... but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear. - 1 Pet 3:15
Nick Jackson
We are living in the time where Jesus is preparing us for His coming. We are in the process of "growing up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ" Ephesians 4:15. In growing up into "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" Ephesians 4:13, we must learn to rule as He rules. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt.28:18) and is "the ruler of the kings of the earth" Revelation 1:5. The church is "His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" Ephesians 1:23. It is time to manifest the fullness of His governmental authority in the earth, in the nations in which we dwell.
On a recent mission trip into the southern part of Australia we found many different members of the Body of Christ and were able to minister to them, building them up and helping to equip them further. There was a strong emphasis and anointing to release revelation of what the true church is and the authority we have as the Ecclesia [the Greek word for "church" which historically meant the governing body of citizens in a city-state region]. The Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah is rising in Australia and in every nation, to take her place as the ruling authority in those nations "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" Ephesians 3:10.
God is releasing revival in the land of Australia. There is a shift in the spiritual atmosphere of Australia. The momentum of the "the left-wing socially progressive" agenda, which is really a manifestation of the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah in promoting all uncleanness and homosexuality, is coming down and a new momentum of righteousness is arising. There is an awakening that is happening, at least to a remnant part of the Ecclesia in Australia, that we as the church have more authority than our Parliament! That as we are established on the Rock of revelation that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God" we are also given "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 16:15-19. Jesus came to build His church, which is His governing, ruling body of people who will express and establish the will of God on earth as it is in heaven (Matt.6:10, 16:19)!
The Revival is the true church arising in the authority of Jesus the Messiah as the government of God in the earth!
We all must beware that we do not settle for a gospel that tells us that God will just do everything and we can watch on the sidelines and see His glory manifest. We must be obedient to the faith of the gospel and walk in His plans. John saw Jesus on a white horse as One called "Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war...His name is called the Word of God" Revelation 19:11, 13. Jesus is fierce. He is judging and making war with the nations in righteousness. What is the weapon? The Word of God!
Then John saw "the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, following Him on white horses" Revelation 19:14. Who are these armies? Are they angels? No! John already saw a picture of the Bride, the Lamb's wife "arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" Revelation 19:8.
The army is the Bride, the church, the Ecclesia following the Word of God into the battle for the nations!
We are in a season of being revived for battle. This is not a time for the faint hearted! This army that is following the Word of God into battle, the One who is also called the "King of kings and Lord of Lords" (Rev.19:16), is the same army that is to face the great battle of the ages. "And I saw the beast, the kings of earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army" Revelation 19:19. We are in battle! The beast, anti-Christ government represented by the kings of the earth are making war against Messiah and His Bride, His army. We are in a battle brethren. The forces of the beast have been mustering. Islam and the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah have been looking to and succeeding in intimidating many nations and even His church.
It is time to receive revival and refreshing so that we will "be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" Ephesians 6:13.
Do not be afraid of this battle but take up the governmental authority of Messiah, which is the Word of God! "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence...These two were cast alive into the lake of fire...And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse" Revelation 19:20-21.
The sword is the Word! "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword" Hebrews 4:12. The sword comes out of the mouth of the Messiah "that with it He should strike the nations" Revelation 19:15. Jesus is the head and we are the body. He is "waiting till His enemies are made His footstool" Hebrews 10:13. It is through His body that His feet can rest on His enemies. It is time to rise up Ecclesia and be His army that speaks His word, striking the nations.
In the time of Nehemiah, the people of God were in a season of restoration, rebuilding and repair. The walls had been broken down and there were breaches in the wall of the city. There were places where the enemy could enter. Nehemiah's job was to fortify the city of God by repairing the wall and its breaches. At one time the enemy began to mock the work and asked the question "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish - stones that were burned? Nehemiah 4:2.
The answer to all these questions is YES! This is a prophetic picture of the Ecclesia, the people of God today. God is releasing His Spirit to fortify us "to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in our inner man" Ephesians 3:16. He is reviving the living stones that have been on the rubbish heap, the stones that were burned. We are finding that as we go through the nation of Australia there are many living stones, many believers, that God is raising up from the rubbish heap. Many of these stones have been burned by their "church" experience. God is gathering and reviving these living stones and they are "being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 2:5.
The living stones are being revived so that they can bear the likeness of the Living Stone Himself, Jesus the Messiah! Jesus is "the stone which the builders rejected which has become the Chief cornerstone" Psalm 118:22, 1 Peter 2:7. He is also the Stone which takes down kingdoms "And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" Daniel 2:35. This stone struck the image representing kingdoms of the earth and then it became a mountain! This is governmental authority!
How did the Stone become a mountain! Jesus said that "you are Peter [a stone] and upon this rock I will build My church" Matthew 16:18. Many living stones being built on the Rock, the Living Stone Himself, causes a great mountain to arise in the earth! Be revived living stones and arise to your destiny!
The living stones are used to take down kingdoms until "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever" Revelation 11:15.
The Messiah Jesus was also the Stone of which Isaiah prophesied saying "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation" Isaiah 28:16, 1 Peter 2:6. In the context this stone was laid in Zion in the midst of a people who said "For we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves" Isaiah 28:15. Zion is the place of God's government, God's throne (Ps.2:6). God lays His Stone in Zion in the midst of a people who are living under lies and falsehood.
We as living stones have also "come to Mt Zion" (Heb.12:22) and are in the midst of people and nations that are making lies their refuge. The prophetic word continues to say "the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding places" Isaiah 28:17. God is reviving the stones so that He can lay them in Zion, so that through them, lies are swept away and the rivers of living water flow from their bellies (Jn.7:38) overflowing every false hiding place! There is nowhere to hide when these living stones are revived and put in place to function!
It is time for the stones to be revived and release righteousness and justice into the nations (Is. 28:17).
It is time for revival. The word in Nehemiah 4:2 translated "revive" is the Hebrew word "chayah which means: to live (literally or figuratively); (causatively) to revive. It is translated in many ways such as:- live, preserve alive, quicken, revive, repair, restore.
It is the same word used in Habbakuk 2:4 "The just shall live by his faith". This is one of the cornerstone verses for the New Testament. When we truly live by faith in the Son of God we are constantly receiving life from the dead, revival.
In a vision by the Spirit of YAHWEH, Ezekiel was placed in a valley that was full of dry bones (Ez.37:1). Ezekiel surveyed the valley and noticed that the bones were "very dry" (Ez.37:2). God asked the question "Can these dry bones live?" Ezekiel 37:3. The word for "live" is the Hebrew "chayah". So can the dry bones be revived?
Later the Lord YAHWEH said to Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones saying, "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live[be revived]" (v.5). Again Ezekiel was told to prophesy saying, "Come from the four winds , O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live [be revived]" (v.9). Then Ezekiel saw the fulfilment of the prophecy, "So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived[were revived] and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army" (v.10). The revival is to bring forth an army! These bones experienced revival by the Word (prophecy, forming the body) and by the Spirit (the breath came into them). Revival is to form a body and be filled with the Spirit! Why? To bring forth an army!
How is this picture of revival relevant to us today? What or who are these dry bones? "Then He said to me, 'Son of Man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off'" Ezekiel 37:11. The bones are the whole house of Israel! It is all the people of God, those who are partake of "the commonwealth of Israel" Ephesians 2:12. It is the church, God's people, who are in need of reviving!
The dry bones are the members of the body that need to come into "the power of His resurrection" Philippians 3:10. These dry bones are His people being "raised up and made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:6. Revival is resurrection power released to be placed in the position of authority with Jesus.
Revival is an army of dry bones being raised in resurrection power and authority
God is raising His body, His Ecclesia, His government. It is a "chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" 1 Peter 2:9. It is a generation of kings and priests, a people anointed with a royal anointing, a kingly anointing! God is reviving us so that we can learn how to walk in His governmental authority in the nations in which we live.
We are seeing many encouraging signs in our nation as we as the Ecclesia are beginning to take seriously our responsibility to pray for "kings and all who are in authority" 1 Timothy 2:1-2. We are responsible for the spiritual atmosphere in our nation.