Good morning everyone and welcome to Bethel Church Preston Prophetic Centre. London marathon are you ready for a marathon today?
Go ahead and open your bibles to 2 Samuel 15.
Now to often a lot of things in church are put into the category of Jezebel and believe me their is plenty of the old “Jez” to go around.
But their are other characters in scripture that teach us how satan infects people. Absalom or the Absalom spirit is one such tactic of satan, if he cant get you with Jezebel, he will try to get you with Absalom, now their are many other tactics of the enemy.
The Lord has been speaking to me about the Absalom spirit, we are in a very prophetic time.
Their is a priest in the Old Testament called Zadok. Zadok is the priesthood that was established after Eli was rejected, the unknown prophet rejected Eli because he didn’t deal with the wickedness in his own household. The evil that his sons did and a judgement came down on Eli and they said that your family is going to be removed from that high priesthood lineage. But not completely removed from serving as priests, some of them will remain but here is the sign they are going to be cut down in their prime they are going to lean upon the arm of flesh and they are going to give room for flesh to exist within the ministry. They are going to be swayed by the desires of man and the unwillingness to stand up against corruption and wickedness, they may rise up but they are going to get cut down in their prime. But then he said I am going to raise up a new priesthood and that priesthood is going to do my will and that priesthood began with the priest Zadok.
Now this is David after he had already become king, he was in Jerusalem he had already brought the Ark back and the glory back, he brought it back and put this in your spirit, David is a “type” of Jesus Christ. He’s come back established the Ark built a tent had singers, 1000 full time singers imagine doing the rota for that?!!
Then their was a time where his son Absalom rose up against him. I wont go into the circumstances but suffice to say their were some terrible circumstances that happened, and Absalom did some things he should not have done and he and David had a falling out and even when Absalom came back to Jerusalem David wouldn’t see him. So Absalom did something and I am going to see something very prophetic here, so lets begin with 2 Samuel 15:1. And after this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him.
Now understand chariots and horses always spoke of great power the average person did not have chariots and horses, so he put on he surrounded himself with the appearance of being very powerful and successful. I’ve got to lay some foundations here but I will pull it all together in the end!! So just remember that bit ok?
Second verse, now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate, everybody say the gate. Now what was the gate? The gate was the entrance into Jerusalem now it was at the gates that determined what went in and what went out. So when people came from outside to come to Jerusalem and come and enquire of the king to get something that they needed they would have to pass through the gates.
So here comes Absalom, he is not standing AT the gate he is standing on the road leading up to the gate. And he is stood with this big entourage so he looks powerful he looks important and we know that he is David’s son, so he is connected.
So just keep that in your memory bank as well.
So it was that anyone that had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision that Absalom would call to him and say what city are you from?
And he would say your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel. Then Absalom would say to him look your case is good and right but their is no deputy of the king to hear you moreover Absalom would say oh that I were made a judge in the land and everyone that has a suit or cause would come to me and then I would give him justice. And so it was that whenever anyone came near to bow down to him that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him, in this manner Absalom acted towards all Israel who came to the king for judgement and so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. Oh my Lord, now watch this verse 7 now it came to pass after 4 years, some translations actually say 40 years, and as David only reigned for 40 years in total, so the 40 is probably an error, but whether its 4 years or 40 years it was no quick fix.
Now it came to pass after 4 years Absalom said to the king please let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the Lord for your servant took a vow whilst I dwelled in Gershur.
And it goes on now I want us to jump to verse 13 now a messenger came to David saying the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.
I want us to begin to look at this from a prophetic significance of what has been happening in the church generic. Absalom’s name means father of peace, how many of us know their is only one prince of peace amen. Their is God the father who is the father of peace and Jesus is the prince of peace ok? Their is only one prince of peace but Absalom is a type of a system of thought, that is birthed in the world that has infected into the church that promises peace to God’s people when it doesn’t have the power or the authority to offer it.
This spirit that came in, that for a season ultimately overthrew David I mean it pushed him out of Jerusalem and took over control of Israel.
This false spirit, this rebellious son, that was birthed in the heart of wounds, because it felt rejected by the father, because it wasn’t obedient to his father, so he suffered judgement and separation from the presence of his father. His father would not come and see him any longer, and he became offended with his father so he began a process, a long term process, whether you read the 4 years or the 40 years it was still a long term process to get control.
Listen I will tell you just let me start hitting some things here, their is a spirit of the enemy, it is an Absalom spirit that has been working within the body of Christ for many decades, do you hear me? It was birthed in a people who had lived in a compromise and rebellion to God, and because the glory and the anointing lifted, they became offended with God and they kept demanding like Absalom did for David to come see and him. Why doesn’t the glory come to us, and God is saying hey listen you might be my son, you might be the ones I’ve birthed, but you went into rebellion to me, so I lifted my presence.
And a spirit of Absalom can operate in that, now look what happened, how did the spirit that violently overthrew God’s appointed and anointed spiritual authority.
How did this spirit get its power?
It came to people who were coming to the king that wanted justice but it said the king wont listen to you your not going to get the answers to your intercession.
But if you come and follow me if you come into my clique, if only I had the authority, I would give you the answer to your intercessions. You are no longer, and listen I really felt the Holy Spirit drop this into my spirit and he said their are many people in the church, many leaders in the church that were coming to God saying God we want justice we want you involved in the affairs of this life and this world, but they began to believe a lie that God was not going to answer their intercessions, they began to believe a lie that God was not going to answer their prayers.
Can you hear me?
They don’t believe they are going to get justice they don’t believe that if we repent of our sins and cry out to God that God will do it they don’t believe. “if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray seek my face and turn from their wicked ways I will hear from heaven I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land. They don’t believe that God will actually do it, so when an Absalom spirit stands at the gateway of Jerusalem. Jerusalem always speaks not only of the church but of the authority of the church. And David is representative of Jesus he’s representative of the throne of God so the Absalom spirit will stand as your coming to God and say.
Hey Hey don’t bother going to Jesus to get an answer to your church growth problems don’t bother going to Jesus to get an answer to the problems in your society, if you would only give me authority, I would bring you justice, if you give me authority I would bring you an answer, I would make sure that you are taken care of. It stands and it lies and they come and they begin to bow down and he would receive them and he would kiss them and he would flatter them and he would praise them and he would stand their with his 50 men and his chariots and his horses and he would look like strength and he would say look at my success look at how powerful I am I am a son of David look, I am a member of the church I am one of you!!! But I’ve got power and authority look at the favour that is on me and I would give you,!!! If you would just listen to my advice to my council.
I will take care of you because Jesus, David doesn’t really care about your needs. He doesn’t care that you are struggling in your church.
Because you see we’ve been praying but God hasn’t been listening, we asked Him for revival but we haven’t got it, therefore we are giving up on revival, we are giving up on the glory, and we are going to listen to the Absalom spirit, that will help us do what we are trying to do.
Get us justice, get us an answer to our prayers, we are going to follow the Absalom spirit because it no longer works the way it used to work.
But all we have to do in order for Absalom to have influence, Absalom seduced with an appearance of success and the promise of Justice. But Absalom had no power except they be willing to give their hearts to him. That Absalom spirit that desire for success and that desire to have my need met NOW, because of out of doubt and unbelief I don’t believe that even if I wait on God that God will actually do it. So I am going to take matters into my own hands I am going to lean on that Absalom spirit, I am going to lean on that spirit of the world, wisdom of the world wisdom of man, and the bitterness that is in the foundation of that.
When that begins to rise up 4 years it took, it didn’t happen overnight, 4 years of this process, 4 years of this deception, 4 years of manipulating, and pulling more hearts over and pulling more hearts over until he had a generation that he was able to rally around him. And say we declare you to be king, this is the way of god it is the spirit of confusion. And it seduced them, and here is what happened, verse 13 and now a messenger came to David saying the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.
Let me translate that for you.
The hearts of the members of the church are with the Absalom spirit. So David the presence of God the glory of God the type of Jesus. So David said to all his servants that where with him at Jerusalem arise let us flee or we shall not escape from Absalom, we must leave immediately or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword.
I can see Jesus and the Holy Spirit turning to the angels and saying we are going to withdraw from this church, because we are not going to let this “mixture” go on anymore, we are going to pull out, now watch. He said make haste and pull out, and the kings servants said to him we are your servants we are ready to do whatever my lord king commands. Then the king went out with all of his household following him but the king left 10 women and concubines to take care of the place.
So the king went out with all the people following him and they halted at a place some distance away, some translations say on the outskirts, all his men passed before him and all the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the 600 Gitittes who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.
Then the king said to Ittai why should you go along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom for you are a foreigner an exile from your home land in fact you came only yesterday.
Come on we’ve seen this, we’ve seen the withdrawal of the manifestations of the power and the glory of God from so many churches from so many of our church leaders, we’ve seen the withdrawal. So if I can get Absalom to be my judge if I can get Absalom to pray God blesses me when God blesses him. If I can get Absalom, God isn’t answering my prayers, God isn’t taking care of me so I am going to go over to this Absalom spirit that is seducing me and promising me that if I do it HIS way, I am going to be ok!!
But Ittai said as surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives wherever my lord the king may be whether it means life or death.
Oh my word they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony and loved not their lives unto death. I don’t care how backslidden most of the church gets their is always a remnant of radicals that are going to say noooooo we are going to follow Jesus wherever he goes.
Hahahahaha whether death or life we are going to be your servant.
Even their we will be your servant. So David said to Ittai go ahead and march on go and cross over. Then Ittai and all his men and the families that where with him. The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people crossed over. The king also crossed the Kidron valley and all the people moved on toward the desert. Everyone say Kidron valley!! That is the exact same valley that Jesus crossed on the night of the last supper and then he crossed over to the garden of Gethsemane.
When this spirit has entered into the church as it has, those that are radically going after God those that want to stay in the presence of God. There is a Gethsemane, but Gethsemane is not just a place of suffering Gethsemane is a place of brokenness and intercession where the spirit the end times and they praying, their was no glory prayer time in Gethsemane, Jesus wasn’t having a shout down shurubumba time.
Jesus was interceding to the point where he was shedding blood, but it was that place of intercession that defeated the enemy, the victory that Jesus won that brought him all the way to the cross won their finally completed their in the garden of Gethsemane when he broke the power of the will of man off His life once and for all and said not my will but YOUR will be done.
And I am telling you God has allowed Absalom to take over the church he has allowed those that love him to be driven out of power to be driven out of the influence but he crossed them over the Kidron valley to the garden of Gethsemane. And many of us have been sweating some blood their and many of us have been crying out and many of us have said oh God if their be any way let this cup pass from me, but then something rises up when you are ready to quit when you are ready to give up when you are ready to say I cant handle anymore, but something rose out of your spirit and said but not my will but your will be done.
Am I talking to anybody here? You’ve been going through some suffering you’ve been going through Gethsemane but their is a breaking that is taking place and the power of the enemy is being broken.
Someone say the power is being broken say it again, the power of the enemy over our lives and over our will is being broken what we thought was a place of defeat for the church. He was allowing to happen he was turning the church over to a reprobate mind, to do those things they ought not to do, but in the same process he has been keeping a holy remnant and he has been bringing them over here. Come across the Kidron valley, you come over with me to the place of Gethsemane you come over with me you come over here and they eventually went to the mount of Olives you come over here with me and I am going to give you new wine, I’m going to give you new oil, which once your will is finally broken once your willing to love your life unto death, I’m going to do something in you. Now watch this he was taking all his people all who were following David went with him then verse 24, this is powerful.
Their was Zadok also and all the levites with him bearing the Ark of the covenant of God. They were carrying the word of God and the glory of God. And they set down the ark of God and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city.
Verse 25, then the king said to Zadok carry the ark of God back into the city, hey the city is being taken over by Absalom the peoples hearts have been won over by Absalom and we’ve have been driven out and I’ve withdrawn my presence, but hey Zadok, I’ve got a remnant.
You as my priests that are carrying the glory, I want you to go back right into the midst of that, carry the Ark back to Jerusalem, if I find favour in the eyes of the Lord He will bring me back and show me both IT and His dwelling.
He goes on to say if I have no delight in Him here I am let Him do with me as seems good to him. Then the king says to Zadok the priest, in verse 27 are you not a seer? You are not only a priest carrying the glory but you are my end time prophetic seer, you are my eyes, I am going to send you right back with a seer anointing. You are not only going to carry my glory back into the midst of an Absalom church but I am going to give you a prophetic anointing so you can see what is really going on. Return to the city in peace, don’t be stressed about where it is because I’ve got you on a mission, return to the city in peace and your two sons with you Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar see I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.
He says I’m going to send this Zadok anointing, I’m going to send the carriers of my glory back into the midst of the church and they’re going to have a prophetic anointing and prophetic influence and they are going to prepare the way and then their is going to come a day when they are going to inform me the spirit and the bride is going to say come. And Jesus is going to come BACK TO His church before Jesus comes FOR His church and He is going to come back and drive out that Absalom spirit.
But HE IS COMING BACK but he is going to wait for a prophetic Zadok anointing spirit, those that carry the glory and have prophetic eyes that are saying hey its time.
Lets flip back to 2 Samuel 7:9 this is a word for you, say this is a word for me, and its a word for us.
I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you and have made you a great name like the name of great men who are on the earth. I am going to give you a great name you all know I love names, but what did his name speak of influence power and authority, and God is saying a prophetic word to those who have been faithful, listen I don’t mean you’ve been perfect, you might have fallen and stumbled and you might have struggled but you’ve said no but I want to be with Jesus and I want to be with the glory I don’t want to be in this compromising thing I want to be with Him. And listen He says you carriers of the glory, I’ve been with you and I have I have conquered the enemies that are before you and get ready it says in one of the translations NOW I will make your name great NOW I am going to give you power and authority, I am going to give you a great name.
You see a great name is not about exalting man in the eyes of man, its about exalting God, why would He ever make someones name great ?
When He makes a mans name great He is lifted up, when you hear the name Billy Graham Jesus is lifted up, when you hear the name John Wesley, Jesus is lifted up, when you hear the name Smith Wigglesworth, Jesus is lifted up, when you hear the name James Aladiran, Jesus is lifted up, when you hear the name John Gaughan Jesus is lifted up.
Jesus is lifted up when God exalts the name, but this is not just going to be an individual name this is speaking of authority. Say God has given us authority. God has been sending His secret holy Spirit and agents right into the midst of the devil’s den, not only in the church but even in the government even into the Brexit negotiations. Sometimes we feel like we have been driven across the Kidron valley, sometimes we are looking around and saying Lord their used to be more of us than this what happened?
Lord we’ve been holding out and pressing for revival and we’ve been praying for it for years, we’ve believed for it Lord, Lord wants going on?
He said hey I’ve got a word for you. Pick up that Ark carry it right back into the middle don’t you be intimidated by the Absalom spirit you get in their are you not a seer, are you not a prophet can you not only see but declare what I am saying? Get in their get in their I am going to make your name great I am going to wipe out the enemies before you.
Somebody say the devils a liar.
You see the glory of God is coming back TO the church before Jesus comes FOR the church, and He is looking for a faithful people that just keep doing it and keep doing it. Whether they are popular like David was at times, or whether they are being driven out and the hearts of the people have left.
David did not leave his faithfulness to God and his commitment to God and he kept trusting him, listen I have been their at times trust me, I think we all have.
I’ve been their at times when, like David I’ve said hey if my time is up, if its God’s time for Absalom to rule then let God be God. Are you all hearing me? Their are times when we have said maybe that season of revival is over, maybe its time, their are times when I honestly think well maybe the message that I bring is no longer for Bethel or Preston or the UK. Come on can I be honest here? Maybe the message I bring nobody wants to hear it any more, people get mad at me maybe they just don’t want it anymore. And I have literally said Lord if my time is up if my season is up just take me home.
But God said oh no no no no I just brought you across the Kidron Valley, I had some crucifixion to do to you, you had to sweat some blood, but don’t worry your not going to stay over here your just got to get to a deeper place of not my will but your will be done and then I’m going to send you back that spirit of Zadok spirit.
You see you have to understand when God told me to change the name to Bethel Church Preston Prophetic Centre I didn’t really know all this stuff, I had no idea of the prophetic significance of what God was saying to me time and time and time again. It is a prophetic name with a prophetic significance and I feel the spirit of God is saying to us pick up the Ark carry it right back get right back in the middle their, I’ve given you a prophetic anointing and your the carriers of my glory.
And here is what David said, go to the tent bring the Ark back to the tent Absalom won’t touch it. He wouldn’t dare touch it. Absalom might try to take over all of Israel but Absalom will not be able to touch the glory. Don’t you be afraid of it, and you know what David the did? Jesus? He sent one of his men, he sent a spy, to go into Absalom’s castle he sent him in their as a spy and he said you just go in their and then you report to Zadok everything you hear. You tell him Absalom’s plans.
Oh my Lord their is such a prophetic anointing were going to know what the devil is going to do before he even does it.
We’ve got a spy better than MI5, its called the Holy Spirit, and he is listening to the plans of the enemy and he is reporting it back to us. So we know exactly what the enemy is up to. Now notice it wasn’t just Zadok that went back, their was another priest Abiathar, technically he was the high priest, they were sort of co high priests which was kind of an interesting situation, but David spoke to Zadok not to Abiathar to carry the glory. Abiathar he went through this whole thing as well, he went through this whole process as well, even seeing the overthrow of Absaolm.
But then Abiathar who was of the house of Eli, even after revival comes back even after the glory comes back, even after the spirit of Absalom is broken over the church theirs still going to be a remnant of the Abiathar Eli spirit. And when David got old, one of Davids son’s Adonijah, he thought it was time for him to become king, it wasn’t God’s plan.
But Abiathar went with the new fangled thing, and in the end he rejected and he died in the prime of his life, he got cut down, because God is going to have a faithful priesthood. That is not going to be seduced by the latest fad of success. Because even when revival hits even when the glory comes back even when the manifestations are flowing so strong its like arghhh this is it. Their is always going to be that Abiathar spirit thats always going to be looking for the fame and the fortune and the popularity the latest and the greatest the ones who will ride the wave of what THEY think is going to be successful.
God says thats not what I’m after I’m after a faithful priesthood, one that is David like.
God said David is a man after my own heart, one thats saying Lord you want me to be king I will be king, one thats saying you want me to worship you in a cave, I will worship you in a cave. It doesn’t matter I am just going to be faithful to You, and You’re the one that sets me on high, and You’re the one that brings me down low, and if my time is over my time is over I am not fighting for fame and fortune or popularity their is only one thing I desire and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.
Look at David’s commission to Zadok he said go back bring the glory back to Jerusalem and if the Lord allows me I’ll get to see IT and HIS dwelling again.
David’s up their saying I don’t care about being king I just care about seeing the glory. And the glory established in the midst of God’s temple and their is a heart cry. David said I will not rest until I find a dwelling place for the glory of the most high.
Their is something in our spirit that is saying God this is not about crowds, this is about your glory and this is about your presence, and this is about your Holy temple, which is His people being built oh God we want to see your temple built oh God we want to see you reside in the hearts of men and we want to see you lifted up we want to see YOU.
Thats what I want, thats what I want, thats what I want, thats why we do what we do its about pouring in to people and seeing them changed and transformed into the image of Christ that they become that holy temple that is filled with the glory of God. I long to see the glory and his temple and his dwelling, I long to see the manifestation that Ark of God the glory of God and I long to see the church being the church that is my desire.
And that is what drives us and that is what pushes us through every battle and every discouragement and you can get discouraged.
You can get discouraged because sometimes the multitudes are running with you and sometimes they are throwing you out.
Sometimes everybody is like YEYYYYY lets go after God, and then when you want to keep going after God they don’t want to keep going after God, and sometimes you get discouraged,
Because people aren’t running with you but understand that God is going to have himself a people and the glory.
Everyone say the glory, is coming back to the church, before Jesus comes for the church. And I really feel like the Lord is telling us just pick that Ark up and that is what we are doing, just picking that Ark up and running back into the middle of it and bring the glory.
I was thinking of some of the meetings I’ve been in in India. Do you know their wasn’t a meeting that I walked into that I didn’t expect the power of God to fall, it doesn’t matter how messed up they were it didn’t matter how religious they were, most of the meetings we went into I don’t think any of those churches had ever experienced anything like what happened.
Listen thats not me blowing my own trumpet that is me sitting their getting anointed as I meditated on those meetings. I was taken up in the spirit and my heart was stirred so much.
It came in a conversation I had with someone a while ago and they brought me back to the principles that God said every time God moved he said set up a memorial, set something up and bring the children back to it, keep coming back to it, remember what I have done. Why? Because it doesn’t matter if you are not seeing it today, if you’ll go back and remember what he has done he’s the same yesterday today and forever.
And their is an anointing and a faith in the testimony of what he has done that can be brought back forth today.
Don’t listen to Absalom.......God, David is on the throne and he will.
Listen Absalom lied to you.
Absalom sowed doubt.
Absalom said God wouldn’t answer your prayers God wont give you justice.
Absalom got you to give up before you even got through the gate.
Absalom seduced you into yielding to mans methods to get God’s work done.
In whatever way that is, whether thats through the way we deal with money, the way we deal with relationships.
You see that Absalom spirit says you don’t have to go and intercede before David just give me authority I will take care of you.
So you don’t have to…..
you don’t need to pray every morning,
you don’t need to have that prayer life and that devotional life and that moral life,
their is no representative here,
theirs no anointing here
theres no angelic manifestations here
theirs nothing here to take your case and to plead on your behalf,
theirs nothing here don’t worry I will take care of you.
You just do it mans way, you just do it my way I am the father of peace I will give you peace just do it my way.
He won over the hearts of the people so we end up with a prayer-less church we end up with leaders who spend more time planning programmes than praying and interceding for the people and interceding for revival, that don’t push and believe for the move of the spirit.
And in fact often say no no no no we don’t want that.
If someone invites me to their church, then try to tell me you cant do this you cant do that, guess what?
I am going to carry that Ark right back in I don’t care if Absalom has taken over, I’m not going to be afraid, I do not need to make a peace treaty with Absalom.
Why have we, spirit filled believers backed off?
Why have we bought into the lie of Absalom and tried to make peace with Absalom?
Why have we bought into that lie instead of saying no we are carriers of the glory and when the glory comes devils are going to come out, the sick are going to be healed and lives are going to be changed and people are going to be shook and the prophetic is going to flow forth and we are going to do it because we know that God has sent us back into the midst of a perverted place and and a perverted people and a bound up deceived people but thats ok Jesus is coming back to His church before He comes for his church.
And Jesus will drive out the Absalom spirit
