GREETINGS beloved, in the name of Jesus Christ. Revelation 4:1: “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.”
When we talk about the kingdom of God, there are times when we must be able not only to hear but also to see, because seeing is greater than hearing. At times, when you are listening, you can actually mishear. You may miss someone’s voice because of your hearing.
But when it comes to seeing, you cannot miss the person. It was so with John: he was able to look and behold. There are dimensions in the kingdom of God that you must be able to behold and see.
When we read Acts, we discover that, when Philip was preaching in Samaria, there were two dimensions: (i) hearing the message he was preaching and (ii) 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 there was also a door in heaven that was opened for John. The door opened because he was able to ascend—to come up hither and respond to the higher calling of the Lord Jesus. This means that heaven can also open a door for a man or woman who responds to the call to “come up hither”, 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 may think we know all about God and His kingdom, but there must be a hunger in us—not a hunger for things, but a hunger for the glory and presence of God. Then we will begin to see things that the eye has not seen.
When we read Jeremiah 33:3, the Bible says: “Call to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
I want us to understand the words, “You shall see things that you do not know.” It was like that with John, who began to see things. One of the things he saw was a door opened in heaven. He heard a voice, like the sound of a trumpet, speaking to him and saying, “Come up hither, and I will show you 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, and after people have told them how anointed and powerful they are, come to a place where they say, “I haven’t seen anything that God wants me to see.”
Many men and women have become 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 in our churches, but we still say, ‘Lord, there is more that we don’t know; there is more we haven’t seen.’”
This is the church the Lord is looking for.
This is the intercessor who, after praying for revival, and even when revival begins to take place, beer halls shut down and churches are filled, will still say to God, “We have not seen it all.”
There is a dimension we have not seen. This is where God is calling us. There are doors we have not seen opening. God is looking for people who are intentional—people who, after attending big conferences and crusades and seeing people rise from wheelchairs, will still 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. They are men and women who, despite seeing wonders and miracles and experiencing such glory, will still fast, pray and worship. Unfortunately, we are in a generation that is easily satisfied by little things and small amounts of money landing in our accounts. As a result, people are no longer found in places of prayer.
Ladies and gentlemen, the call to “come up hither” is a call to those who are not satisfied.
John had to be willing to answer the call to ascend, even after he had seen the pattern of the seven churches and received the prophecy concerning them. One thing about responding to this call to
“come up hither” is that it takes a man or woman who is sold out and humble.
We now have men and women of God who have made it in life and have concluded that 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 that you have not come to a place of “coming up hither”.
John began to see a door opening in heaven. There are things about the kingdom that you need to see, not only hear and then you will begin to experience them. This is what happened to John the Baptist.
You have to realise that, when John was in the wilderness, priests left the synagogues and kings left their palaces to come to him. People came from all over to hear him and to be baptised in the River Jordan.
He was the man of the moment until heaven unveiled Jesus.
Yes, he was speaking about the kingdom of God being at hand. He preached about the kingdom until Jesus appeared. When Jesus appeared, we are told that, on one occasion, two of John’s disciples left him because Jesus introduced a dimension that John did not have. We see the crowds leaving John and beginning to follow 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 up and questioned it, saying, “This cannot be so.” Many of those who did this were in their comfort zones. Little did they know that the spirit of Jezebel had possessed the churches they were leading because they did not want to accept a dimension that heaven had introduced.
This is a time when, as a church, we need to be flexible. We should not allow ourselves to become content and refuse the new moves God is introducing into His body. We need to be sensitive. You may think that you have prophesied, but wait until you ascend and respond to the call to “come up hither”. You may think you are all right where you are, but wait until you respond to this call.
There is a generation that has refused to move for many years and has been fighting the voice of God and the revival He is introducing. This is the same thing John went through when Jesus appeared.
We hear a voice of discouragement from him as he sends one of his disciples to Jesus. The crowd was no longer there for John because Jesus had introduced another dimension. John was now alone in prison, in a lonely place. Where were the kings and noblemen who used to come and hear John baptising, rebuking sin and speaking mysteries? Heaven had introduced a new dimension.
Now John was in a lonely place, sending 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 alone. Why are people no longer coming to me? Is this the true Jesus, or a false one?”
Ladies and gentlemen, if we are not careful, we will begin to fight the moves of God because we have refused to come up hither. This call is not for proud people; it is for those who understand humility. It is for people with a heart like Philip, who was preaching in a city during a revival but was still willing to leave that great revival to meet the eunuch.
There are three things that can hinder us, and we need to deal with them. If we overcome them, we will be able to ascend to that place.
(i) Disliking spiritual things. Many people dislike spiritual things, such as prayer. There are men and women who no longer pray as they used to when they go to minister. They no longer seek the voice of God. They condemn prayer, no longer study the Word of God and dislike going to church.
(ii) The state of the heart. Psalm 24 says, “Who can ascend the holy hill? He whose hands are clean and whose heart is pure.” God is looking for a pure heart. If your heart is not pure, forget about coming up hither. One thing about coming up hither is that it will expose your heart. There are people whose hearts are full of bitterness and anger. May God help us.
(iii) Lack of proper mentorship. Some men and women are not properly mentored, which affects the way they relate to matters of the kingdom. There is a dimension they do not know. When you read Jeremiah 6:16, you begin to understand that there are ancient ways in which we should walk. Nowadays, there are men and women who call you “father” because they want to use your name, but they cannot sit at your feet to be taught and given instructions. They are all over the place and when they make mistakes, there is no one to speak to 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.
Contact details: [email protected] / WhatsApp number: 0772494647
