The Judicial Power of the Illegal Cross

Chapter 1

Called to Come Up Higher

I have seen many men and women come to the Lord, and I have seen many fall away. I’ve seen many ministers in the pulpit who shouldn’t be there. I’ve seen pastors who are doing the work of the devil and don’t know that they are destroying what God is trying to build. I have seen ministers who put their ego above God’s will and praise. There are commonly held doctrines that are self-defeating that God will not endorse with signs that He promised to the church.

Satan is devious and sly, and he works through human nature to deceive us into doing what he cannot accomplish through the world of vices and blatant sin. King Saul could have saved his life and the lives of his family if he had stepped down from the throne when he knew that God had rejected him and ordained David to be the king of Israel.

Saul’s son, Jonathan, entered into a covenant with David before he knew that God had called him to be king in place of his father. But once he knew that David would be the next king, he also knew that because of the covenant, he would live only a step below the throne. You will be the king and I will be next to you (1 Sam. 23:17).

There are many pastors who will lie and deceive and disobey the Holy Spirit to protect their little kingdom. When they do, the Holy Spirit will stop dealing with them and the word they speak will not be with the anointing of God. The Holy Spirit has left many churches and they continue without knowing the difference or even caring. That is the main reason there is so little power to defeat the adversary. Satan steals more and more of the promised land and there isn’t anyone to stop him. The church has yielded to the adversary for so long that he now has the power to initiate the last battle of the age. Indicative of his deception on a lesser scale; one-third of the ministry of Jesus Christ was casting out devils. Satan takes one stronghold at a time. How many ministers even deal with the subject of demons much less confront demons in churches today? Very few could even discern the presence of a demon, and that is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. Demons control many churches and allow doctrines contrary to the Word of God. I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9). It was true then and it is true today. To the church of Thyatira that allowed Jezebel to teach and to seduce God’s servants, He equates that with the depths of Satan’s degradation of the saints and threatens to send them into great tribulation (Rev. 2:18–25).

Obedience is better than sacrifice. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is the same as idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord the Lord has also rejected you from being king. Those are the words Samuel used to rebuke King Saul for failing to destroy the Amalekites and for saving the sheep to offer to God as a sacrifice (1 Sam. 15). David said, I will not offer to God something that costs me nothing. King Saul saved King Agag, who he was supposed to kill, and did not do a thorough job of destroying the Amalekites. Five hundred years later, the nation of Israel was nearly eradicated by Haman, an Amalekite, under King Ahasuerus of Babylon. The Jews were saved by Mordecai and Esther. A sacrifice is not a sacrifice unless it is a sacrifice.

God never asks anyone to surrender or sacrifice anything that He doesn’t have something better to replace it with. When God called Elisha to follow in the footsteps of Elijah, Elijah found Elisha plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. There was a school of the prophets in Gilgal, a school of the prophets in Bethel, and a school of the prophets in Jericho, but God chose a plow boy to give Elijah’s mantle to. God knows the heart of every man, but anyone could see that Elisha did not think like a common farmer or a student from the school of the prophets. What kind of man plows with twelve yoke of oxen? He was the kind of man who would not limit God’s ability with limited faith.

Elijah and Elisha were teaching at the school of the prophets in Gilgal, a twenty-minute walk north of Jericho, when God was ready to take Elijah home. Elijah told Elisha to remain in Gilgal that God was calling him to Bethel. Elisha said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. Because of his association with Elijah, he had already established himself in Gilgal. That can be seen later when he returns to Gilgal after Elijah had been taken. Elisha was not content with what he had and was willing to leave the security of his position to find more of God. Most ministers would not have given up their position for the chance of finding a greater depth in the Spirit.

They traveled to Bethel, approximately twenty miles due west. As they arrived in Bethel, the sons of the prophets apparently pulled Elisha aside and said, The Lord will take away your master.

Elisha said, Yes, I know. Keep quiet. Elisha was known by the prophets of Bethel and obviously had some influence with them. He could have remained in Bethel and been part of their seminary program, but he wanted more than prestige; he wanted more of God.

Elijah said to Elisha, Remain here at Bethel for the Lord is sending me to Jericho. Elisha answered, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. They traveled to Jericho, approximately twenty miles east, Jericho a short walk from where they began in Gilgal. Again, the prophets came out to meet Elisha and told him that God was about to take his master from him. Elisha answered, I know, keep quiet. God gave Elisha every opportunity to be established as a leader in three cities.

Elijah announced that God was sending him to the Jordan and requested that Elisha stay behind in Jericho. Elisha returned with the same answer: As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. Elijah took his mantle and struck the waters of the Jordan. The waters separated and stood in heaps on each side, and they crossed on dry ground. As they walked, Elijah asked, What can I do for you before I am taken? Elisha answered, I want a double portion of your spirit. Elijah answered, You have asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken, it will be granted to you.

Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind, and the mantle fell from his person. When the dust had settled, Elisha found the mantle that had belonged to his mentor. He walked back to the Jordan, folded the mantle, and struck the water just as Elijah had. He cried with a loud voice, Where is the God of Elijah? and the waters parted. God was now the God of Elisha, the same as He had been of Elijah.

Elisha obviously came from a wealthy family. They had servants, and twenty-four oxen was not a small investment. He left it behind to follow God. Over and over, he left behind what he could have had and the accolades that would have followed as a protégé of Elijah. He was willing to sacrifice to know God in a deeper way. Most ministers today would not give up what they have in order to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

Dave Wilkerson was a graduate of Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, and was a successful pastor in Pennsylvania, but he had never read the Bible in its entirety. Out of conviction, he began to read the Scriptures. The more he read, the more he wanted to read, and from what he found in its pages, he realized that he was not striving to be like Christ. He began to apply what he saw and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him. He went to New York City and began witnessing on the street. He wrote the book The Cross and the Switchblade, a book that was the spearhead of the Jesus movement that brought tens of thousands, of mainly young men and women, into the kingdom from the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies. He founded Teen Challenge that has had a significant influence on the entire church world. They have led over fifty thousand into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as part of an addiction recovery program with a cure rate of between 70 and 80 percent. He founded World Challenge to promote the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. He remained in active ministry until his death, April 27, 2011, as the result of an automobile accident. In 1970, the movie The Cross and the Switchblade, from the book, starring Pat Boon was released and stirred many thousands more to seek God.

An interesting paradox exists every time persecution arises against the saints of God—the church grows both in numbers and in power. Is that what it is going to take to make the sleeping bride arise into the power that Jesus left to us? After more than half a century of communist rule and persecution, there are more Christians in China than there are in the United States.

Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. He also said that the works He did, the Father did through him. He could, of Himself, do nothing. The power is in the Holy Spirit, and if the Holy Spirit is left out, there will never be any power or miracles.

The presence of God in the Holy Spirit can build in intensity during a service. It depends on the worship and degree of surrenderness.

In the early eighties, I was in Jacksonville, Florida, and went to hear Don Northrup speak. I had heard of the miracles that had followed his ministry in Africa and wanted to meet him. He was speaking at Beaches Chapel that evening. I already knew of a particular crusade that took place in South Africa and wanted to hear the story in greater detail. Like Smith Wigglesworth, God had raised a number of people from the dead through his prayers, but I was unaware of anything like what had taken place at that particular crusade. It took place near the beginning of his and Delores’s seventeen-year ministry to Africa.

Don had a large tent that he hauled from place to place where he held crusades. Large auditoriums were mostly unavailable in most of the places he wanted to reach with the Gospel. As was his custom, he would teach and preach the word and then pray for people, often until the wee hours of the morning. This particular meeting had lasted for several days, and Don had prayed each day and night until he was exhausted. Because of those that were being healed, word spread; more and more people arrived for prayer. The last day of the meetings there was even more than at the beginning, and Don’s energy was depleted. Each night he had prayed until he was unable to continue and each night told those in need to return the following day. He had not expected the line for prayer to reach far beyond the walls of the tent. There were more than he could possibly pray for in the remaining hours of the crusade.

Don told his interpreter that he was unable to continue, but that he would pray for the entire assemblage, and if they would believe and receive it, everyone would be healed. The interpreter said, You cannot do that. The people are expecting you to lay hands on them and pray for each one.

I couldn’t pray for all of them. It just isn’t possible. Explain to them that I will pray for them all at one time and they will be healed. The interpreter reluctantly tried to tell them what Don was going to do. Hundreds of people stared at Don with disappointment. With his head bowed, Don commenced to pray. When he raised his head, he looked into a sea of saddened faces; no one had received a miracle or answer to his prayer. He tried to explain to them that God can answer a prayer for all of them as easily as He can answer a prayer for just one. It didn’t seem to make any difference, nothing changed and all eyes were on him to rectify the situation.

Don caught sight of a woman in a wheelchair to the left of the platform. She had been born without legs, from her hips down there was nothing. He pointed in her direction. This woman was healed, but she doesn’t need legs until she decides to get up and walk. Don couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. People were shaking their heads in unbelief. The woman stared up at Don. The entire congregation believed that Don had made a real blunder. The woman looked back to where her legs would have rested on the wheelchair if she had legs. She looked back at Don; the Holy Spirit was welling up inside of her. She looked back to where her legs should have been and then suddenly thrust her torso forward. Before a thousand people, legs appeared, and she landed on her bare feet and stood upright for the first time.

As the realization of what God had done swept across the mass, they came alive. Some fell to the ground weeping; others stood with arms stretched toward heaven. A sound of praise like thunder rose from the tent. Within minutes, miracles spread to everyone that needed a touch from God. Don broke into tears of joy that reoccurred over and over for days. The woman who came to the crusade without legs left the meeting pushing her wheelchair in front of her.

Smith Wigglesworth was once in attendance at a funeral. A young man who had been dead for three days was displayed in an open casket. Something came over Smith as he abruptly told the family to leave the room. He took hold of the dead man’s lapel and pulled him from the casket. As he propped the stiff body against the wall, he shouted, In the name of Jesus live! He released his hold on the man and the body fell forward and hit the floor. With a faith that God was able to do anything, he stood the man against the wall a second time. He shouted, I told you to live in the name of Jesus! When he released the man, he again fell to the floor. With even greater determination, Smith picked him up and stood him against the wall. He pointed his finger and shouted, I told you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to live! That time the man coughed and staggered forward. He wiped his face and looked into the eyes of Smith Wigglesworth.

During the years of Smith’s ministry, it is known that the Holy Spirit through him raised fourteen people from the dead. Some believe that there were many more raised from the dead when he visited Africa.

That kind of power has been available to the church since the day of Pentecost, but only a few have ever experienced God like that. We are in the last minutes of this age and many will have to give an account of why they never moved into the Most Holy Place since the curtain of the temple was torn down the middle from the top to the bottom the moment Jesus died on the cross.

There is unlimited power in the Holy Spirit. There are nine gifts; the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gift of healing, the gift of miracles, the gift of prophecy, discerning of spirits, the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues.

Chapter 2

Satan Was Trapped With His Own Deceit

If you want the power of the Holy Spirit, you must begin with truth.

If the church could realize the power that has been given to us, we could change the world in a very short time. Through the atonement, we have no less power than Jesus himself wielded. If we do not understand our legal position given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross, we will never be able to depose our adversary. Most Christians have never been taught the seven foundation steps that we must acquire knowledge of and master before we can go on to maturity.

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Heb. 6:1–2)

Of faith toward God! As strange as it might seem, this is one of the foundation stones that have not been widely or properly taught and are of utmost importance to correctly lay the other foundation stones. Faith toward God means that we must learn what our legal rights are from the promises of God and we must understand what the cross accomplished. Otherwise we will not know when the adversary is trespassing or how to have him removed from our promised land.

God is never taken by surprise; He had a plan from the beginning, and as strange as it may seem, what you see around you is part of that plan. With God, time is not relevant; the past and the future are present with Him. Time is relative to us and to Satan; it is probable that the devil lived outside of the bonds of time until he decided to be enthroned on earth. Satan would not confront God directly but thought that he had found a loophole through which he could be enthroned like God Himself.

The works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Heb. 4:3)He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world… (Eph. 1:4)

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Pet. 3:8–9)

Satan has incarnated himself into many world leaders throughout history—leaders such as kings and generals, ruthless self-serving tyrants. When God created Adam in His own image and placed him in the garden with authority over the earth, the devil