A Dragon, Calamity, and A Promise (Part 3 of 4)
On Tuesday, we began looking at an important dream which described 3 scenarios in America’s future. Two of them are destructive and devastating. The third is revival and restoration. I encourage you to read Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s posts if you have not yet done so. I believe they are very important and lay a foundation for today's and tomorrow’s posts. I will not read the dream again today but will include it at the end of today’s post.
Behind the third door, the door of promise, was Holy Spirit. The door was referred to, among other things, as the door to awakening and the transforming of nations. The blessings behind this door were not just for America but for other nations, as well. Holy Spirit’s choice of these 2 words in the dream - awakening and transformation - was strategic and very intentional.
Several years ago, the Lord showed me the important differences between Christ’s great commissions of Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20. Each corresponds to one of the two commissions God gave humankind through Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:26-28. The first of these assignments or commissions was to be fruitful and multiply: “Give me more kids,” God said. The second commission was to steward, manage, or govern the earth. “You will represent My kingdom’s government on this outpost of the Kingdom,” He told them.
Both of these plans were interrupted at the Fall. God temporarily lost His family and His ambassadors on the earth. Jesus, of course, was sent to recover and restore this. This is what Christ meant when He said in Matthew 16:18-19, “I will build my Church…” The word “build” is oikodomeo (Strongs 3618, 3624), which means to build a family or household. In choosing this word Christ was saying, “I’ve come to get the family back!”
“Church” is the word ekklesia (Strongs 1577), meaning a legislative, governing assembly. I have shared posts on this word in the past and mentioned it frequently. However, the meaning and concept behind this word Christ used is so significant I’m going to do another entire post on it next week. For now, suffice it to say that by choosing this word, He was saying, “I have come to reestablish My family as My government on earth.” Christ’s other comments amplified and explained this further. He went on to say that this ekklesia would be given His Kingdom authority (“keys”), would lock and unlock, forbid and allow (“bind and loose”), and that the government (“gates”) of hell would not overpower them.
After reversing the setbacks and reestablishing these two plans at the Cross, Jesus re-commissioned His followers in Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20. In Mark’s gospel He said to go and preach the good news so that humans can be delivered, healed, filled with Holy Spirit, and be part of God’s family once again. In other words, He told them to “be fruitful and multiply!” This is what is occurring in revival or awakening.
In Matthew 28, however, Jesus re-commissioned us to disciple nations according to His teachings. “As My Ekklesia, You have My authority. In My name instruct and disciple nations back to what I intended in the beginning,” He instructed us. This is transformation or reformation.
Both of these activities are absolutely essential. To understand them more fully, here are a few comparisons and differences:
Awakening brings people into God’s family; Reformation teaches them His ways.
Awakening births them spiritually; Reformation trains them practically.
Awakening changes the human heart; Reformation changes the human mind (thinking).
Awakening is internal (takes place in us); Reformation is external (is worked out from/by us).
Awakening is accomplished through preaching; Reformation takes place through teaching.
Awakening produces converts; Reformation produces disciples.
Awakening releases God’s life; Reformation establishes His laws, principles, and ways.
Awakening saves the individual; Reformation saves regions/nations.
Awakening produces a bride, worshippers; Reformation produces an Ekklesia, those who govern.
In most revivals, believers think only of getting people saved, born again (Mark 16). This, of course, is essential and must be the starting point - birthing obviously precedes training. But if Matthew 28 - the reforming and discipling of individuals and nations - doesn’t occur, the long-term fruit will be minimal and can even be lost.
The great Charismatic Movement of the late 60’s through the early 80’s, which included the Jesus People Movement, saw tens of millions of people saved around the world. It was a wonderful example of Mark 16 occurring with great momentum, a significant revival. However, there was little understanding of our calling to do Matthew 28. The minimal awareness of discipling that did exist was limited to the discipling of individuals who came to Christ, not the discipling of nations, societies, and cultures.
Discipling nations involves and includes government, education, and all other societal institutions. It is not a dictating or forcing of God’s laws upon people and nations, but rather teaching and implementing His ways and principles at every level and in every sector of society. Salvation opens the heart and will to this, which is why it must occur first. When people are born again, Holy Spirit writes God’s laws in their hearts, making them open to His truth - even possessing a strong desire to find and pursue it. Also, their conscience is alive, active. When a nation experiences significant revival, the portion of the populace affected by it does not have to be “forced” to implement God’s will and ways. They desire to do His will, to obey Him. But they must be taught, retrained. And their children must be, as well. If this does not occur, satan attempts to counteract the revival by infusing wrong thinking, ideas, philosophies, etc., into the culture.
Sadly, during the Jesus Movement/Charismatic Movement of the ‘70s, Christians did Mark 16 only. Though millions of people were saved, humanists, secularists and atheists were busy doing their version of Matthew 28, discipling a nation. We saved individuals, they discipled a nation. We preached the gospel; unbelievers taught dogmas and doctrines. We went to church; they went to our schools and universities. We gathered on weekends; they gathered all week. We enjoyed Christian TV; they made movies, programs, and eventually took over the industry. We sang and worshipped at church; they took over the airwaves and discipled a generation with their music. The result: we experienced one of the greatest revivals in history AND LOST OUR NATION!
This is almost incomprehensible! Yet, it occurred.
Now, the generation that humanists, secularists, and atheists discipled is in charge - governing, teaching, entertaining and informing our nation. This is the fruit of Mark 16…without Matthew 28.
In this dream, however, the angel said a revival was coming that would produce both awakening AND transformation, refreshing AND remodeling. The body of Christ will once again accomplish both commissions. This will produce the greatest transformation on Earth since the Cross! Indeed, it will be the full outworking of what Christ accomplished at the Cross.
Tomorrow, we will look at what Holy Spirit said we must do in order to close the evil doors and open the Door of Promise.
Pray with me:
Father, Jesus said He was building an Ekklesia, a family the gates/government of hell would not be able to overcome. He then commissioned us to relaunch the plan of multiplying Your family, and of stewarding the earth for You. We embrace these commissions.
This 2-fold plan is gaining momentum. Christ’s bride is growing in numbers and the Ekklesia’s revelation of who we are in Him is increasing. Bring another wind that increases this even more. Cause the greatest season of awakening and transformation in earth’s history to now take place - Mark 16 and Matthew 28 simultaneously. Hit a grand slam, Holy Spirit! Knock it out of the park! Open the door and suck us into Your room of blessing! We ask this in Christ’s glorious name. Amen, so be it!
Our decree:
We decree that the Great Commissions of Christ WILL be fulfilled by His legislative bride!
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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The Dream of 3 Doors
(12/2/2022)
“On 12/02/2022, the Lord gave me [Greg Hood] a dream. The dream opened with Dutch and I being led by an angel up to large, iron double doors. The angel took us through them, and inside we saw three doors down the left side of the room. Each door had a combination lock with a keypad on it.
“We approached the first door, which was open slightly, allowing us to see a little of the room. Dutch reached and opened the door further so we could see more of what was inside. What we saw was unnerving - a dragon eating from a bowl that was shaped like the United States. As the bowl would become empty, men in suits replenished it.
“We stepped away from the door, and it returned back to its original position - open, but only slightly. As the angel led us away from the door, I [Greg] reached to push it fully closed, but could not move it. While motioning us toward the next door, the angel said to me, ‘You can’t close it with your hands!’
“We approached the second door, and again, it was slightly ajar. Once more, Dutch reached out and opened it fully. Inside was a movie theatre with a movie playing on the big screen. The movie was depicting spiritual darkness causing all sorts of evil - famine, communism, war, and calamity. A man was sitting in the front row of the theatre. In the dream, we knew he was Nero, the former emperor of Rome. The movie became more intense. We could see cities being overrun, homes and families being displaced. Again, as we stepped away from the doorway, the door automatically went to its original position - open slightly. As we were led away from the door, I [Greg] again reached to push the door closed, but couldn’t do so. While motioning us to move toward the next door, the angel again said to me, ‘You can’t close it with your hands!’
“The angel then led us to the third door. This door was also cracked open, but a little more than the others. As we approached it, we could hear a sound coming from inside the room. Again, Dutch opened the door fully, and as he did, we could feel powerful energy coming from inside. This energy created a strong wind that was blowing outward, then sucking inward, like a person breathing, only much stronger. The wind was so strong it was moving us backward and forward. The angel of the Lord spoke and said, ‘This is the door to awakening and the transformation of nations.’
“The angel then said to Dutch, ‘These doors picture what America is now facing. They can’t be opened or closed by the hands of the prophet, but must be opened and closed by the decrees of the apostolic Ekklesia. Operate them with your mouth, not your hands!’
“Dutch then began speaking forcefully to the first two doors: ‘MY CODE IS 22-22, AND WITH IT I COMMAND THESE DOORS TO CLOSE, AND I DEADBOLT THEM CLOSED FOR GOOD!’ When he declared this, both doors slammed shut with powerful force, and an angel was placed at each one to ensure that it remained closed.
“Dutch then turned to the third door and declared loudly and boldly, ‘AMERICA, THIS IS YOUR DOOR. IT IS THE DOOR OF YOUR PROMISE! I CALL YOU INTO YOUR PROMISED DAY OF REFRESHING, REMODELING, AND PURPOSE! AMERICA, THIS IS YOUR DOOR OF DESTINY: THE DOOR OF AWAKENING! IT IS NOW OPEN TO YOU, AMERICA, AND WILL BE THE OPENING OF THE NATION TO AWAKENING!’
“As Dutch finished declaring this, the wind and energy in this room sucked us through the doorway. And we knew the nation had been pulled into the room of awakening!” End of dream.
You can find out more about Dr. Hood at GregHood.org.
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