SEEING THINGS TO COME 4
(week 10/01)
Olubi Johnson
In our last articles on seeing things to come we said we would give practical examples of types and shadows pointing to and showing things to come: we shall do so in this article.
Personal Calling into the Ministry
In November 1979 I was baptized with the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues. By the grace and mercy of God I received some good teaching on praying in the spirit through Kenneth Hagin’s books and tapes and I started to practice what I was taught immediately: praying continuously in the spirit, without interruption with praying in a natural tongue, for at least 1 hour daily.
Within a few months I began to get the impression in my heart that God was calling me into the ministry to teach and preach the Word of God. By about August 1980 this impression was confirmed with shadows from God’s Word, which also pointed to corresponding supernatural physical situations.
One major scripture the Lord revealed as a shadow in this regard was Joshua 1:6:
Joshua 1:6 KJV: Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
The two key words in this scripture God used to speak to me were: divide and inheritance.
The Lord showed me that by rightly dividing the Word of God he would use me to lead His people into their inheritance in the promised land: the perfection and fulness of Christ.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Acts 20:32 KJV: And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Observe the link in these three words: divide, the Word and inheritance, between these three apparently unconnected scriptures that the Holy Spirit used to confirm His calling on my life that He had already put into my heart through prayer in the spirit. See how these 3 scriptures fit together, in this context of God’s calling on my life, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
Furthermore, in my circumstances at that time, God supernaturally gave me opportunities to teach and preach which were confirmed with supernatural results that were far beyond my knowledge of the Bible at that time.
So we see 3 things being aligned:
The revelation of the Holy Spirit in my heart.
Confirmation and clarification through shadows in the Word
Corresponding supernatural circumstances
Observe further that it took time, in this case about 9-11 months, for the revelation in my heart to be confirmed through the Word and corresponding supernatural physical circumstances without human manipulation. If you want to know the mind of God concerning your life and situations it will take time in prayer and in the Word consistently over a period of time for the revelation to come into your heart, for shadows from the Word to confirm it and for corresponding supernatural circumstances to align with it:
Isaiah 28:16 KJV: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Proverbs 19:2 KJV: Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
Many people do not receive the correct revelation for their lives from God by His spirit through the Word because they are too much in a hurry and do not want the discipline of prayer and study of the Word. Many are looking for a quick easy way out: a personal prophecy from some so called prophet; consequently they easily fall prey to the deception of the devil. True prophets will only further confirm and clarify what the Holy Spirit has already been witnessing in your heart and through the Word. They will not just tell you what you want to hear as so many are doing today because of money.
By the grace and mercy of God, I did respond to the call of God and God has been fulfilling His Word in my life and ministry: in fact what you’re reading right now in this web page is part the fulfilment of the shadows of the Word given to me over 21 years ago.
Change in Government in Nigeria
In June 1997, the Lord revealed to me through shadows in His Word that then Head of State of Nigeria: General Sani Abacha was like Belshazzar the son of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon whose Kingdom would be taken from him in one night:
Daniel 5:26 KJV: This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
Daniel 5:30 KJV: In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
In May 1998, the Lord showed me from Zechariah 11: 8 that three leaders in Nigeria would die natural deaths in one month forcing the military government to hand over democratically elected civilian government.
Zecheriah 11:8 KJV: Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
On the evening of Sunday 7th of June 1998 in our elders’ prayer meeting, the Lord put this scripture in my heart concerning Nigeria:
Daniel 2:21 KJV: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
In the early morning hours of Monday 8th of June 1998, General Abacha died a natural death; within a month by July 7th two other leaders: General Haladu, who would have taken over from Abacha had he been alive and Chief M.K.O Abiola died natural deaths, paving the way for the democratically elected Government of Olusegun Obasanjo to come to power on May 29th. 1999.
Again we see three things being correctly aligned by the Holy Spirit:
The revelation in the heart, being gradually confirmed and clarified over time through shadows in the Word and corresponding supernatural circumstances.
These are practical examples of how God shows us things to come by His Spirit through His Word.
Recall in conclusion that there are 3 things God uses to show us things to come:
Revelation or impression in the heart through prayer in the Spirit.
Confirmation and clarification of the revelation in the heart through shadows in the Word that must be correctly interpreted in line with the principles of the Bible and the character of God: loving kindness, righteousness and justice.
Corresponding supernatural circumstances without human interference or manipulation.
Also God will not show us everything in detail but rather enough to give us victory in all that is coming: ” thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ” 2Cor. 2 :14
