DECLARING THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND THE HOUR OF HISTORY
I. PROPHETIC MANDATE OF THE FINAL GENERATION
A. Joel 2 & Acts 2: “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy.” One of the dominant characteristics of the last generation
is the spirit of prophecy.
B. The prophetic ministry is (in part): the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 19); exhortation, comfort, strength (1 Cor. 14);
rooted in and motivated by love (1 Cor. 13); a mercy strategy by God to bring people to repentance and relationship
(Ezk. 3, Rev. 10).
C. A forerunner messenger is (in part): a witness on the earth who’s life bears witness of the Kingdom of God (Jn. 1),
and a messenger to people by declaring the knowledge of God (Is. 6, Ezk. 3; Rev. 10) and the hour of history
(1 Chr. 12:32; Ezk. 3; Matt. 16:3).
D. God’s end-time outpouring of the Spirit of Prophecy is dynamically related to the release of forerunner, prophetic
messengers.
II. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF FORERUNNER MESSENGERS
A. John the Baptist: a man sent from God; a voice crying in the wilderness. He was a forerunner who bore witness of
the Light (Jesus) that all through him might believe in Jesus. John the Baptist declared the knowledge of God (Jesus is
the Christ) and the hour of history (God has come in the flesh).
B. John the Beloved: he received a divine mandate to eat the little book and then prophesy to many nations (Revelation 10).
C. Daniel: a man who was greatly beloved of God. Through his life of prayer and fasting he received divine revelation. Not
only was his life a witness, he was a messenger to those around him (Dan. 4:27), and the words he wrote are still true
and relevant—even more so now.
D. Ezekiel: was commanded by God to eat the scroll and speak the Lord’s words to Israel.
III. THE NATURE OF THE FORERUNNER MESSENGER
A. In Revelation 10 and Ezekiel 3, John and Ezekiel must do more than repeat the message given to them by the
Lord, they have to become the message. They have to be transformed by God to accurately convey the heart of God
and reach the people they are being sent to.
1. When Ezekiel ate the scroll it required everything from him and was not easy to “digest”, even though the words
themselves were pleasant and sweet – not harsh or angry. The way of a hardened heart into God’s ways is bitter and
difficult – there will be much internal turmoil and struggle. Ezekiel had to fully receive all the words spoken by God – they
had to be fully integrated into his very being, transforming and shifting him completely. As God is calling and inviting man
into deep unity and union with His person, men must agree to submit to the process of unity and union with His Word as
well. The process of becoming a prophetic messenger is one of the most difficult and exacting in the entire Word of God.
B. John is re-commissioned by the angel under the authority of God to take the scroll from the angel and consume it.
He had been commissioned initially to record and proclaim, but now he is being asked to consume the words and live
wholly according to what is contained within. That John the beloved, mature apostle is being asked to move to another
level of wholehearted abandonment and agreement speaks of the great need for the prophetic church to fight for
(“contend earnestly” – Jude 3) the faith that was “once for all delivered to the saints”.
C. If John, nearing the end of his life, is still being challenged to “come up higher” and “draw nearer” than how
much more must we recognize the vast gap between message and messenger in our own lives?
D. There must be a complete separation from this world in order to be established as a “deliverer” of it
(1 John 2:15–17; James 4:4). Messengers must become the message: “you are what you eat.”
IV. TYPES OF FORERUNNER MESSENGERS
A. The foundational dynamic to being a prophetic messenger is not how we proclaim the knowledge of God and
the hour we are living in, but rather out of what reality in our heart we proclaim from. The messenger must become the
message and be transformed by God to love what He loves and hate what He hates: a messenger is a friend, a partner
with God’s heart.
We can easily stereotype the “messenger” role to public speakers only. However, the types of forerunner messengers
will far surpass just those who have the calling and personality to speak to the masses.
B. Singers: those who proclaim through songs, oracles, melodies and harmonies
C. Musicians: those who proclaim through rhythms, melodies and sounds
D. Songwriters: those who proclaim through lyrics and choruses
E. Authors: those who proclaim through words (books, letters, blogs, magazine articles, etc…)
F. Film-makers: those who proclaim through screenwriting and directing
G. Preachers: those who proclaim through speaking to groups and crowds
H. Artists: those who proclaim through colors, shapes, images and designs
I. Prophets: those who proclaim through the word of the Lord with a mantle to stand before kings
J. Teachers: those who proclaim through counsel and encouragement
V. BIBLICAL METHODS FOR RECEIVING END-TIME REVELATION
A. Again, the foundational dynamic to being a forerunner messenger is not how we proclaim the knowledge of God
and the hour we are living in, but rather out of what reality in our heart are we proclaiming from. (Ps. 45:1)
B. We must cultivate a deep relationship with the Lord. John the Beloved, John the Baptist, Daniel, David, Paul,
Peter, Moses: they were all friends of God. It is this necessary friendship with God that we must press-in to attain. The
forerunner ministry of prophetic messengers is about partnership with God. (Dan. 4:20–23, 28)
To be messengers, we must have burning revelation and deep friendship. (Dan. 9:22–23)
C. In the generation the Lord returns end-time revelation is two fold:
1. Receiving revelation concerning the fact that you are living in the generation the Lord is returning: knowing the signs
of the times.
2. Receiving revelation concerning the end-time events and timeline: the Holy Spirit gives this understanding to us so
that we may comprehend the scriptures more clearly.
D. The mystery of revelation: The Word of God is alive and active.
1. The simple, humble people of the earth can have great wisdom and insight into the scriptures because the Holy
Spirit within us gives supernatural clarity into the Living Word of God. The Bible supersedes natural wisdom, because it’s
from another age. Feeble attempts of mental ascension alone will not gain us the biblical will gain through adding prayer,
fasting and a humble heart when we study.
E. What is done in secret is rewarded openly: God rewards consecration with the ability to perceive.
1. God rewards Daniel’s faithfulness and diligence with revelation and knowledge, skill to understand all literature
and wisdom and in all visions and dreams.
a. The rarest commodity of all is the understanding of the day in which one lives. It is a gift that God gave the sons of
Issachar – knowing the signs of the times, knowing what God was doing in a specific generation. (Jesus rebuked the
Pharisees in Matthew 16 for not discerning the signs of the times.)
b. Knowing the signs of the times is required of a person longing for friendship with God during the generation the
Lord returns. Those who long for friendship with God will search to discern who He is and what He is doing in their
generation. (Proverbs 25:2)
c. King Nebuchadnezzar finds Daniel ten-times better than any other wise counselor, magician or astrologer. By
living a consecrated life of excellence, Daniel brought glory to the Lord that was even recognized by a wicked king.
(Dan. 1:17–20)
F. Biblical methodology for receiving End-time revelation
1. A resolute consecration to live a life of prayer and fasting: Revelation comes out of a lifestyle history of prayer
and fasting. Daniel prayed three times daily (Dan. 6:10). This lifestyle consecrates, or sets us apart, for the things of the
Kingdom (revelation, power, authority, understanding, fascination, etc…) (Dan. 1:8, 16–17; Mark 9:28–29; Rev. 4)
a. Through his lifestyle of prayer, fasting and devotion Daniel was a pure, consecrated vessel for end-time
revelation—all while being in a foreign land, in a program designed to integrate and assimilate him into a wicked empire.
b. Biblical models of persistent prayer: Luke 18:1–8; Luke 11:5–13; Isaiah 64:4
2. Rigorous Study: it is our job to seek the Lord and study the Word. The Lord will give us understanding, clarity and a
fascinated heart. (James 4:8; John 3:27; Proverbs 2:1–10; Psalm 119:99–104; Luke 24:45; Mark 4:11). The Lord will give
us wisdom and understanding but not apart from searching it out. We must spend time reading and praying the Bible with
fasting, a humble heart and listening to the Holy Spirit.
3. Prayer around a specific issue: National crisis and prophetic promises (Daniel 9:3–4)
a. Daniel knew it was time for his nation to be returned to their homeland. He turned his face in prayer asking the
Lord to have mercy.
(1) The Luke 18 prayer of faith—perhaps for a national crisis or for promises. It takes faith especially when things
look hopeless. Nothing looked more despairing than Israel during Daniel’s times, but he believed the Word of God as yes
and amen. (Luke 18:1, 27)
4. Divine revelation given from Heaven: a vision or dream in the night; divinely inspired seeking (Luke 11); Angelic
Messenger (Daniel 9:23, 10:11, 10:19; Revelation 10).
5. Keeping the matter in one’s heart: meditation / fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.
VI. THE MISSION OF THE PROPHETIC MESSENGER
“And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”" (Rev. 10:11)
A. Relating this to Ezekiel 3, the Lord is divinely setting John to go to a people who are “not of unfamiliar language”
(Ezek. 3:6) – meaning language or difficulty of understanding will not be the barrier, but hardened hearts.
1. This hardening is the point of Rev. 9:21, as well as 11:7-10. That they “will not hear” is the reality that every
prophetic messenger commissioned by God (i.e. Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc.) must face. God promised to establish
a supernatural resolve within Ezekiel to confront this reality and walk in a supernatural boldness – this is the essence
of the promise of the angel to John as well as the messengers that will be established by grace at the end of the age.
B. The peoples, nations, tongues, and kings will not listen, but John must prophesy, “whether they hear, or whether
they refuse”.
(1) This is the burden of the prophetic messenger, yet the proclamation (and hearing) is just as much a key
component of God’s plan as the reception of the message – for refusal is part of the righteous judgment to come.