Page 29 - Evidence of Things Unseen

who lacked this glory.
Mr. Joyner described one particular scene on this island. He saw Jesus standing with
a sword in His hand and there was a line of people approaching Jesus. When a man or
woman would stand directly in front of Christ He would plunge the sword into the person
and they would fall down and die. None of the people in this queue were glorious in
appearance, yet after they died they would arise and take on an appearance of glory.
An interesting thing about this was that some people, upon having the sword thrust
into them, would die quickly and easily. Others underwent what appeared to be long
torments, being in continuous agony, never seeming to be able to die, but continuing in
their suffering. As Rick Joyner observed this he asked the Lord what made the difference
between those who died quickly and those who went on in continuing agonies. The Lord
responded, “Those who die quickly are those who ask Me to put them to death.”
I was very much gripped by what I read, and the Holy Spirit was ministering to me all
the time. I understood the substance of those things being shared. As children of God we
all must embrace the cross, which is an instrument of death. We must all come to an end
of our independent and selfish ways that we might live as Christ who said, “I never do
anything of My own initiative. I only do the will of the Father.” The Holy Spirit was
impressing upon me that I needed to come to an end of independence in my life that I might
be qualified as a vessel of honor in God’s house.
I had been dwelling upon these things for some days when the Newbolds came to visit.
I knew that if I wanted to go on with God, to enter into the fulness of those things He had
laid up for me, that I was going to have to embrace a death to my many sinful and
independent ways. I knew I could not turn back from what the Spirit was speaking to me,
for to turn back was to forfeit the good will of God for my life, which was a thought that I
could not bear. I knew I had to go forward, and the path before me was one of death to the
old man and his ways.
While contemplating these things the Spirit made it known that this path was
absolutely necessary, and I considered, that since it could not be avoided, I would much
prefer a quick death to a long and agonizing death. My answer to the Newbolds’ question
was that they might pray that I would have a quick death.
When I shared this, both Charles and Nancy became very serious. They asked me, “Are
you sure you know what you are asking for?” I assured them that I did. They then turned
to my wife and asked her, “Are you willing to walk with your husband through whatever
God will take him through.” Tony hesitated for a second, and then she said, “Yes, I am
willing.” The Newbolds then prayed for us regarding this matter.
Just as Charles was about to go out our front door he turned to me and said, “You
know, there are many ways the Lord can take us through a death experience, and one of
them is to bring us to a financial death.” With these words he was gone and I was left with
a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. There is no doubt in my mind as I look back over
the past years that Charles Newbold prophesied when he spoke these words to me. The Lord
did have a financial death in store for us, yet I can only think how fitting and wise this was.
If the Lord is to take us through a death experience it makes sense that He would choose
the area of our greatest independence and lay it in the dust. The Lord will go straight to that
which is the chief stronghold in our lives, for if He can deliver us from that which stands in
greatest opposition to His will, then He can deliver us from all other things.
This pattern is revealed in Scripture. When the Lord led the children of Israel under
Joshua’s leadership (Joshua being a type of Yahshua, having the same name in the Hebrew)