It is Finished!

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles (Acts 2:38-43 NKJ). When the power of the Holy Spirit came to the early church, in one day, three thousand souls were added! I’d say that the church moved from the wilderness to the promised land that day. Did you know that we are called to the promised land? For almost 2,000 years, believe it or not, the church has been in a wilderness environment. We have seen measures or forerunning that has gone on, and that is to only tell us that these things are still available for each and every one of us. For most of us, our Christianity has been in the wilderness for 2,000 years, plus or minus 70. Do you remember the miracles that took place in the book of acts? You have read about them. Those things are still out there and are available for today. It is the fear of the Lord that will bring us into those things. I think there is something that is lacking in the Church, and I really believe it is the fear of the Lord.

So, we are going to go forward and we are going to take new ground. Did you know that the Lord is totally and completely going to do it? The great power that flowed through the lives of the Apostles in the book of Acts, is going to come upon the church of the Lord Jesus Christ: souls, signs, wonders and miracles. Will you be a part of that church? That is what the question will be. If you are a part of that church, then that will be a part of your life. He will be the one to totally do it.

What does the world need? The world needs to see Christians walking in the mandate the Lord has asked them to walk in. Love has got to be the number one key: we all need more love, and we all need to release more love. It will come back because as you release love, it will come back to you. There is a law of sowing and reaping: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7 NKJ).Sow love, and you’ll reap a harvest of love.

Israel Crosses the Jordan “Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the Israelites, and lodged there before passing over. After three days the officers went through the camp, Commanding the people: When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being borne by the Levitical priests, set out from where you are and follow it” (Joshua 3:1-3 AMP). We need to move from the wilderness to the promised land. I am applying this to the church in general. For 2,000 years there has been a wilderness experience in the church. We have seen a measure of miracles. Have you seen miracles? It is not the promised land, as God gives us miracles to get us into the promised land. Have you had a supernatural release in the area of finances? If you receive a paycheque, that could be supernatural finances. So, just understand that the Lord has released and will release miracles; not to keep us in the wilderness, but to get us into the promised land.

The church is not anywhere where it needs to be: there are politics in the church. There’s lots of ‘stuff’ in the church, and there has been for about 2,000 years, but that stuff is going to be taken out. There will be a bride without spot or wrinkle. The Lord is doing great things. I believe we are in the time where the church is really being released -- the church that is without spot or wrinkle. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had spots and I’ve had wrinkles: the Lord is going to remove them. If you examine the Old Testament, we see the ‘type of what is yet to come to the New Testament.

Numbers can be significant. The number five means grace; the number seven; spiritual perfection. There is such significance given to numbers in the scripture. How about fifty?Jubilee! The Lord is doing things right now. Here is a foundation that I am going to lay: The church for 2,000 years has been in a wilderness experience. That is not to say that the Lord hasn’t moved; He has moved, and He has provided new manna every morning. It will not be good for tomorrow, but it will be good for today. His manna is there for you. Miracles have been released for you, but it is not so you can stay in that wilderness mentality or that wilderness experience.

Do you know that you can have a mindset of the wilderness? In Numbers 13, we read the account of Moses sending the spies into Canaan, the promised land, to check out the land and its people. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, had a promise land mentality: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30 NKJ), but the rest of the spies had the wilderness mentality: “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants), and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight ” (Numbers 13:32-33 NKJ). The Lord is trying to give you a mindset of the promised land.

God told Moses that He was giving the children of Israel this land; all they had to do was trust and obey God to receive the promise, but because of their wilderness mindset, none of the spies who came back with a bad report entered the promised land. We need to have a promise land mentality.

We can have a poverty mentality. Even some people who are rich, think that they don’t have enough; but my God has totally enough. There are mindsets that are very subtle in the church today. The Lord is bringing us into a place where we are actually in the promised land. We can’t do it on our own, but He can bring us there.

There is a church that is being perfected: It is not a work that we can do, but we need to have the reverential fear of the Lord in our lives. It’s not something we can just muster up: the Lord is going to release it for us. When the promised land church ‘hits’ we will know it. The world will say, “What has happened to the church? They are no longer these weak-kneed type people. It’s full of boldness. It’s full of power. It’s full of authority; not in who they are, but in who He is.” I thank the Lord for all of those who were forerunners that stood and said that this is available. They have all been attacked and persecuted, and have all been brought under some kind of judgment in their lives.

The Lord uses imperfect and foolish vessels. I believe we are so close to what the Lord has for the universal church. In Joshua 3:3 we read: “...When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being borne by the Levitical priests...set out and follow it” (AMP). Do you see the Lord at work? I do. Even in world events. In August of 2008, Russia rose up and went into Georgia: ten years ago people thought that Russia was a dead issue, but look how very quickly things can change. I’m not a doomsday type of person, but we need to understand what is happening in the world. What is Iran’s number one mandate? It is to destroy Israel: it is really to destroy Christianity. As I write this, Russia is posturing for war in Ukraine but God is never caught by surprise.

Who is the modern day ark? Who had the presence of the Lord one hundred percent? Jesus did. This is a foreshadowing of the Lord coming. When the Lord was on the earth, the people were really in a wilderness: they were under bondage, persecution, and subject to the Roman Empire in Israel. The Lord Jesus is really our Ark of the Covenant. “Yet a space must be kept between you and it, about 2,000 cubits by measure ” (Joshua 3:4). The people had to follow behind because they had to see what was going on. Now 2,000... how long has it been since Jesus was on the earth? They followed behind by about 2,000 years. Are you picking this up? Numbers are significant. Have you ever heard that a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day to the Lord? (2 Peter 3:8). Gods plan is perfect and it will be fulfilled in His perfect timing. Our mandate is to buy in or buy out, (but you were ordained to buy-in). Two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus was on the scene. Someone was following behind 2,000 cubits: I believe there is an army following two thousand years behind what the Lord Jesus did at the cross. The Lord knows what He is doing: it may not look like it all the time, but the Lord knows. The Lord Jesus is being ushered in, and 2,000 cubits behind is someone else: she is called Israel. Are you watching? You are in the right time; you are in the right place. “Come not near it, that you may [be able to see the ark and] know the way you must go, for you have not passed this way before ” (Joshua 3:4).

Forty years of walking in the desert: the Lord’s total intent was to get them into the promised land. Why did He do those miracles in the wilderness? It wasn’t just a nice thing to do; it was so they would pursue the sovereign will of God. Here is another question. Do you think that the Lord knew there were giants in the land? In Deuteronomy, it says that they were stronger and mightier than them. Seven nations! Do you think the number seven (spiritual perfection) was an accident? Seven nations that were mightier and stronger than Israel. (Perhaps, at this time, you feel that you have a stronger or mightier thing before you.) The Lord does this for a reason: there are things ahead of the universal church that are mightier and stronger -- like becoming a bride without spot or wrinkle. I believe that we are coming into such a day that nothing will be able to face an impactful unified Christian church under the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 28:18-21, we read about our call to disciple the nations: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-21 NKJ).

We have a nation's call. It is not just about getting souls into the kingdom, it is about disciplining the nations. Salvation is just a part of the kingdom of God. Did you know that you are going to reign as rulers and kings? You will need a kingdom. It is not a small thing to disciple nations, and you can’t do it: the Lord can through your life. Souls are a part of nations, but the greater mandate is nations. There is coming such an experience in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ that we haven’t gone this way before. There will not be any manna, but there may be seven nations bigger and stronger than you. The Lord has already given us the land: you will have the opportunity to be one of the ten spies who had a negative report or one of the two spies who has a positive one. Get ready for a church that you have never seen before. Can you imagine walking into a building and everyone is flat on their face because they are sobbing? Can you imagine people walking by and being so convicted? We have seen glimpses of this over the last 2,000 years. When the Lord releases this, it will be the promised land.

We have people come into church who hide in their sin. There is such a move of God that is coming, and people will identify the church. The church will not look like the world but will separate herself from those things that would bring defilement. We are going to be a Book of Acts church. “And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves [that is, separate yourselves for a special holy purpose], for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Joshua3:5 AMP). Whose job is it to sanctify? It is the people’s responsibility to sanctify themselves. It is our job to sanctify ourselves. We need the fear of the Lord to be released. We do not have enough fear of God. There is a consequence for sin, and there will be judgement.

“The Lord said to Joshua, This day I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. You shall command the priest to carry the ark of the covenant, When you come to the brink of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan. Joshua said to the Israelites, Come near, hear the words of the Lord your God. Joshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you...” (Joshua 3:7-10). The end-time church will know that the living God is among them. You will know that He is walking up and down the aisle in your church. It will no longer be about men and women anymore, but it will be about the Lord walking in our midst. He walks and lives among us. I believe that this is what He has called the end time church to. Maybe you cannot comprehend this at this point. Don’t wrap your mind around it, because your mind will just confuse you. The Lord stands ready to perform his word. It will happen, and it all depends on whether you are going to be in or out of what the Lord desires to do.

In verse 11 we read, “Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan!” We will not miss this appointed season. “After two days He will revive us (quicken us, give us life); on the third day He will raise us up that we may live before Him ” (Hosea 6:2 AMP). A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. So, could two days mean two thousand years? He will revive us: he is talking to you. I don’t know about you, but I need to be revived. There are things that I need to see into more spiritually: I need more revelation, wisdom, and understanding. I need to be quite simply-- revived. I need to have spiritual insight; I need to walk spiritually. Who will be the one that revives us? He will.“After two days He will revive us.” After two thousand years, He will revive us, quicken us and give us life. I don’t need my life; I need His life. I have found that my life just doesn’t ‘cut it’ compared to His life. He will revive us and quicken our lives. We are in this time right now. Yes, it has a different application: He is breathing life into His church. Are you a part of His church? “On the third day, He will raise us up that we may live before Him.” We are going to continue on into the millennium.

We had someone prophecy over our church and say that our training center will continue on into the millennium. There is a millennium coming, and a millennium reign that is coming. That was on the third day. A thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years. Are you going to raise yourself up? No. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to do it. He does this for you to be the light of the kingdom of God to this world. He will raise us up so that we may live before Him. That is why I can say with confidence that He will walk up and down the aisles of the church; you will not need Pastor Peter or othersY like me because HE will equip.

The scripture says the five-fold is going to end when we come into perfection with Him. When He is here, I will sit down and shut up, for He will be the one who instructs and trains. Wouldn’t it be good to have anthropology 101 with the Lord Jesus Christ? He will be your professor. The Lord is good. It is His desire to release these things. These are the things we are called to: you are called to this. You can’t do it, but He is more than able to do it. The promised land is available for you and you may be walking in it now. Remember giants may be present but HE has given you mighty weapons of warfare and more to follow. Much love.