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The Key of David

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Isaiah 22:22 And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall shut, he shall shut and no one shall open. AMPC

What is this passage regarding? It is actually a Messianic promise and prophecy that was originally directed to Eliakim, who was over King Hezekiah’s household. Eliakim means “God Raises Up!” This passage goes on to say: And I will fasten him like a peg or nail in a firm place; and he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father’s house. 24 And they will hang on him the honor and the whole weight of [responsibility for] his father’s house: the offspring and issue [of the family, high and low], every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flasks and big bulging bottles.25 In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the nail or peg that was fastened into the sure place shall give way and be moved and be hewn down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for the Lord has spoken it.

It doesn’t take too much revelation to realize Jesus is Eliakim, the One Whom God Raises Up, after he has been fastened like a peg or nail. He is the One who becomes a Throne of Honor and Glory for His Father’s House. And we know the rest of that story. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the nail or peg that was fastened into the sure place shall give way and be moved and be hewn down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off;… King Jesus became a curse for us removing from us the curse; bearing our burden away in order for us to be reconciled to God, and to become the righteousness of God. But not only was the curse removed King Jesus rose from the dead conquering death and removing from all mankind the sting of death.

What does any of this have to do with Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot? Revelation 3:7-11 And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open:8 I know your [record of] works and what you are doing. See! I have set before you a door wide open which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My Word and guarded My message and have not renounced or denied My name.9 Take note! I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and learn and acknowledge that I have loved you.10 Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown.

Jesus has opened the Door of Who He is and the Door of Heaven’s Throne to these Philadelphian believers. Why? I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My Word and guarded My message and have not renounced or denied My name.9 Take note! I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and learn and acknowledge that I have loved you.10 Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance that I give you],…

Embedded in this message are the seeds of Truth that are meant to grow into a harvest testimony of manifested reality. Here we have other keys which unlock Heaven’s Door during this season enabling us to enter in. What are those keys? They had little power (in their weakness they had Christ’s strength). They guarded and kept Jesus’ Word through expectant endurance. They persevered through the things they had to suffer for being obedient to Jesus’ Word and Message.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! The Philidelphians had learned the secret of this revelation. They had learned to turn their weakness in to Christ’s Strength accessing the Grace of Jesus – the empowerment to do the will of the Lord (GRACE = Glorious Realities As Christ Empowers). They had learned to access the truth of 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)! – Growing in the Grace of the Spirit. And it’s no coincidence that this same theme is manifested in Hebrews 4:16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. No wonder the Door was open to them for they had learned to access the Throne of Grace to obtain more Grace to help them in their time of need.

During this season we are to come boldly before God Throne to obtain mercy and Grace to help in our need. We are to turn our weaknesses into Christ’s Strength and we are to grow in His Grace – in His empowerment to do His Will and Word. We are to seek Him in prayer for more Grace to ascend higher in His Presence and His Manifested Reality.

But there is one more key: Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance….The key to entering through this Door of Jesus and His Throne Room is found in keeping His Word; persevering with it and through it. The Word of God is Jesus and it truly is a mirror reflection of the true condition of our relationship with Jesus. To persevere in keeping His Word is to persevere in obeying and doing what His Word says. To obey His Word is to Love Jesus! The Door of Heaven had been thrown open to these Philadelphians because they had thrown wide the door of their hearts to Jesus and His Word. They had a heart like David who longed to be forever in the Manifested Presence of the Lord. He truly was, as the Philadelphians were – after the Heart of Jesus; to get as close to Jesus as was physically, and spiritually possible. During this holy time when God draws near to you make sure you reciprocate in drawing near to Him – with a heart and arms wide open.

The Intercessor John Welsh

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Frank Di Pietro, The Fire That Once Was: John Welsh prayed. It was said of John Welsh that he thought a day “ill-used” if he did not spend seven to eight hours of it in prayer. At different times throughout the day he would stop what he was doing, retire to a secluded room or location, and boldly go before the throne of grace, that he might obtain mercy and find grace to help him in his time of need. (Heb. 4:16). It was his prayer life that sustained him. It was prayer that strengthened him in the trials and persecutions that were leveled against him. It was prayer that gave him the fortitude to continue preaching the Gospel in the face of adversity and peril. It was prayer that increased his intimacy with his Savior. It was prayer that not only changed the hearts of thousands but also an entire town to the things of God. It is said that the power in which a man walks in God is a reflection of the time he spends in prayer, and, oh, what power John Welsh walked in. You see, John Welsh prayed…. John Welsh, at the age of twenty, was on his way to his first ministry position. It was in the city of Selkirk, about thirty-eight miles south of Edinburgh (Scotland). His extraordinary character, intensity, and fervor for a moral and godly point of view, along with his unremitting and untiring zeal, soon led him to become an object of dislike and jealousy both to the clergy and the laymen of the organized church in the district where he was now living. The hatred with which he was persecuted by his peers, along with the realization of the lostness of the people, led him into a lifetime of intense prayer. It was here in Selkirk, a time of constant struggle, that he began his eight hours of daily prayer which he continued the rest of his life. Selkirk was a hard town. The people were poorly educated and, as Welsh says in his own words, “uncouth.” They refused to listen to him because they were content with the dead religion those in charge had been giving them. They resisted his ministry even to the point of violence. Welsh labored among the people of Selkirk for six years and it was a constant struggle. He would preach publicly once or twice each day, but to no avail. Praying unceasingly about the barbaric actions of the townsfolk, he would not let a night go by without the town witnessing his passionate and intense devotions before the Lord. Every night before going to bed, he would place a Scotch plaid (small blanket or shawl) on the side of the bed, that when he awoke in the cold of the night for his midnight prayers it would be handy to wrap around his shoulders. Agonizing with God in prayer he would ask that these hearts be changed, or that he be removed to a more suitable place for the Gospel. The answer would come soon.

The one good thing that came out of his sojourn in Selkirk was his marriage in 1594 to Elizabeth Knox, the youngest daughter of the mighty Scottish reformer John Knox. Knox is remembered for bringing a countrywide move of God that changed the whole of Scotland for a time. It was Knox that passionately cried out to God in prayer, “Give me Scotland, or I die.” So now another great man of prayer through marriage had been given the torch of revival for the land. Elizabeth was a positive influence on Welsh; being brought up from early years in the principles of Holy Scripture, she was a worthy helpmate in the trials and sufferings for the Gospel’s sake that would continue throughout their lives.