THE EYES AND EARS OF THE KINGDOM
TODD BENTLEY


PART 1
 

Before we begin this week's teaching I would like to invite you to pray with me. "Father I'm asking today that You would remove the hood and the veil that keeps us from hearing and seeing in the supernatural realm of heaven. I invite the spirit of wisdom and revelation, the spirit of counsel, might, and knowledge to come to us today. Holy Spirit, come and let that mantle rest upon each one. Thank you, Father. In Jesus name. Amen."


UNCOVERING HIDDEN TREASURE

On the Day of Atonement when I was waiting on the Lord I had several revelations. I will share some of these with you and then we're going to talk about what it means to have the eyes and the ears of the kingdom and how to seek and find the unsearchable riches of Christ. I'm going to share about the purpose of the mysteries of the kingdom and then I'm going to outline some strategic keys that will help us stir up that spirit of wisdom and revelation.

One of the first encounters I had on the Day of Atonement was when an angel came to me in the spirit and it was in the form of a man. This angel was wearing a linen ephod; a garment made of gems like rubies, emeralds, pearls and diamonds. The entire garment was covered in treasures. Immediately I thought of the hidden treasures of wisdom and revelation and the mysteries of the kingdom. The prophet Isaiah spoke about hidden treasures when he prophesied to King Cyrus: "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel" (Is. 45:3).

The angel took me in the spirit to a giant vault, like a bank vault. As he opened up the vault, I was blinded by the light of the glory. Then I saw that inside the vault were the unsearchable riches of Christ. Immediately I knew God was giving an invitation this year to understand and to know in a greater way the hidden truths of the kingdom and to be entrusted with wisdom and revelation concerning these mysteries.

In a dream on that same day, an angel came to me and handed me a scroll. Just before he told me to eat it, I read three words: "John the Beloved" inscribed on the scroll. In my spirit I knew that God was about to reveal hidden mysteries concerning the Book of Daniel and The Revelation to John. Both books hold prophetic truth that is relevant for us today. (In this series I will bring relevant scripture from the Book of Daniel.)


FASTING RELEASES REVELATION

In the dream, after the angel told me to eat the scroll, I did just that. Then the Lord spoke to me out of Daniel 10. I was led to this key verse:

"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision" (v. 1).

This Scripture reveals that a true message was revealed to Daniel and he understood both the message and the vision. How many of us would like to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God? How many of us would like to have the interpretation and the revelation of visions and dreams like Daniel? This kind of revelation is God's desire for us, and I believe this year will be marked by the release of much revelation. But in order to have a keen understanding concerning revelation, we need a strategic key. The Lord told me this element is very important. The key is: fasting. Daniel said, "I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled" (v. 3).

Now watch what the fast released. The angel came to Daniel and said, "But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth" (Dan. 10:21a). Daniel's fast released the angel that brought him revelation out of the Scripture of Truth. God is about to open in a whole new way, the Scripture of Truth, also called the Book of Truth. The angel gave Daniel revelation concerning what was already written in a book that exists in heaven. God wants to open up the pages of that book to us.

On the Day of Atonement, the angel told me that for those who will position themselves in fasting, God will release a greater spirit of wisdom and revelation concerning understanding revelations and messages. And I'll tell you why. The Bible talks about the treasures of the kingdom being hidden in a field and when they were found, a man hid the treasure and for the joy over it he went and sold all that he had and bought that field (Mt. 13:44). Listen. Revelation is going to cost us something. God isn't going to impart a greater dimension or realm of the spirit of wisdom and revelation without it costing us, and not just some little token amount, but something that will cost us everything. The man who found the treasure of the kingdom sold all that he had to purchase the land. Why? The answer is because the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.


THE KEY OF DAVID

We have to dig for the treasure and we need to see that Jesus Christ is the hidden treasure; He is the revelation! The prophet Isaiah prophesies about this treasure—a child being born to us, a son being given to us and that the government will rest on His shoulders (Is. 9:6). Then, after laying this foundation, he describes Him as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace (v.6). Isaiah goes on to say:

"Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (v. 7).

The word "government" means: the entitlement to rule. The Lord has invited us to co-labor and rule with him because of what Jesus accomplished for us by his death and resurrection. [Our dominion and rule in the earth includes two realms: the natural and the spiritual realms. Whereas Adam and Eve did not have dominion over sin, we have been given authority to overcome sin, sickness, disease, death and poverty through Jesus Christ.] But we need a main key in order to co-labor and rule with God. The Lord spoke to me about this key. It's called "the key of David."

And when we have a revelation of Jesus Christ [Jesus is the revelation] as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace, then we actually hold the key of David. God's government, His kingdom, and the key of David are supported by, and rest upon, the meaning incorporated in these four names of Jesus. And the revelation that lies in these four names is the key to using the key of David.

So let's take a look at how these four names function. Wonderful Counselor deals with the spirit of counsel or the counsels of heaven. The counsel of God releases the hero-warrior aspect of God which is the Mighty God and brings the spirit of might. We can't have the spirit of might which is power, without counsel. Counsel brings might, but might and the operation of kingdom power must flow from the heart of the Father, the Everlasting Father. The Father's love releases the Prince of Peace. Peace means shalom and includes prosperity, wholeness and health.

Also, another name for the key of David is "the key of knowledge." The key of knowledge concerns revelation, and the authority to see in the unseen realm. The Bible talks about the key of knowledge being taken away and how this hinders those who want to enter into the kingdom (Lk. 11:52). The key is taken away when the traditions of man and legalism replace the key of knowledge. The reason we've had the key of knowledge taken away in our churches today is because we've shut out the kingdom by preferring legalism and the traditions of man, above God. We've settled for a religious culture and a form of godliness that denies the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5). This mindset not only robs us of our authority to see into the invisible realm, it also robs our ability to "only do what we see the Father doing" (Jn. 5:19).

Do you know what the key of David does? It opens up doors of opportunity. It looses for you what God has already loosed in heaven. But how do we know what's been loosed in heaven if we can't see? The key of David deals with opening doors of blessing for our families and opening doors of provision and healing-power into our ministries. As well, it concerns shutting out the enemy from our lives, our families and our finances. And God is releasing a greater understanding today of the key of David so that we can release the kingdom of God—prosperity, health, healing and wholeness to people out of a heart of the Father's love.


HAVING STRATEGIC KEYS

Because of the Father's love for the world, He not only gave His only begotten Son, He also gave us strategic keys so that we're equipped to present the message of the cross to the lost, that they might be saved. Strategic keys are simply the keys that advance God's kingdom. For instance, God has a key for every crusade, conference, healing and deliverance. Jesus had different keys for different situations. He prayed for three different blind men in the Bible, but he had three different methods. When we pray for someone and they're healed, we could pray for two other people with the same sickness and they wouldn't be healed because it takes different methods. Jesus said to two blind men, "Do you believe that I can do this?" and the men replied, "Yes, Lord." Jesus touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done unto you" (Mt. 9:28-29). But to another man, He anointed his eyes with clay (Jn. 9:6), and to another He spit on his eyes (Mk. 8:23).

He had three different methods; same infirmity, but three different methods. God has keys and if we're going to be moving in God's power in the kingdom of God we need the keys that bring the kingdom in every circumstance and every situation. God is about to release keys, apostolic keys. I'm talking about keys that are going to give us cities, regions and nations. That key could be one word or it could be one act. That key could be an act of mercy. That key could be a message or a prophetic word that reveals the secrets in a man's heart.


SEEING AND HEARING IS A CHOICE

God has secrets that He's hidden since the foundations of this world. The apostle Matthew wrote about this: "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world'" (Mt. 13:35). I want you to know that God has secrets that have been hidden and sealed since the foundation of this world that will not be opened until our day, our time. Now God did reveal some of the mysteries of the kingdom to the disciples, but He has held-back in heaven, to this day, hidden mysteries of the kingdom that He wants to reveal to us. There is a last day generation and the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the glory of the former house (Hag. 2:9). We will go out with a greater bang than what we came in with! There is an invitation for our eyes and an invitation for our ears to be open.

Also, when the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him why He spoke to them in parables, He answered, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given" (Mt. 13:11). How many of us believe that it's been given to us to know mysteries? The word "mysteries" means: hidden truths divinely revealed, or secrets of the Lord. It's been given to us to know hidden truths and secrets of the Lord, but how many of us are actually getting any hidden truths from the Lord? If we're honest, we're not really receiving a whole lot of mysteries and revelation.

I'm getting the mysteries of the kingdom and I want you to receive them too! So far in this teaching, I've only shared but a small portion the mysteries of the kingdom that were revealed to me on the Day of Atonement, but there's a lot more that I received that day. It's been given to us, from God, to know these mysteries, but there's something that's keeping us from receiving them. Here's what the Lord showed me. There's a veil over many people's understanding and so we're not seeing and we're not hearing. Listen. God wants us to see and He wants to give us more. "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him" (Mt. 13:12). To him who has, more will be given; an increase of revelation. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him; the one who does not have knowledge, the one who is a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word. There is something about freely I have received, so freely I will give (Mt. 10:8). We've been given the honor of stewardship concerning the mysteries of the kingdom. [I'll discuss stewardship further in Part 2 of this series.]

Jesus continues to say, "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand" (v. 13). There is always a connection between the power to understand and our eyes and ears. If we don't have spiritual eyes and ears operating, we don't understand. Also, when we have hearts that have become dull, we loose the power to understand. Look at what the Lord said in the next verse:

"And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them'" (v. 14).

We need to appreciate that understanding is connected with our eyes and ears: "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see" (Lk. 10:23). When we become hard of hearing and when we lose our sight, we can't understand or receive the secrets of the kingdom. So what exactly is it that's making us hard of hearing and almost blind? Why do we lose the power of our understanding? The answer is discovered in a key scripture found in the Book of Isaiah: "Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind!" (Is. 29:9a). Do you know what that means? We make ourselves blind! Isaiah goes on to say:

"They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers" (Is. 9b-10).

I want you to know that the seer prophets are going about with a hood on their heads! Many who are called to be prophets and many of those that are called to see can't see or hear because their heads are covered. I was prophesying over a young man the other day that's called to the office of the prophet. He is a true prophet of the Lord [called out by five different prophets]. When I laid hands on him and prayed, I saw a black hood over his head. After asking the Lord what that black hood was, He said, "It's a hood that covers the head of the seer so that they can't hear and see." The Lord told me to pull the hood back in the spirit, that when I would, he would get clarity of purpose and understanding.

There was another time when I was in a church that's called to be an "eagle's nest," the gathering of prophets. But over the entire congregation I saw a black veil. And so I asked the Lord, "What's that?" He said, "Pull back the veil and my people will begin to hear, they will begin to see and get purpose. The enemy has veiled the eyes of my seers." It can be God who veils the seers and the prophets, but I also believe that the Devil can veil the seer and the prophets so that they can't hear or see.

The Bible says, "Blind yourselves and be blind" (v. 9a). Sometimes we choose to only look at what we want to see and believe. We avoid anything else that makes us uncomfortable, anything that really convicts us, or gets too close to us. "Hey wait a minute! You're stepping on my toes!" We can be deaf to the things we don't want to hear even though we know that they are the truth. But when we continually "turn a deaf ear," this makes us deaf! When we continually refuse to see, we become blind. But God wants us to see! Remember, Jesus said privately to His disciples that their eyes were blessed to see the things they saw (Lk. 10:23). When God removes the veil, revelation will become known to us. God will open up the scroll and the books.

Have you ever read the Bible and it was as if it was sealed, like there was a block over your mind? Isaiah speaks about this:

"The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, 'Read this, please.' And he says, 'I cannot, for it is sealed' (Is. 29:11).

There is a reason why we're blind; why the corporate church is blind. Let's look once again at the words of Isaiah:

"That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord; who say to the seers, 'Do not see,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits'" (Is. 30:9-10).

We don't want to hear words about God's judgments. We don't want to hear words of rebuke and discipline; just exhortation, comfort and edification. In too many places where I've ministered, the resident pastor has instructed me with words like these: "Well now Todd, if you prophecy, only bring forth the words that are going to build up and comfort." When I hear that, I can't help but think: Oh so you don't want me to call out your sin. You don't want to me talk about the compromise that's going on in your leadership. You don't want me to tell you why the judgment of God is coming upon your city.

So often we only hear the things we want to hear and we only look at those things that we really want to look at. We're only open to partial truths. Many times we only really want to see or hear if it comes from a certain stream, or it's in a certain package and when it comes in a particular way that we want. But I don't want it from them. I don't want it if it's too loud. I don't want it if it's too quiet. I don't want it unless it's going to bless me. I don't want it unless it's going to make my ears tingle. I don't want it if it's going to embarrass me. I don't want it if it's going to reveal sin.

Now I am going to give you four reasons why we become hard of hearing and we loose the power of understanding:

When we're unfaithful stewards of revelation (Mt. 13:12).


When we don't guard and value revelation and understanding (Mt. 13:19).


When we're not rooted in the word, then affliction and persecution is effective (Mt. 13:21).


When we're focused on the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (Mt. 13:22).

If we're rebellious, then we want to call the shots. And God will give us what we want! So when the prophets and seers don't want to hear or see what the Lord wants to reveal, He'll honor that and put a hood over their heads. This situation is what many of them are experiencing; they're no longer operating in their calling.

Listen! The hood and veil can be removed and we will discuss how to accomplish this in Part 2. But right now I want to outline nine areas that we need to maintain in our Christian walk so that we can please the Lord and receive a substantial increase of revelation:

Ephesians 1:17-19:
that we know Him, that we know the hope of His calling, that we know our inheritance,
that we know the exceeding greatness of His power

Ephesians 3:8-10:
that we know the manifold wisdom of God to powers and principalities

Ephesians 3:16,19:
that we would be strengthened with might, that we would have a revelation of the love of Christ,
that we would be filled with all the fullness of God.

Colossians 1:27:
that we would understand the revelation is Christ in you.

When we're rooted and grounded in the Word and in the love of Christ, then the Devil is immobilized. He can't come and snatch away the message of the kingdom! Next week in Part 2 we'll discuss how to walk in maturity, which is the high mark that flows from obedience, submission, faith, repentance and good stewardship. Then the hood and the veil can be pulled back and we will receive the hidden mysteries that God wants to reveal to us.