lost. I think this is still a subject for the prophets to study. Much harm was made when the reason was placed above the Spirit. We reflected whether Thomas was a man of God, or there are things that lead away from simplicity in Christ and should not be accepted.
Today I want to declare that this is a transitional period, a transitional season.
Today we are in this intermediate period. This must be known by the prophets who are awake today. When you are in an intermediate period, you have to understand that you need to endure this period. A pregnant woman understands that her condition is just an intermediate period, it will not last forever. There are things that people go through, and they behave according to what they understand about what is happening.
The planet is in an intermediate period today. I will talk about this using the example of Abraham.
“Then the Lord appeared to him at the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said: “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant; please, let a little water be brought, and wash your feet; and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread that you may refresh your hearts. After that You may pass by inasmuch as You have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said to he: “Quickly make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf, which he had prepared, and set it before them, and he himself stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Then they said to him: “Where is Sarah your wife?”
So he said: “Here, in the tent.”
And He said: “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
Sarah was listening in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age, and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Sarah laughed within herself, saying: “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
And the Lord said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh saying: “Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?” Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
But Sarah denied it saying: “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.”(Genesis 18: 1-16)
I still don’t understand the character of Sarah, who did everything right, set the table, prepared the food, but laughed. When the Lord asked why she laughed, Sarah denied out of fear.
Three things I want to speak on.
First. The three men rose and from there went to Sodom. Abraham went with them. And the Lord said: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing! ” (Genesis 18:17)
Look, Abraham went to send them on. I ask: how far did he go? Think, there are mountains and desert. I think he went good way to send them on the way. Not just to the tent door.
It is very important to say farewell to the old season in the right way. Don’t cut it off. This is a prophetic mystical experience.
Abraham went with them! Maybe ravines, wild animals, robbers were ahead on their way, he had to help them to avoid places of danger, or maybe it was just a desire to be with them, to be with them as long as possible, to stay with the Lord.
We have to send the old season on its way today. We have to say goodbye to the previous season. Not getting nostalgic, but let it go.
But they all can’t let go of the old. They all need revivals with stadiums. They need concert halls full of people. They themselves got to believe things they had promised. And now they are “praying” it through, smoke rising to heaven.
Say goodbye to the past in the right way. Let it go.
And what happened then? The Angels walked and then couldn’t any more. They waited to see Abraham stop. Until the Lord said to him: “Shall I hide anything from you” … That is, Abraham went so far with Him that the Lord was contrite in His heart.
Can you imagine how far you can go? We are sometimes too fast to interrupt the process. We break up prayer, we break off relationships, we cut off life-giving veins and channels not having waited. Abraham simply walked. He received the answer.
Second thing. “And the men turned from there and went to Sodom; But Abraham was still stood before the Lord”(Genesis 18:22) Abraham wouldn’t let Him go. He continued to stand before God. They already left, they said everything, said goodbye, but he is standing! What is he waiting for?
And then he saw God’s attention! He felt it.
“And Abraham came near and said:“ Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked and it would be the same with the righteous as with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18: 23-25)
Abraham “grabbed hold”, and there it began … This is how we should pray, this is how we should hold on to God! “Would You destroy?” The Lord could not refuse him. First, He said, “Shall I hide,” and then – “Shall I refuse?” The bargain went on and reached down to ten.
Many of us gave up too early. This was the intermediate period. When nothing happens. It was in this intermediate period that everything happened.
Many churches are now in this intermediate period. They are waiting for the former thing, but it will never return. It will get worse. Bowls of wrath and rage are being filled. Judgments are coming. Read the Scriptures. Think what awaits the earth, get ready! Be ready to endure sorrow and suffering – this is the glory of God, to shine in prison bonds, it’s not about having political freedom.
I was asked by Western believers how to pray for North Korea. I replied that North Korean believers never ask to pray for their freedom. I am very concerned if the Gospel comes there from the West, where everything is built on selfishness, where God serves you, but you don’t serve Him. It won’t do good if the Western blessing “floods” into North Korea. The church in North Korea is pure, and this is the most important thing.
In this intermediate period Abraham continued to stand. Many gave up too early, many didn’t make it to their “golden hour”, to this moment of eternity.
God departed from Abraham, but remained with him, because Abraham was holding the tension of this transitional period.
Hold the tension of faith! Don’t expect changes to come upon you and make your life easier! Continue to stand before Him! Hold the tension of faith! Don’t relax in this hour! Don’t faint in faith at this hour! This hour is very important, it is a destiny carrying hour! When you can’t relax, but on the opposite! Stop watching others how they relax and acting as if nothing had happened! They’ve lost half the church, but they act like nothing happened! Keep the tension of faith!
Today is the transitional period of the Church. But the Church must fierily stand to the end, until God speaks to her in a new way and equips her for the new season!
Third. The result was God’s response. Abraham spoke already into nowhere. He fed, said goodbye, but he continues to stand. God answers him. “Abraham said: Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: suppose ten should be found there? And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way, as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place” (Genesis 18: 32-33)
Abraham knew when to leave and when to return. He knew when to follow, when to wait, and when to back off. This skill of the martial arts of the Spirit is the ability to stop prayer in the right time, to hold the tension of the fast, and to stop “hitting the air” when it’s vain.
Abraham knew things, he was an experienced warrior. Then Abraham returned. He understood, that’s it , it was the limit, further on it would be an empty sound. Abraham understood it and returned to his place. God responded to Abraham’s patience and wisdom. Abraham received a response of mercy. He answered Abraham.
There have also been examples of transitional periods in the Church history.
The first church went through a period of persecution of the Apostles and came to the mission. Here she is rejoicing, here she is baptizing five thousand, here are three thousand baptized – can you imagine – all Jerusalem “walks with a shake”, Jesus is Risen, the Apostles preach, the whole city hears, the priests are silent, the Romans are stunned, meetings crowded, singing, believers have favor with all the people – some kind of fairy tale has begun! And then powerful persecutions crush, and the Church goes through them.
She is experiencing persecution for the first time. Stephen is a martyr, they cut off Jacob’s head … Imagine – the Church transfers into seriousness. The Church is going through this transition period and is becoming mature.
We must pass this period. We have to go through it. Go through what is happening on the planet right now. We must overcome this – this transitional period for the Church!
It won’t always be this way. This is a temporary period, and we must go through it in victory! These are such global things!
David could remain in the Mantle of the King after his anointing in Hebron. He was anointed in Hebron at the age of 30. But he was still fleeing from his enemies, had not yet come to Jerusalem as king, but was already one. It was a transitional period – he was already king, but he did not rule yet.
Many today are like that – you are already blessed and anointed, but you have not yet entered into the fullness of blessing, as the Lord said to Abraham: “Surely blessing, I will bless you.” He surely blessing He blessed, after Abraham had laid Isaac. David was in a transitional period, and he went through it with dignity. There was a big river in his life, and he waded through it.
Paul was able to overcome the hostility of churches when he was not allowed in, due to his past.
Some of you have a past – it defiled you, it hits you on the inside, on the outside, people reproach you, they watch you, they don’t want to forget this, people are cruel. Don’t give way to this. Because if God has forgiven – receive forgiveness, walk in the freedom of Christ. Don’t let people talk, sometimes you even have to shut their mouths.
Paul being young Saul was able to overcome the hostility of the churches and reached his Apostleship freely, but through persecution. Many churches didn’t accept him, they said that “his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible”, apparently, he didn’t speak so charismatically. But Paul entered into Apostleship full way.
The church in its history also had to handle periods of crisis: the division of the church into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, confessional innovations began, new accents, heresies, doctrines began; wars in the world broke the church; scientific and technical achievements; the age of the Internet; shifts in arts, Reformation; the dawn of humanism; geographical discoveries; political processes – all these shifts influenced the Church, they pressed and crushed her like an olive. But the Church went through all this. We are with you in the Church today because the Church overcame. The Church overcame this world!
We must overcome what is happening in this world now. We have to go through it all! “Abraham continued to stand before the Lord”! This is the position! Today I stand before you and say: “Hold! Don’t run after sweets, promises that weaken and corrupt us! Stand in the Lord! Stand in His Commandments! Stand in His Truth!
You will go through it all, this is more important than awakening tales! Awakening is the result of standing in the Lord, not a lucky lottery ticket!
Why does God give a transitional period to man? – To give a chance to be restored in grace.
In Joel it is written about an army that is moving, about a huge army that is moving. This is a generation that will move in the judgments of God. This is solid food. This is a generation that will participate in the judgments. It will be part of the judgments of God. You know that the executioner Angel is God’s Angel. You know that the destroyer Angel who was striking Egypt wasn’t a demon, it was an Angel of God.
The one who put God’s mark on the forehead of those who sigh and cry, and other, those executioners, were the Angels of God. The bowls of God’s wrath are poured out by the Angels of God, not the devil. There are powers of God that participate in His judgments. And this is from God.
The generation described in Joel is walking in the judgments of God. The Lord says to these weak, who stand on the periphery: “But even now the Lord says: “Turn to Me with all your heart with fasting, with weeping and with mourning”. So rend your heart, and not your garments, return to the Lord your God; for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him – a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? ” (Joel 2:12-14).
We are in a transition period. God gives the grace of restoration. Turn your hearts. Get restored. Don’t play with these things. Take urgency to restore. If you have stopped serving, stopped loving Him, stopped walking before Him, stopped being useful for the church, – come to your senses: you are not living in the will of God, you have invented your own God, He seems to be with you, you seem to believe, but this is not according to the Word. According to the Word of God, it is to be in the Body of Christ, it is to be members of the Body, when God’s grace is transmitted, when you participate in the Lord’s Supper, when your brothers and sisters are your family of God, with this community you go to heaven.
Therefore, this transitional period today is also for those who hesitate. Remember, “Abraham still stood before the Lord.” Stop! Now it is a transitional period on our planet. This will not continue forever the way it is now. People come and go, authorities change, one replaces another, but we need to hurry to prepare the generation, and in this transitional period don’t sit back and wait for better times, but continue to serve even harder.
Wisdom will help us in this. Spirit of wisdom and revelation. As Scripture says: “The wise shall be made white and will do exploits.”
In these sorrows, let the wise be made white and do exploits! Amen.