10. I Shepherd with Authority
Audio OnlyWe are moving forward, now, towards Revelation 4 & 5, the meaning of the throne, that is, Authority. I now see those two chapters as a picture for us of the living meaning of the authority given to Jesus inside of us.
Now, Paul very clearly places us into that throne, seated in the heavens with Jesus, right from the start. Yet such a thing has no meaning for us until we know that it is true, and then what God means by it. We will work towards a further definition of the overcomer before we arrive inside the throne. Thus, we must set out the two great issues inside what it means to overcome.
Two Issues. It is with travail and deep consideration inside of the Spirit that I now understand these two issues of overcoming. The first is the issue of redemption, that is, Covenant. And the second is the issue of salvation, that is, Kingdom. The issue is, do you continue to reverberate death into God’s creation, even as a Christian, or are you become always an agent of the life flowing into God’s Church.
The overcomer is one who lives turned around, seated upon the Mercy Seat for the sake of all fellow believers. The overcomer has chosen to know only a life shared with God; the overcomer has chosen to call every next moment as goodness for the sake of others.
To Overcome. To overcome inside the issue of redemption is to refuse all voices and feelings that made up your former “Christian” identity, whether some form of “woe is me” or some form of “I am more right than you,” and especially to refuse to speak or act out from those voices and feelings. To overcome inside the issue of salvation is to synergeo with God to turn every next moment, every next circumstance or situation into goodness for the sake of others, into a dwelling place for Father, yourself, and your brethren.
The first happens only by putting the Lord Jesus Christ upon ourselves, but the second is the aggressive action of God coming through.
The Ability of Christ. The fourth principle of Completion, the ability of Christ Jesus, is the whole point of every overcoming and the missing ingredient in all that is false. Nonetheless, just as we see that God’s affirmation of us results in full assurance of faith, so the points of this letter to Thyatira specifically reference Jesus’ ability in us.
Here is how the ability of Jesus is worded. – These things says the Son out from God, the One whose eyes resemble a flame of fire and whose feet are like fine bronze. – And I will give him the morning star. This is Jesus as judgment, Jesus seeing and exposing the false as false and demonstrating the true as true.
“I Give You Myself.” The “morning star” is NOT something deep and mysterious; neither do we turn to astrology, etc., for its meaning. Here is God’s meaning. “I, Jesus… I am… the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). So, when Jesus says, “I will give him the morning star,” He is saying, quite simply, “I will give him Myself.” We can also pull in a line from the second Peter, “Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
Here is what Jesus is saying to us, “This task that I fulfill through you is a BIG DEAL. To stand firm in judgment you must KNOW that I give Myself to you as all My ability.”
The Jesus Secret Page. This page must open with a Jesus Secret box, Jesus speaking His ability into us, then followed by the statements of faith. In a box titled “The ‘Depths’ of the Accuser,” we will look at the deepest “meaning” of Satan in the believer. Our sword is meant to pierce through and burst that fetid abscess. In a box titled “The Iron Scepter,” we will consider the inflexible nature of our authority. This is a very simple concept. In love, but with all firmness, we require honesty. Finally, we want to define the meaning of shepherding and caring for the peoples, inside the great war being unleashed even now across the earth.
The Jesus Secret. My Beloved, God our Father gave all authority in heaven and earth to Me. I see all things as God sees them; I judge with purity and compassion. Know that I have given Myself to you as that same authority filled with My ability to accomplish all, for you are My expression and form in this world. Know that I am always imparting My ability to you to fit your every present moment. I am the authority of God through you; care for My people with all your heart.
Our Statements of Faith. The Son out from God lives inside of me; my eyes are a flame of fire and my feet walk in justice. The ability of Jesus to accomplish all enables me in all. I am broken as an earthen vessel; I hold fast in all. I receive from Christ Jesus in just the same way that He receives from God. I possess the morning star, the Ability of the Lord Jesus Christ inside of me. I possess authority upon the peoples. I shepherd, guide, and care for them with an iron scepter. I hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.
Darkness and Deceit. In His words to the seven churches of Asia, Jesus referenced a number of specific arenas of darkness and deceit found inside Christian circles. In all of these things, we do not consider what the Spirit spoke to churches long ago, but only our reality inside the Church today, that is, the principle of the fulness of times.
Jesus mentions Satan by name in four of these letters. Those who are a synagogue of Satan… the devil is about to cast some of you into prison in an attempt to test you. – in the place where Satan dwells – the “profound depths of Satan,” as they say. – those who are out from the synagogue of Satan.
Defining “Satan.” As we move forward in John’s vision, we must define “Satan” more specifically. First, the serpent is NOT omnipresent. He did enter personally into Judas, but typically, we mean, rather, those demons who operate out from his sway, the demons that have been an integral part of our false story of self. Second, Satan despises all humans who serve him and pays no attention to them. The focus of his rage is on a woman about to bring forth life into God’s creation, but especially upon those who are protecting her.
But right from the start, Satan placed himself as the image of the evil side of a “God” who knows good and evil.
The Faces of Rebellion. Humans are symmorphic; the “place” where Satan dwells is inside every human, enabling them to deny God.
Satan, and all demons with him, are two-faced. On the one hand, they present themselves as the image of a God who kills, who takes away, and who destroys in torment. Then, in the same moment, inside a human, they exude accusation against God for being evil. We could even say that they are three-faced, for in themselves, they sit inside the human soul in a dump of rebellion and denial of wrong. God is evil – God is false – Let’s deny and refuse God.
Words That Are Spirit and Death. The “depths” of Satan, then, is rebellion. – “I will not have God in my knowing, in my soul.” But this rebellion is felt outwardly towards other humans, “I will not have you ruling over me.”
Sinful action proceeds out from a false story of self, a story sitting in denial of Christ. Thus spirit words that are death spinning in the mind precede and generate sinful actions. There is never any such thing as “just words.” All words are spirit, but not all words are life. In my own life, I KNOW the great difference between the “normal” dark mutterings of the false story and the simple joy of sharing life with God.
Demonic Anointings. Our diagram of seven, with one in the center and six around it, is proving useful. Here are seven demonic anointings that enable a false self in any human. Every one of these things is deeply and intimately familiar to every one of us. They are demons, and they anoint the human to spin a story against God.
“I Refuse to Bow.” Contempt remains the entrance of darkness, but the center is rebellion. We could describe the “depths” of Satan in this way, then. “God is against me; I refuse to step into the light, because the Lamb is going to burn me in the fire of wrath.” It shows itself, however, in the thought, “I did nothing wrong; it’s someone else’s fault. I refuse to bow.”
Again, I KNOW, from decades of seeing the distinction inside myself, that it’s the easiest thing in the world to step into the light, into honesty inside of God. And in one moment’s time, all the false words with all their dark feelings vanish into JOY as if they never existed.
The ‘Depths’ of the Accuser. I know the enemy of Christ who anoints the human to speak against and to refuse the good-speaking of Jesus, for I have defeated him. When he comes to me, he finds nothing in me except the Lord Jesus as the Morning Star. I refuse his once familiar words; I do not speak them. I know that the so-called ‘depths’ of the evil one is nothing more than rebellion against authority inside a Christian’s heart. I honor God; I justify Him in all things and find Him right and true. I am always willing to be wrong and to yield to my brethren.
Honesty. The Iron Scepter is simple. It is the inflexible requirement for honesty. A person cannot continue to lie and remain inside the presence of Jesus inside of us together.
All confusion lies in wrongly defining the REAL issue and thus fighting the wrong war. We cannot comprehend John’s vision, as God needs us to comprehend it, without utmost clarity of what is at stake. Remember that ALL screaming accusation against God has no cause or meaning. It is confined entirely inside psychotic human imagination. Humans create their own hell inside their own souls.
The Location of the Issue. The issues of “to overcome” are the issues of all. Those two issues are the pivot between life and death, between “heaven and hell,” between joy and lunacy. But to understand these issues, we must understand reality.
In your entire universe, there exists ONLY two things. The first is God, all here now, all life, all love, all consuming fire. The second is you, a tiny little bubble of self floating around inside of God. There is nothing else. More than that, no issue is happening inside of God. The entirety of life versus death, joy versus lunacy, the issues of redemption and salvation are found entirely and only inside your own bubble of self, inside your soul.
Either One or the Other. (I am taking the stance, here, of our being the presence of light towards others.) Jesus made it clear, more than once, when people cried, “What about him?” What about them?” – No, it’s you and Me, you and God, that’s it. Jesus also made it clear that all others are inside of Him; our actions towards them are our actions towards God inside of Christ.
Two. God-you. That’s it. Your quarrel is with God; every thought and action of your animosity is only towards Him.
Either we justify God, or we accuse Him. There is no other option.
Avoiding Commitment. Consider this line. – Nothing unclean, nothing that defiles, shall enter the New Jerusalem, nor anything that hurts others for self-gain or speaks the lies of the evil one (Revelation 21:27 – paraphrased).
Let’s bring this visionary line into the simple actuality of the gospel. A person with an insincere heart, who will not justify God in all things or receive the correction of love, will avoid any commitment to Christ Community. This is a reality that Annie saw in a number of visions, that God offers a next step into His knowledge to a Christian, but that Christian refuses to enter.
Can We Speak Both? God never shuts the door against any human, but all humans (except those who are sealed into God) remain free to shut the door against God at any time.
We are forced to ask the same question James raised. Can a believer in Jesus speak Christ made personal as themselves AND speak words anointed by demons concerning themselves and into others? As much as we don’t like the answer, it is, “Yes.”
Speaking Christ, of itself, will not bring anyone into submission to Jesus nor cause a true repentance. Something else is needed first.
The Right Question. And so that first question was not quite the right one. Here is the right question. Can a believer in Jesus give thanks inside of and for the sake of all things, justifying God in all things and finding Him right and true, especially in the midst of painful rebuke, and yet remain inside of a double-soul?
The answer is clear. “Never.”
The adamant refusal to justify God, to be wrong WITHOUT the falseness of self-condemnation, will always refuse real commitment to walk together with other believers, that is, will always refuse God’s Salvation, the City of God.
My Own False Story. The iron scepter, the rod of iron, is Light, that is, the inflexible requirement for honesty.
Let me share my own experience. In November of 1992, I was feeling very bitter one day. I happened to pass David Randolph in the shop, and I spoke words of bitterness and rancor to him concerning things in which I was refusing to justify God. But I saw the pain in his face caused by my demon-anointed words. Then, in the fall of 1993, I boasted in myself that I had not gotten a traffic ticket in years. Less than an hour later, I was nailed by a cop for speeding.
Contempt speaking as rebellion, and self-boasting.
Honesty Is Liberty. In both instances, however, my eyes were opened, and I saw the evil of cavorting with demons for self-exaltation.
Here is REALITY. I did not know it at the time, but my honesty concerning my wicked actions was ALL that God needed to remove my sin from me. You see, in 1995 and 1996, when I found myself back inside the press of awfulness, those same things, that had been so familiar to me for years, were no longer inside of me. God Himself removed from me my harsh speaking and my self-boasting. Nonetheless, I continue to acknowledge God with me so that those things might never return.
The Judgments of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. – Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults [hiding from God] (Psalm 19:9-10 & 12).
I now see the whole structure of my life as this judgment of God, pure and clean, passing through my days like a fiery stream, like a pillar of fire. All the revelation of Word, all the experiences of Spirit came only along with this stream of fire. God-me. Nothing else. Never did I place anything between myself and this Personal Fire. And in every instance, it removed from me all that opposed it.
From Lostness to Joy. In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis presented a number of people arriving out from the grayness of their hades to the edges of life and reality. Each one was received by a Believer whom they had known in their time on earth. In every instance, each of the appointed Believers sought to lead the lost soul into an acknowledgment of the truth, into being honest about themselves, that they were – wrong! Most refused, preferring to remain in their carefully crafted story of pretending and accusation. All of those drifted back into their lostness. But one yielded; one humbled himself, accepted the truth, and suddenly found himself WHOLE, running into all JOY!
The Valley of Decision. This is the Iron Scepter, that we will not allow any human to remain in dishonesty. We will pursue each one in the ages to come, each in their season, until that moment when they fall on their knees, when they give thanks inside of and for the sake of all things, when they are finally able to speak Christ their life in truth.
But in the present season, the Iron Scepter is a refusal of dishonesty, of words of pretending, of a rebellious “woe is me,” of false accusation against God and others. In the present time, this refusal can be devastating, for multitudes, multitudes are pressed into the valley of decision. This is not a day to refuse God.
The Iron Scepter. The Iron Scepter is Light, the inflexible requirement for honesty. Jesus gives me that Iron Scepter that I might wield it in gentleness and love, that I might require honesty of myself first, and then of all others. Because I was once familiar with demon-anointed words, I perceive them when another speaks them at me, whether they be words of contempt using lust to manipulate, or “woe is me” expressed as pretending to be right, or self-boasting resulting in actions of bullying others, or even just rebellion. I do not converse with those words, but I seek only honesty of heart in the one caught by them. I respond in gentleness and love until my brother or sister is free to run into liberty with all overflowing JOY.
Restore. If one should be caught in some offense or error, you who are spiritual RESTORE such a one inside of a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
Here is the point. Galatians 6:1 is the BIG DEAL. Revelation 2:26-27 is simply a view in the heavens of just how big of a deal Galatians 6:1 really is. Galatians 6:1 and shepherding with an iron scepter are the same thing.
Being “broken” is nothing more than the willingness to be wrong in a spirit of gentleness.
To Shepherd and Guide. What it means to rule in the heavens we will develop slowly throughout our study. The realms of influence are completely different from what most imagine. All we will do here is to bring in the dictionary definitions of three words, “to shepherd,” “to guide,” and “to care.”
To shepherd (from etymonline.com): To tend, guard, and watch; to watch over and guide.
To guide (from Webster’s 1926): 1. To act as a guide to; to lead or direct in a way; to conduct. 2. To regulate and manage; to direct; order; hence, to superintend the training or education of; to instruct and influence; to train.
From Psalm 23. I think we would do well to bring in the points of what a shepherd does from Psalm 23.
To Shepherd: 1. To provide so there is no lack; to give rest inside of abundance; to lead quietly in the Spirit. 2. To restore a soul to Christ; to lead in the paths of just innocence. 3. To protect from all evil, even in the shadow of death. 4. To remain ever with; to comfort by never letting go, by never allowing departure. 5. To give victory in the presence of all opposition; to anoint with the outpoured Spirit; to fill full to overflowing.
Feed My sheep. – Protect My Church. – Give all victory to My people.
Care. Care (from Webster’s 1926): noun. 3. Serious attention of mind; heed; caution; concern; regard; heedfulness; watchfulness. 4. Charge, oversight, or management, implying responsibility for safety and prosperity.
To Care (from Webster’s 1926): verb. 3. To watch, foster, or guard; to be charged with care; to be heedful. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
In essence, we have the three things given to THEY in John’s vision – Protect the Church; Provide for the Church; Be Mercy for the Church.
Defining “to Shepherd.” Shepherd-Guide-Care (from Webster’s 1926, Galatians 6:1, and Psalm 23, etc.): I am broken in the Hand of my Savior; I am willing to be wrong towards my brethren and towards all the peoples of the earth in all gentleness and watchful care.
My task is to restore each one caught in the nonsense of their own minds, into Christ, into the knowing of God with them in all honesty. I watch carefully over others. I provide for their need; I give them rest inside of abundance; I lead and direct each into the quiet flows of the Spirit. I restore souls to Christ; I protect from evil, even in the shadow of death, even in a world gone all wrong.
I am inflexible in my requirement for honesty; I never allow departure into a false story. I give victory in the presence of all opposition. I anoint with outpoured Spirit; I fill each one full to overflowing. I give serious attention to each; I regard each with honor and care. I watch over and guard all whom God gives to me.
Changing the World. We are… wrestling… against the rulers and sources, against the authorities and influences, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). These are the dark things filling the avenues of influence inside the realms of spirit, inside the human soul.
The kingdom of the world-cosmos has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign into the unfolding of the ages (Revelation 11:15). This is us completely replacing those avenues of influence in the heavens with the flow and reverberation of the Spirit of Life into every human soul.
Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is titled “God Knows Me.” For that lesson, read Revelation 3:1-6 in the JSV several times.
The one who is presently and actively overcoming will be enclothed in white garments. I will not erase his name from the scroll of life, but I will speak his name in the presence of My Father and before His angels.
Being clothed with Fire and being clothed in white garments are the same thing, for only Fire purifies and makes clean. It is the Fire that turns us around. It is the Fire that anoints our eyes to see. We know that God knows us only by Fire.
Let’s Pray Together. “Lord Jesus, we thank You that You have walked with us inside the Fire of God all the days of our lives. We thank You that God’s Consuming Fire has removed from us all that kept us bound and restored to us all that is pure and true. Lord Jesus, all our lives have been only the Mercy Seat for that Pillar of Fire that is God to enter our world as Light and Life. We thank You Lord Jesus that You have cleansed us from ever doubting You, and from all our hiding in condemnation and blame and the awfulness of calling Your purity “wrath.”
“Lord Jesus, You are the ability of God inside of us, the authority in all heaven-earth.
“God, our Father, inside the name of Jesus, now our name as well, we direct You as Fire through us into our world. Remove the blindness, Oh God, from the eyes of our fellow Christians, that they might see through Your eyes, through eyes of Fire, that they might value honesty, that they might regard their brethren with care and concern.
“We direct Your Spirit, Oh God, now our own Devoted Spirit, into the currents of influence inside our world. Let every unclean spirit be driven out of Your Church; let every shield of darkness be swept aside. Let every false story be exposed to the speaker; let every eye be opened to their hurting of others.
“You have given us authority to rule, Oh God, with an inflexible requirement for honesty. Rule, Oh God, through our faith and our brokenness inside of You.”