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Questions & Answers How do you recognize your gifts? (Part 2) First posted: September 12, 2006
This is a continuation of the word on spiritual gifts posted earlier...
Answer As we studied before, the quest to discover the spiritual gifts in us starts as we ask questions. These questions are an expression of our inconformity with our present spiritual condition. As we longingly launch those questions towards the Lord, they begin to travel at "the speed of sound" across the spiritual atmosphere. When the Lord God hears those questions and replies in His loving mercy, the ultra-sound of His voice takes us across the "sound barrier", and we begin to discover new spiritual things in God.
Those who are comfortable with spiritual dependence on men will not ask questions. Why ask questions when someone else will do the spiritual work for you? Why travail in your spirit to hear the voice of God when all you have to do is wait for Moses to come down from the mountaintop every Sunday to give you his weekly report on what God is saying "up there" (Deuteronomy 5:22-27)? As we studied before, those who depend on "Moses" (i.e.- those who prefer the "body of Moses" over the "body of Christ") become worshippers of idols, even if they are not bowing before a literal statue or singing to some "ancient pagan god" at church. Why? Because they are worshipping a static "God"; they know this limited "God" so well that they don't need to ask Him any more questions. They worship a reduced image of God, an image plastered in the "Moses" whom they follow. Their understanding of God is limited to the understanding that "Moses" has of Him. If "Moses" stops in his spiritual progress, they stop. If "Moses" moves forward, they may move forward, but only as much as is comfortable to them. Anything that challenges their spiritual conformity will inevitably be hidden under their "moronic rug". They prefer a "silent God", a God who does not confront them, who does not challenge them to break across the sound and light barriers. Such idol worshippers will never discern the spiritual potential --- the pneumatikos --- hidden in them and in others.
From all of the above, it becomes evident that the discovery of one's hidden pneumatikos is, for the most part, a lonely quest. You must be willing to heed God's red-horse shout and leave the static-idol structures of Cain in order to go to the lonely wilderness outside. There, in the wilderness of prophetic impartation, you will be exposed to the "black horse of independence", and you will learn to "produce" prophetic oil and evangelistic wine on your own. As this happens, you will become a "grace producer" rather than a mere "grace consumer". In Greek, one of the words for "gift" is charisma, which is derived from the word charis, meaning "grace". Therefore, as you become a "grace producer", the charisma gifts in you will abound and become manifest before all. The "spiritual" (i.e.- pneumatikos) side of you will become evident, and you will begin to operate above the mundane sphere of the natural, in the "supernatural" sphere, in the "supersonic" realm that lies beyond the sound barrier. As you do, you will send shock waves across the natural realm, waves that will shock the tradition-abiding Cain that you left behind the sound barrier.
For a reason that was beyond my natural understanding, the Lord dropped the phrase "Apollo 11" into my heart as I was typing the paragraphs above. I then felt compelled to read about "Apollo 11", and I was shocked to realize how spiritually related it is to all of the above. Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the moon, and it allowed man to literally walk in a world different than planet Earth. Apollo 11, therefore, is a figure of man escaping the limitations of earthliness in order to walk in a new realm.
According to wikipedia.org, Apollo 11 was the 5th manned spaceflight of the Apollo program. The number "5" speaks of "ministerial grace"; therefore, the Apollo 11 is a figure of the manifestation of "ministerial grace" in us. The Apollo 11 was propelled into space by a 3-stage Saturn V rocket. The "V" in "Saturn V" is the Roman numeral for "5", which once again points to "ministerial grace". The "Saturn V" itself did not make it to the moon, but it propelled the Apollo 11 out of the Earth's atmosphere and onto space. After that, the Apollo 11 had to make it to the moon "on its own". This is a figure of how ministerial grace is supposed to work (in God's paradigms). When God endows you with ministerial grace ("5"), you are to act as a Saturn "5" that propels your brethren out of the natural realm's (i.e.- the "Earth's") gravitational pull. Once you reach space, you must act like the Saturn "5" and "step aside" so that your brethren may produce propulsion on their own. This is when your brethren turn into self-propelling "Apollo 11s". As we said above, the Apollo 11 was the 5th manned spaceflight of the Apollo program, which is a figure of man being endowed with ministerial grace ("5") of his own.
The above also correlates with the red and black horses of the Apocalypse. As a grace-endowed "Saturn 5", you act as a "shouting" red horse that propels your brethren out of the boundaries of natural man, calling them out into the lonely wilderness of "outer space". Once you are there, there is no earthly structure you can fall back on. Your only covering becomes God Himself, and you are compelled to produce "propulsion" (i.e.- ministerial grace) "on your own", independently of any human agent. That is when you enter into the fullness of the independent black-horse anointing.
Black propulsion onto the moon After Apollo 11 detached itself from Saturn 5, it was propelled towards the moon by a module named the "Command Module". Therefore, the "Command Module" is a figure of the "self-induced" black-horse propulsion that no longer depends on the external push of "Saturn-5 ministers". As you are propelled by the "Command Module", you begin to operate in the fullness of the black-horse anointing. As we have said before, black-horse riders are apostle-prophets "hidden" in the blackness of "outer space", launching invisible judgments against the earthly structures they left behind.
As the Command Module pushed on towards the moon, its only "attachment" to Earth were the invisible radio signals it transmitted back to Earth from outer space. It had already surrendered its last visible attachment to the Earth, the Saturn 5, which had taken it to space from Earth. Therefore, Apollo 11's invisible radio signals after its detachment from Saturn 5 were evidence that Apollo 11 was surviving on its own, and are a figure of the spiritual indictment launched by black-horse riders in the wilderness to the cowardly Church they left behind. By surviving on their own and thriving spiritually, God's black-horse riders in a sense act as condemnation for the believers who chose not to let go of Cain because they believed that they would not be able to survive spiritually without a visible, earthly covering. In short, the radio signals sent by Apollo 11 were black radio waves of condemnation against those who chose to stay with earthly Cain.
The Command Module's invisible radio signals were being launched from the emptiness of outer space. Therefore, they are a figure of how God's black-horse judgments release "impartations of emptiness and scarcity" to the Church they left behind. The remnant's black radio waves act as a red river of fire that devours everything temporal in its path.
Green-horse landing and return As you journey in the loneliness of "outer space" under the black-horse anointing, the time comes when you must enter into the fullness of the "green-horse" stage. This correlates with Apollo 11's landing on the moon. As we have said before, the green horse is spiritually related to the "eagle". Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Lunar Module that landed on the moon was nicknamed "Eagle". Prior to Apollo 11, two other manned missions had already orbited the moon (according to wikipedia.org). However, Apollo 11 was taking a risk that the other missions had not taken before: landing on the lunar surface. This correlates with crossing the river Jordan as you utterly die to yourself. In a spiritual sense, landing on the moon and returning safely to Earth represented the "Promised Land". Other missions had seen the Promised Land, the "Promised Land" prophesied by JFK in May 1961, but Apollo 11 would be the first mission to actually reach it.
To reach the Promised Land, you must have a sense of "utter abandonment". You must be willing to take the "quantum leap of light" and act as a "crazy fractal believer" who is willing to die in green-horse sacrifice so that the purpose of God may be fulfilled in others. When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, he did not see it as a personal achievement, but rather as an achievement for the sake of others. This is the reason for his famous phrase, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". This illustrates how the "apparently insignificant" sacrifice of one human being can release life for countless others.
When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, Aldrin said, "Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation". Therefore, the moon was a figure of the desolation and emptiness of Sheol. In that sense, landing on the moon is a figure of green-horse believers dying and going to Sheol. Once a believer lands in the desolation of the "moon", he or she has no one to hope in but God Himself, for He is the only one capable of releasing us from the grips of Sheol. No "minister" or human "institution" can redeem us from the grips of green-horse death.
"8I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalm 16:8-11)[The word "hell" in verse 10 was translated from the Hebrew word "Sheol"]
"6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) 9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." (Psalm 49:6-9) [The phrase "ceaseth for ever" in verse 9 was translated from the Hebrew words chadal meaning "to stop, cease, desist" and olam meaning "everlasting, eternal". In other words, the redemption of a soul requires "desisting eternally". This points to a green-horse surrender that completely desists from any human means and is willing to die and rest in the eternal ways of God.]
"6O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalm 42:6-11)
Therefore, Apollo 11's safe return to Earth from their lunar landing is a figure of God's green-horse riders resurrecting from Death and Sheol. Those who return from Sheol come back with a new, resurrection nature that is no longer bound by the limitations of time and space, because it operates in the eternal light-nature of God.
As we have said before, in Scripture, the "moon" is often a figure of the "soul", and "setting your foot down on something" is a figure of "conquest". Therefore, when Armstrong and Aldrin (the 2-witness A-Team) set their foot down on the moon, it was a figure of God's green-horse riders conquering the soul matriarchy through their sacrifice. As we have said before, the green horse comes to uncompromisingly obliterate the dominion of the soul so that God's Spirit (pneuma) nature may shine forth in full force.
Interestingly enough, the word "Saturn" in "Saturn 5" refers to a god in Roman mythology that was considered the Roman equivalent of the Greek mythological god "Cronus" (spelled "kronos" in Greek). As we have said before, legends and myths are often distortions of realities in the spirit realm. Therefore, when one reads many of these mythological stories, one often finds spiritual realities that are embedded in them. This is the reason why these mythological gods and legends had such a lasting impact on the people who believed in them. In a sense, they were a reflection of (distorted) realities which people's subconscious somehow perceived as true. These myths and legends resonated with people because they did contain spiritual realities. Obviously, these legends were then used by satan to distort people's understanding and behavior, guiding them towards ungodliness and unrighteousness. Even so, the spiritual realities in many of these myths and legends still stand.
According to wikipedia.org, Greek mythology says that "Cronus" devoured his own children because of a prophecy that said that he would be overcome by one of his own sons. This illustrates a fact about "Saturn 5". Most of the time, the "Saturn-5" believers who are designed to take us out of the Earth and onto outer space turns into "believer-devouring" Cronus bears. If you choose to remain attached to "Saturn 5" because you are unwilling to spiritually "venture out on your own", the Saturn 5 you place your trust in shall turn into your black-hole tomb. Most of the time, the "Saturn-5" believers designed to enable us are gripped by a spirit of ministerial elitism that subconsciously turns them into enemies of anyone they perceive as potential "competition" that will replace them. Like Herod, these "Cronus 5"s will try to kill the "Jesus" in their brethren before He matures and becomes a challenge to their illegitimate kingship over the Church.
The Greek name "Cronus" is very similar to the Greek word chronos meaning "time". This is no spiritual coincidence. When "Saturn-5" believers turn into "believer-devouring" Cronus bears, they trap believers in the realm of chronological time, i.e.- the realm of the natural. As we have said before, believers who operate under the covering of these Cronus bears become involved in chronos-consuming activities "filled" with Hittite purposelessness and Canaanite soul interaction, activities that serve no prophetic purpose and that do not forge the apostolic righteousness of God. Once you are trapped in chronos time, it is impossible to discern the kairos time of God. You will be unable to discern the kairos doors of opportunity that God opens up in the spirit realm, and you will miss out on His visitation. You will be trapped in spiritual stagnation, and you will be unable to welcome the visitations of God which were intended to propel you into the next dimension.
According to wikipedia.org, Apollo 11's "Eagle" Lunar Module was on the "far side" of the moon when it separated from the (black-horse) "Command Module" on July 20, 1969, in preparation for landing. This pre-landing separation represents the transition from the black-horse into the green-horse stage. The fact that it happened on the "far side" of the moon also has spiritual significance. As indicated on wikipedia.org, the "far side" of the moon is the side of the moon that is never visible from Earth. This side is also known as the "dark side of the moon", not because it is lacking in physical light, but because it remained completely unknown to man for centuries until the advent of space travel.
As you operate in the black-horse anointing, you become spiritually fruitful, which means that you will experience the "bright side" of walking in the anointing of God. However, as we have said before, those who surrender their lives in green-horse sacrifice understand that there is a "dark side" to God's anointing; it is the side that calls us to die for the sake of others. Those who enter the green-horse stage are those who understand that we are anointed to die. Just like the dark side of the moon, this dark side of God's anointing remains hidden to natural man, and it has remained hidden to most believers in the Church. We cannot enter into the true, overwhelming brightness of God's anointing without experimenting the dark side first. poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial" (Matthew 26:12) [Notice that Jesus did not say, "She is preparing Me for My ascension as King". The anointing He received that day was announcing His upcoming death, as when a dead body is anointed to be buried. It was not an anointing of kingly-ascension but rather of servant-descent unto death (Philippians 2:7-8).]
"1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you." (Matthew 28:1-7)[Notice that these angels appear in radiant white after Jesus is resurrected from the death. The 2 Maries had to endure the gloomy darkness of Jesus' death before they could witness the overwhelming brightness of His resurrection.]
In 1 Kings, the Holy Spirit says something that most believers are not aware of:
"Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness" (1 Kings 8:12)
This verse defies the human understanding of most believers. How can God, who is Light (1 John 1:5), "dwell in the thick darkness"? This "paradoxical" fact, however, is repeated throughout Scripture.
"14The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness" (Zephaniah 1:14-15)
"1Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations." (Joel 2:1-2)
If the Lord is Light, shouldn't "the day of the Lord" be a "bright" and "cheery" day? Why, then, does Scripture describe the day of the Lord as "a day of darkness and gloominess" and as "a day of clouds and thick darkness"? Because God's Light is only accessible as we fully die to the temporal and move in the realm of the eternal (1 Timothy 6:14-16). We must face total darkness before we can behold the fullness of His light. We must be willing to face the "overwhelming emptiness" of death before we can experience the overflowing fullness of His Life. This is the "dark side" of following God that most believers would rather hide under the rug.
God has deliberately hidden Himself in a mantle of "thick darkness" to prevent carnal man from beholding Him and understanding Him. speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Matthew 13:13-15)
To know God, we must be willing to approach and His fearsome veil of darkness and walk through it.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4)
Those who are comfortable with their limited understanding of God (i.e.- those who believe in a static, "idol" God) will shy away from this veil of darkness and "stand far off". They will reside in the comfort of the natural light and never know the overwhelming, supernatural light of God. the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." (Exodus 20:21)
God's cloud of darkness is like an ominous tornado that comes to bring utter death and desolation. Even though this tornado is completely under God's control, there is a fractal, chaotic nature to it. This tornado brings anarchy and havoc. It "blasphemes" against everything held "holy" and "reverent" by natural man. It obliterates the "order" and "structure" brought about by the paradigms of man, rendering those paradigms null and void (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). God's green-horse riders understand this "chaotic" nature in God's visitation. Therefore, they comprise the army of "great people" that is bringing utter chaos and desolation in these latter days:
"1Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:1-11)
A few days ago (on September 6, 2006), the Lord (out of "nowhere") prompted me to meditate on the spiritual meaning of Norway. Because of this, I searched the Internet for information on this country. These are some of the things that the Lord God impressed upon my heart:
As we shared above, you cannot enter into the green-horse stage of your spiritual growth unless you are willing to accept the "dark side" of God's anointing. Over 6 years ago, the Lord prompted me to purchase a Christian music CD sung in Hebrew by Messianic Jews. The CD included a song that began with an eerie chant and beat that sounded, to the undiscerning ear, like an ancient pagan ritual. A few acquaintances who heard the CD did not like it much, and they had a special "dislike" for the song with the "eerie" chant. They thought that the CD was "creepy", to say the least, because it did not fit in with their more "Westernized" and "rational" understanding of Christianity. By contrast, when I would hear the CD, my heart would be filled with fear, awe, and trembling. I would lift my eyes towards the sky, longing desperately for His mighty manifestation. I felt as if a dark, righteous cloud would cover my weak and awe-struck soul. It was as if I beheld the Lord God who "dwells in the thick darkness" (1 Kings 8:12, Joel 2:1-2), and, instead of rejecting Him, my soul would long for Him all the more. This "thick darkness" is visible throughout Scripture, in passages such as Ezekiel 9, which we have studied before, and throughout the "creepy" book of Revelation. This is the God that the Church has been unwilling to recognize, the God who takes you to and through Sheol to form a new person inside of you, the God who is willing to wipe out millions of lives in one blow in order to regenerate the Earth, as He did during the days of Noah (Genesis 6:13), the God who coaxed satan into killing Job's family and torturing Job for weeks in order to forge a new Job (Job 1:8-9, Job 2:3-4), the God who told Samuel to take a sword and cut Agag into tiny little "Agag pieces" to avenge a crime committed by Agag's ancestors hundreds of years earlier (1 Samuel 15:1-3, 1 Samuel 15:32-33). This is the "dark", "barbaric" side of God that the "civilized Western Christian" wants to relegate to some distant mythological past. Yet that is the One, True God, the God of Shem, the good God in whose image we were created, and into whose full image we are to be converted.
"1The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 2Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. 3A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. 4His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. 5The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. 7Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. 8Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. 9For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. 10Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. 11Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. 12Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." (Psalm 97:1-12)
Of all the non-Shemite people on Earth, the people with the greatest awareness of God's "thick darkness" are the Celtic peoples. This explains why Celtic music is so "mystical" and at times a bit "eerie". This also explains why the king of Norway was unable to conquer the islands of Britannia in 1066. Because of its doubting-Thomas attitude, Norway remains unprepared to accept the "dark side" of God's anointing and fulfill its "green" calling. Since Norway has an undeniable, hidden "green" connection, it has had to "repress" its "green" nature in order to overstay at the black-horse stage. The accumulation of this repression has led to the emergence of "spiritual geysers" such as Norwegian black metal. In typical self-denial mode, Norway continues to claim that it has no "chaotic green" nature within it and that there is no "chaotic green" nature in God. As it does this, Norway exposes its hidden chaotic nature to be used by satan. The acceptance of a lie, no matter how "pious" and "proper" the lie may sound, will allow the cursed father of lies to set up a throne of purposeless destruction. This is the spiritual reason for the "black metal" stronghold in Norway.
As was the case with the first posting on how to recognize spiritual gifts, it may seem as if we have completely digressed from the original question sent by the visitor. Yet, all that was shared here is at the heart of the matter. We are continuing to lay a deep foundation in response to the original question. God willing, we will continue the answer in a future posting... |