We are shortly coming to the end of this journey, which for the last 8 weeks has been a revolution for me personally. No doubt we shall return with new insights. For me this journey has one person at the centre, Jesus Himself. If we try to be the centre of this journey, we miss the greatest revelation of all. One that will sustain us in turbulent times ahead.

We speak of turbulent times ahead, we must not forget that in the context of the Gospel it seems God had a 40 year window to move in, and were the greatest 40 year periods of the Church. The patterns of those days are similar to today, when Jesus in Luke 19 says these words, “You did not comprehend the hour of your visitation,” with a corresponding vision of people displaced and city destroyed.

We have similar patterns in the Church today, in which the truth is not being embraced, nor is His visitation to us being fully comprehended. This will be serious. The last scattering of 70AD only ended in 1948. Is the Church to be scattered again? No, I believe a remnant and a revival will come.

Today we must see the route from Jerusalem to Pentecost. There is a route perfectly established.

Recognising the King

The Lord gave me great insight, and the Ascension, the way Jesus is lifted from them, a cloud of angels, two angels with the disciples, the open heavens confirm the 40 day preparation that they had just passed through. There is a route to Pentecost that must be discerned through His Word, and it is key to our route not just to Pentecost but to the King becoming manifest here on the earth. What the two disciples came to realise, who they described as a prophet was far much more. They said “We have seen the Lord”. They recognised His Kingship.

This is the first step to a Church wide Pentecost. The Church has preached too much a Saviour Jesus, that we have lost sight of the most important phase of His Mission on the earth, that is the installation of His Throne, with the two pillars of Justice and Righteousness, that David so rightly discerned in Psalm 89. There is a delight in the closest to Jesus to see Him in His true Light. For Psalm 2, David describes the transition from human government to divine Government laid on Jesus’ shoulders as described in Isaiah 9.

The Church must recognise Her King. This recognition accelerates the transition of this governmental change. Right now the news is full of elections, resignations, turmoil of every kind, yet in the Throne room described in Revelation 4,5 and 8 there is no turmoil. All is going to plan, confound human effort, defeat demonic design, and install the Kingdom of peace and joy. We readily preach about the Kingdom of God, we speak often of it, we try to machinate our ministry around the concept, yet we cannot have Kingdom without first the King manifesting in every dimension. For this reason He was manifest to destroy the works of the devil, says John. When you turn to Acts 2, what does Peter centre on? The Holy Spirit? NO. He centres on the exaltation of Jesus in every sphere. This is the starting point of the walk to Pentecost, which is a foreshadowing of the Coming of the King.

In the midst of this is the declaration of Jesus to His Church, that she is His Bride. So it is not about a austere King, rather He is at the same time the Bridegroom of the greatest union for all eternity. And it is for this reason that Jesus spent those intimate 40 days until His Ascension.

From the King to Kingdom

You cannot have a Kingdom without a King, nor a King without a Kingdom. The Kingdom is not a structure or some governmental institution, it is intimately connected to Jesus Himself. The Church is not the Kingdom, yet is part of it. It is made up of ambassadors who are “born” into this realm. They share in its “values”. Jesus spent 40 days drawing parrallels of this spiritual Kingdom with the aspirations of the nation at that time. The nation was looking for freedom from Rome, like today, freedom from isms from across the world. Yet what the disciples needed to understand was that there is a Kingdom that is different to the kingdoms of the world. It is functional on the principles of love, hope and faith. It took 40 days for them to learn the depths, and be immersed in the Holy Spirit to understand. I believe it is necessary that through this spiritual journey in which we comprehend the King it is a necessary step to comprehend the Kingdom after knowing the King.

Jesus even taught us to pray “Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be done”, His Will cannot be done unless Kingdom is being invoked.

There cannot be Pentecost without the King and Kingdom

Pentecost brought the Holy Spirit, to bring the firstfruits of Kingdom Life. You cannot have the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit without knowing the King, comprehending Him, receiving Him, subject to Him. You cannot have the Outpouring without knowing how to be a citizen of the heavenly Kingdom where He is the centre, the All in All. We readily speak of the narcissistic personality, the way to change, be delivered from that, is to put Jesus in the centre, comprehending His place in our lives, the centre, the all. Then living unselfishly with a Kingdom that functions around its King. No “self” preoccupation can exist with the lifestyle that this demands, in the life of the King and His Kingdom.

That is why Jesus exclaimed “Not all who say Lord Lord will enter the fulness of my Kingdom”, they do His works, but they do not comprehend Him as King and Bridegroom. They have not made a space in their hearts to deny their ego, and live for Him.

I remember my own encounter with the Holy Spirit in 1986, when my pastor Ray Graham, now with the Lord, taught me something I have never forgotten, that our total desire and focus has to be with and upon the Lord. Needless to say when I followed this godly counsel, the Lord indeed gave me a deep interaction with the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2 Peter centres around Jesus’ role in sending the Spirit. He asked the Father to send the Spirit to be the seal of inheritance, spirit of sonship and guarantee of our eternal estate. Peter clearly in the preparation to that day, and that day had an experience with the Holy Spirit in revealing Jesus.

Revelation 1 talks about John’s experience with the Holy Spirit, as He was immersed in Him on the day of visitation and He is face to face with the Ascended Lord.

The Holy Spirit leads us to King Jesus, because He only came in fulness when Jesus was exalted. Peter understood this, had a personal interaction in this reality. John had His own experience. It is the key to Pentecost, King Jesus. It is the culmination of this series, to comprehend Him, receive Him and surrender to Him. This process enables us to become witnesses of His Purposes. John was shown a door in heaven, Revelation 4. From this open door he is ushered into the Throne Room. And from this place He is shown eternity. Our fulfilment is found in this place of Justice and Righteousness. From there the plan of the Eternal is sung, proclaimed and prophesied. From this place the trumpets, seals and bowls bring in the fulness of perfection. This spiritual journey does not end, its only just begun, and continues from glory to glory.

Maranatha!