Three Transforming Experiences - Part 19
We have seen that the two main qualifications that believers will need to have in their lives to pass God’s tests on the Day of Atonement are humility and an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. We must have both of these abiding qualities in our lives in order to enter into the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles experience.
But even if we qualify, how can we survive being caught up to experience transfiguration in a face-to-face encounter with the God Who is a Consuming Fire?
“And the Lord [the Messiah], Whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; … But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap;”—Malachi 3:1-2 (AMPC)
There is something more that we will need in order to be prepared for this Transfiguration experience. We will need the same thing that allowed Isaiah to survive his experience of being caught up in a vision to God’s throne room in order to be commissioned for ministry.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I had a vision of the Lord. He was on his throne high above, and his robe filled the temple. Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, as they shouted,
‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord All-Powerful! The earth is filled with your glory.’
**“**As they shouted, the doorposts of the temple shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.”—Isaiah 6:1-4 (CEV)
Isaiah realized that He was as good as dead because he was face-to-face with the God Who is a Consuming Fire. He knew the history of the Tabernacle. He knew what had happened to Nadab and Abihu. He must have been familiar with God’s warning to Moses.
“But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’”—Exodus 33:20 (NKJV)
Knowing this, Isaiah reacted.
“Then I cried out, ‘I’m doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.’”—Isaiah 6:5 (CEV)
What happened next gives us the key to surviving a Holy of Holies, face-to-face encounter with the God Who is A Consuming Fire.
“One of the flaming creatures flew over to me with a burning coal that it had taken from the altar with a pair of metal tongs. It touched my lips with the hot coal and said, ‘This has touched your lips. Your sins are forgiven, and you are no longer guilty.’”—Isaiah 6:6-7 (CEV)
After Isaiah was purified by fire, he was immediately commissioned and sent out on a special assignment from God.
“After this, I heard the Lord ask, ‘Is there anyone I can send? Will someone go for us?’
“I’ll go,” I answered. “Send me!”
“Then the Lord told me to go”—Isaiah 6:8-9 (CEV)
The key is purification by the fire of God. We must be purified by fire in order to survive an encounter with the God Who is a Consuming Fire. The fire of God removes any residue of sin or demonic influence so that we can be pure vessels worthy to experience Transfiguration and to receive the fullness of the indwelling presence of God Himself. Then we can be commissioned and sent out to accomplish the greatest ministry we could ever imagine!
Peter’s Experience
“More and more believers in the Lord, crowds of men and women, were constantly being added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried their sick out into the streets and put them on cots and sleeping pads, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on one of them [with healing power]. And the people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.”—Acts 5:14-16 (AMP)
After Pentecost, Peter walked in the power of the abiding, manifested presence of God. He preached with boldness to the very same authority figures that had him cowering in fear during Jesus’ trial a few days earlier. When he confronted Ananias and Sapphira about lying to God, they fell dead at his feet.
What had happened? How had Peter suddenly acquired this new boldness, power, and authority?
When the 120 received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the upper room, they experienced something more than we usually experience when we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They not only received the Baptism of Holy Spirit, but they also received the Baptism of Fire, evidenced by the tongues of fire that were seen on each of them.
“They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them.”— Acts 2:3 (CEB)
In order to accomplish everything that God has for us in the glorious Feast of Tabernacles experience at the time of the great Harvest at the end of the age, we must be baptized with the fire of God. The Baptism of Fire will purge us of any lingering residue of sin or evil influence and prepare us to receive the Feast of Tabernacles experience of Transfiguration and the infilling of the manifested presence of God Almighty.
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”— 2 Timothy 2:21 (AMP)
Three Baptisms
There are three Baptisms, not just two. If we have only experienced the first two baptisms, then it’s no wonder that we have not entered into the fullness of the Holy of Holies experience, fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles in our own lives.
“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”— Matthew 3:11 (NLT)
There is a baptism associated with each of the three great feasts of the Lord. Water Baptism accompanies the Salvation experience of the Feast of Passover. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit accompanies the Feast of Pentecost, and the Baptism of Fire accompanies the Transfiguration experience of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Three Great Ministry Periods of the Church Age
Each of the three great ministry periods of the Church Age is marked by one of the three baptisms.
1. Jesus’ Ministry: The first 3½ years of the Church Age were marked predominately by the ministry of Jesus and Water Baptism. This was the period in which the Feast of Passover was fulfilled. The main focus of Jesus’ period of ministry was on the Outer Court experiences of forgiveness of sins and Salvation.
2. Holy Spirit’s Ministry: We are now living in the longest period of the Church Age, which is marked predominately by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the period in which the Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled. In this period, the Church has progressed from the Outer Court, building on Jesus’ ministry and pressing on into the Holy Place experiences of Holy Spirit Baptism and Sanctification.
The Lord is using this long period of the Church Age to prepare a bride for Himself, as Paul describes in Ephesians 5:25-27:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might **sanctify and cleanse her **with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (NKJV)
3. The Father’s Ministry: The last 3½ years of the Church Age will be marked predominately by the ministry of the Father—He Who is a Consuming Fire—with the Baptism of Fire. The Father’s 3½ year ministry and Jesus’ 3½ year ministry will be like bookends on the Church Age, and together these two ministry periods will complete Daniels’ 70th week (Daniel 9:27). This will be the period in which the third great Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled. It will be in this third great ministry period that the Church will finally enter into the Holy of Holies experience of Transfiguration.
It will be near the end of this third great ministry period at the close of the Church age when the Bride of Christ will finally be presented to the Bridegroom. Sadly, not all believers will be included in the Bride of Christ, but only those who have prepared themselves, as we are told in Revelation 19:7-8:
“’Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us give Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come [at last] and His bride (the redeemed) has prepared herself.’ She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean—for the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].” (AMP)
The Seraphims – Ministers of Fire
In Isaiah’s experience a “flaming creature” brought the fire of God to purify him. These flaming creatures are seraphims who are described as having six wings and the ability to fly. In Isaiah’s experience, these seraphims minister to the Lord Himself from a position above God’s throne.
The Hebrew word for “seraphim” describes a creature that is burning or fiery. Seraphims may be creatures who carry fire inside of them and emanate fire as part of their DNA. The closest thing that we may have seen resembling Seraphims may be the “Human Torch” superhero of the Fantastic 4 comics. That is still a poor comparison to these awe-inspiring creatures.
“And concerning the angels He says, ‘Who makes His angels winds, And His ministering servants flames of fire [to do His bidding].’”—Hebrews 1:7 (AMP)
Neville Johnson received a vision from the Lord in which he saw seraphims being dispatched to believers, bringing the fire of God. The believers who had surrendered their wills to God in humility were baptized in the fire of God. Neville then saw these believers emerge from the fire to minister with miracle power and the authority of God Almighty.
Could Neville have seen the Baptism of Fire that is coming to prepare those believers who have qualified to enter into the fullness of the Feast of Tabernacles experience?
You can listen to Neville describe his vision in his message on the Baptism of Fire from his course on The First Principles. At the time of this writing, this message is also available on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2tMWZAJSd0&ab_channel=SpreadingHisWord, or you can download the video here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oydeku1rrhm517k/Baptism%20of%20Fire.mp4?dl=0
References:
Johnson, N. (2015, October 27). Baptism of Fire Neville Johnson. YouTube. Retrieved December 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2tMWZAJSd0&ab_channel=SpreadingHisWord
Johnson, N. (n.d.). The First Principles. The Academy of Light. Retrieved December 18, 2021, from https://www.theacademy.org.au/products/the-first-principles?variant=31553035632734
Three Transforming Experiences
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