GREETINGS, beloved, in the name of Jesus Christ. Revelation 4:1 says, “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 hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
There are times when we talk about the Kingdom of God that we must be able not only to hear but also to see, because seeing is greater than hearing. Sometimes, when you are hearing, you can actually mishear. You might miss the voice of a person because of your hearing. But when it comes to seeing, you cannot miss the person. So it was with John — he was able to look and behold.
There are dimensions in the Kingdom of God that you must be able to behold, to see. When we read in Acts, you will discover that the people in Samaria, when Philip was preaching, experienced two dimensions:
(i) The dimension of hearing the message he was preaching and (ii) the dimension of seeing the miracles he performed. In the Kingdom, if we are not able to walk in the dimension of seeing, we may become discouraged. That is why, in Revelation 4, John had to look and behold.
We need the gift of insight, so that we are able to see God’s purposes for our lives. We need the gift of sight.
One thing that really made me wonder is that, also in heaven, there was a door opened for John. A door opened in heaven because the man was able to ascend, to come up hither, responding to the higher calling of the Lord Jesus. This means that heaven can open a door for a man or woman who responds to the “come up hither” call, to the place where God wants us to be.
When it comes to the Kingdom of God, there are many things that we do not know. As a church, we sometimes think we know all about God and His Kingdom. There must be a hunger in us — not a hunger for material things, but a hunger for the glory and presence of God, where we begin to see things that eye has not seen.
In Jeremiah 33:3, the Bible says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” I want us to understand the word “you shall see things that you do not know.” It was like with John, who began to see things. One of the things he saw was a door opened in heaven. He heard a voice like a trumpet talking to him, saying, “Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
There are things God wants us to see, but this is for people who, after they have done all, after they have received applause, after people have told them how anointed and powerful they are, will come into a place where they say, “I haven’t seen everything that God wants me to see.”
Many men and women have been stagnant, not ascending to certain glories because they are satisfied. This is a call for men and women who will say, “Yes, we have seen thousands saved in our churches, but Lord, there is more that we don’t know, more we haven’t seen.”
This is the Church that the Lord is looking for. This is the intercessor who, after praying for revival, and when revival starts to take place — when beer halls shut down and churches are filled — they will still say to God, “We have not seen it all. There is a dimension that we have not seen.”
This is where God is calling us. There are doors we have not yet seen opening. These are the people God is looking for — those who are intentional, who will choose, after coming from big conferences and crusades and having seen people stand from wheelchairs, to rise up and say, “We have not yet seen anything.”
These are the men and women who will begin to see the glory in its fullness. Men who will pray despite seeing wonders and miracles and after manifesting such glory will continue fasting, praying, and worshipping.
Unfortunately, we live in a generation that is satisfied with little things — small amounts of money landing in their accounts — and are no longer found in places of prayer.
Ladies and gentlemen, when it is a call of “coming up hither,” it is a call where you are not satisfied. John had to be willing to answer the call to ascend, even after seeing the template of the seven churches; the man carried the prophecy of the seven churches.
One thing about responding to this call of “coming up hither” is that it will take a man or woman who is sold out and humble. Nowadays, there are men and women of God who have “made it” in life and have concluded it is a waste of time to come to prayer. They say you can pray for one minute and God will still hear you. I want to say, you have not come into the place of “coming up hither.”
John begins to see a door opening in heaven. There are things about the Kingdom that you need to see, not only hear, before you begin to experience them. This is what happened to John the Baptist.
You must realise that while he was in the wilderness, priests left synagogues and kings left palaces to come to him. People came from all over to hear him and be baptised in the River Jordan. He was the man of the moment until heaven unveiled Jesus.
Yes, he was preaching about the Kingdom of God being at hand. He preached the Kingdom until Jesus appeared. When Jesus appeared, we are told that two of John’s disciples left John because there was a dimension that Jesus introduced which John did not have and we see the crowd leaving John to start following Jesus.
This is what happens when new moves are introduced.
I remember when a dimension of deliverance began to take place in the Kingdom of God. Men and women of God rose and actually questioned it, saying, “This cannot be so.” Many who did this were in a comfort zone, unaware that the spirit of Jezebel had possessed the churches they led because they refused to accept a dimension that heaven had introduced.
This is a time when, as a Church, we need to be flexible. We must not be content or refuse the new moves God is introducing into His body. We need to be people who are sensitive.
You may think you have prophesied enough, but wait until you ascend and respond to the “come up hither” call. You may think you are okay where you are but wait until you answer the “come up hither” call.
There is a generation that, for many years, has refused to move; they have resisted the voices of God and the revival He is introducing. This is the same experience John had when Jesus appeared.
We hear a voice of discouragement as John sends one of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Christ or should we expect another?”
That is a voice of discouragement — a voice saying, “I am now a lonely person. Why are men no longer coming to me? Is this Jesus the true Christ or a false one?”
Ladies and gentlemen, if we are not careful, we will begin to fight against the moves of God because we refuse to “come up hither.”
This call is not for the proud, it is for those who understand humility—people with a heart like Philip, who, while preaching for revival in the city, was still willing to leave that great revival to go and meet the eunuch.
There are three things that can hinder us and we need to deal with them. If we overcome these, we will be able to ascend:
(i) Disliking spiritual things. Many dislike spiritual things like prayer. There are men and women who, when going to minister, no longer pray as they used to. They no longer seek God’s voice. They condemn prayer. They no longer study the Word. They dislike going to church.
(ii) State of the heart. Psalm 24 says, “Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” God is looking for a pure heart. If your heart is not pure, forget about “coming up hither.” This call will expose your heart. Some hearts are full of bitterness and anger. May God help us.
(iii) Lack of proper mentorship. Some men and women are not properly mentored in matters of the Kingdom. There is a dimension they do not know. When you read Jeremiah 6:16, you begin to understand there are ancient paths we should walk in. Nowadays, some people will call you father, wanting to use your name, but they cannot sit at your feet to be taught and receive instruction.
They are all over and when they mess up, there is no one to correct them.
I would like to invite you to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that He is your Lord and Saviour and you shall be saved. May God bless you all.
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