In Session 5, Apostle John Alley picked up some of the themes from the previous session, before moving on to talk about the Rapture and the General Resurrection.

God uses our bodies to get our attention. Most things in our bodies are spiritual. We are connected to the spiritual realm.

The body is used to communicate spiritual messages to us.

Example. Pain in the body during worship could be a sign of witchcraft, accusation from other churches. Nausea can be a call to intercession.

Pay attention to the body as a communication channel.

Security in the house of God comes from a pastor who is a son to a father.

George Stormwald, personal friend of Smith Wigglesworth, had such a presence of Christ that people would weep when he preached. His secret was that he would meditate on Revelation 1 before he preached.

Every truth about apostles is about Christ. It is never about ambition of man. People can build things and claim to be apostolic but be slightly off because it is about their efforts.

Resurrection

We assume that Jesus did not go to heaven and be glorified until Ascension Thursday. There were bodily appearances in that period. He was taken up to heaven on Easter Sunday.

He could appear but He was already taken up to heaven.

Daniel 7:13-14. Cf. Revelation 5. When did this happen?

John 20:17. Easter morning, he says “Don’t cling to me. I have not yet ascended.”

Luke 24:39. That evening, “Touch me.” He had already gone to heaven, received the authority of the “scroll”

Rapture

We have been hoodwinked by the Rapture boosters.

Overall teaching of Scripture is there is a single General Resurrection. That is, sinners and the redeemed are raised at the same time. Majority of church teaches this.

This is in all the early confessions, including Apostles and Nicene Creeds.

Matthew 25:31-33. All the nations gathered before the Son of Man, He will separate the sheep from the goats.

Matthew 13:30. Harvest then separation of weeds.
Matthew 13:37-43. Interpretation is that the harvest is the end of the age.

John 5:21-29. Believe Jesus pass from death to life. First resurrection. In v. 28, He shifts to the future. All who are in the tombs will be raised to the resurrection of life or to the resurrection of judgement.

We believe in a general resurrection, not in a rapture of the believers before the resurrection of the sinners.

John 6:37-40, 44.

Revelation 20:5-6. Those who share in the first resurrection, that is are born again, will not taste the second death. They will reign with Him for 1000 years – an unlimited period of time. Not a literal 1000 years time.

Ephesians 1:17-23. We are already resurrected beings. We need to pray for revelation and wisdom. 3 things that Paul thinks we need Revelation.

1. Know the hope he has called us
2. The riches of the inheritance of the saint’s
3. The immeasurable greatness of His power that is at work in us.

Christ is the head over all things in heaven and earth and he is giving this authority to His body the church.

Ephesians 3:8-11. Paul preaches to us to bring to us the plan of the mystery hidden in God. The church teaches the angels and demons about God’s wisdom. We have the task of taking authority over the powers in order to change the world. Over time the church breaks bondage.

Session 6

Most of this session was an interview with Lloyd Gill, John’s apostle to Africa, Lloyd talked about his many ministry trips to Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and about what God is doing there.

Te session concluded with John sharing some prayer points to pray for people in ministry before he prayed for Lloyd and those in ministry in the conference.

Prayers for ministry

1. A greater word and greater understanding of the Word of God. Luke 24:44-45. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
2. For advancing authority. We want more grace on the words we speak. 2 Corinthians 10:8
3. Pray to be fruitful in raising sons Hebrews 2:10-13
4. Pray that messages have power, full conviction, the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 1:5