The  Restoration of the Apostolic and Prophetic Ministries to the End-Time Church

By Robert Burgess, Editor
"Two Wings"

The subject at hand (the restoration of  the Apostolic and Prophetic ministries to the end-time Church) is one of utmost importance to all who watch for the restoration of a dynamic, powerful, and Glorious Church just prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Recently the Lord spoke to us saying; "The Church will never get off the ground without the leadership and influence of the End-Time Apostles and Prophets."  He then took us to the Scriptures of Revelation 12:14:  "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."  He showed us that the two wings here were representative of the restored and revived foundational Ministries of the "Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself the Chief corner stone (See Eph 2:20)."  Just as the two wings of an eagle or any bird, constitute its foundation for flight, so it is with the Great Eagle, the overcoming Church, the head of which is the Lord Jesus Christ.  The two wings here, provide the two basic principles of flight, namely Lift, and Thrust.  The Prophet provides the ability to Lift the Church (into Spiritual, or Heavenly things), and the Apostle (the "Sent" One) provides the Thrust (or the Ability to quickly advance the Church forward into the things of God).  For years the Church has, for the most part, been deprived of these two foundational Ministries; in fact we have known of  various groups who claim to believe in the Five-Fold Ministry but who have lacked any Apostles or Prophets at all.  What they have at best is a Three-Fold ministry of Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers.  This is a universal problem which has existed within the Church  for at least 1700 years.  

The Cherubims, and the Old and New Testaments

   There are certain groups within the Body of Christ which hold to the truth that the two wings of Revelation 12:14 are the Old and New testaments; while this is a true fact in a sense, it is also strong confirmation that the Ministry of the Apostles (who gave us the New Testament) and Prophets (the Ministers of the Old testament) are strongly in view.  These also represent the two witnesses of Revelation 11; they are also the two cherubim upon the mercy seat in the Tabernacle of Moses, and the two trumpets of silver made of one piece, by which the children of Israel were given signal to move in the wilderness.  These two are both Prophetic Ministries; even as the trumpets of silver and the Cherubim above the mercy seat, they are taken out of one Spirit; the Apostle is the "Planter" of the Word so to speak, and the Prophet is the "Waterer" thereof, but it is God who gives the increase (See 1Cor 3:6).
 
  These Ministries didn't just happen somewhere in time, but they derive their existence from the eternal counsel of God.  When man was expelled from the Garden of Eden it is written that God "placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Gen 3:24).  But who are these Cherubim's and where did they come from?  They appeared straight out of eternity to be forevermore interposed between man and his eventual destiny, the tree of life.  Thus, their ministry was ordained before the foundation of the world, they were always in the mind of the Father for he "Knew them" even before they were in their mother's womb.  The "Flaming sword" in their hands is none other than the anointed Word of God, which continually turns "every way" to keep all pollution and corruption from entering into life and immortality.  They are the custodians of divine life, not set to obliterate, but to keep the Way (the Word, Jesus Christ) forever open and unobscured for man to eventually return to his God.  This return can only be accomplished through the divine act of totally circumcising man's heart, and thus being circumcised, man is turned again to the eternal thoughts and divine purposes of his creator God.  Paul said; "Nevertheless when it  (the heart) shall turn to the Lord, the veil (of obscurity) shall be taken away." (2 Cor 3:16)   

    These are truly wonderful and expedient Ministries; as in Genesis, they appear unexpectedly and unannounced as a final remedy for the fallen creation.  So it is in our day; the church, for at least 1700 years has been in a miserable condition; no one has entered in completely to that glory which the Lord has promised for His people. Much could be said on this subject, but for the purpose of this article let us all admit that what I say is true, at least in a sense.  

    The sudden appearance of the Prophetic and Apostolic ministries upon the present stage of history in which we now live and dwell should excite the hearts of those who love our Lord's appearing as nothing else; for we understand that their purpose is to fully equip and provide the Church the means by which to enter into that blessed Kingdom it has been so long denied.  This current restoration is, in a portion, the divine embodiment of God's eternal thought and mind.  When God's purpose and counsel is manifest, it will not be to start another Church, or form a new denomination; but this form of Ministry (to the dismay of the religious hierarchy) takes charge of things;  it sets things in order and holds them there for God.  As in the Levitical Priesthood, this divine order (of Melchizedek)  is not conferred upon just anyone, as the writer of Hebrews said; "And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."    (Heb 5:4)  

The Vessel and It's Ministry

    The Prophetic and Apostolic ministry is not something you can just "take up," rather, it is something that you already are.  No Bible school can produce one.  We do not say that a Prophet cannot somehow be "In the system," but that he cannot be "Of the system."  In the days of Samuel it is written that; "the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision."  (1 Sam 3:1)..  The people had lost the Word of God and there was no open vision, or clear understanding of His will; therefore Samuel instituted what is called the "School of the Prophets."  Their purpose was twofold, first the dissemination of the knowledge of God's ways, and secondly the writing up of the chronicles of Israel's history.  But there is a world of difference between these academic "Prophets" and the anointed Prophets of God.  These academic prophets became professional men, and their profession soon degenerated into something unworthy and alienated from God.  It is said that all the false prophets came out of this group, and were accepted publicly on these grounds.  However, God had a better idea, an eternal thought, a faultless remedy to end all man's "Quick fixes."  The effect of religion upon mankind's problems is like placing a Band-Aid on a person with terminal cancer; it may look okay to one who is unlearned and ignorant of the truth; but to those who are enlightened to God's eternal ways, religion is the lowest form of spiritual quackery.  We should thank God for the knowledge that He never, ever changes; for if he did, we might as well throw our Bibles out the window as to believe anything that is written therein.  

    The identity of the vessel and its Ministry is very important, it is in the very center of the heart and thoughts of God.  The vessel  is not to be known by the profession or title he may assume, or by anything he does; he must be known and discerned by what he IS.  All the Apostles and Prophets were men of like passions, and subject to human weakness, perhaps even inferior to others in some ways, notwithstanding, in their Ministry they were faultless, and the Word of God was brought forth in demonstration of the Spirit and with Power (in spite of their humanity).  Why? That the faith of the believer should not stand in the wisdom and excellence of men, but in the power of God!!

    Just as Moses in the Old Testament, Paul in the New Testament, and countless others (even our Lord Jesus), these Ministries have been prepared for service in the wilderness.  They have spent much time alone with God, cut off from fellowship as it were, from a sinful world and a problematic Church, yet not divorced from the Church, but separated unto the Lord.  In the process, they have been emptied of themselves; as was Moses after his first 40 years in the wilderness, these are now devoid of all personal ambition and of any reputation.   Though they may have once been of great stature in the eyes of other men, their only reputation and credentials now stand in the eternal plan and purpose of a wise and Righteous God.  Though they may not now have much to offer in the sense of natural talents or physical beauty, these represent the embodiment of the thoughts and intents of the Father.  Though foolish to man, they are precious in the eyes of a Holy God; for God and his choices are flawless; it is impossible to separate the one from the other.  

    Because God and his ways are unchangeable, and the fact that His Holy Prophets were never accepted by the established religious-political orders of their day, it only follows that these restored Ministries are not to be embraced or welcomed by the religious-political orders of men in our day.  But let us qualify and clarify this statement further...  Beloved, even though the Church (not to be confused with a denomination of any kind) may be full of imperfections and flaws, yet God, in His eternal counsel, has chosen and ordained it to be His own, the present imperfections of men are only the result of it's yet uncrucified self-life. The institution of the Church, no matter how presently flawed, cannot be separated from it's eternal election and Holy purpose in Christ: "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Rom 11:29)."   Because of the vast differences which stand between the Church and the denominational world, we can say with all confidence that the Church of God at the End-Time will accept the ministry of these two anointed ones, the Apostles and Prophets of the hour.  Now I will end this article as I began; the Woman (the Church) can never hope to get off the ground without the influence of the Restored Ministries of the End-Time Apostles and Prophet, for these are the "Two Wings" which will carry her into "HER PLACE."  

    For this was the Word of the Lord unto Israel in the Wilderness  "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on Eagles' Wings, and brought you unto myself (Exo 19:4)."

    

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