The Wrath of God, Part 1 By Mike McClung

And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:7-8)

The parable of the unjust judge has its resolution in the final statement above by the Lord Jesus. The Lord brings a contrast between earthly, unjust judges who may pass sentences depending upon their moods and convenience (or lack thereof), and that of the just and righteous Judge of the earth. We’re told that the Lord is aware of every injustice with which His saints have been afflicted and that every injustice will be requited when He gets the cooperative cry of faith and agreement from the saints on earth. But implicit in this parable is the reality of voluntary suffering that comes to the saints through injustice. This voluntary suffering (or in most cases, IN-voluntary suffering!) is part of the training process by which He conforms us to the image of the Son, who is the epitome of One who suffers injustice. Once these remedial judgments come to the saints of God, thus bringing us into full maturity and union with the Son, we then partner with Him in releasing His judgments into the earth with the main view to bring a harvest of souls.

The Judge of the Earth – The Remedial Judge By Mike McClung

The word “judgment” has received bad press, and that bad press has mostly come from the church….

In one extreme, parts of the church are now saying that God does NOT judge; He’s too nice and loving to do such a thing. This has been carried to heresy in those that deny the existence of hell and of a final judgment after death. Those who hold to such a view do not know the Lord in His awe-inspiring beauty and justice. If there is no judgment of sin, action and lawlessness, then God cannot be a just God. If He is not just, then He is not holy, without mixture. In denying this aspect of His holy nature, man thus has successfully remade God in our fallen image (at least what we would LIKE Him to be).

The Unveiling of Jesus as Judge, Part 3 - By Mike McClung

[We are reposting the next few articles from a few years ago because they seem to be relevant to what the Lord is doing lately.]

Meeting Christ As Judge

The depth of intimacy with our Lord affords a liberty and honesty in our relationship like no other. No one will ever know us to the minutest detail as He. We have great assurance and confidence in Him, knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us. Jesus, as the perfect Husband, exhibits an unparalleled patience with His bride. He affords us an extended grace period or honeymoon, where we become secure in His undying love. When our relationship is strong and stable, as King, He is also faithful to begin to reveal truth to us about our character. He shows us weaknesses and flaws that do not conform to His image and likeness. Jesus is a faithful Bridegroom/King who confronts us, and works in us to conform our character to His likeness.

Truth is a two-edged sword that helps us first to identify with our new nature in Christ. As we align ourselves with His thinking and who we are in Him, we also begin to see that which is not of Him. We are like Adam and Eve in the Garden, as we see our nakedness. Nakedness here is a metaphor for the fallen nature of man, and that fallen nature is inherently rebellious to Him because is shamed-based at its root. We need clarity of both aspects of the sword. Our intimate relationship with and knowledge of Him gives us the courage to embrace the power of the cross prepared for us specifically, allow the Holy Spirit to work within our lives, and leave behind our old self to be clothed in Christ.

The Unveiling of Jesus as Judge, Part 2 - By Mike McClung

[We are reposting the next few articles from a few years ago because they seem to be relevant to what the Lord is doing lately.]

We are a bride awaiting our bridegroom

Jesus is returning for a bride that is without spot or wrinkle. We know that Jesus must have a bride that bears His image. The bride, who is the church, must make herself ready (Rev. 19:7-8). If we examine the betrothal process of the Hebrew culture, we can begin to understand how to embrace the intimate relationship the Lord desires.

It was customary for a Hebrew young man to prepare a Ketubah, a marriage contract (a covenant), which he presented to his intended bride and her father. Included in this covenant was the Bride Price, an appropriate gesture in Jewish society meant to compensate the young woman’s parents for the cost of raising her. In addition, and more importantly, the payment was considered an expression of the man’s love for his intended bride. This betrothal covenant was legally binding once the bride and her family accepted the terms of his Ketubah.

The Unveiling of Jesus as Judge, Part 1 - By Mike McClung

[We are reposting the next few articles from a few years ago because they seem to be relevant to what the Lord is doing lately.]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, We had everything before us, we had nothing before us. We were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens opens his classic, A Tale of Two Cities with a series of paradoxical statements that paints a vivid picture of tumultuous times in England and France. The year is 1775, and while England is soon to lose its grip on the American colonies, France is soon to face total anarchy as the peasants arise to overthrow a corrupt and decadent regime. England is rife with crime and France with poverty. While life for the nobility was exquisite, the lower class struggled to survive. The plight of the times raised serious questions about man’s ability to rule justly and the desire of man’s heart to serve selflessly.

What Are We Waiting On? By Mike McClung

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be moved. (Psalm 62:5-6)

Waiting on the Lord is one of the hardest things for the flesh to embrace. One of the biggest obstacles to moving into the new season, and moving into greater glory and harvest, is impatience. Impatience caused Moses to be set on the backside of the desert for forty years as the Lord dealt with his life and character. Impatience caused King Saul to presumptively take matters into his own hands when it seemed Samuel was delayed in his arrival to bless the troops before battle (1 Sam. 10), thus causing a hardening of his heart in pride and ultimately losing the kingdom. Impatience by the newly saved Saul of Tarsus caused unnecessary turmoil and problems for the still infant church in Jerusalem, causing the senior leaders to send him back home to Tarsus for the discipline of silence and solitude (Acts 9:27-31). Part of the Lord’s refining process to prepare us to enter into the fullness of His presence and purposes is learning to wait on the Lord.

Preparing to Enter a New Season of Fullness and Harvest By Mike McClung

Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD…For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper…who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end…. (Deut. 8:1-3, 7-9, 16)

To those in the body of Christ who are willing and prepared, we’re about to enter into a time of fullness, restoration and harvest unprecedented in the history of the world. The world, itself, is in cataclysmic chaos, rampant unrighteousness, lawlessness and confusion, at least quantitatively, in such ways as have never been. The evil Babylonian/antichrist systems of politics and religiosity have formed, and are continuing to evolve into an alliance whose purpose is to “make war with the saints and overcome them” (Rev. 13:7), with its ultimate aim to make war with the Lamb in futility, and foolishly try to prevent Him from reclaiming the earth at His second coming. In the midst of all this, the Lord is raising up a body on this earth, touched to their core with the power of the cross unto death of self, and filled with His grace and glory. This new season of restoration is to prepare the earth for His coming, reap a harvest of righteousness and souls for His glory, and execute His judgments to prove beyond a shadow of doubt His infinite mercy to a world that has truly given itself to evil and hatred of all the is just, true and holy. We can either cave in to fear, as the first generation of Israelites did that came out of Egypt, or confidently move forward through the waters of death (the Jordan) and enter into this new season or warfare and victory for His glory.

Repost - Vision of Dam in East TN - Building the Temple

(I have had several inquiries over the last week asking me to repost this open vision that was given to me in 1995. Though the "vision has tarried long", I believe it's fulfillment is imminent. Mike)

Isa 56:6-7: “Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants-- everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant--even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Matt 21:12-14: “Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a “den of thieves.”’ Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.”

Ezek. 47:1-9: “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, ‘Son of man, have you seen this?’ Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other. Then he said to me: ‘This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.’”

Rev. 22:1: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

With What Love Do We Love the Truth? By David Townsend

My heart breaks for my generation and culture right now. The way we respond to the truth especially concerns me. If the truth was a person (and It is), it seems like we might consider Truth to be a good friend from high school. Nostalgia is great, and we love catching up, but “hey man, the kids are calling. I’ve got to go,” we would say. In other words, it’s nice to know Truth, and we had some great times, but He’s got His life and, well, I’ve got mine. Truth is relegated to a “really good idea,” but not something that I center my life around. And let me be clear, I’m not talking about the lost here. They are doing exactly what they know to do right now. When I say “my generation and culture,” I mean Christians, specifically those under age 35 or so.

The mentality I’m referring to is the same one the disciples had before the cross. It’s the result of confidence in the strength of human love, as if it were the supernatural love of God because we’ve confused the two. Before the Cross, every one of the eleven disciples was absolutely convinced that they would die before they would abandon the Lord (Matt. 26:35). But before the night was over, all of them did, and only one came to the Cross. In the previous three and a half years, they had heard the Lord’s words; followed Him; watched Him heal, deliver and do miracles; they had even done signs and wonders in His name—yet the love that they had for Him did not keep them from abandoning Him. I would submit that many, many of us in the Church are right here. And we’re headed for trouble.

Spiritual Warfare: Two Views in the Church By Mike McClung

Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Acts 10:38: “…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

I John 3:8: “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Eph. 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The Lord created both the earth and man, good. Both have been seized by hostile, evil forces that are seeking to destroy both earth and man, and also God’s plan and design for time and eternity. The Cross of Christ has completely defeated Satan, all of his minions, and every work of the enemy. The church is now the means by which this defeat is to be enforced and all the powers of darkness subjugated to the will of God.

Bridal-Priestly Garments By Mike McClung

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” (Rev. 22:17a).

It is imperative that the church enter into the “bridal” identity designed for her by the Father on behalf of the Son.  It has been the Father’s intention, from all eternity, to have the Son’s desire for an eternal companion fulfilled. (John 17:22-26.)  The theme is continuous from Genesis through Revelation, and all throughout human history, that the purpose of humanity is to be the eternal companion of the Son of God.

The “bridal identity” of the church, by default, means entering into our identity as intimate, passionate lovers and partners of the Lord Jesus, in His Person and His work.  The bridal identity of the church is summed up in the reality of becoming a kingdom of priests. (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6.)  Priestly ministry primarily involves worship and intercession.  The principle ministry of the Lord Jesus, right now, is as the great Intercessor. (Heb. 7:25.)  It is imperative that the bride enter into the fullness of her priestly identity before her “kingly” authority can be fully released.  Jesus is the King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4; Heb. 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:15.)  Therefore it follows that we, the bride of Christ, are made of the same royal priesthood, called to exercise authority and dominion.  This is first and foremost expressed through agreement with who God is (worship) and what God wants to do (intercession).  From this place of unwavering agreement in worship and intercession, the authority, power, grace, mercy and justice of the Lord are released from heaven to earth.  This happens as the bride of Christ faithfully agrees with the Lord in worship and intercession.  This bridal agreement creates an opening between heaven and earth, and the kingdom of God invades earth bringing transformation and harvest.

The Warrior-King By Mike McClung

To be able to move into and operate in the new season of restoration set before us, we are going to have to change our mindsets about the Lord and His ways and purposes.

In 2007, the Lord gave me Joshua 3 and Joshua 5 as a sort of “template” to outline what would be coming in the next five to seven years. All of what the Lord has been doing in the body of Christ over the last five years has been to ready us to enter into this final season of restoration and harvest, in order to prepare for His bodily return to rule this earth. This has meant intense training for the sons and daughters of God so as to forge His image and likeness in us. This is so that He can release His authority and power through us, which, in turn, will bring the justice and restoration all the prophets have prophesied (Acts 3:19-21). He’s preparing a wilderness offspring-generation for battle to destroy the works of darkness, induce a harvest of the earth as His inheritance, and prepare the earth and the nations for His return and rule. Wilderness mindsets (which are a mixture between that of the kingdom of God and the ways and means of the world system) cannot get us into this new place, nor can they operate with any effectiveness in this new realm. Before His glory and His judgments are released that will “balance the books” and remove everything that hinders His love and plans, He must deal with unscriptural mindsets and methods that are hindrances, at best, and heresies, at worst.

The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season – Part 6 – February 2013

The following is part of a larger article that the Lord has been intimating to me for the coming season/years. This is the last in a series of six articles. The entire article can be viewed on our website by clicking here. May these articles, bless, challenge and encourage all. Mike McClung

A Season of Glory Rising

The rising and release of God’s glory is the answer the Lord has for the overwhelming outpouring of darkness and evil that seems to be overtaking everyone and everything. The Lord has allowed all this to happen because He always seems to let everything man deems of worth or powerful to fail in order to fully glorify the Son of God. Although things seem hopeless in many ways, we must understand that the Lord has the enemy right where He wants him!

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory. (Isaiah 60:1-7)

The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season – Part 5 – January 2013

The following is part of a larger article that the Lord has been intimating to me for the coming season/years. The whole article will be posted on our website, lionheartministries.org, but we will be releasing each section as a smaller article each week for the next few weeks. May these articles, bless, challenge and encourage all. Mike McClung

A Season of War and Warriors

Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’” Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow-- for their wickedness is great.” Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness. The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again.” (Joel 3:9-17)

In the movie The Two Towers, there’s a scene where Saruman’s army of Uruk-Hai has been let loose to march against the people of Rohan to destroy every living thing, and word reaches Theoden and all those presently in Rohan’s capital, Edoras. Theoden, the king, is contemplating what decision to make and Aragorn tells him, “War is upon you whether you like it or not.” These words are now a living reality for the body of Christ. Whether we like it or not, war is here and there is no escaping it….

The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season – Part 4 – January 2013

A Season of Intercessory Shift

In this new season, the prayer movement must shift intercession to not only praying for the mercy of the Lord to be extended, but now for His JUSTICE to come forth and be established.

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)

The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season – Part 3 – January 2013

The following is part of a larger article that the Lord has been intimating to me for the coming season/years. The whole article will be posted on our website, lionheartministries.org, but we will be releasing each section as a smaller article each week for the next few weeks. May these articles, bless, challenge and encourage all. Mike McClung

A Season of Accelerated Restoration

The restoration that is coming is a restoration of all that has been prophesied and purposed for the one new man…the body of Messiah, the true temple of the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:19-21).

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple (naos), and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple (heiron), and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple (naos) of His body. (John 2:19-21)

As the apostle tells us in Hebrews 7-10, when there is a change in the priesthood, there comes a change in the entire protocol of relationship with God. The basic reason we do not operate under the Old Covenant with the Levitical Priesthood is because all has been fulfilled through the finished work of Calvary and man now relates to the Father based solely on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and His continuing Melchizedek priesthood. As such, we’re also told that it’s not temples and tabernacles made by men’s hands in which His presence rests and inhabits, but in the living temple of the individual and corporate body of Messiah (1 Cor. 3:17; 2 Cor. 6:16-7:1).

The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season - Part 2 – January 2013 By Mike McClung

The following is part of a larger article on what the Lord has been intimating to me for the coming season/years. The whole article will be posted on our website, lionheartministries.org, but we will be releasing each section as a smaller article each week for the next few weeks. May these articles, bless, challenge and encourage all. Mike McClung

A Season of Deliverance

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:1-7)

“Isaiah 6” encounters with the King of Glory are coming to the body of Christ that will have a powerful cleansing and purging effect in their lives. These encounters will allow the grace, love, glory and power of God to begin to flow out of them as it did out of the life of the Lord Jesus.

The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season Part 1– January 2013 By Mike McClung

The following is part of a larger article on what the Lord has been intimating to me for the coming season/years. The whole article will be posted on our website, lionheartministries.org, but we will be releasing each section as a smaller article each week for the next six weeks. May these articles, bless, challenge and encourage all. Mike McClung

At the end of October 2012 the Lord began to speak to me about certain aspects of this new and final season of restoration (Acts 3:21) that we are entering that will lead up to the return of the Lord Jesus. The following are “intimations” of what I believe the Lord is ordering to bring about the fullness of His purposes that will engage great conflict, but at the same time, bring great harvest in every dimension of our lives. One of my personal consternations at present is that there seems to be no clear, definitive “word of the Lord.” We all see through a glass darkly, but what is needed right now is a clear, powerful, authoritative word that will shake the body of Christ awake, bring true repentance and it’s spiritual fruit, and empower the body of Messiah to fully manifest His grace and glory that will be needed to overcome the powers of darkness.