“We are now at a Jordan River crossing moment: we are at the divine moment of entering into God’s promises for the End-Time generation.”
(Rhema Now Issue #11)
The second Jordan River transition is signified by the transition from Elijah to Elisha (2 Kings 2). It is a transition unto the arising of the most prophetic generation the world has ever seen. The authority and the prophetic anointing of the End-Time generation will surpass the prophets of old and even the early apostles in the Book of Acts (Joel 2:28–32; Jn. 14:12; Rev. 10–11)!
Just as the mantle of the prophet passed from Elijah to Elisha, we are in the prophetic moment of the passing of prophetic mantles from the generation that has gone before to the generation today.
Some of us may be thinking, “But haven’t some ‘prophets’ got it wrong recently? And haven’t some in the previous generation fallen into sin?” Indeed, we would be untruthful if we were to deny these realities.
Yet we do not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. God is so zealous for our fullness to become a prophetic people that He is bringing forth a prophetic reformation in His Body!
An Indictment unto Reformation
In 2022, the Lord spoke to us that this was the year for “Prophetic Reformation”. This comes on the heels of God’s indictment of us for a lack of prophetic insight and a slew of missed “prophetic predictions” during Covid (Rhema Now #1).
Indeed, over the past four decades since the Lord began to restore the prophetic ministry in the 1980s, the prophetic has undeniably gone awry in some aspects.
He has surfaced these faultlines at this crucial juncture, in order for us to realign to His heart regarding the prophetic, so that we can be established and arise as the most prophetic generation in the history of God’s people.
We often focus all of our attention on chasing prophetic words and anointing that we forget the more important issues to God — that of the foundations and character of a prophet. We have been so busy proclaiming and foretelling events that we have ignored what truly matters to the Lord — the speaking forth of what is on His heart from vessels who truly image forth who He is.
But thanks be to God for His zeal over us!
He is going to bring a reformation in the prophetic unto the End-Time prophetic generation!
What Does This Prophetic Reformation Look Like?
Firstly, He is bringing us back to what being a “prophet” is all about. Ultimately, being a “prophet” is about being God’s friend (Amos 3:7). A friend is someone who shares in the burdens and cares about what the other person is concerned with.
More than just a voice that proclaims, “Thus saith the Lord!” a prophet is firstly one who shares in the burdens of God’s heart. Furthermore, a mature prophet is one who will only share what God tells him to share. There are times when the Lord simply wants to share His heart with those who are willing to listen, without requiring them to proclaim to others.
Secondly, the Lord is raising up not just one or two “super-saints” as His prophets, but an entire generation! The prophetic anointing and mantle are for the entire End-Time generation, and available for whosoever reaches for them!
Thirdly, prophetic voices will emerge who move in the anointing like Bob Jones or Paul Cain, but at an even greater level. The prophetic anointing will be unprecedented! In God’s grace, He has ordained it as an inheritance for those who are alive in this time. Truly, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, what God has reserved for this generation!
The Fullness of a Prophetic People
Indeed God is so zealous for His people to step into their fullness that He is bringing correction and realignment to the prophetic ministry. In this hour, He is emphasising what is important to Him and raising up a new generation of prophets.
The End-Time prophetic generation will step into the fullness of what it means to be a prophetic people of God!
There are five aspects to our fullness as a prophetic people:
- Prophetic Mantle — This is the role and responsibility of a prophetic voice. More than just predicting events (foretell), a prophet is meant to speak forth God’s heart (forthtell) and turn the hearts of the people back to God. For the End-Time generation, we get the additional privilege to proclaim and prepare the nations for the return of Jesus!
- Prophetic Anointing — This is something we are most familiar with: the power that accompanies the giving of the prophecy, whether through its accuracy or the impact it has on our hearts when it is released.
- Prophetic Foundations — Laying strong foundations in the lives of God’s people are crucial. They help to ensure that the people of God mature in their character and not go astray, even as they grow in their prophetic gifting and anointing. These foundations involve consistently reading and meditating on God’s Word, spending time in prayer, loving God, choosing the fear of the Lord, and cultivating a deep and abiding relationship with the Holy Spirit.
- Prophetic Character — Godly and righteous character is crucial to ensure that God’s people do not abuse the prophetic gift or take the glory for themselves. Specifically, humility, devotion to truth, purity, and integrity are what God wants His people to cultivate in their lives so that they can carry the prophetic anointing.
- Prophetic Activation — This refers to the “suddenly” of God where He does a work in a person’s life (sometimes through one encounter or at other times over a period of time) and activates a level of prophetic anointing that is beyond what has been the norm for that person.
At the end of the day, our generation’s prophetic mantle is pre-ordained. The prophetic anointing and activation are by God’s grace. But it is the foundations and character that God requires us to be diligent to lay and cultivate.
Reaching for The Fullness
In this Historic Transitional Decade, the journey of transition from Elijah to Elisha in 2 Kings 2 gives us a picture of what God is doing and how we should position ourselves in response.
Just like how the Lord first sent Eljiah from Gilgal to Bethel in 2 Kings 2:2 (westwards, away from the Jordan), it might seem like the prophetic movement has taken two steps back in recent years.
However, the journey to Bethel revealed that Elisha understood the significance of the hour: he knew that Elijah would soon be taken away from him (v3), and this would mark a change in the prophetic ministry in the nation of Israel.
In our current day, God has revealed His heart to bring forth a reformation in the prophetic movement. The recent years have also seen the passing of anointed prophetic ministers such as Paul Cain in 2019.
Can we see and understand the significance of the hour?
And if we do, how should we position ourselves in response?
Elisha’s response to Elijah as the latter returned eastwards and crossed the Jordan informs us how we should respond:
1. Elisha did not stop following Elijah, despite being told multiple times to stay (v2, 4, 6)
Often, during the time of delay, the Lord holds back and “tests” us to awaken a deeper hunger for the things of God and to direct us to cultivate depth and character in Him.
Now is not the time to shrink back from the prophetic but to believe, ask and step out in faith until the fullness comes.
2. Elisha asked for the double portion of Elijah’s prophetic spirit (v9)
Just as how Elijah cried out for the double portion, the End-Time generation has to contend and lay hold of our portion in the prophetic. While God promises this for the generation, each of us has to press in and lay hold of it for ourselves individually.
We will move in unprecedented prophetic anointing that has never been seen before. We will carry greater mantles than the previous generation of prophetic voices. We will possess a oneness in heart with the One whose burdens we will share and carry!
Wow!
Elijah’s reply in 2 Kings 2:10, “You have asked a hard thing,” reveals what appears to be a difficult thing in the eyes of man. But to Yahweh, the Almighty God, the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for Him? (Jer. 32:27)
In this Sovereign Appointed Time of God where there is the passing on of prophetic mantles, Jesus is inviting us to press in like Elisha to lay hold of the double portion of the prophetic spirit — our inheritance unto becoming the most prophetic generation of all times!
Will you be the Elishas of this generation?