Fires of Glory 2
(week 45/07)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week we saw that God is presently sending the fires of His glory into the Church to purge, refine and ultimately glorify her, so she will fulfill her destiny in this 3rd.day to grow into the perfection and fullness of Christ: a glorious church not having spot, wrinkle or any such thing (Ephesians 5.27).
We saw that the purging and refining fires are already being released in the Church presently.
Deep, prayer in the spirit with all types of prayer (See our book ‘A Practical guide to Prayer’ for details) is releasing the refining fire. This is typified by Elijah’s altar of fire in 1 Kings. 18.31-38 and the Melchizedek priesthood spiritual burnt offering.
1 Kings 18:31-39(NKJV): 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
The things Elijah used to build this altar typify principles of prayer that God is using today to enable us pray effectually and fervently to release the fire of God’s glory to consume the sin-nature from our souls and bodies so refining us for the glory of God.
Let us examine these things:
1. 12 Stones to build an altar in the name of the Lord: 12 is God’s number for government or dominion. There were 12 Apostles. These 12 stones represent revelations from the Word that will cause us to have total dominion over sin or God’s government or Kingdom in our souls and bodies by perfecting the name or character of God (See our book ‘Daily guide for keeping yourself in the love of God and balanced Bible reading’ for details), which is love. God is love (1 John. 4.8-18).
2. Trench large enough to contain 2 measures of seed: spiritual capacity to contain the witness of the Word and the Spirit: we must pray both in the understanding with the written Word and in spirit with tongues (1 Corintians 14:15).
3. Wood in order. Wood, which is obtained from trees, represents men (Psalms 1.3, Isaiah 61.3). So we pray for men in order: spouses, children, the church, the leaders of our nations (1 Timothy 2.1-4) and other men.
4. Cut the bull in pieces and lay it on the wood. The bull represents meat or food or the Word of God (John 6.52-63). This speaks of rightly diving the Word of God (2 Timothy 2.15) to pray for the people.
5. 12 measures of water: 4 water pots poured 3 times (4×3=12). Water represents the life of God. Receive the life of God in sufficient measure to enforce (Matthew 11.12) God’s government (12 is God’s number for government or kingdom) and dominion.
When we pray with deep (Psalms 42.7) prayer in the spirit with all kinds of prayer with these principles in place, the fire of God will fall at this time of the evening sacrifice: the end of the day. This is symbolic of the 3rd.day, the time of the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
As we do this, daily, weekly, monthly as priests after the order of Melchizedek, the fire of God will continue to fall refining us and ultimately glorifying us!
