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The rise of the house of Elisha, part 8

If we step back for a moment and look at the long-term prophetic picture, we see that there was a 7½ year time of transition from “Saul” to “David” from May 30, 1993 to November 30, 2000. Once the “David” company had been fully empowered, we saw the rise of “Joseph” from 2000-2006. The “Joseph” work (pouring out the seven bowls of wine and water) was finished on October 7, 2006 at Babylon, NY.

Earlier, on March 15, 2006, we reached the 2,520^th anniversary of the completion of the second temple in the days of Haggai the prophet. In 1998 I did a series of teaching on Haggai, where I pointed out the importance of this anniversary date. I understood that Haggai’s prophecies of the glory of God were not to be fulfilled in that physical temple in Jerusalem but in the greater temple described by Paul in Ephesians 2:20-22.

The greater temple is made of living stones, and we are those stones. Hence, when we saw the sign of the cleansing of the temple on March 15, 2006 (in the story of Lori’s deliverance), we knew that the temple had been completed on a prophetic level. Immediately afterward, we received revelation that now God was constructing the vessels of the temple.

The prophetic vessels were various callings that God was raising up to minister to the world in the times of restoration. At the time, we did not know how long it would take to raise up these callings, but on October 31, 2007 we learned the nature of those ten callings and consecrated these vessels to God.

The Conflict and Separation

A month before this consecration of the temple vessels, at our Tabernacles conference in Hilo, Hawaii, we saw the prophetic birth of John/Elijah/Elisha on September 26, 2007. Something new was coming, and we soon discerned that we would have to wait a full year, according to the prophecy of Isaac’s birth in Genesis 17:21,

²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season [mo’ed, “appointed time”] next year.

The double witness of this promise came through the angels who were on their way to Sodom in Genesis 18:10 and 14. Yet the context of this revelation was the conflict between Hagar and Sarah, each of whom claimed that her son was the rightful inheritor. Ultimately, this revelation brought about a conflict of interest between the two mothers that was not resolved until the bondwoman was cast out (Genesis 21:10; Galatians 4:30).

Paul explains how Hagar and Sarah represent the two covenants and how their spiritual children promote the interests of their respective mothers. Paul makes it very clear that the earthly Jerusalem and its “children” are NOT the inheritors of the birthright, for salvation cannot come through the Old Covenant. Jerusalem, Paul says, is Mount Sinai in Arabia (Galatians 4:25), while “the Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:26) is Sarah, the New Covenant.

Before “Isaac” can be fully consecrated and empowered with the birthright, the conflict must be resolved in the Divine Court. There must be a separation between Old Covenant believers and New Covenant believers. Paul spoke primarily of the conflict between the temple in Jerusalem and the greater temple (Ephesians 2:20-22) that is the church.

However, we also see from Paul’s letters that the church itself was divided between the Judaizers and the adherents of Paul’s New Covenant doctrines. Hence, it is clear that two classes of Christians were emerging. The New Covenant believers were called to leave the “camp” of Jerusalem, following Christ’s lead, bearing His reproach, for He was crucified “outside the camp.” Hebrews 13:12-14 says,

¹² Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify [“separate for divine service”] the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. ¹⁴ For here [Jerusalem] we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

The author was referring to the “city” and “country” that Abraham sought (Hebrews 11:8-10, 14, 16). That country was not the land of Canaan, for if it were, the exiled Israelites “would have had opportunity to return” (Hebrews 11:15). A physical land is accessible to exiles who might want to return (“Zionism”). But God had a different plan, a better plan, “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16) and “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

The conflicting claims of Hagar and Sarah were largely resolved through war in the first and second century, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem (70 A.D.) and again conquered it in 135 A.D. The issue, however, was not fully resolved, and it all came back to the surface through Darby and Scofield in the late 1800’s. These men were advocates of Hagar-Jerusalem, claiming that Old Covenant Jews were God’s chosen people—purely on the grounds of genealogy or race.

This prepared the way for political Zionism, wherein these Old Covenant children of Hagar found opportunity to return to the old land. They did not have the same vision of a “better country” or of the city whose builder is God Himself.

With the support of Christian Zionism, Hagar has once again laid claim to the birthright and has established the earthly Jerusalem as its capital city. That which Paul fought against in his letters against the Judaizers has again emerged at the end of the age, ensuring another crisis in which Hagar and her son must again be cast out.

Meanwhile, God has been separating His people into two groups: New Covenant believers and Old Covenant believers. The majority of the church today claim to be of the New Covenant, but many of their beliefs and practices are rooted in the Old Covenant. Many support Zionism and the “right” of the Jews to inherit the old land. They believe that the Jews will rule the earth in the age to come. Some even believe that the Jews are saved by the Old Covenant, while non-Jews are saved by the New Covenant.

If Paul were alive today, he would be as hated and rejected by the church as he was by the Judaizers in the first century.

Furthermore, much of the church has a long tradition of Old Covenant salvation, because they have not learned the essential difference between the two covenants. The Old Covenant is based on man’s vow to God; the New Covenant is based on God’s vow or promise to man.

Old Covenant “faith” says that I am saved because I, by my own will, have made my vow/decision to follow Jesus. Old Covenant “faith” is therefore misplaced, for it believes that God will help me fulfill my Old Covenant vow. New Covenant faith says that I am saved because I believe the promise of God and am confident that God is able to do what He has promised (Romans 4:21, 22). Such faith is in God, not in man with God’s help.

Biblical faith always has an object of faith. We either have faith in ourselves or in God. John 1:13 tells us that we were begotten by God, “not of bloodline, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Our faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), so we are unable to hear unless God first speaks. He is the Initiator of our faith; we simply respond if we are called.

Separating Barley from Wheat

Meanwhile, God has planted “barley” in a field separate from the “wheat” field. This was a revelation to me as early as May 1985. In 1991 I learned how barley, wheat, and grapes represent different companies of people. There were the barley overcomers, the wheat church, and the grape world. It was this revelation that inspired me to write Creation’s Jubilee.

God works with the overcomers and the Church in different ways. When barley is harvested, it is winnowed. When wheat is harvested, it is threshed. When grapes are harvested, they are trodden under foot. Each field is treated differently, according to the work it takes to remove the chaff or flesh.

The judgments of God come by means of the Holy Spirit. In the case of the barley, it only takes “wind” to remove the chaff. In the case of wheat, it takes more effort. The Latin word for threshing floor is tribulum, where we get the word “tribulation.” But either way, the purpose of tribulation is to extract the life (seed) that is hidden beneath the chaff. He will do what it takes to accomplish this good purpose.

The purpose of treading the grapes is to extract the new wine for God's communion table. Without it, God's communion would be pretty dry. Though grapes require the most intense form of judgment, the divine purpose is to bring these non-believers to a place of faith and life as well. When the plan is completed, His glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

The Final Obstacle

In Mark 9:11, 12 we read that Elijah was to come and “restore all things.” After the revelation in 2007 about the birth of Elijah/Elisha, we expected to see the Elisha ministry begin at the feast of Tabernacles in 2008. We did not know that there was yet another obstacle that had to be addressed and overcome before this could happen.

This obstacle appears to be the legal reason why the Elijah/Elisha calling was delayed a year. This restoration could not occur until something was done to address the injustice of the “Trail of Tears” that had occurred from 1830-1850. At that time, the US government had relocated the Cherokees to Oklahoma, and many had died along the way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears

The government headquarters for this operation was set up near Sweetwater, TN. We learned this when James Bruggeman was led to hold the 2008 Tabernacles conference at a hotel in Sweetwater.