|
THE GLORY CLOUD OF REVELATION & PROPHETIC MANTLES TODD BENTLEY Feb 14, 2003 In the beginning of this year during an extended time of prayer at my home in Canada, I had an unusual encounter with the Lord. I saw the Glory cloud of revelation come on the church. I also saw in a vision an old saint named Sundar Singh. The Holy Spirit spoke to me about a new release of prophetic revelation coming. In this prophetic article we will talk about the rivers of revelation, intimacy, contemplative prayer and the anointing for the kinds of revelation Sundar Singh received that is being released in the church today. (**Note: Previously, in a word through Paul Keith Davis published on The Elijah List, Bob Jones saw in a vision a heavenly messenger named Sundar --http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1389. Many people wondered what the origins of the name were and it's meaning. Research showed that Sundar simply is a regular, male name that comes from an ancient language of India called Sanskrit. Sanskrit shares common roots with the Latin and Greek languages, as well as many others such as the Germanic and Celtic languages. Sundar means "Beautiful/Handsome/Pleasant to the eyes and ears," while Singh is a common suffix added on, meaning "Lion." Paul Keith Davis and Todd Bentley received revelation independently of each other from the Lord on Sundar. Each was regarding the Lord's anointing to open the eyes and ears of His people to release revelation. --Steve Shultz, The Elijah List**)
God is Releasing Rivers of Revelation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jesus was tapped into the ever increasing, flowing river of constant knowledge and revelation. I believe there is a higher place of prophetic ministry today. More than just operating in the gifts of the spirit, God wants us to flow in the mind of Christ and minister in the mantles of knowledge. Rather than just receiving a word of knowledge or a word of wisdom we step into the ever increasing, flowing river of constant knowledge and revelation. This ministry is found in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, and the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Vision of Sundar Singh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was also during this time of prayer that I was taken in a vision to what I believed to be the Himalayan Mountains. I saw an Indian man with a turban on his head. I heard the whisper of the Spirit say this is Sundar Singh. I am releasing anointing of revelation like this. I had no communication with this old saint nor did he say anything to me. The experience lasted only a moment. Is it biblical for men and woman to have experiences like this? Jesus had a visitation of both Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17: 1-14) Samuel returned to rebuke King Saul when he consulted with a medium for direction. (Sam 28:8-15) It is important to remember the Lord brought the vision and I heard His voice. I did not pursue nor speak with the dead. According to the book of Hebrews there is a great cloud of witnesses around us. Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin, which so easily ensnares us, and let us run." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Who Is Sundar Singh? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sundar Singh: They called him the great Indian Seer, born in a Punjab village in 1889; of mixed Sikh and Hindu stock; his early dislike of Christianity resulted in a symbolic burning of the Bible; soon after followed a vision of Jesus Christ and he was baptized, 1905; determined to become a Christian sadhu (holy man), he traveled and preached in mountain regions from his center at Kotgarh;1918 he began to travel abroad and visited countries like Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and China, traveled to Europe, North America, and Australia. Sundar Singh was identified as a living mystic and several books are published about him. Some people did not fully accept his accounts of his early experiences. One experience is as follows; in 1912 he returned from the Himalayan Mountains with an extraordinary account of finding a three-hundred-year old Christian hermit in a mountain cave. He called him the Maharishi of Kailas. Sundar was said to have spent some weeks in deep fellowship with him. The sadhu disappeared in 1929 while traveling to Tibet on foot with no money and circumstances of his death are unknown. Sundar Singh suffered much for Christ. In 1912 in the Tibetan village of Lazar, he was beaten and thrown to die in a pit filled with rotting bodies. His arm was broken; the pit was sealed above him, and only the Grand Lama had the key. The stench was unbearable. Three nights later, Sundar heard the grate open. A shadowy figure lowered a rope and pulled him out. Next morning he boldly showed himself again, preaching in the streets. The Grand Lama seized him. Furious questions followed. Who had helped him? Who had stolen the key? He pulled the key ring from under his robe. But the key to the pit was still on it. Terrified, he freed Sundar Singh, expelling him from town. He also had been sewn into a wet yak-skin and left to be crushed to death as it shrank in the hot sun, tied into cloths laced with leeches and scorpions to sting him and suck his blood. Another time he was roped to a tree as bait for wild animals. During these experiences and even at other times he had been rescued by members of the "Sunnyasi Mission", Sundar reported they were secret disciples of Jesus wearing their Hindu markings, whom he claimed to have found all over India. As extraordinary as his life was in evangelism and persecution, he also had numerous extreme prophetic encounters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visions And Experiences of Sundar Singh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Lord himself regularly visited Sundar Singh. During these visitations, he would ask questions of the Lord and receive direct answers. 'At The Master’s Feet' is a record of these question and answer times with the Lord. Sundar spoke to the Lord as Moses face to face as a friend speaks to a friend. In his first vision as taken from his book, 'At the Masters Feet', Sundar describes how Jesus came to him. This was the beginning of regular visits from the Lord. Quoted >From Sundar Singh: Once on a dark night I went alone into the forest to pray, and seating myself upon a rock I laid before God my deep necessities, and besought His help. After a short time, seeing a poor man coming towards me I thought he had come to ask me for some relief because he was hungry and cold. I said to him, 'I am a poor man, and except for this blanket I have nothing at all. You had better go to the village near by and ask for help there.' And lo! Even whilst I was saying this he flashed forth like lightning, and showering drops of blessing, immediately disappeared. Alas! Alas! It was now clear to me that this was my beloved Master who came not to beg from a poor creature like me, but to bless and to enrich me (2 Cor. viii.9), and so I was left weeping and lamenting my folly and lack of insight. In a second vision on the same rock in prayer, Satan came to him and sought to turn him to being a Hindu or Muslim since his impact on Christians was only a few thousand. Sundar describes it like this, On another day, my work being finished, I again went into the forest to pray, and seated upon that same rock began to consider for what blessings I should make petition. Whilst thus engaged, it seemed to me that another man came and stood near me, who, judged by his bearing and dress and manner of speech, appeared to be a revered and devoted servant of God; but his eyes glittered with craft and cunning, and as he spoke he seemed to breathe an odor of hell. But although in the Name of God you have sacrificed yourself body and soul for others, you have never been truly appreciated. My meaning is that being a Christian, only a few thousand Christians have come under your influence, and some even of these distrust you. How much better would it be if you became a Hindu or a Muslim, and thus become a great leader indeed? They are in search of such a spiritual head. If you accept this suggestion of mine, then three hundred and ten million Hindus and Muslims will become your followers, and render you reverent homage. I believe that the life of Sundar Singh speaks in itself what the Lord wants to bring the church into, through daily discipline and renowned devotion to soaking and seeking him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Companionship with the Lord ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sundar Singh was known to spend at least two hours daily in reading the Scriptures, meditation and prayer. He would get up by 5:00 am and finish by 7:00 or 8:00 depending on what his schedule was for the day. He often spent the whole day or night in prayer. His discipline was to read one chapter of the Bible, rapidly at first reading, then to return to reread passages or verses that were more suggestive to him. These he would linger with and meditate on for as long as it was fruitful for him to do so. Next he would enter into a period of 'recollection' for twenty minutes or so. This was a time of silence in which he would allow the Lord to speak to him in some way. With his own mind and heart silenced, he opened his mind and his heart to hear what the Lord would have to say to him or to just simply enjoy companionship with his Lord. Often this period of silence would extend into a deeper state called contemplation in which he enjoyed complete rest and refreshment in the love of God. Often during times of contemplation he entered into experiences of ecstasy. He regarded these experiences as the same as St. Paul's entrance into the "Third Heaven." During his latter years they occurred frequently, as much as ten times a month. About these experiences he said, "I never try to go into ecstasy; nor do I advise others to try. It is a gift to be accepted, but it should not be sought; if given, it is a pearl of great price." [Quoted From: Sundar Singh.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Christian Contemplative Tradition ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This key is one of the most important tools if we are to see an increase of wisdom and revelation in our lives. In the western Christian tradition, meditation refers to thinking about or the use of the imagination around a passage of scripture. Whereas, in India, meditation refers to silencing your thoughts. The Christian tradition there is a place, however, for the silencing of thoughts and emotions but it has been called contemplation rather than meditation. This is one of those unfortunate twists of semantics, which has caused confusion when discussing the spirituality of East and West. Sundar Singh practiced a sequence of prayer discipline that is identical to ancient Christian monastic disciplines: reading the Scriptures, meditation on a passage of the reading (also called response of the mind and heart), recollection and rest. This sequence has been called lectio divina in Latin. It means divine reading, or more precisely, divine listening since few people could actually read. These are the four R's of lectio divina or Christian devotional life: Reading (hearing) the Word. Responding to it with mind and heart. Recollecting oneself with an open mind and open heart to God's Will, and Resting in His Presence. When ordinary Christians would go to the church to hear the Scriptures read aloud they would remember - and memorize - a passage or verse and ponder it for the week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last, What is God Saying Through This Vision? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One thing I believe the Holy Spirit is releasing in the vision I saw of this old saint, is an understanding of the great heritage Christians have in India. Christianity is a large part in Asia spread through the evangelistic work and mission of this holy man. Unfortunately, most in the church today don't even know who Sundar Singh was and what he did. God is in a new way releasing the Macedonian call and bringing attention to the needs of Evangelization back to India and the remote areas of Asia that are not reached with the gospel. God is also wanting the church to remember the life and anointing of this great man before the church forgets completely. Sundar Singh was a true example of a seer prophet, powerful evangelist, life in the spirit and holy devotion to Christ his master. We need this anointing for effective Evangelization today. I also believe that for those totally devoted to the Lord in holiness, consecration and remain in the tent of his glory will begin to receive visits like this from the Lord. God also wants to speak to us as friends and in plain sayings. The life, commitment and prayer of this man are a true picture of the friend of the Lord. ----- Living in the Supernatural Prophetic
Conference*.
======================================================= Yes, you may post this on your own lists and your own websites. Please keep author and Elijah List contact information intact. Others may subscribe to The Elijah List by sending a note to: subscriptions@elijahlist.com or by going to www.elijahlist.com. To obtain some of Todd Bentley's most recent books, tapes and teaching CDs http://theelijahlist.safeshopper.com/352/cat352.htm?857Pre-Order Now -- The Secret
Place Conference Audio Set (took place Feb 6-9, 2003)
Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact. ElijahList Publications |