David moved in the three offices of priest, prophet, and
king.
• Wearing priestly garments he worshipped
the Lord in the tabernacle that he erected. He wrote many inspired
prayers and
songs of worship unto the Lord as recorded in Psalms.
•
As a prophet he received divine revelations regarding the invisible
realm of the spirit and of God’s kingdom. Some of his writings
in Psalms reflect this understanding.
•
As a king he fought and conquered enemy kingdoms for the fulfillment
of God’s rule over the land which had been promised to Abraham
and his descendants. Even as a boy David boldly confronted the
fearsome giant Goliath and killed him while all of Saul’s
soldiers ran away in terror. It was evident that the kingly anointing
was upon David even at that time in his life.
David’s three offices were a prophetic shadow
of the three offices that would be fulfilled by his descendant,
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Church, which is the body Christ on earth whose
job it is to continue and fulfill the work He began, likewise
must fulfill
these three offices. The first two offices are already in function.
As New Testament priests, we have been entering into God’s
presence to offer fragrant sacrifices to Him in the form of prayer
and worship. Moreover, for the prophetic office God has already
raised up his anointed ones to hear and see in the spirit and then
to speak forth God’s word to His people to encourage and
prepare them. But for what are they being prepared?
There are different things for which the Church is being prepared
to do on earth. (We are limiting this discussion to the affairs
of the Church in this age on earth.) But dare we say that whatever
these things may be, their ultimate purpose on earth is the fulfillment
of the Great Commission followed by the Second Coming of Our Lord
Jesus Christ? For this primary purpose God is restoring the third
office to the Church during these last days.
While teaching in Brazil I met a missionary couple who had completed
eighteen years of work in Spain. Their primary assignment from
the Lord during that time was to travel from place to place in
the Spanish Peninsula (including also Portugal and Gibraltar) to
lift up intercessory prayer to the Lord. They performed their office
as priests obediently and faithfully.
But recently the Lord revealed to them clearly that they had fulfilled
their assignment and that a new stage of ministry for them was
about to begin. The time of sowing and preparation for them was
over; for them the harvest was about to begin. They were shown
that their new work would have them proclaiming the kingdom of
God to the lost with visible power, with miraculous signs and healings.
They would actually see the beginning of that for which they had
been praying for eighteen long years. They are about to move into
the office of king. With the kingly anointing they will be able
to conduct war and destroy the works of the enemy in a manifest
way---not in the heavenlies, but here on earth.
The Elijah Challenge will train them to move in
the kingly anointing to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom
of God to the lost on
the Spanish Peninsula. The primary purpose of the kingly anointing
is the fulfillment of the Great Commission that Jesus Christ entrusted
to the Church. Before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, this Commission
must be fulfilled (Matthew 24:14). Could it be that the “delay” in
His coming is related to the failure of the Church to complete
the Great Commission?
The priestly anointing is obviously of paramount importance. Through
it we maintain and enjoy our relationship with God our Father who
is above in heaven. We offer up our bodies as living sacrifices
unto Him. As important as the priestly function is, however, its
purpose is not to fulfill the Great Commission. If all we do is
minister directly to the Lord in worship and prayer, the Great
Commission will not be fulfilled.
The same can be said of the prophetic anointing.
This anointing is also essential insomuch as it is used to encourage
and build
up the body of Christ. But if the Church’s time and energy
is spent only in ministering directly to itself, will the Great
Commission be fulfilled? No, it will not. It is arguable that the
primary purpose on earth for which the Church is being edified,
is to complete the Great Commission after which Christ returns.
The primary function of the kingly anointing during these last
days is to heal the sick and cast out demons as the kingdom of
God is proclaimed to the lost. When they see the miracles and hear
the gospel, those whose names are written in the Book of Life---including
Musl__ms, Hindus, and Buddhists---will repent and become disciples
of Jesus Christ. The kingly anointing is for spiritual war on
earth---not
in the heavenlies---and for destroying the works of the devil on
earth. It is for preaching the kingdom of God, setting the captives
free, and making disciples for Jesus Christ on earth.
The time for the Church to conduct “war in the heavenlies”---if
there ever was such a time---is coming to a close. Some have been
taught to rebuke principalities and territorial spirits directly
in Jesus’ name. However, no such direct warfare was ever
practiced by any believer in Scripture, including Daniel in the
Old Testament. Daniel mourned and fasted for three weeks, seeking
to gain understanding and to humble himself before His God (Daniel
10). Eventually God sent the angel Michael to war against the prince
of Persia by whom the earlier angel had been detained. There is
no clear precedent for the Church to engage in such a practice
directly, and therefore it must be approached with utmost caution
if at all. If one feels led to do something about principalities
and territorial spirits, it is generally best to pray to God as
intercessors and ask Him to deal with them. Since they are our
enemies we of course struggle against them (Ephesians 6:12), but
not necessarily in a personal sense. For example, our nation is
involved in a struggle against terrorists, but not all of us as
individuals in a direct and personal way. That is left to specially-trained
and specially-armed people.
Unfortunately, the Church has had it backwards. We have been rebuking
entities that we should be committing into the hands of God in
prayer and intercession, and praying to God regarding other areas
in which we should be directly rebuking entities which He has placed
under our authority.
• What
is meant by this is that Jesus never commanded his disciples
to pray to God for the sick when he sent
them out to
proclaim the kingdom of God. Rather, he gave them authority over
disease and demons and commanded them to heal the sick as they
preached the gospel (Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:9). But today there are
few believers indeed who understand how to the sick, let alone
actually practice it as Jesus commanded his disciples when he sent
them out.
•
Regarding the practice of spiritual warfare in the heavenlies by
directly rebuking territorial spirits, Jesus never commanded it.
Scripture does not explicitly teach that we have been given authority
over them. The “snakes and scorpions” Jesus mentions
in Luke 10:19 do not clearly refer to them, but more likely to
demons whose activity is on earth at ground level and who attack
people. And when we stray into areas where we have not been given
authority by God, the enemy’s retaliation against us can
penetrate. Well-meaning believers and their families have been
subjected to unnecessary pain and tribulation as a result.
Thus the Church has it backwards in these areas. We
have confounded and reversed our priestly and kingly roles. Where we may very well
be better off praying, we are instead rebuking. Where we should
be exercising authority and rebuking, we limit ourselves to pleading
and crying out to the Lord. No wonder the Church lacks power and,
among other reasons, has failed to complete the Great Commission
after 2,000 years.
It is very difficult to measure the results, if any, of the application
of spiritual warfare in the heavenly realm. But the results of
waging war on earth by healing the sick and proclaiming the kingdom
of God at the very least can be quantifiable in terms of people
actually being healed and set free and souls making the decision
to follow Jesus Christ. Not that outward quantity equals success
in the sight of the Lord, but at least we are obeying the direct
command of the Lord to heal the sick and proclaim his kingdom.
There is no corresponding command from the Lord to rebuke and drive
out principalities and territorial spirits.
From an earthly perspective, then, the priestly
function and prophetic function prepare the Church to move in
the kingly anointing by
which the Great Commission will be fulfilled. As we spend time
before the Lord as priests, the Holy Spirit teaches us and empowers
us to be sent out. As we receive encouragement and instruction
from the Lord’s prophets through His word, we are equipped
to be sent out. And then as we step forth onto the battlefield,
we move with kingly authority to extend the Kingdom of God. We
exercise this authority by commanding and rebuking diseases and
demons---healing the sick as a demonstration to the lost that the
kingdom of God is near.
Luke
10:9 "Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.’"
The
End Time Model of Evangelism
Why did Jesus command his disciples to heal the sick?
Other teachings