Winter 2005
Our Testimony
Wade E Taylor

“And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And have made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

This “new song” is not one that we learn. Rather, it is the result of our submission to the dealings of the Lord to prepare us for our part in the end-time purposes of the Lord and what we have become – “kings and priests.”

Each of us has, deep within us, a “song,” which no one else can sing, as they have not gone through all that has brought us to the place of our being seated with the Lord in His throne.

Many translations use the word “and have made them,” as this is the song of twenty-four elders and four living creatures. But “us” is the better translation.

In the Old Testament, twelve patriarchs became the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve apostles are the foundation upon which the Church is established. Thus, the “twenty-four elders” represent the Old Testament overcomers. The “four living creatures” represent the “four sides” of spiritual maturity, the New Testament overcomer. They are singing - “and have made us.” This song is the result of the “processing” that leads to our being chosen as an overcomer.

“To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21

These have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (this spans all of history) and have been “made” (a people being qualified) kings and priests, who will reign with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom.

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

A better way to say this is, “Many are called, but few will pay the price in order to be chosen.”

We can further identify these from the following Scripture.

“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all His saints. Praise you the Lord.” Psalm 149:5-9

“To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Ephesians 3:10

The outworking of this “song” will take place through a direct intervention of the Lord, in which these “overcomers” will be lifted into a higher realm of apostolic power and authority.

In Exodus, chapter nineteen, this was offered to Israel.

“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:6

They were told to be ready by the “third day” (Exodus 19:11). This is prophetic of the coming Millennial Day, as the Lord desired to come down in the sight of all the people. However, when the power of God began to manifest, the people backed up and rejected the manifest presence of the Lord.

“And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.” Exodus 19:16

“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” Exodus 20:18

Israel withdrew from the manifest presence of the Lord. When they began to tremble in the intense manifest presence of the Lord, they backed up and rejected the manifestation of the supernatural power of God. In effect, they said, “Moses, we do not want all this shaking, visible glory, and trumpets (prophetic voices). Moses, you go into the Lord’s presence and then come back and tell us what He said. We want a nice quiet dignified service.”

The manifest power of God will greatly affect our emotions. Our responses will be varied, as we differ greatly in our make up. In our day and time, many criticize these “manifestations” (responses, or reactions, to His manifest presence) in the places where the Lord is “testing” us to see if we are ready and willing to respond to all that He desires to do and accomplish. Those who are critical will miss, as Israel missed, that which the Lord is about to do.

In this, the time of the closing out of the Church Age, Jesus is beginning to take His place as the “manifest” head of His body, the Church. All the world will see this “corporate Jesus,” and they will react, just as they did in the time of Moses, when the Lord attempted to reveal Himself to Israel, and also, when Jesus walked among the people of His day.

This tells us that we must be “made ready” for this coming time of visitation. If we are not rightly responding to the process of our being “conditioned” to abide in this powerful manifestation of the presence of the Lord, we also will react and protest, as Israel did. The Lord can wait for another generation, but we cannot.

The Lord had said, “l will come down in the sight of all the people,” as He desires to reveal His glory through a corporate body who have been prepared to accept and move in His manifest presence and glory.

“And the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day.” Exodus 19:10-11a

We are at the end of the Church Age, approaching the time of Revelation, chapter four. It is very important that we have been prepared through the present manifestations of His presence, and have developed a sensitivity to the voice of the Lord.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1

Because Israel withdrew from the manifest presence of the Lord, He withdrew from them. Now, the same promise – “the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Come up here,” is being offered in our day to us.

Some years ago, many were saying, “A visitation is coming.” There has been a “touch” of this visitation as the Lord sent out a “sampler” – up in Toronto, and down in Pensacola. Immediately, as with Israel in that day, there has been controversy. Much has been spoken and written against it.

Among those who were upset are the very ones who said that a “visitation” was coming. They are saying, “This is not the way we expected it to come.” But the Lord has chosen the “foolish things” to test us. There is an established principle - the recipients of each visitation will become the persecutors of the next visitation. This is because the Lord usually does not repeat the pattern of past visitations, but moves in ways that may be embarrassing to our flesh.

There is a “present” call to come higher, as the Lord is doing things in ways that have never happened before. There are those who will say as Mary of old; “It is impossible, and I do not understand, but be it unto me according to Your word.”

With the real, there is always the counterfeit. But we must be careful that we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. The Lord is gathering a people for Himself in this day. Today, the world is either ignoring, or laughing at the Church, but this is about to change.

I was in the army during the Second World War. We had officers over us who, because of the urgency, were trained in an intense ninety-day course. The enlisted men called them “ninety-day wonders.” They respected the officers that had come up through the ranks, but they despised those who were exercising authority, but had never been under authority.

The Lord is not caught off guard. There is no “Pearl Harbor” in His kingdom. There are those who presently are being prepared, who in the day of His appearing, will have this new song.

“And they sang a new song, saying … You have made us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9a, 10

In the Lord’s time, He will say to these, “Come up.” The “Head” and the “Body” will come together and the resurrected glory of the Lord will be seen. When, through intervention, the body begins to function in authority, under the direct dictate of the Head, the nations will no longer laugh, but rather, they will tremble before these overcomers.

May we be among those who, in this present time, will both welcome and respond to His manifest presence.

“When He shall come to be glorified in His saints.” II Thessalonians 1:10a