Volume 11 - Issue 1 - January 2007
 

2007 (to 007) THE JOY OF AN OPEN HEAVEN
By Bishop Gary S. Brooks

Mark 1:10

And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

John 1:51
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Malachi 3:10

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
 

A few days prior to our New Year’s Eve Service the Holy Spirit spoke this word in my heart, “In 2007 the Joy of an Open Heaven”. When I heard that I immediately thought to myself that this is a nice rhyme, but it did not fulfill my heart. I found it lacking in substance and glory, just being to me another catch phrase to perhaps be made popular among church folk.

Then the Spirit of the Lord spoke in my heart again and said, “To Double 0 Seven (to 007) the Joy of an Open Heaven”. As I stood there the Lord reminded me that the numbers 007 belonged to James Bond, a fictitious secret agent of the movies. I then understood instantly that to God’s Secret Agent Man there would be the joy of an open heaven!

The Father’s secret agent is the man in Christ. This is the man that Paul knew by revelation being caught up to the 3^rd heaven and whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell. Now if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. This is the new man, our inward man. He is our soul man that has been recreated in Christ, seeing that we are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit. We are no longer in Adam but we are now living life in the Spirit of the Christ that is in us, the hope of glory.

This man in Christ is God’s Secret Agent. He possesses the secret understanding of the mystery of “Christ in You” and lives in the “Secret Place” under the Apostolic / High Priestly shadow of the Most High God. He is of the Anointed One (the Christ) being anointed also with the same anointing as the Head of the Church and therefore authorized as God’s Secret Agent.

We should note that Christ was not anointed, but Jesus was. For Acts 10:38 tells, “… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power…” Christ wasn’t anointed, our Lord Jesus was. Christ means the anointed one. This anointing was upon Jesus as the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, and He is called therefore Christ Jesus. Christ is Head and Body. Therefore we as His Body are also the Anointed One. For the same anointing that is on the Head of the Church is also upon His Body. This is why we are called the Body of Christ.

Yet it is not our flesh that is anointed but the man who we really are, our soul man that houses our heart, our mind, will, emotions, and intellect. For the scriptures declare in Exodus 30:32 that, “Upon man’s flesh it shall not be poured…” The anointing does not rest upon our flesh it is upon our soul man that has been recreated in Christ. This is the man in Christ and he is anointed as God’s 007, His secret agent man.

It is to this man in Christ that there is Joy of an Open Heaven. To this one. both male and female, there is 3-fold promise of the Spirit beginning 2007.

1. JOY IN RELATIONSHIP

 
Mark 1:9  And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

Mark 1:10  And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

Mark 1:11  And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Acts 1:5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Luke 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me…

We shall see that a heavenly relationship is opened unto us and begin to understand that we are anointed as God’s secret agents because the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, having anointed us with the oil of joy for mourning, and having clothed us with the garment of praise (the garment of a priest) unto the Lord. We shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, and joy in the Spirit with power, as the beloved sons of God!

2. JOY IN REVELATION

John 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Gen 28:10  And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11  And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen 28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Gen 28:16  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen 28:17  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

We shall see that we have come unto the certain place of the revelation of Christ. We will come unto fresh visions and revelations of Christ! In this place we will discern every message and messenger. We then will only receive unto ourselves that which is by way of its ascending and descending from the Spirit of Christ, Who is the revealer of the things of heaven concerning the Son of Man Jesus, Who is the gate of heaven.

3. JOY IN REWARD

Mal 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

We shall be rewarded Spiritually and naturally as we continue to diligently seek Him as a worshipper in the Spirit and in truth, having found our secret place in Christ with our Father Who is in secret. We have now entered into our permanent dwelling place as a man in Christ and have shut the door. In this life therefore we will publicly honor our Father faithfully with all that He has given us, and our Father Who sees those abiding in the secret place shall bless them and reward them openly!