Model Trains and Heavenly Visions
I’ve been collecting model trains for most of my life and building my HO-scale layout for over a decade.
It is my favorite hobby and I often enjoy time with the Lord as I’m working on my trains. There was one day, though, where the Lord caught me by surprise and I experienced a tremendous heavenly vision.
I was working on my trains, sitting at my hobby desk and thinking of the Sunday service the following day, which happened to be Resurrection Sunday. I was going over my message in my head and praying in the Spirit while I built a structure for the train layout. At one point, I decided to take a break from my project and knelt next to my chair to worship the Lord. As I sang to Him with my eyes closed, I suddenly felt prompted to open my eyes, only to have a heavenly vision as real as the very chair in front of me and the floor below me. Two feet wearing sandals appeared standing before me as I was kneeling there. I was so overwhelmed by what I was seeing and experiencing; I remember crying and trying to get as low to the ground as I could to show my honor to the Lord. I knew these were His feet appearing before me. I was so overcome by His love; the fear of the Lord gripped my heart, but at the same time I had such a sense of being accepted by Him. He was the focus; nothing else mattered to me—not me, not my trains, not anything else.
From the moment of the Lord’s feet appearing before me, He was the total focus. I could see nothing else. Though I had a vastly different experience, He showed me that day what He’d shown the apostle John—that He is always to be the focus and center of our attention.
Nothing else matters or deserves our full attention except Him. No ministry can be effective—not one minister, prophet, or any person with any gifting—unless the Lord is center stage. Keeping the Lord as our focus will keep us grounded and centered on Him and will help us discern genuine prophecy and the prophetic. It will also aid us in keeping the right spirit when discerning prophecy and those who prophesy, because we will not make false judgments and critiques. The reason this happens is because the more we spend time with the Lord, the more we become like Him, recognizing what is from Him and what resembles Him.
To give a natural example, in any room I can recognize and single out my wife’s voice as being hers because I have spent over three decades married to her. In the same way, the more we spend time with God, the more we recognize His voice and the way He communicates to us. The more familiar we are with His voice, the more we will be able to discern His voice when it is being spoken through others. We will be better able to discern whether the one speaking is speaking for the Lord or if they are speaking from their own spirit, or perhaps even from an evil spirit. When we are familiar with His voice, we are sharpened in our discernment and able to recognize the source of the voices that speak to us.
When the apostle John mentions the Throne he saw in Heaven, it’s clear that his focus was not on the Throne itself but on the One seated on that Throne.
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne (Revelation 4:2).
The Throne was awesome and glorious to behold. Yet it was not the focal point or the thing that stood out to him the most! It was the One who sat on the Throne. This point is so vital to us experiencing a healthy Christian walk with Him, but it’s also a key in increasing our spiritual perception, accuracy, and gifting. When the Lord Himself is not the focus or motive, it often can lead to other things becoming the focus or center stage in our lives. This is where those who desire to prophesy can miss it, allowing their focus to become themselves, their ministry, gifting, calling, or even the words they receive from God. The question we should always ask ourselves to keep us in self-examination without condemnation is, “Do we love Him for who He is, or is it about what we receive from Him and how it makes us look to others when we prophesy?” Prophecy and gifting have their place to be a blessing. However, if we are to mature in Throne Room prophecy, we must make sure that prophecy, ministry, and calling don’t become out of balance or overbearing. When they do, the focus becomes on the words given rather than the One who gives prophetic words— the Lord.
Genuine prophecy and our Christian walk must always be about God, His heart, His feelings, and His ways first and fore[1]most! This will bring a spirit of humility upon us and greatly enhance the way we are trusted by the Lord with the things He desires to share. True Throne Room prophets are effective as they come to understand that the priority is not what they are hearing from God but their true intimacy with Him that allows revelation to come forth.
The One Seated on the Throne
Passion for the One seated on the Throne must always be the priority of the Throne Room prophet and anyone who desires to operate deeper in Throne Room prophecy. No matter who we are or what we desire to do for Him, we must be determined to truly come to understand Him and to know Him intimately! This was the cry of the apostle Paul’s heart in his writing to the Philippian church:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (Philippians 3:10).
As we can see in this verse, he first mentions his desire to know God, meaning that he is in pursuit of His heart and wants to know as much about Him as is humanly possible. This must be our strong passion as well—so much to the point that we want to know His character, feelings, secrets, and how we can be a blessing to Him more than anything else. Notice how Paul prioritized knowing the Lord first before experiencing the power of His resurrection (the power He manifests in us and through us). This must not be out of order, where we place wanting to see manifestations of His power ahead of our pursuit of Him. If this happens, the anointing, prophecy, or the other ways God is using us can become the focus, and we can become the center of attention. There is nothing wrong with emphasizing how God uses us, but we must keep that in check and make sure our focus is on the Lord. We must be able to ask ourselves if we have allowed these things to get us out of balance. A good way to know if we are out of balance is by examining what we spend the most time talking about. Do we spend a lot of time talking about ourselves and our accomplishments? Do we need to share our dreams, revelations, visions, and prophecies more than we share about our relationship with Him? If so, then we are placing power over a passion for Him!
Remember, Paul spoke of knowing Him first and then the power of His resurrection. He also mentions something we often don’t want to include—sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings. What does this mean? This is not talking about our good Father in Heaven giving you a horrible disease or causing a tragedy so you might “suffer with Him.” That is not His character, nor does He put something upon you that has been canceled through and by the shed blood of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. It means that if we identify with Him as His followers, we will share in suffering with Him through persecution and attacks of the enemy that come simply from being a part of His Body.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).
As believers, we will also partake in suffering with Him concerning the giftings and callings that He’s given us. This is especially true with the prophetic. If you want to operate in true prophecy or you have been chosen by the Lord to be a Throne Room prophet, then you will suffer for the sake of the calling and gifting He’s given. In the Bible, prophets sent by the Lord were falsely accused, stoned, and murdered because of the prophetic words they gave. This is what Scripture means when it says the blood of Abel and the blood of the prophets still speak today, according to Jesus in Luke 11:51 and Hebrews 12:24. Modern-day prophets are also persecuted or “stoned,” you could say, because of the gift they have been given and the prophetic utterances they speak. Prophetic words can be misunderstood or misinterpreted. People often pass judgment based on what they see with their natural eyes. Some folks are malicious and resort to personal attacks. These are, unfortunately, realities of life for those whom God has called to be Throne Room prophets or to be entrusted with Throne Room prophecy. If you are walking in a prophetic gifting or calling, you will have to let criticisms, critiques, and the opinions of others roll off your back. If you’re not grounded in an intimate relationship with the Lord, this will affect the effectiveness of your gifting.
Now, this is not to excuse poor behavior on the part of some ministers or prophets. Every person who speaks and prophesies should have accountability and proper ethics in order, and we will address these things in this book. The point is that if you are going to speak for the Lord prophetically, you must also be willing to share in His suffering and pay the price to be part of His Body and called of Him.
The apostle Paul also prayed that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened in the knowledge of Him (see Eph. 1:18-20). As with John’s experience of seeing the One seated on the Throne, we all need our own revelation of who Jesus is that is not based on what others are saying. We must know Him for ourselves!
In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” The answers they gave were based on what others were saying about Him. They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Now, Peter was different; he had received his own personal and deeper revelation from the heavenly Father. He replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). His answer received a powerful and unique response from Jesus. He told Peter, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). In other words, “Peter, you didn’t get this revelation or understanding based on hearsay, but from what the Father has personally shown you.” In the same way, the stronger our relationship with the One who sits on the Throne, the deeper our revelation of Him becomes— not just of who He is but of the things He shows us.
Revelation of the Trinity
As believers and those who desire to be used of Him, we must have a healthy understanding of the Trinity. This understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will keep us balanced in our revelation and our ability to receive from the Lord.
Let’s talk first about having a personal revelation of God the Father. We find this in an important revelation that Jesus presented to Mary when He appeared to her after He’d been resurrected from the dead. Mary had been weeping and mistakenly thought Jesus was a gardener as He appeared to her. However, He reveals something so key for us in our revelation and relationship with Him. In John 20:17 He said, “Don’t cling to Me, Mary, as I have not yet ascended to My Father and your Father. My God and your God.” Did you notice in this verse the wonderful thing the Lord revealed that is so key for us in our desire to carry and steward Throne Room prophecy? He mentioned to her the characteristics of the Father before mentioning His deity as the One who sits on the Throne as Almighty God. Why is this important? It is because we must have a healthy relationship with the Father, knowing Him and His character so we can correctly share His heart. This is why Jesus emphasized God as a Father to Mary first, and then He mentioned His deity or power, which speaks of His mighty acts and deeds. When we have a passionate desire and pursuit to know the Father more than just to partake in His display of power or His spiritual gifts, then we will be like Moses who the Bible says knew God’s ways, meaning His heart, while the children of Israel only knew His acts or displays of power (see Ps. 103:7).
Having a true revelation of your heavenly Father will take you higher in your character, your conduct, and your gifting. It is when we don’t have a healthy revelation or relationship with our heavenly Father that prophecies and giftings can become tainted, affecting the pure flow of Heaven through us. This pure flow is always filled with the Father’s love and grace, which brings a witness to the words we share. If this is lacking or has not been developed in those who prophesy, then their prophecies, revelations, and delivery can become harsh or even rude. This will be revealed in their words and presentation that can be full of negativity or a spirit of doom and gloom, rather than the heart or Spirit of the Father.
Another thing that happens when the person prophesying doesn’t have the proper personal revelation of the Father is they may fall into a tendency to deliver prophetic words that bring up past things in a person’s life that have been placed under the blood and forgiven of the Father. Over the years, I have seen some who do this, perhaps out of the need to show validity to their gifting while embarrassing, or even humiliating, the one receiving their words.
This, again, is because they fail to understand the character of the loving heavenly Father who ministers through the covenant of grace and by the blood of His Son.
Lastly, devoid of the revelation of the Father, their prophecies are often laced with a cry for judgment. I will say that not all prophetic words are about promises and blessings, as they may at times carry correction, rebuke, and warning. These words have their place, as long as there is a solid, healthy revelation and relationship with the Father. However, when the one ministering doesn’t have that healthy understanding or relationship, the things they prophesy or the spirit in which they speak come from their own unhealthy soul or woundedness. The result is that they minister out of this same spirit or they interpret things through their woundedness rather than through the Spirit of the Father.
Having a healthy relationship with our heavenly Father will enable us to say, as Jesus did, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). In addition, we will then be able to say from a healthy spirit and inner soul, “I only do what my Father tells me, or I do what the Father has shown me” (see John 5:19).
Saying that we only do what the Father tells us doesn’t mean we don’t answer to godly counsel or that our gifting and prophetic words are off-limits to apostolic, prophetic, or pastoral accountability. It doesn’t mean that we make ourselves unaccountable to those the Lord puts in our lives as spiritual authority and oversight. When we have strong character, morals, and accountability, it speaks of being properly trained and mentored as true vessels of God, honorably stewarding the gifts we’ve been given. Always remember, it is a healthy relationship and revelation of your heavenly Father that brings personal character and gifting. It also enables others to identify that our life, character, and gifting are healthy and deeply connected to our Father. When this is in place, we will be able to come up higher, because we have a teachable spirit that allows for maturity, mentoring, and even correction. God will discipline and correct us as a loving, good Father if we allow it.
But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God’s children, “When the Lord punishes you, don’t make light of it, and when he corrects you, don’t be discouraged. The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own” (Hebrews 12:5-6 CEV).
It is wise to allow the Lord to have His way and His say in our lives, but it is also wise to have good spiritual fathers and mentors. It was the healthy mentoring, testing, and relationship that Elisha the prophet had with his prophetic mentor Elijah that positioned him to receive a powerful double portion of Elijah’s mantle. It is vital for prophetic ministers, regardless of physical or spiritual age, to have a strong relationship with the heavenly Father and with earthly spiritual fathers and mothers as well. I am convinced the Lord does, and will, put the right people in our lives throughout our prophetic journey if we will seek Him first and ask Him.
There are two revelations of Jesus that are important to our spiritual growth as vessels who minister in Throne Room prophecy. We find them in two separate experiences of John’s revelation of the Lamb of God. John first saw the Lamb as He had been slain.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Revelation 5:6).
This is the revelation of Jesus who came to earth as fully God and fully man, taking on human flesh to die on the Cross for us all. John’s vision gave him a revelation of the crucified Christ, the Lamb who had been slain. Remember the prophetic announcement by John the Baptist when He saw Jesus coming to be baptized? He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NASB).
John’s second revelation came when he saw the resurrected Lamb.
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing (Revelation 5:12).
Here, John sees Jesus in a different state. He is clearly seeing the Lamb of God as the resurrected and ascended Christ sitting at the right hand of His Father. These two revelations of the crucified and resurrected Christ make up the foundation of our Christianity and enable us to live healthy spiritual lives. If we are going to minister in Throne Room prophecy, having these two revelations of Jesus is vital.
I want to add another important revelation of Jesus, which we referenced earlier that He is also the giver of the fivefold offices. This means if you are called of Him and stand in these sacred offices, you must choose to be a vessel tried by fire as gold and silver that pays a price for what you have been given by Jesus. You allow Him to shape you, try you, humble you, and reveal the true motives of your heart. God did this with the children of Israel when He led them in the wilderness as He tested and tried them to reveal what was in their hearts, whether they would keep His commands or not (see Deut. 8:2).
When we allow God to take His loving hands and heart and shape us, then we will carry a holy fear, awe, and honor to Him that is void of pride, conceit, self-exaltation of ourselves or giftings. This will carry a testimony that we have gone through the necessary preparation and continuing process of being fashioned by Him in order to stand at a higher level of honor, humility, and fear of the Lord. This enables us to steward the gifts and offices we’re given and to be considered vessels of gold, not defiled by cultural mindsets and compromises or with lives not pleasing to His majesty. A healthy revelation of Jesus, the Giver of our gifts, will be the testimony of Him, which always places the focus and glory on Him. This will also be the Spirit of prophecy with which we minister (see Rev. 19:10).
I have heard through many years of ministry people comparing themselves sometimes to certain individuals or prophets of old with regard to their giftings and anointings. Some even claim to have their mantles. We must always remember that mantles—fivefold offices of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher come from Jesus, the Lord of the Church, and not because we want the mantle of someone we admire. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). This verse clearly points to the fact that it is some, not all, who are appointed.
It doesn’t come by self-appointment or even by a self-claim to the mantle of someone who once walked the earth. It also doesn’t come just because you attend a meeting or a conference that is offering such a thing. In recent times, I have seen such conferences offering to “pray on” the mantle of certain admired figures in the faith, either from the Bible or from more recent times. This simply isn’t biblical. I’m not saying there aren’t people with legitimate mantles, anointings, or impartations from those who walked powerfully on the earth in the past. That is definitely recognizable in those whose fruit and ministries reveal it. What I want to draw attention to is, rather than always comparing ourselves or comparing others to those who were once used powerfully of the Lord, why not increase our own pursuit, our own understanding and revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? This is what Jesus spent His time doing even after the disciples told Him that others were comparing Him to great men of God like Elijah, Jeremiah, and even John the Baptist. Jesus spent time in His ministry revealing His Father, explaining who He was as the Son of God.
It’s important to note that Jesus complimented Peter for getting a revelation for himself about who He was. That was to be the primary focus, but the others were comparing Him to great men who’d walked the earth. This, my friend, must also be our emphasis and what dominates our discussion and pursuit—knowing who Jesus is for ourselves!
Lastly, let’s talk about the Holy Spirit. We must know who He is and what His function is because we are to be led by Him, submitted to Him, and we must learn to minister alongside Him. This is why the Bible says to let the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (see 2 Cor. 13:14).
Scripture also tells us the early apostles were submitted to His leading, putting His honor first, before their own agendas or opinions. In Acts 15:28, we’re told, “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us.” Notice, it was first good or approved by the Holy Spirit first, before the apostles. Many who speak or minister for God are hindered when they are too quick to speak without waiting for the approval or prompting of the Spirit.
True Throne Room prophets are not out to promote themselves, prove their words, or push their gifting through bad behavior. They don’t bypass authority or always need to pull people aside before and after church services to “share a word.” Prophets and all those who prophesy should not enter churches expecting everyone to notice them and stop what they’re doing to heed their prophetic words. In addition, they should guard against elevating themselves as self-appointed prophets in churches or on social media platforms if they are not connected with a good pastor or church in some way. True Throne Room prophets are disciplined; respectful first of the Holy Spirit, His feelings, and His will; and also to pastors, the church, and others. When they’re ministering, they ask themselves, “Should I speak or not? Am I under authority and accountable? Am I the focus—trying to be seen and promoted?” They are first concerned about ministering with the Holy Spirit, who doesn’t speak of Himself, but of what He hears from the Father and the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ.
We can learn a lot from the personality of the Holy Spirit, who doesn’t draw attention to Himself. The true anointing and Presence of God come when God is the focal point. This is where the Holy Spirit keeps us in check if we allow Him so that there may be a pure flow of God’s words and power through us.
