TAKING JERICHO
(week 02/13)
OLUBI JOHNSON
In our article last week we saw in present prophetic truth that 2013 will be a year recompense and rest by the release of the power of the Spirit without measure symbolized by the flood of Noah.
The ark which is symbolic of the church that is perfecting the love of God and providing covering for millions of other Christians who have an honest and humble heart heart but do not yet have a revelation of how to perfect the love of God, will come to ‘rest’ on Mount Ararat symbolizing the church having dominion over the pinnacle of demonic power that has hitherto empowered the rebellious (Is.28.14-18) church with the prosperity (Ps. 73.3, 12) of the idolatry of covetousness (Col. 3.5).
This ‘rest’ (Mt. 11.28-30) is symbolic of the perfect liberty of the soul: will, mind and emotions from fear, ignorance, worry and anxiety by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore this ‘rest’ (Gen. 8.3-4) and ‘seeing’ of the ‘top of the mountains’ (Gen. 8.5) is symbolic of the church taking ‘Jericho’, the first city to be conquered in the Promised Land.
‘Jericho’ the city of palms (Dt. 34.3) and fragrance is symbolic of a level of prosperity the Church has been hitherto shut up to:
Joshua 6:1 KJV: Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
How then was Jericho taken?
Joshua 6:6-9 NIV: So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” (7) And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.” (8) When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. (9) The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding.
Jericho was taken by children of Israel marching round the city in a specific order: The armed guard, 7 priests blowing trumpets, 4 Levites carrying the ark on their shoulders (Dt. 10.8) and the rear guard behind the ark.
What do these things symbolize to us today?
1. The armed guard represents those who take on the whole armour of God and pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayer (Eph. 6.11-18).
2. The intercessory prayer ministry is then followed by the 7 Priests blowing trumpets: symbolizing the completeness (Gen. 2.2) of prophetic revelation, utterance and teaching as a consequence of prayer. Prophetic declarations without a background of prayer in the Spirit will be not be effective because of satanic hindrance and opposition (Dan.10.2-13).
3. The ark representing the glory of God is carried on the shoulders of 4 Priests: this represents the presence and power of God that enforces God’s government (Is. 9.6) or dominion in the church that is on the shoulders (representing responsibility) of a leadership in the measure of the stature of fulness of Christ (Eph. 4.13). All the 4 Priests had to be of the same height for balance. So the leadership that carries the ark must be balanced: praying, walking in the spirit and preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God (Ac. 20.27).
4. The rear-guard represents the rest of the Church that are following the leadership carrying the glory and so enjoying their covering.
In this order (1 Cor. 14.40) the church then circles Jericho 13 times (6 times for six days and 7 times on the 7th day (Josh 6.10-16)) symbolic of this year 2013; on the 13th time at the command of Joshua there was a synergy of the blast the trumpets and the shout of the people causing the walls of Jericho to fall and the city to be captured.
So in 2013 as the church in and forming the ‘ark’ comes to ‘rest’ on the ‘Mount Ararat’ (Gen. 8.3-4) and the ‘tops of the mountains are seen’ (Gen.8.5) the power of the Holy Spirit synergized in unity of prayer in the Spirit with all kinds of prayer, prophetic revelation and declaration, manifestation of the glory of God, submission and obedience of those following or imitating the leadership carrying the glory, the church will break into a level of prosperity never experienced before and so begin to fulfil:
Deuteronomy 28:12-13 KJV: The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. (13) And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
Isaiah 45:3 KJV: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
Isaiah 60:5 NIV: Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.
