YOU SHALL SEE HEAVEN OPEN – PART 2
I. THE PREMISE
A. Last session I addressed the question of how our understanding of the millennial reign of Christ impacts our current
understanding of revival in the Church. We looked at the question, “How does our understanding of the millennium affect
the way we pray for revival, labor in the midst of revival, and carry our hearts throughout revival?”
B. I approached the question by looking at Jesus’ reply to Nathanael in John 1:51. Before Jesus leads the Galilean
Revival He sets it in the context of the Millennial Kingdom which is coming. Jesus sets the proper stage for the Galilean
Revival by setting forth His promised millennial reign over all the nations of the earth when the full resources of heaven
are at the disposal of the Son to establish the Government of God. In other words Jesus’ view of His coming millennial
reign enabled Him to properly walk out revival during His first advent.
C. Three Key Millennial Truths: 1. The foundational message of the Kingdom is that Jesus is King of kings and will
rule every sphere of society worldwide. 2. The centerpiece of God’s eternal purpose is for Jesus to come back to fully
establish His Kingdom rule over all the earth as He joins the heavenly and earthly realms together in order that God’s
personality and purposes might fully be expressed. 3. The connecting point of earth and heaven is humanity with Jesus
as the foundational connection, releasing His fullness through His Bride.
II. YOU SHALL SEE HEAVEN OPEN – JOHN 1:51
John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you
believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
Man." NKJV
A. After prophesying to Nathanael, Jesus, blessed by Nathanael’s fascinated heart, tells him yet more. Nathanael, you
haven’t seen anything yet. An open heaven is coming Nathanael and you cannot even imagine what is going to take place.
Angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. It is the hour where the Kingdom of God prevails in the person of
His Son. Jesus refers back to Genesis 28:10-17 when Jacob was fleeing for his life from His brother, Esau. After being
swindled out of his father’s blessing, Esau promises to murder Jacob once his father has died. The prophesy of the
younger ruling over the older appears to be in shambles. The promise in Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 22:18 is now in
jeopardy as Jacob flees for his life. Jacob falls asleep and dreams of an open heaven where a kingdom is promised to
come through his seed that will bless all the nations of the earth. He sees the very “gate of heaven” where the divine
activity of heaven is connected with the governing of earth to ensure the establishment of the promised lineage in this
promised land. He sees the very “house of God.” Jacob is gazing upon the very Throne of God and this “gate” or
“ladder” which connects this Throne to earth. A ladder will be set up from earth to heaven, a divine connection, where
divine agents, called angels, will ensure the government of God in the seed will be established among the nations of the
earth.
B. Jacob has a divine encounter where God assures him of divine assistance in carrying out the promises made to his
father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham. “Heaven open” is not a figurative expression. Jesus is describing the very
centerpiece of God’s redemptive purposes: the bringing together of heaven and earth. If Nathanael is so easily fascinated
by a word of knowledge. Jesus declares, “You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until you see the apex of redemptive
history when in the God-man all things in heaven and earth are brought together. Wait until the full resource
of heaven is at the disposal of the King of Kings to bring in an unprecedented hour of the reign of God among
all the nations. Every sphere of life will be brought under the influence of a King who rules from the Right
Hand of the Majesty and has all heavenly resources at His disposal.”
C. Though the whole world presently lies under the sway of the evil one, the promised Kingdom of God in His Son will
come. In the person of Jesus the Kingdom is established and will be fully realized. That is why Jesus depicts Himself as
the ladder in John 1:51. Jesus is the Mediator of the Kingdom. He is the one who is inaugurating an age of the in-breaking
of the Kingdom. The King has come in the flesh. The divine Son of Man is inaugurating the beginning of a glorious day
that is the first-fruits of a fuller reign to come in the Millennium. Jesus is the ladder. He is the one bringing the divine
activity of God to overthrow the kingdom of darkness with the very finger of God. He will progressively bring to pass partial,
substantial, and ultimate rule of God.
1. Stage #1: Partial (good) – His rule now is mostly in the hearts of His people (Cross until 2nd Coming). Jesus is
ruler over the kings of the earth now, but does not manifest His leadership openly except on rare occasions. Now,
Jesus sits at the Right Hand of the Majesty and dispenses the Spirit (Acts 2:33). He infuses the church worldwide
with the evidential Word that the kingdom of darkness has come to an end and a King from David’s House will rule
over all things, judging the living and the dead.
2. Stage #2: Substantial (better) – His political rule over all the nations (Millennial Kingdom)
3. Stage #3: Ultimate (best) – His rule over the New Earth (after the Millennial Kingdom)
III. REVIVAL AS THE HISTORIC PREFIGURING OF THE MILLENNIUM
A. Even before Christ’s millennial rule is manifested in the natural with the first descent of the New Jerusalem, it partially
manifests in the natural as a testimony to the coming substantial rule of Jesus from Jerusalem. It is the manifestation of the
Kingdom of God’s power, rendering opposition useless, powerless.
B. Historic Revivals are divine seasons where God manifests His Kingdom in power as a testimony to the coming
millennial rule of Jesus Christ. There are divine hours where heaven opens and the kingdom of darkness is plundered.
In these seasons God’s people are encouraged of the prophetic promise: the Seed of the Woman will crush the head of
the seed of the serpent. These seasons remind us of a coming day when evil will be ultimately and finally judged and
destroyed. Examples of this are the Exodus and Conquest, David and Solomon’s Reign, Elijah on Mount Carmel, Elisha
facing the Syrian army, and Hezekiah.
C. The Galilean Revival – Jesus initiates a divine season in Galilee where healing, deliverance, and the preaching of
salvation are going forth with unopposed power and authority.
1. Matthew 4:23-25 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame
went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases
and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25 Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. NKJV
2. Matthew 9:35-36 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
3. Matthew 12:28-30 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come
upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong
man? And then he will plunder his house.
4. Mark 5:6-10 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice
and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not
torment me." 8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" 9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?"
And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would
not send them out of the country. NKJV
5. Matthew 14:13-21 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.
But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw
a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was
evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the
multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." 16 But Jesus said to them, "They do
not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves
and two fish." 18 He said, "Bring them here to Me." 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.
And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves
to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve
baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides
women and children. NKJV
6. Matthew 14:34-36 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men
of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and
begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly
well. NKJV
7. Matthew 15:29-32 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and
sat down there. 30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed,
and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude
marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind
seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
8. Matthew 15:33 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude,
because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away
hungry, lest they faint on the way."
D. Four Important Verses
1. Luke 10:17-20 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your
name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority
to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any
means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven." NKJV
2. Luke 13:31-33 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for
Herod wants to kill You." 32 And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures
today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' 33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow,
and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. NKJV
3. John 9:1-5 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him,
saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man
nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent
Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the
world." NKJV
4. Luke 22:53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your
hour, and the power of darkness."
IV. REDEFINING REVIVAL IN LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
A. This is Revival – it is the divine season of an open heaven where the Kingdom of God breaks in with
power leading to the healing, deliverance, and salvation of multitudes. It is the hour when the testimony of
the Spirit brings glory to the Father by exalting the testimony of the Sons Rule and Reign. Revival is the
glimpse of a glorious day to come when God will be all in all.
B. A vision of the “open heaven” fuels our intercession. This is what we are praying for in this city. We are asking for
the season of trampling on scorpions and serpents where the power of God breaks the power of darkness. We are
interceding for the hour of light where God’s revelation goes forth with clarity and power.
V. WHY IS THIS VIEW NECESSARY?
A. It heightens our intercession and broadens our historic context in prayer. Our vision in prayer is more than a few
extraordinary salvations that grow our churches from 500 to 1000. It gives us a higher vision in that we join the saints in the
long warfare against the kingdom of darkness. We take our stand to call for the fullness of God’s redemptive plan to be
played out in our day. We ask God to release a city-wide witness to a coming glorious day. The word of the coming King
of Glory and the complete removal of Satan out of the affairs of humanity.
B. It corrects our limited preaching of the Gospel. Often the goal of revival preaching is conversion. However, the
Gospel of the Kingdom, although including forgiveness of sins, contains the expansion of God’s rule in every sphere of
life, knowing that the continuity of our right and just actions will carry over into the next age.
C. It emboldens our courage to fight the good fight against all forms of darkness. By connecting the dots of
Genesis 3:15 with Revelation 20 we see ourselves as part of the courageous remnant that cooperate with God for the
reclaiming of God’s rule in every area of life. Understanding Jesus’ opposition to all darkness we leave duplicity and find
great boldness.
D. It enables us to understand the persecution of the saints by Satan and empowers us to endure it. Satan hates the
corporate witness breaking out in a city. He is not concerned about a city obtaining a few deliverances. He is enraged over
the witness of the Spirit through the saints that his dark kingdom is coming to an end. In Revelation 13:10 and 14:12 the
patience of the saints to endure the coming suffering and persecution is rooted in our understanding of the judgments of
Christ enforced upon Satan’s servants at Christ’s return and coming reign.
E. It secures us from the trappings of our own successfulness in the midst of revival. Correctly praying for and preaching
of the glory of the coming King and His Kingdom safeguards our hearts from the “anointed man” or “anointed woman”
syndrome. The emphasis stays on the name of Jesus and on faith in His name and not on faith in the vessel. In light of
the coming glory of Christ and His Kingdom, the servant is able to remain in fascination and humility.
VI. THE JERUSALEM REVIVAL
A. Jesus spends forty days teaching the disciples on the Kingdom. The apostles’ question in Acts 1:6 concerning the
restoration of the Kingdom to Israel reveals that Jesus had set before them the reality of His rule on earth from Jerusalem.
Is this a misinformed question or has Jesus postured their hearts with the ultimate goal as a safeguard for them in the
midst of revival?
B. Jesus does not refute their understanding of the Kingdom coming to Israel blessing all the nations of the earth
under the rule of the Messiah. He reorients them to their task. They are to give witness to the King, His Kingdom, and the
season of amnesty (forgiveness) offered to the rebellious to enter into this Kingdom and its rule. C. Acts 3 & 4