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The Second Hagar/Ishmael Decree

Today we are led to issue a second decree from the divine court to cast out the bondwoman and her son, as we did 18 years ago (1998) from Hagerstown, MD.

This decree completes this phase of the Elijah work, taking us from the brook Kerith to the city of Zarephath. Recall from 1 Kings 17:6 that the “Arabs” (Ferrar Fenton) fed Elijah bread and meat (“flesh”) during the first phase of his provision. In other words, the children of the flesh fed him in a fleshly manner until the prophet went to Zarephath, where he was fed supernaturally from the unfailing barrel of meal and jar of oil (1 Kings 17:16).

It appears that April 12, 2016 marks this shift.

This event in the life of Elijah himself is also a microcosm (fractal) of the larger shift from Elijah to Elisha, or from the first eight signs of Elisha to the last eight. It has to do with provision. I believe that we are there—or very close—to the start of the double portion of miracle-signs in 2 Kings 4:42-44.

As for the decree itself, the church as a whole is unable to make this decree, because they are not in agreement with it. To cast out Hagar is to cast out the Old Covenant (Galatians 4:23, 24). But most of the church believes that in the Old Covenant means of salvation—where salvation comes by the will of men when they agree to obey God in a vow of obedience. They do not see that the New Covenant (“Sarah”) is based upon the promise of God (Galatians 4:28). Hence, their faith is in their own ability to keep their vow, rather than in God’s ability to keep His promise.

Secondly, most of the church cannot cast out the bondwoman because the bondwoman is Jerusalem (Galatians 4:25). Those who think the earthly Jerusalem is the “mother” of the church and that this city has been chosen to be the capital of the Kingdom can hardly cast out their own mother. In fact, I have witnessed good Christian people look at me in horror when I suggest that Jerusalem will be cast out and destroyed.

But Paul says we have a different mother. “But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother” (Galatians 4:26), Paul says, contrasting our mother with the earthly Jerusalem.

So in the past fifteen years we have spread the word according to Paul’s gospel that we ought to go before the divine court and to declare a change of identity. Our mother is no longer Hagar-Jerusalem, but Sarah, the New Jerusalem. In this way our identity is legally changed from being Ishmael to being Isaac. We are to give the flesh a vote of no confidence.

This is not only a doctrinal matter. One’s view of salvation is doctrinal. One's view of prophecy in regard to the fate of Jerusalem is also doctrinal (i.e., teaching). But more important is that we ought to recognize the two “I’s” in Romans 7, the first being the “old man” and the other being the “new man.” We are either the one or the other. We can claim status in the divine court as being either the old man which comes of Adam/Israel, which makes us children of the flesh, or we can claim status through the new man which comes of the last Adam, which makes us children of promise.

The point is that a child of the flesh (spiritual Ishmaelite) cannot be truly effective in appealing to the divine court to cast out the bondwoman and her son, because such a person is double minded. James 1:8 says that “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

For this reason, today’s appeal and decree in the divine court includes a basic statement of identity, which, if prayed with sincerity and some understanding, should ensure that one’s legal status is satisfactory in this matter.

The Confirming Decree

April 12, 2016

Heavenly Father, we come before the Divine Court in the name of Jesus and under His blood. We thank you for giving us the revelation that allows us to bear witness to your will. We come declaring that our spiritual mother is Sarah and that we have placed our faith in the terms of the New Covenant by which You have vowed to do a work in us and in all mankind.

As children of Sarah, we cast out the bondwoman and her son, both from our own hearts as well as every other external, fleshly form that they take in the world. We decree the will of God that the authority of the flesh is removed, and all fleshly authority is subjected to the rule of Christ and His spiritual seed.

Let the Isaac company be empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the calling of Abraham that will bless all the families of the earth.

We thank you, Heavenly Father, for doing this, for we pray and make this decree in the name of Jesus. Amen.