At a time like this, we are in need, as God’s people, to allow the Holy Spirit to finish things and start anew by letting Him place our spirit man on a new level of heaven and earth.

 

This is accompanied by the intervention of the LORD’s hand that takes hold of our spirit and draws us into a higher spiritual dimension associated with faith (cf. Ezekiel 3:12; Ezekiel 8:3a-b; Daniel 14:36 i.c.w. Matthew 14:31).

 

Ezekiel 3:12:
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.

 

Ezekiel 8:3a-b:
3a-b He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, …

 

Daniel 14:36 (apocryphal text from the New American Bible Revised Edition):
36 The angel of the Lord seized him by the crown of his head and carried him by the hair; with the speed of the wind, he set him down in Babylon above the den.

 

Matthew 14:31:
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’

 

 

The Lord shows that we as the people of God in Germany have entered a new phase of spiritual warfare according to Ephesians 6:12, which requires the spiritual walk in a new realm of heaven and earth.

 

Ephesians 6:12:
12 For our struggle (Note: battle) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

From the Word of God we can see that at His appointed time the LORD will roll up the realm of heaven as well as the earth like a mantle and create a new heaven as well as a new earth (cf. Hebrews 1:10-12 i.c.w. Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 6:14a; Revelation 21:1).

 

Hebrews 1:10-12:
10 He also says, ‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.’

 

Isaiah 65:17:
17 ‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

 

2 Peter 3:13:
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

 

Revelation 6:14a:
14a The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, …

 

Revelation 21:1:
1 Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

 

Even though the above scriptures refer to the end of times, in this context the LORD is in the process of providing a new realm from His presence on earth for us as His people to take possession of at this time.

 

The reason why the LORD has provided a new spiritual realm of heaven and earth for His people is because the darkness has intensified and is connected to the ‘dimension of the kings of darkness’. This circumstance requires that even the prophets of God are encouraged to proceed in a new way.

 

This approach is similar to the situation of the prophet Elisha, who needed a harpist at the time of ‘the war of kings’ in order to unlock the realm of prophetic strategy, which was connected with the presence of the hand of God (cf. 2 Kings 3:15-16a).

 

2 Kings 3:15-16a:
15 But now bring me a harpist.’ While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha 16 and he said (Note: prophesied), …

 

We are in a similar time in which the powers of darkness are abusing and deceiving ‘the kings’ (Note: leaders in economy and politics) on earth for their own purposes in order to cause global oppression.

 

 

Therefore, it is necessary that we as the church – the Ekklēsia go ahead in the substance of the fiery salt and let the prophets of the LORD speak from their new God-assigned realms (cf. Mark 9:49-50, Habakkuk 2:1a).

 

Mark 9:49-50:
49 Everyone will be salted with fire.
50 ‘Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.’

 

Habakkuk 2:1a:
1a I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; …

 

The statements of the prophets are received and carried by the Ekklēsia, so that His judgments are released by the decree of the Word of God and His righteousness is established on the earth (cf. Isaiah 26:9).

 

Isaiah 26:9:
9 My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

 

The words of the LORD’s prophets increase in authority as their communication moves along as in the ‘pipelines’ of ‘Enoch’ and ‘Elijah’, which is accompanied by transmitting closeness to God and the establishment of the LORD’s righteousness (cf. Zechariah 4:12-14).

 

Zechariah 4:12-14:
12 Again I asked him, ‘What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?’
13 He replied, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ ‘No, my lord,’ I said.
14 So he said, ‘These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.’

 

The global opposing of the princes and powers of darkness requires that we as the Ekklēsia enter into a new dimension of praise and decree the revelatory truth of the Word of God.

 

In this, it is necessary that we go higher and unite with and apply the living revelatory truth of the Word of God, which is a living, powerful, sharp and two-edged sword (cf. Hebrews 4:12).

 

Hebrews 4:12:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

 

 

This alignment of praise and truth is clearly illustrated by Judges 1:1-3, where the tribe of Judah aligned with the tribe of Simeon, who was aware of the power of the sword (cf. Genesis 49:5).

 

Judges 1:1-3:
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?’
2 The Lord answered, ‘Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.’
3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, ‘Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.’ So the Simeonites went with them.

 

Genesis 49:5:
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers – their swords are weapons of violence.

 

In order to bind the ‘kings’ and ‘princes of darkness’, it is necessary that we apply the revelatory truth of God’s Word in conjunction with praise to execute righteous judgment according to the will of God (cf. Psalm 149:6-9).

 

Psalm 149:6-9:
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9 to carry out the sentence written against them – this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.

 

In relation to the situation with the prophet Elisha and the minstrel, it means that Elisha was aware and recognized that the heavens were closed in his day by the present darkness, which meant that he couldn’t spontaneously give prophetic counsel or prophesy God’s strategy to his addressees. He needed the ‘sound of the hand’ (Note: harp player => praise/sound and righteousness/hand) so that the hand of God came upon Elisha and he was authorized to prophesy.

 

It was because of Elisha’s humble heart attitude and decision to first fill the room with the sound of worship, that the hand of God previously removed the heavens from the resisting darkness and then settled on the prophet so that he could prophesy the LORD’s strategy to the relevant kings (cf. 2 Kings 3:15-16a).

 

2 Kings 3:15-16a:
15 But now bring me a harpist.’ While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha 16a and he said (Note: prophesied), …

 

 

Since God ministers from the eternal realm and the structure of His time cycle could be described as a circle that is without beginning or end, this is an indication that God works according to His eternal plan of renewal. This is associated with an end in temporary time but also provides a new beginning at the same time (cf. Isaiah 65:17 i.c.w. 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).

 

Isaiah 65:17:
17 ‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. …’

 

2 Peter 3:13:
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

 

Revelation 21:1:
1 Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

 

The LORD is presently moving His Kingdom people on earth up into a new spiritual realm of the heavens in order to establish His plans from there through His people in the spirit realm of the earth (Note: ‘äräẓ realm; cf. Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1-3).

 

Ephesians 2:6:
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, …

 

Colossians 3:1-3:
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

 

In this, it is not left out that we must let go a ‘worn-out kind’ of leadership as we go deeper into the promise, just as the people of Israel experienced at different periods of time (cf. Judges 1:1).

 

Judges 1:1:
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?’

To enter more deeply into the God-ordained promise of the Kingdom, it requires crossing a spiritual ‘dimension of water’, which is related to the ‘region of the Jordan’ and involves putting off the old and taking in the new.

 

This is evident in the fact that the people of Israel had to pass through the Jordan River in order to enter the Promised Land, while the old generation died in the wilderness. Furthermore, Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist took place in the waters of the Jordan River as well (cf. Joshua 3:14 i.c.w. Joshua 5:4; Matthew 3:13).

 

Joshua 3:14:
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.

 

Joshua 5:4:
4 Now this is why he (Note: Joshua) did so: all those who came out of Egypt – all the men of military age – died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.

 

Matthew 3:13:
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John.

 

 

We can consider the process of the new realm of heaven opened by God with the life of Elijah at the time when Elisha followed him and was on the way to receive the double anointing of Elijah.

 

In this context, two attributes play a significant role, which are the movement and the sound (cf. 2 Kings 2:11).

 

2 Kings 2:11:
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

 

The fiery chariot with the fiery horses is the boundary line between the flesh and the spirit, between the natural and supernatural realms, as well as the guideline and standard of God’s Word in connection with His plan for the earth.

 

In addition, Elijah’s mantle which represents the prophetic dimension and anointing played an important role in the crossing of the Jordan.

 

When Elijah was on his way to the place of the Rapture with Elisha, they first had to cross the Jordan and this was done by Elijah folding his mantle and striking the water of the Jordan with it so that it opened. Then they could cross over to the other side together on dry ground (cf. 2 Kings 2:8).

 

2 Kings 2:8:
8 Elijah took his cloak (Note: mantle), rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

 

Elijah in a sense closed a prophetic realm in the heavens so that Elisha opened a new prophetic realm.

 

This is made clear by the fact that after Elijah was taken up to heaven by God through the whirlwind and separation by the fiery chariot with the fiery horses, Elisha received the mantle from Elijah from a higher realm.

 

At this point, the mantle was not wrapped but unfolded, indicating that Elisha was operating from a realm of anointing that carried the double in which Elijah had previously moved.

 

Elisha crossed the Jordan alone after the Rapture of Elijah, and on his way back to cross the Jordan he used Elijah’s unfolded mantle (Note: new prophetic dimension/anointing), which also became his new clothing, since Elisha had torn his old clothes (cf. 2 Kings 2:9-14).

 

2 Kings 2:9-14:
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.
10 ‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.’
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
12 Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

 

After Elisha crossed the Jordan, he moved in a new realm of anointing created by God, which He established for this time on earth.

 

God ended a time of heaven on earth by a new time of heaven on earth, which the prophet disciples whom Elisha met on the other side of the Jordan recognized by seeing the cooperating double anointing of the LORD resting on his life. Even though they couldn’t yet fully believe it, that Elijah’s time was supernaturally ended by God, they recognized it (cf. 2 Kings 2:15-18).

 

2 Kings 2:15-18:
15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
16 ‘Look,’ they said, ‘we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.’ ‘No,’ Elisha replied, ‘do not send them.’
17 But they persisted until he was too embarrassed to refuse. So he said, ‘Send them.’ And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him.
18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to go?’

 

This means for us as God’s people that when God has created a new spiritual realm on earth, we don’t hold on to the old way and the things associated with it, but rather move in the new structure and anointing created by God (cf. Mark 2:22).

 

Mark 2:22:
22 And no-one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.’

By the grace of God, we receive in the Holy Spirit the necessary sensitivity to this new dimension of revelation that flows out of us through our worship and faithful attitude in daily life toward God’s Word.

 

Thus, we emerge with new courage leading in a servant attitude to proclaim righteousness and the will of God in decrees in prayer and daily work for the glory of the King of the whole universe.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm