[Worship] Fw: The Harp, the Bowl & the Scepter

["David Freyer" <keys@arn.net>]

I found this, lengthy but worth it's weight in gold..
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Wies <jimmy@cornerstonemin.org.>


>a bit long... not for the faint of heart.. <grin>
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>The Ministry of the Harp, the Bowl and the Scepter
>
>Subtitled: The Harp of Praise, the Bowl of Incense and the Scepter of
>Righteousness -  releasing apostolic power in the earth.
>
>Rev 5:8-10 "Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and
>the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and
>golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they
>sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open
its
>seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of
>every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and
>priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth."
>
>The Harp - the Ministry of Praise
>     Jesus said the Father is seeking worshippers who will worship Him in
>spirit and truth. (John 4:23,24) A very important part of our corporate
life
>together is our worship experience, yet most Christians do not realize all
>that the Scriptures have to say about it, nor the power that is released
>through worship.
>
>    When Moses was receiving instruction as to how he should build a place
>of worship before the Presence of God, he was told to carefully build
>according to the pattern, "And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that
I
>may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the
>pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so
>shall you construct it... and there I will meet with you". (Ex. 25:8,9,22)
>We know from Hebrews 9:8,9 that the tabernacle of Moses was a symbol for
>this present time. However, the apostle James' statement in Acts 15:16
>indicates that God is intent on restoring, through the church, the fallen
>tabernacle of David whose manner of worship is clearly explained in the
>Psalms. Even five hundred years after King David, the manner of worship
>before God's presence was patterned after David's tabernacle. (Ezra
3:10,11)
>The Psalms were David's instruction manual for worship. There is a clear
>scriptural pattern for worship as depicted in the Psalms, as well as a
clear
>scriptural purpose for worship.
>
>    Effective praise and worship accomplishes numerous things - first of
>which is the drawing of humanity to God. Psalm 11:2,4 states "Come before
>His presence with singing... enter His gates with thanksgiving and His
>courts with praise". The Scripture states as well that the Lord dwells upon
>or inhabits the praises of His people.(Ps.22:3)
>
>    Within His Presence comes His power. His anointing breaks apart yokes
>(Is.10:27), and releases His people from all manner of oppression
(Is.61:3).
>We see this in the case of king Saul.
> "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit
>from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a
>distressing spirit from God is troubling you. "Let our master now command
>your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful
>player on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand when
>the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.... And
>so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would
take
>a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and
well,
>and the distressing spirit would depart from him." (1 Sam. 16:14-16,23)
>Anointed worship effects us on every level, body, soul and spirit.
>
>    Praise and worship also transforms us (2 Cor. 3:18). There is a
>cleansing and refreshing we experience as we "behold" God through a
>sustained focus upon Him. It is during those times of unrestrained worship
>of Him that the loving searchlight of His Spirit probes the depths of our
>being, gently calling to death those things within us that would only cause
>us pain. "Search me, oh God, and know my heart... and see if there be any
>hurtful way within me" (Psalms 139:23,24).
>
>    Praise and worship is also associated with the release of the gifts and
>anointings of the Holy Spirit. "..And it will happen, when you have come
>there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from
>the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a
harp
>before them; and they will be prophesying. "Then the Spirit of the LORD
will
>come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another
>man. "And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the
>occasion demands; for God is with you." 1 Sam 10:5-7
>
>    There is even a dimension of spiritual warfare and Kingdom authority
>released during times of high praises to God. Ps 149:1-9 states: "Praise
the
>LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of
saints.
>Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in
>their King. Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises
>to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes pleasure in His
people;
>he will beautify the humble with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in
>glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in
>their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on
>the nations, and punishments on the peoples; To bind their kings with
>chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the
>written judgment-- this honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!"
>
>   And of course worship is continuous in heaven. Revelation Chptr. Five,
>which we looked at before, gives us a peek into the scene in heaven where
>extravagant worship is continuously going on before the throne. "Now when
He
>had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
>fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of
>incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song,
>saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You
>were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe
and
>tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our
God;
>and we shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard the voice of
>many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and
the
>number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
>thousands, saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to
>receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and
>blessing!" And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under
>the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard
>saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the
>throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"  Rev 5:8-13
>
>    Heaven is filled with praise and worship to the Lamb. It was not so on
>earth most of the time when He walked among men. However, one of the most
>intriguing stories we see in Scripture, as Jesus' fame was spreading abroad
>toward the end of His earthly ministry, was told in the Gospel of John
>Chapter 12 and occurred right after one of the most spectacular events of
>His ministry, the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It was at this time
that
>Jesus was given the most extravagant and uninhibited praise He was to
>experience while on the earth in His pre-resurrected body. Jesus had become
>the talk of the town. The Pharisees were out to kill him but the crowds
were
>clamoring to see Him. As is human nature, all the curiosity seekers came to
>check things out. Some were there because they wanted to see "that guy" who
>was raised from the dead. Others undoubtedly just wanted to be where the
>crowd was. It was during that time when the feast of Passover was
>approaching. Jesus had returned to Lazarus' home, just outside of
Jerusalem.
>This section of Scripture goes on to describe the great processional in
>which Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a colt while children prophesied
>"Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of
>Israel!". This event slipped only slightly over into the realm of the
praise
>and worship that occurs in heaven no doubt, but it did release a dimension
>of glory and power that had not occurred before.
>
>    Wherever there is true worship, we also see a release of a dimension of
>authority that is characteristic of the apostolic. Heaven's authority
visits
>earth. This pattern and progression is seen when Jesus came into the temple
>surrounded by pure and true worship. There was a very loud procession as
>Jesus traveled the distance between Jericho and Jerusalem that day. Many
>people felt the prophetic significance of the moment and even some began to
>cry out "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" (Matt. 20:30)  "As He
came
>close to the city, riding on a donkey, the multitudes began to cry out:
>"Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
>Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!" (Matt. 21:9)
>
>   Note these things associated with Jesus being acknowledged as Son of
>David. They knew David's "House"  was to someday be restored. The crowds
>were undoubtedly wondering "Could this be the one?" But then we see a side
>of Jesus not often observed as He came into His temple full of the
authority
>of God; as He began to set the house in order.
>
>    "Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who
>bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money
>changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is
>written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it
>a 'den of thieves.'" Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple,
>and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the
wonderful
>things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying,
>"Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You
>hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never
>read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected
>praise'?" (Matt. 21:12-16)
>
>     He had been there many times before, but now, there was something
>different. Now He was moving in his apostolic mantle. He was sent from God,
>with the authority of God.  He came in an atmosphere of perfected praise
and
>He came cleansing the temple, calling for prayer, and healing the sick.
>
>    Restored dimensions of worship release restored dimensions of
authority,
>out of which apostolic order is released on the earth. There was a level of
>restored apostolic order - setting the house in order as a house of purity
>and a house of prayer  - that was released that day as these two things
came
>forth together.
>
>      The tabernacle of David, known of and planned by God from eternity
>past, was now beginning to be rebuilt. But what exactly is this "House"
that
>God said He Himself would rebuild in the last days?  "And after they had
>become silent, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, listen to me:
Simon
>has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them
a
>people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as
>it is written:  'After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle
of
>David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it
>up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles
who
>are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things' Known to
God
>from eternity are all His works." Acts 15:13-18
>
>     In the days of King David's dominion, righteousness ruled out of Zion.
>God was pleased with David because of His devotion to the Lord and his
>desire to worship Him.  David loved the presence of God, and God loved that
>about David.  In David's zeal to worship before the presence of God, he
>housed the ark of the covenant in an open tent and conscripted a 24 hour
>choral and instrumental ensemble to offer up continuous praises to the
Lord.
>In fact, throughout history, since the time of David, his manner of worship
>was the pattern to which the people of God returned whenever there was a
>return to God.
>
>     But not only did David pioneer the manner of corporate worship that
>would set the pattern for worship before God's presence forever; he also
>exhibited a dominion of righteousness. David's rule on earth represented
>God's rule through man. A restoration of David's fallen tabernacle is not
>only a return to worship, but a return to God's rule among men. While David
>is known as a prophet, he can also be viewed as a type of apostolic
>government through his service as a righteous king. The House of David, in
>fact, is destined to rule forever throughout eternity.
>
>     As it happened, sometime after David set up the tent of God's presence
>where the ark of the covenant was housed, he had the bright idea to propose
>to God that he build Him a house. God must have laughed. He simply
explained
>to David he didn't need a physical house in which to dwell, and could not
be
>contained within a physical building anyway; but just because of David's
>attitude, He would build him a "House" that would last forever. This
"House"
>would be a place from which a descendant of David would rule for ever. The
>significance of this "House" is much greater than most realize as
pertaining
>to the characteristics, dominion and commission of the last days Church.
>
>     The promises God gave to David pertaining to this "House" are recorded
>in 2 Samuel. 7. "... have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of
>Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have
you
>not built Me a house of cedar?' Now therefore, thus shall you say to My
>servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the
sheepfold,
>from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I
>have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your
enemies
>from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great
>men who are on the earth.... Also the LORD tells you that He will make you
a
>house. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will
>set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will
>establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will
>establish the throne of his kingdom forever..." (2 Sam. 7:7-13)  "And your
>house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne
>shall be established forever." 2 (Sam 7:16)
>
>    To see what happened next shows us insight into the covenant keeping
>nature of God. It was only one generation later that Solomon did evil in
the
>sight of the Lord, and yet for his servant David's sake, He kept his word.
>"Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have
>not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will
>surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. ...
>However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to
>your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem
>which I have chosen." (I King 11:11-13)
>  About 85 years after David, we again see Gods commitment to His covenant
>with bad King Abijam:  "And he walked in all the sins of his father, which
>he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was
>the heart of his father David. Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his
>God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by
>establishing Jerusalem;" (I King 15:3-4)
>
>    During the reign of good king Hezekiah, 313 YEARS LATER... deliverance
>comes once again as God speaks from the mouth of His prophet Isaiah:  "For
>out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion.
>The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.' "Therefore thus says the LORD
>concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, nor
shoot
>an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound
>against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; and he
>shall not come into this city,' says the LORD. 'For I will defend this
city,
>to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.'" (II Ki
>19:31-34)
>
>    God intends to keep His covenant. In fact, the rule of the "House" of
>David is again expanded upon and defined by Prophet Isaiah in Isa 16:5: "In
>mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth, in
>the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice and hastening
>righteousness."  We see here that mercy, truth, justice and righteousness
>are components of this dominion.
>
>    Years later, When things could not seem to be any worse, the prophet
>Amos arose and spoke this prophetic promise: "On that day I will raise up
>the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I
>will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; That they
may
>possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My
>name," says the LORD who does this thing." (Amos 9:11-12)
>
>     This clearly tied the re-established rule of the "House" of David with
>the worldwide declaration of the Kingdom of God.  This Amos prophecy was
the
>Scripture quoted by James at the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-18) and
is
>a key Scripture in understanding God's end time plans for the House of
>David.. i.e..  the church, for we now see Jesus, the "Son of David" Who
>became the cornerstone of the house and the builder of an eternal house
>which is now called "the church".
>
>     We see this "house" described in several sections of New Testament
>Scripture. Paul described it in his letter to the Ephesians.  "Now,
>therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
>with the saints and members of the household of God,  having been built on
>the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
>chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together,
grows
>into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together
>for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."  (Eph 2:19-22)
>
>     Peter described it as well in his first epistle and shows us one of
its
>significant purposes, the offering of  spiritual sacrifices to God. "Coming
>to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and
>precious,  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual
house,
>a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
>through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
>"Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who
>believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." (1 Pet 2:4-6)
>
>     WE are the house of God. We are the tabernacle being restored. We have
>become the expression of  kingdom dominion after the order of David, a
>"nation of kings and priests", through our great God and Savior, none other
>than Jesus of Nazareth, Son of David. Jesus said that He would build his
>church, and nothing would prevail against it. THAT is the tabernacle of
>David. And it is for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices of praise
>and worship unto Him.
>
>     And of course, HE IS WORTHY OF PRAISE! We are called to offer
>"sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving unto Him." It pleases God for us to
>give Him glory and praise and honor, for surely He is worthy. (1Pet. 2:9;
>Heb. 13:15; Ps. 50:23; 69:30)
>
>   When we praise the Lord we point to and magnify Him.  People need to be
>pointed to Jesus, to whom John the Baptist pointed and said, "Look, the
lamb
>of God, who takes away the sin of the world."
>
>      People need to see Jesus, who is the living Word, who was in the
>beginning, who was with God and is God. People need to be pointed to Jesus,
>who left the glory of heaven, was born of a virgin, took upon himself the
>form of a man, and as a man faced every temptation and trial we will ever
>face and did so without sinning once.
>
>      People need to see Jesus, who said, "I tell you the truth, no one can
>enter the kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again." People need to be
>pointed to Jesus, of whom it was said "For God so loved the world that he
>gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish
>but have everlasting life."
>
>   People need to see Jesus, who said  "I am the bread of life. He who
comes
>to me will never go hungry, and who believes in me will never be thirsty;"
>Who said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk
>in darkness, but will have the light of life.
>
>   People need to see Jesus, Who said: " I tell you the truth, before
>Abraham was born, I am" They need to be pointed to Jesus, Who said "I am
the
>gate, whoever enters through me will be saved."
>
>   People need to see Jesus, Who said: "I am the good shepherd.. The good
>shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." They need to see Jesus, Who
said
>" I am God's Son", Who said... "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
>believes in me will live, even though he dies."
>
>    People need to see Jesus, Who said:  " I am the way the truth and the
>life. No one comes to the father except through Me" They need to see Jesus,
>Who said "I am the vine; you are the branches.. If a man remains in me and
I
>in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing."
>
>     People want to see Jesus, by whose wounds we are healed, who bore our
>sins in his body on the cross, whose blood cleanses us of all our sin, and
>who died, was buried, and rose again on the third day with victory over
sin,
>death and hell.
>
>     People are yearning to see this same Jesus, who was seen by over 500
>people after his resurrection, who ascended back through the clouds to take
>his seat at the right hand of the majesty in heaven, and who is seated in
>the heavenly realms making intercession for us.
>
>   People need to be pointed to Jesus, who has been exalted far above all
>rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given,
>not only in the present age but also in the one to come, before whom every
>knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and whom every
>tongue will confess that he is Lord.
>
>  People need to see Jesus, who is Himself the King of kings and Lord of
>lords. They need to be pointed to Jesus, of whom ten thousand times ten
>thousand, and thousands of thousands say in heaven.. "Worthy is the Lamb
who
>was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor
and
>glory and praise."
>
>A House of Prayer - a Bowl of Incense
>     As Jesus entered the city, exalted  through praise and worship, and
>clothed with apostolic authority, His concern for His "house" caused Him to
>declare: "My house shall be a house of prayer" (Lk.19:46). How essential
>that we first of all be a house of prayer. Also 2 Chronicles 7:14 states
"If
>My people who are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray and
>seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven,
>will forgive their sin and heal their land."
>
>     The redeemed of God, described earlier from the book of Revelation,
had
>a harp, and a bowl of incense, which was described as the prayers of the
>saints. "Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and
the
>twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and
golden
>bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a
>new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its
seals;
>for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every
>tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests
>to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." Rev 5:8-10
>
>    Heaven is to be filled with the incense of prayer. Prayer is essential
>for the release of  heaven's rule on the earth. The fact is, things happen
>when we pray that don't happen when we don't! God's will comes about
through
>prayer, or is thwarted by our lack of it. That is why Jesus exhorts us to
>pray, "Father... Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth..."
>
>     Prayer fuels the fire of God's manifested Glory in the church. John
>Wesley stated: "God will do nothing but in answer to prayer". Charles
>Finney's famous statement about revival was that revival in the church was
>no more a mystery than that of a farmer planting a corn field. When the
>farmer planted corn, he knew that he would reap a harvest of corn. When we
>sow sincere prayer, revival is sure to follow.
>
>   It is through prayer that we experience Divine intervention into human
>affairs. It is by believing prayer that mountains are moved, sinners saved,
>the sick are healed, and revival fires are rekindled. It is also by prayer
>that the human heart is transformed. Prayer is a must if we want to move
>beyond the realm of human strength and initiative into the realm of the
>supernatural power and blessing of God.
>
>   When we are releasing the ministry of the harp - worship and praise to
>the King of the Kingdom; and the ministry of the bowls - prayers from the
>saints for His kingdom to come and His will to be done; we then see His
rule
>as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah begin to happen  in and through his
>people.
>
> The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
>Rev 5:2-6  "Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who
is
>worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" And no one in heaven or
>on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at
>it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the
>scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep.
>Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to
>open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." And I looked, and behold, in
>the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst
>of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns
>and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the
>earth."
>
>The 'Lamb' is also a 'Lion'
>    In Revelation chapter Five we see Jesus described as the Lion from the
>Tribe of Judah. In this prophetic book He is called a Lion who appears to
>John as a Lamb who was slain. He is actually one and the same. I believe
>there is coming an increase of insight into this aspect of the nature of
our
>Lord Jesus who is the Lamb of God, and yet a Lion from Judah's tribe. Judah
>means praise. We know King David of the tribe of Judah, the forerunner of
>Jesus our King, as the worshiping warrior. We have known Jesus as the Lamb
>of God, our Savior, but soon we will see Him manifested as a Lion, a
>ferocious Warrior and the King and Judge of all the earth. This Lamb who
was
>slain is here being called a Lion and is the only One worthy to open the
>seven seals of judgment. He is about to be revealed as Ruler and Judge.
With
>that revelation will also come the realization that the last-days church is
>being called with Him and through Him into that same role of ruler and
judge
>as described in the next few verses of chapter 5.
>
>"And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and
>to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your
>blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us
>kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." Rev.5:9,10
>
> In Chapter 6 we see Him as the one who will execute judgment. The
following
>excerpts show Him as such. Chapters 6 through 8 go on to tell of the
>unfolding of these seals of judgment.
>
>Rev 6:9-10 "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls
>of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which
>they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord,
holy
>and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the
>earth?"
>
>Rev 6:15-17 "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
>commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves
>in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains
>and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the
>throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! "For the great day of His wrath has
>come, and who is able to stand?"
>
>The 'Lion' is a Man of War
>The Lord is about to show himself as a Man of War.
>
>Rev 19:11 "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who
>sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
>makes war."
>
>Isa 42:13 "The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal
>like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry,
>(KJV - roar).  He will prevail against His enemies."
>
>The prophet Joel, who's prophetic words apply directly to the end times,
>show a "last days" Jesus roaring as a Lion who calls His saints to war as
>well.
>
>Joel 3:16-17 "The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from
>Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter
>for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. "So you shall
>know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain."
>
>Joel 2:28-29 describes the days we are currently in. "And it shall come to
>pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and
>your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young
>men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I
>will pour out My Spirit in those days."
>
>It is in this context that we begin Joel chapter 3 and so we need to see
>Joel 3 as a very significant Scripture for us as we come to the end of the
>age. It describes the happenings that will be going on "in those days and
at
>that time," (Joel 3:1). We see that this will be a significant time of
>battle, as the Lord comes forth as our Lion, our mighty Warrior. And here
we
>see Him calling us to the battle as well.
>
>Joel 3:9-13  "Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up
the
>mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your
>plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak
say,
>'I am strong.'" Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all
>around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. "Let the nations
be
>wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to
>judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is
>ripe."
>
>     The valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley of judgment. It is also
>significant because it is where the enemy of Israel was defeated through
>praises to God. (2 Chron. 20) Praise is a weapon of war, because praise
>arouses the Lord to a place of zeal. Praise releases judgment against our
>enemies. It is as we praise Him that He becomes full of zeal for His House.
>The Lord's triumphal entry to Jerusalem, as the crowd praised Him, saying;
>"Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
>Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!",  awakened in Him a readiness to judge and
>cleanse His temple. (Matt 21:7-16)
>
>     As we saw before, Psalm 149 also connects the function of praise with
>the function of warfare and tells us this is the responsibility of all His
>saints.
>
>Ps 149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged
>sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments
on
>the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters
>of iron; To execute on them the written judgment-- this honor have all His
>saints. Praise the LORD!
>
>     When we lift up Jesus, we participate in the battle through our praise
>of the Lord. When He is lifted up, our enemies flee. He has called us to
>battle, but our battle is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). Our
>weapons are not natural, but powerful through God to the pulling down of
>spiritual strongholds. (2 Cor. 10:3,4) Praises to Jesus are a weapon of
war.
>When we give Him the praise He is worthy of, He goes to war on our behalf.
>When we acknowledge Him as our Mighty Warrior He will fight for us. He is
>the Lord, mighty in battle.
>
>The Scepter of Righteousness
>"Your Throne, Oh God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is
the
>scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness;" (Ps.
>45:6,7a)
>
>     A scepter is an ornate rod or wand that serves as an emblem of regal
or
>imperial power and authority in the hand of a ruler. The scepter in the
>king's hand represents his authority and dominion. We are told in the above
>Scripture that God's scepter is described as a scepter of righteousness.
>That is, His authority is righteousness; or it could be said the authority
>of righteousness is the authority of His Kingdom. So the extension of His
>rule is the extension of His righteousness. In fact, His Kingdom is
>described as a Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy, in the Holy Spirit.
>(Rom. 14:17) Add that to the fact that God wants to extend HIS rule and HIS
>dominion through His people and we see that it is through righteousness
that
>we have dominion. Therefore, as we reflect His righteousness, we express
His
>dominion. Put more simply, our level of righteousness determines our level
>of dominion. It is through righteousness that we have rule in life.
>
>    Of course, we must first understand we are not talking about the
>righteousness by which we are saved. That is an imputed righteousness given
>us as a gift and received by faith. There is, however, a righteousness
>manifested when we walk out the righteousness that has been provided for
us.
>God desires for us to not only receive a "positional righteousness", (i.e..
>right standing in His eyes) but a practical experience of being righteous.
>It is this latter righteousness that determines our level of rule and
>dominion in life. It is the righteousness that comes as we choose to walk
in
>the empowering grace He has provided. It is our destiny and purpose to be
>extensions of God's rule in the earth. Ephesians 1:22,23 tells us that we
>are to be His body, the fullness of Him whole fills all in all. He wants to
>restore to us the dominion betrayed to the devil at the fall of man and
>grant us to reign in life in Christ Jesus. We are meant to be extensions of
>His righteous rule. We are called to advance His Kingdom. The Kingdom of
God
>is simply the domain of the King. It has come wherever Jesus is ruling.
>
>Kingdom Dominion
>   David established his rulership out of Jerusalem, a city on the top of
>Mount Zion. The Scriptures refer to Mount Zion and the city of Jerusalem as
>a picture of the government of God. Psalms 2:6 prophetically decreed in
>reference to Jesus:  "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion." The
>picture is carried forward in Isaiah's prophesy to show the eventual, total
>dominion of the Kingdom of God over all other kingdoms and dominions.
>
>   "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the
>LORD'S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be
>exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people
shall
>come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the
>house of the God of Jacob; he will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in
>His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
LORD
>from Jerusalem." (Isa 2:2-3)
>
>    We know this is a direct reference to the Kingdom of God and His
agency,
>the church, through what is stated in Hebrews 12:22-24. "But you have come
>to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to
>an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the
>firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the
>spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new
covenant,
>..."  We, the church, are that city according to Matthew 5:14 which states;
>"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
>hidden."
>
>    For those of us who have grown up in a western democratic form of
>government, rather than one of kings and kingdoms, the term kingdom can
>easily lose it's simple significance. For me, the interposing of the word
>"government" for kingdom put it into a much clearer perspective. In other
>words, the kingdom of God is the government of God. It is the domain in
>which the King rules, or in other words, wherever Jesus is Lord.
>
>    Daniel saw and described it like this. "I was watching in the night
>visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of
>heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before
>Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all
>peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an
>everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one
>which shall not be destroyed." (Dan 7:13-14)
>
>    At His ascension Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
>been given to Me." (Matt. 28:18) The rule of Jesus extends over all. He
>rules over space. He rules over time and eternity. He rules over nature,
and
>His rule shall eventually and inevitably extend to every individual, for
>Scripture states in Philippians 2:10-11 "at the name of Jesus every knee
>shall bow, ..., and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is
>Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
>
>   Jesus demonstrated His Lordship - His rulership over creation - by
>turning water to wine; through bread and fish multiplied; even through His
>authority over the elements. He commanded the wind and waves; He exerted
>authority over demons and the domain of darkness; sickness and disease,
etc.
>
>   Where Jesus rules, demons flee, sickness is healed and captives are set
>free. It is interesting that over and over again when Jesus and the gospel
>of the kingdom are mentioned together in Scripture, those things were
>happening. And, of course, there are many other characteristics of His
reign
>besides power and authority over the works of darkness; such as
>righteousness, peace and joy.
>
>   But while He rules sovereignly over all His creation, there remains one
>domain that, for a time, has eluded His Lordship, and that, itself only by
>sovereign permission. That domain is the heart and volition of man, and
thus
>the "world system" created by man which man had in turn, betrayed to the
>evil one.
>
>    The Scripture, however, also indicates that through His coming, Jesus
>bought back that one last, lost domain, thus being established as Lord of
>all, once and for all; which now gives the conclusion of the matter. He is
>Lord of all! He rules out of Zion. But His kingdom has also been likened to
>leaven which slowly and subtly invades and infiltrates the entire loaf of
>bread. The Kingdom is come, wherever Jesus is given rule, and that rule in
>eventual and inevitable.  That is why, when Jesus becomes Lord of our
lives,
>the kingdom has come to our lives. Where Jesus is Lord in the "church", the
>kingdom of God has come to the church. Where Jesus is Lord of our eating
>habits, our financial dealings, our relationships, THERE the Kingdom has
>come.  His Kingdom is inevitable. We are all destined to acknowledge it by
>the confession of our tongue and the bending of our knee. The fact is,
>everyone WILL acknowledge Him as Lord. The choice each one has is to do so
>willingly now, for which there is great benefit, or under duress later at
>the final judgment. Nevertheless, He is Lord! Glory to the KING!
>
>      He is the King of Kings and we are ambasadors of His Kingdom. This is
>the one aspect of the truth of His reign, however, which so often eludes
us,
>that is, He desires to rule THROUGH US.  He desires to grant apostolic
>authority - His rule - to His church.  He wants to extend His scepter of
>righteousness through us. That scepter is bestowed and utilized as we take
>up the ministry of the harp of praise, and the bowl of prayer and
>intercession. Then through the authority of righteousness we will reign on
>the earth - extending his rule as "the fullness of Him who fills all in
>all." (Eph. 1:23)
>
>"Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the
>twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and
golden
>bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a
>new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its
seals;
>for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every
>tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests
>to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." Rev 5:8-10
>
>

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