Mal. 4:5-6:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Luke 1:17:
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom
of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
All this time, God was dealing with my heart. I
was praying and reading Malachi 4 when I received a revelation that John the
Baptist was to fulfill only a part of these verses. I saw that the
prophecy by the Angel to Zachariah about John the Baptist in Luke 1:17 only
includes half of the commission of Elijah. I was just ten years
old when I told my granny that the spirit of Elijah was to return in the
end-time. She wasn't so sure about it. "Now son, don't get too
smart on me. It seems to me that John the Baptist must have fulfilled
all of that."
Well, I just knew it was God, and I started preaching it
everywhere. I said, "If I understand this correctly, all of this wasn't
fulfilled by John the Baptist. John certainly turned the hearts of
the old Jewish Fathers to the joy of the Pentecostal children by preparing
the way for the Messiah, such that a remnant of those from His generation
were able to see the way that God was opening for them. If the spirit
of Elijah is what it took in John’s day, there has to be another visitation
of that same spirit of Elijah to fulfill the last part of this verse, to turn
the hearts of these modern church children back to the faith of the old
apostolic Pentecostal Fathers, back to the original faith of the early
Apostles, and I am going to look for it.”
I went to hear many ministers. I was seeking a man
who had that same power and boldness that Elijah had. I don't mean any
harm, but one of these brothers was getting the idea he was Elijah.
When I heard it, I got my granny to go with me to hear him. He came
out in a black cape. He had a stick in his hand. He shook that
stick and proclaimed that he was Elijah. He was a gifted man.
We were acquainted with him, but I hadn't seen him in years. There was
a chair draped in black, and he called that "Elijah's Chair". The cape
was Elijah's mantle, and a black brother came out ahead of him, sweeping the
steps before he walked on them.
I was only ten or eleven years old. He declared that
God had told him that whoever touches this chair will be killed. Well,
I didn't believe that and said, "Granny, the nerve of that man to say
something like that."
"Hush, child, don't say that. I know he is not right,
but he used to be anointed."
I said, "Granny, I'm not going to let these people be
fooled into thinking that if they touch that chair they'll die. I'm
going to go and sit in that chair."
My granny said, "No, you're not."
"Yes ma'am, I'm going."
By that time, I was halfway down the aisle. While he
was praying for people on the other side, I just walked right up those "holy
steps" and sat down on that black throne. I stretched my legs out like
that, proving to the whole congregation that what he had said was a lie.
He covered it up by falling on his knees, praying for mercy for me.
I knew that he wasn't working in the spirit of Elijah.
There were many more that made their claim that the Elijah
spirit was falling on them.
Finally, my granny said, "Son, when are you going to realize
that this has already happened? Maybe John the Baptist fulfilled all
of that Scripture."
Years went by, and I never mentioned it any more. I
was discouraged. I went to every tent revival I could go to.
"We've got to go, Granny. This may be the one.”
"Well, what are you going to do when you find him?"
"I'm going to listen to what he has to say. The
return of that Prophetic spirit will signal the end-time revival and the
calling out of the Bride.”
"Son, are you sure?"
"Granny, whenever I find him, I am going to listen to
what the Holy Ghost is saying through him. He should have revelation
concerning what God desires to do with and for His people in the final
revival." I was looking...searching.
If you go to
http://www.jerusalemrevival.com/SLS_Testimony-10-End-Time_Message.jsp,
you can read more about how the Holy Spirit gradually led Pastor Shelley to
discover the ministry of William Branham, a great prophet of God who was a
forerunner in the mighty healing revival of a few decades ago.
Sister Ruth Heflin used to share how blessed she was to listen to Brother
Branham on the radio when she was a missionary in Hong Kong. I have
been amazed to see William Branham's name mentioned quite often over the
last few months in different messages by prominent prophetic leaders sent
out to subscribers of The Elijah List
(www.elijahlist.com).
There seems to be a real move by the Holy Spirit to
turn our attention back to some of the great servants of God who walked
through those tried and true Ancient Gates!
Now I have a real burden to share with you some
God-incidences that I have recently experienced that I pray will help you
to see one of the patterns that God is blowing upon His wheat field.
After I prepared the titles for the testimony segments
I was proposing to put on our website, I e-mailed them to Pastor Shelley
for his approval. When he replied back, I scanned down the titles
once again. When my eye hit the title
"Discovering the Ministry of a Great Man of God," suddenly the
anointing of the Holy Spirit came down over me and electrified my whole
body in a way I have rarely felt. I had been wondering
if this was the time to share some of these things about William Branham
because like most great servants of God who were forerunners, he was a
controversial figure. Even our beloved Sister Ruth Heflin was
considered controversial because she was a forerunner in new spiritual
territory. Now I knew that God had given me His signature of
approval! Now was the time!
One day after this as I was walking past an Orthodox
Jewish neighborhood to go to the post office, I "happened" to look up and
see a scarecrow hanging over a large balcony on the top floor of a
house. I have never seen a scarecrow in Jerusalem before!
I immediately thought about William Branham's ministry because it is
commonly mentioned among people who appreciate his ministry that the devil
has hung a scarecrow over it to try and scare people away from it.
But wherever you find a scarecrow, you will usually find a field of
something good to eat! I knew God was giving me more confirmation
that I was on the right track.
Weeks went by and I never thought to look up at the
scarecrow again as I passed by. Shortly before I put Pastor
Shelley's testimony segments on our website, I happened to look up again
and see that the scarecrow was still there. As I rounded the next
corner, I suddenly saw strung out along the side of a corner hardware store
a new banner advertising garden equipment with the picture of a scarecrow
on it! I knew God was speaking to me to go ahead with my plans for
the website.
When I came back from Alabama, I purposely looked up when
I walked by the house and discovered that the scarecrow was now gone!
I knew that God was speaking to me through this sign that the time was now
right to share these things with you in my e-mail update. God is removing the enemy's scarecrow to help his Bride
discover the treasures in the field!
Another "signpost along the way" was an e-mail article I
received last weekend from Renee Smith of White Stone Ministries entitled
"Back to the Future." She wrote a little about Rowland Buck and John
G. Lake and then said:
Some will have to go "Back" to go on to the future of
what God is doing and re-visit the wells of healing through this man and
others like him, like Kathryn Kulman and so on, even Bible men and women
that have mantles waiting to be picked up to be
carried to the future. Go back by the Holy Spirits' help
and get them and bring them here NOW to be used for the Master.
I knew it also applied to William Branham as well as
others.
And then as I was preparing to start writing this update,
I received an e-mail from The Elijah List with an article entitled
"Unlocking Mysteries" Including "THE WATCHER" by Paul Keith Davis and Bob
Jones, Vol VII, 08/23/2004 (
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=2407).
Here are some quotes that caught my attention from "Unlocking
Mysteries":
The healing revival birthed in 1946 provided one of
the most incredible manifestations of God's grace ever witnessed.
Theologians and church historians verified that the intensity of God's
revelation and power during those years was unequaled in modern history.
Each visitation provided illumination of spiritual
birthrights present in the Bible. Even so, they had not been fully
understood nor universally appropriated.
Historically, the Lord has always had a remnant of people
on the earth walking intimately with Him in Pentecostal power. Very
often, that number diminished significantly in comparison to the corporate
body of believers confessing faith in Christ.
Even so, each "revival" seemed to end in shipwreck.
The spiritual light restored to the Church in each outpouring was often
distorted or taken beyond biblical boundaries.
We are presently in a season of recovery! God's "light"
is being restored through leaders groomed and refined for this
duty. Additionally, things our eyes have not yet seen nor our
ears heard will be introduced by the Spirit of Revelation.
The Lord stated in Matthew 13:52:
"...Therefore every teacher and interpreter of the Sacred
Writings who has been instructed about and trained for the kingdom of
heaven and has become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth
out of his storehouse treasure that is new and treasure that is old
[the fresh as well as the familiar.]" Amplified
These places of restoration and release will be schools
of the Spirit and "lighthouses" of God!
The Spirit is presently breathing on lost
heritage. Unfulfilled commissions and "mantles" of revelation and
power are available to be apprehended. Heavenly directives are
being re-commissioned with fresh purpose and stewardship.
And then in a new e-mail from Elijah List was this
thought in an article by Shawn Bolz of WhiteDove Ministries entitled "The
Door of Fullness"
(
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/2408):
Even in modern days we had
"Daniels" like William Branham, who had the Spirit of Truth stand next to
him in sometimes-visible-ways to the people. The Lord loved Him so
much that He sent endorsement for brother Branham's genuine friendship with
Heaven.
So what is my point and what does it have to do with
Jerusalem, you are wondering! Let me try to explain...
If you read Pastor Shelley's testimony, you will
understand how the Lord supernaturally introduced him to the ministry of
Bro. Branham. Through a powerful trance vision at the
beginning of a Sunday evening service in 1995, God even took Pastor
Shelley back in time to Sunset Mountain in Arizona where Bro. Branham
had a powerful supernatural encounter with the Lord, and he heard God tell
his prophet that he would not live to see the Bride's great end-time
revival that he had preached about so much. He was a Moses, but a
Joshua generation led by the Holy Ghost would bring the Bride into her
Promised Land.
In that same trance vision, Pastor Shelley was also taken
to Bro. Branham's bedroom the night before he had the fateful accident that
would lead to his death a few days later in December 1965. Pastor
Shelley saw the Angel of the Lord come in and tell Bro. Branham that the
time had come for the beginning of his crossing. He heard Bro.
Branham reply, "I am not afraid," and then he prayed the same prayer that
the first messenger who foreran the first coming of Christ prayed, "I must
decrease, that He might increase." The Voice then spoke, "The All
in All is coming in."
Bro. Branham had a great desire to come to Jerusalem
and minister to the Jewish people. Among other things, the Lord
had given him the gift of word of knowledge that was very detailed and 100%
accurate every time. He felt that the operation of this gift would
be a sign of the Messiah to the Jews in a similar way that the Samaritan
woman at the well knew Yeshua was the Messiah because He told her all that
she had ever done.
Bro. Branham planned a ministry tour to several countries
including Israel for September 1954. In Cairo, Egypt, he was about
ready to get on the plane for Israel where a meeting was scheduled in
Jerusalem with 5000 Israelis expected to attend. Suddenly he
heard a Voice say, "Don't go!" He thought he had imagined it,
but It spoke again, "Don't go. This is not the hour."
He walked around to the back of an airplane hangar to pray. The
Angel of the Lord appeared as a spot of bright, white fog, and the Holy
Spirit said, "Stay out of Palestine. This is
not your place. This is not the hour. The cup of iniquity of
the Gentiles is not yet full. There is still more gleaning to do."
He changed his ticket to go to Greece instead and
had someone cancel the meeting in Jerusalem. He never tried to go
again. (From the excellent book "SUPERNATURAL: The Life of William
Branham, Book Four: The Evangelist and His Acclamation (1951-1954)" by
Owen Jorgensen)
A few days ago, the Holy Spirit suddenly brought it to my
attention that next month will be 50 years since God
prevented Bro. Branham from going to Jerusalem to
minister. And then I started thinking about how Pastor
Shelley has been given a similar gifting in his life of the word of
knowledge, and how he has a very balanced understanding and appreciation of
William Branham's ministry and walks in a powerful anointing of the Holy
Ghost.
God sovereignly called Pastor Shelley to come to Israel
two years ago and laid it upon my heart to invite him to be our
pastor. We formed this new ministry, Jerusalem Revival Center, and
have daily worship/prayer meetings and Sunday services in our small
basement chapel. Pastor Shelley comes several times a year and is
scheduled to come to Jerusalem again September 23 - October 11 for the
Succot holidays. (Come worship with us if you will be in
Jerusalem!)
Is this a sign that the cup of
iniquity of the Gentiles is now almost full? There is
also a ministry in Jerusalem that is training people to minister healing
as was experienced in the Healing Rooms of John G. Lake. When I see God establishing ministries in Jerusalem that carry
mantles of past revivals, it is a sign to me that the Bride's great
end-time revival is at hand! Jerusalem is "the well" of
the original Pentecostal revival!
I told you at the beginning of this e-mail that I love to
watch the Holy Spirit blow upon His fields. When I stand back and watch
what God is doing, I am in awe! We need to walk softly, move beyond
some of our preconceived ideas and ask God to open our spiritual eyes to
enable us to move with His Cloud.
Early on the first Sunday of the Campmeeting, God gave me
a song called "Higher Ground" which I sang in the service that
morning. It goes along with the theme of the Campmeeting.
That song as well as 16 other special songs that were sung during the
course of the Campmeeting are on a special live-recording CD entitled
"Campmeeting 2004 Special Songs." Two of the songs are sung
by Pastor Shelley, two songs are by the children's choir and the last
song, "This Is Your House" sung by the young adult choir, is the one that
brought tears to my eyes. This CD is available to you upon
request as a gift from us for any donation to sow into this ministry to
help usher in revival for Jerusalem.
Just released is the new MP3 CD "Passover
Meetings 2004 - A Teaching on the First Six Seals," a wonderful series
full of revelation preached by Pastor Shelley at the New Hope Revival
Center in Alabama. Also, the new book and audio tape set
"Prophetic Words Given in 2004, Part 1, Through Ancient Gates Into New
Doors of Deliverance" is now available for purchase. See the ordering
instructions below.
We would appreciate your generosity as it is quite
expensive to live and have a ministry in Jerusalem!
I know that this ministry is good soil for your
seed and that God will keep His Word to give back to you in greater
measure than you have sown! We extend a big thank you to
all who have been supporting us by your prayers and offerings!
I pray that you have been able to catch some of the
precious seeds that I have thrown out to you in this update. As you
meditate upon them and hold them up to the Lord, may He cause them to grow
for you as He has done for me. My next project is to put more
content on our website that I believe will be a blessing to you. I
would appreciate your prayers!
Stay flexible as the Holy Ghost blows across your
field!
Blessings from Jerusalem!
Nancy Bergen
Jerusalem Revival Center
PO Box 1402
Jerusalem 91013, Israel
Tel. & Fax: 972-2-5825301
JRC@jerusalemrevival.com
www.jerusalemrevival.com
I am including this section for those who might wish to
use it to send offerings and receive audio tapes, CD's, or books that we
have available.
For Secure Online Ordering and
Donations:
Go to
http://www.cybernetixs.com/secure/revival/donations.cfm.
Copy the appropriate portion of the ordering blank text below and
paste it into the description box near the end of the Online Ordering
page. Then fill out all of the appropriate information. Or be
sure to at least indicate that your donation is for Jerusalem and if you
want the complimentary audio worship tape offered below.
Donations may also be wired to our bank in
America. Simply e-mail us for details.
To Order Through Regular Mail:
For US tax credit, checks may be made out to Jerusalem Revival
Center and mailed to:
Jerusalem Revival Center
PO Box 1402
Jerusalem 91013
Israel
You may print this portion for a reply form:
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Offerings for Revival in Jerusalem:
I would like to give _____________ to sow into revival in
Jerusalem! Please send the new music CD
entitled "Campmeeting 2004 Special Songs"
which was recorded live at New Hope Revival Center in Smiths, Alabama.
Also available:
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include ____________ for the new MP3 CD "Passover
Meetings 2004 - A Teaching on the First Six Seals," 12 sermons
(21.5 hours) by Pastor Steven L. Shelley preached at the New Hope Revival
Center ($25 US includes shipping).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include __________ for the new book "Prophetic
Words Given in 2004, Part 1, Through Ancient Gates into New Doors of
Deliverance" which contains all of the general prophetic words
given by Pastor Steven L. Shelley at the New Hope Revival Center and the
Jerusalem Revival Center in the first half of 2004 ($10 US includes
shipping, and $15 US includes an audio tape of the prophecies in addition
to the book).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include __________ for the book "Prophetic Words Given in 2003, Part 1, The Time to Favor
Zion Is Come" which contains all of the general prophetic words
given by Pastor Steven L. Shelley at the New Hope Revival Center and the
Jerusalem Revival Center in the first half of 2003 ($20 US includes
shipping, and $25 US includes audio tapes of the prophecies in addition to
the book).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include __________ for the book "Prophetic Words Given in 2003, Part 2, The Time to Favor
Zion Is Come" which contains all of the general prophetic words
given by Pastor Steven L. Shelley at the New Hope Revival Center and the
Jerusalem Revival Center in the second half of 2003 ($17 US includes
shipping, and $22 US includes audio tapes of the prophecies in addition to
the book).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include ______________ for the MP3 CD "Prophetic
Words" of all of the general prophetic words given by Pastor
Steven L. Shelley at the New Hope Revival Center and the Jerusalem Revival
Center from 1994 to 2003 ($35 US includes shipping).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include ____________ for the MP3 CD "demonology
series 2002," 28 sermons (45.5 hours) by Pastor Steven L.
Shelley preached at the New Hope Revival Center including titles such as
"Challenging the demonic", "The Progression of demonization", "demonic
Doorways", "Eight Signs That a Person Needs Deliverance" ($30 US
includes shipping).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include ____________ for the set of 4 MP3 CD's "The
New Hope Revival Broadcast," 182 sermons preached by Pastor
Steven L. Shelley and broadcast by radio from 1999 to 2003 ($50 US
includes shipping).
In addition to my donation above (if applicable), I
include____________ for the gospel music CD album
"Eagles Wings" sung by Pastor Steven L.
Shelley ($12 US includes shipping).
I would like to pledge _____________ per month to help
usher in revival in Jerusalem!
My e-mail address is: _____________________________
Please put my prayer request on your prayer altar for it
to ascend to the Throne from Jerusalem with your worship:
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