Harps and Bowls - By Jim Tharp, 2000

And as He took the scroll, the twenty-four Elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp and golden vials filled with incense -- the prayers of God's people! (Rev. 5:8, TLB)

Then another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; and a great quantity of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people, to offer upon the golden altar before the throne. And the perfume of the incense mixed with prayers ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Then the angel filled the censer with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed and rumbled, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake. Then the seven angels with the the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts. (Rev. 8:3-6, TLB)

As we turn to the book of Revelation in these times, we all need to be reminded of a classic observation on this final book of the Old Testament made by Dr. Jack W. Hayford in his new work, E Quake, "the book of Revelation will never make sense as a collection of prophecies until it is approached as a handbook on worship!" (p. 11).

In Revelation Five, John saw "in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals." While the search was on for someone "worthy" to open the scroll, John wept much, "because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and to break its seven seals." (v. 4).

The scroll symbolizes the will of God for the complete sweep of human history, His perfect plan of redemption, healing and restoration of the human race to its true destiny, His purpose for all of creation as revealed in the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why no one was found worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. But finally, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, "stood a Lamb as though it had been slain (One who had the marks of the cross, having suffered for sin, having removed the curse of Satan and having triumphed forever over evil). The arrival of the Lamb to execute the will of God in judgment on the earth and eviction of all sin and darkness in the opening of the scroll and the breaking of the seven seals reminds us that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Person in all the human race whom God has appointed Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and Judge (Acts 17:31) and Perpetual Ruler (Isa. 9:6-7; Col. 1:13-20).

We need at this time to observe carefully what the twenty-four elders were holding as they worshiped the Lamb who was about to break the seals on the scroll: they had harps and bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (v. 8). Harps are instruments of worship, of healing, of freedom, of power, of praise, of deliverance. In the early days of their relationship, when a distressing spirit would come upon King Saul, David would play the harp and the distressing spirit would depart from him (I Sam. 16:23). So today, praise and prayer are mighty forces. Our praises must precede the actions of the Lamb. When we are filled with praise, the Lord goes into action, and it's only a matter of time before the will and purposes of God are recovered in our lives, in our ministries, in our churches, in our families and in our world.

Let us note that at the very outset of the judgment process, before the breaking of the first seal, "the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" are brought forth as a critical focus for the Lamb (5:8). Then comes a solemn pause at the opening of the seventh seal -- "silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Rev. 8:1). This breathtaking apprehension is expressed as a dreadful silence before the apocalyptic finale. All celestial beings are hushed in solemn respect of the powerful prayers of the saints who have prayed the will of God to pass across the ages of history, as the Just One Himself pauses to decide to what extent such intercession must prevail and determine the outcome of all things. Notice that the angel "was given much incense, that he would offer it with the prayers of all the saints... The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand" (8:3-4). Wesley Duewel sees this "fragrant incense" as the intercessions of Christ. He writes, "His fragrant intercession is added to the prayers of God's children for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth. Fire from the altar, symbolic of the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, is added to the combined prayers of Jesus and His saints, and all is poured out upon the earth. Immediately there follows the seven trumpets as outlined in the subsequent chapters of Revelation. These awesome demonstrations of God's power work dramatically to speed the accomplishment of God's will on earth and the total defeat of Satan "(Touch The World through Prayer, pp. 223-224).

Rekindling the Fire of the Holy Spirit - by Jim Tharp, 2012

. . . I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace . . . . (II Tim. 1:6-9, NIV).

The apostle Paul writes Timothy, his favorite “son in the faith” from the old Mamertine Prison in Rome. He has been condemned to death and realizes there is no chance of acquittal. His faith is being subjected to its greatest test, but he testifies to one in whom he trusts to carry on the ministry of the gospel: I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day (II Tim. 1:12, NIV).


Paul hoped he might see the face of Timothy before his execution. But at this time the younger man is on assignment to the church in Ephesus. Whether or not they ever meet again in this life, Paul wants his younger colleague to know the secret of being faithful to the divine call to preach the Gospel. He reminds Timothy of a time back in Lystra when in a service he had laid hands on him (possibly in consecration or ordination). There is no doubt in my mind that this is a reference to the time when Timothy was filled with the Holy Spirit—given not a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

 

The Meaning of Holiness - by Jim Tharp, 1999

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy." (I Peter 1:14-16)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Traditionalists, denominationalists and legalists have really muddied the waters in trying to call Christians to holy living. Wesleyan-Arminians labor their doctrinal approach, Calvinists make their cryptic mention and so many Pentecostalists simply ignore the subject.

When God speaks in His Word of a person, place, or thing being "holy," He means that such a person, place, or thing, is no common, ordinary, insignificant person, place, or thing; that he, she, or it, has been set apart for a divine purpose. To be holy is to be unique or special. When a person, place, or thing is holy, it is different from the rest, distinctively better, reserved for a special purpose.

Sometimes I wonder: if John Wesley, Francis Asbury, John Fletcher, Charles Spurgeon, William Boothe, Charles Finney or P. F. Bresee should suddenly return to the present evangelical scene, would they recognize us as children of the faith? Or might they have to ask with the demons of old, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15). Of course, the real question is not how well we are measuring up to the expectations of our human fathers and heroes, but are we pleasing to the Lord? Are we holy? Do we want to be holy? Do we know what the Lord means when He demands holiness of His children?

My dear people, I'm truly concerned about the indifference and ignorance of so many professing evangelicals to the call to holiness. I say it with a broken heart, but I believe so many have conformed to the spirit of the age. Too many of our pastors spend more time with their computers than they do with the Word of God. They read more books on business management and public relations than they do on holiness and prayer. We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will convict pastors and lay leaders of the sins of omission as well as the sins of commission, until our passion for holiness equals that of Isaiah's and the apostle Paul's.

No church in any culture will ever experience genuine revival until its people begin to respond to the Spirit's call to holiness. So please allow me to speak definitively about holiness. Let's not get lost in legalism, traditionalism, or denominational distinctives.

Purity of Heart

Holiness is, first of all, purity of heart. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matt. 5:8). When Jesus and His apostles spoke of purity of heart, it is clear that they had at least two things in mind: (1) sanctity -- or freedom from the power of sin; and (2) singleheartedness -- freedom from insincerity or doublemindedness. The apostle Paul often expressed his prayer that believers prove to bear the scrutiny of the Lord's Presence in the Day of His coming. Even so we must live godly and holy before the eyes of men each day. This is done only as we live and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Respect for the Holy Spirit - by Jim Tharp

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

I Thes. 5:19-24, NIV.


The apostle Paul, like Jesus and John the Baptist (Luke 12:49; Matt. 3:11), used fire as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army referred to the fire of the Holy Spirit as “a source of the Christian’s power and a safeguard of his purity.” Then he went on to say that we have a tendency to let that fire go out. J. H. Jowett aptly stated, “As that holy fire goes out, the evil one will seek to come in with coldness, hardness, and blindness.”

Early in my pastoral ministry I realized the urgency of developing a discipleship course for new believers that included lessons on “How to Relate to the Holy Spirit, Our Holy Guest”—Praying in the Spirit, Worshiping in the Spirit, Walking in the Spirit, Resisting Evil in the Spirit.

But as we move more deeply into the deepening shadows of the last days, we all shall need to find times of rekindling the fires of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In fact, this has been the main theme of my preaching and teaching throughout the year of 2012. In five states—Alabama, Indiana, Montana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania—and in nearly all services, whether a Revival Meeting, School of Prayer, or Prayer Gatherings, I have

Destroying The Strongholds - by Jim Tharp, 1999

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (II Cor. 10:3-5)

The careful reader of the Second Corinthian epistle will note a serious change in the tone of the apostle as he comes to the tenth chapter in which he decides to tackle spiritual bondage. Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons if a successful war is going to be waged. No matter who is doing the fighting, and regardless of the circumstances, the war is won only if the effort results in freedom. The apostle Paul intended to see the Corinthians go from bondage to freedom.

There is a haunting paradox about the American Church. Never in our history has the evangelical movement been stronger numerically and financially, while never before has there been so much bondage, deception, division, carnality, self-righteousness, sectarianism, prejudice, compromise, immorality, idolatry and apostasy. A new millennium awaits the Church, and it brings unlimited evangelistic potentials for advancing the Kingdom of God. This makes it all the more urgent that Christians and churches recognize their bondage, select spiritual weapons, tear down their strongholds and break into the freedom in the Spirit to become the forceful witness that God intended the Church to be in every age.

Recognizing our Bondage

About twelve years ago, I received a call from a burdened pastor in the Southwest, inviting me to come and conduct revival services and a School of Prayer in his church. He hoped I could come a day early for prayer and consultation. About six months later I drove into his beautiful city, and as I approached his impressive church building with its charming architecture and manicured lawns, I felt sure that this was probably the church in that fair city. I went inside and found the pastor in his study, and he immediately began pouring out his heart. I shall never forget his distressed look as he said, "Jim, you have to help me! I can't go on here playing church. When you look at our building and location, when you study our financial and numerical records, and when you see the crowds on Sunday and hear and see their talents, you'll think you're in the most wonderful church in the U.S.A. But, my brother, if you knew the mess of their personal and family lives, if you heard them boast of their dreams and how they spend their time, and when you sense the humanism and deadness of our services, you'll ask yourself why I ever called you. But I called you because before I resign, I want to make one more all-out effort to see God break in on this phony crowd in a mighty revival!"

The pastor and I prayed and wept together on several occasions. We were joined a few times by his wife and a few others. In the very first service, and during several others, the Holy Spirit moved powerfully and several (probably 20 or 30) members came forward to humble themselves and pray. At the close of one of those times of the outpoured Spirit, one dear lady unburdened her heart, saying, "Not since I was a young woman have we experienced anything in this chuch like we have seen this week. Most of our people don't even know about 'the open heavens' that you speak about. Now that we've had a taste, I don't want to let go until the heavens open on all of our people."

I wish I could tell you that that meeting turned that church around, but that is not the case. Prayer and fasting on the part of a few of us did move the Spirit to release His power. Light was shed, and several people were brought back into the Kingdom. But so many lay leaders and members stayed away from the services, and they were well represented at the next board meeting and made it crystal clear that the church did not need an emphasis on revival. The brokenhearted pastor resigned. Several families decided they had to go where there was life and fire and vision. The church still goes through its religious motions and still wins denominational awards at the annual conferences. But like the church at Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6), it has "a reputation of being alive" but in Christ's view it is "dead" (v. 6).

The greatest stronghold in the average American church is that of deception. Like Sardis, we think we are alive but we are dead. Neil Anderson is absolutely correct when he writes, "Freedom from spiritual bondage is not a power encounter so much as it is a truth encounter. Satan is a deceiver, and he will work undercover at all costs." It will take much prayer and fasting for the Holy Spirit to unmask an enslaved people and cause them to recognize the bondage into which they have fallen.

Selecting our Weapons

We need to realize that there are two different kinds of weapons to be employed in breaking out of spiritual bondage. There are the divine weapons of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God; secondly, there are the human weapons of humility, repentance, obedience and prayer. Only the weapons of the Holy Spirit and the Word have divine power to expose the lies of Satan. Sardis believed the devil's lie that it was very much alive. Laodicea believed the devil's lie that it had need of nothing. Thousands of Christians and churches are so deceived today as to think they are ready for revival when the truth is they are ripe for judgment. Only prayer will produce the humility, the conviction, the repentance essential to the obedience that will bring the deliverance from spiritual darkness into which they have fallen.

Breaking Free

Having our hearts purified by faith, breaking free from the strongholds of the Evil One, putting on the whole armor of God, we can in the power of the Holy Spirit hit the front lines and storm the gates of hell. All heaven can break loose in our homes and churches. God will release His power for reviving His people, redeeming the lost, healing the sick, overcoming evil and healing the land.

Spiritual warfare instructor Thomas B. White reminds us, "As an adversary, an opponent of righteousness, God allows the devil a sanctioned latitude to do his dirty work of deceiving men and wreaking havoc on earth. However, he is held on a sovereign string, serving as tempter and moral tester of men." The Early Church received the anointing of the Holy Spirit and took the authority Christ gave to resist and overcome the Evil One. Throughout the book of Acts we see Spirit-filled apostles and deacons and evangelists operating against Satanic forces just as Jesus had done before them -- and with the same results.

Christ now calls His Church to enforce the mighty victory that He won over Satan and evil at Calvary. Christians, we are called to do battle in a spiritual conflict. Because our Enemy is invisible, it requires prayerful attention to be attuned to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we will forget and think that our fight is with flesh and blood (people, institutions, organizations, systems) and we will turn on these with carnal weapons. When this happens we fall back into greater bondage.

Respect for the Holy Spirit - by Jim Tharp, 2013

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

I Thes. 5:19-24, NIV.

The apostle Paul, like Jesus and John the Baptist (Luke 12:49; Matt. 3:11), used fire as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army referred to the fire of the Holy Spirit as “a source of the Christian’s power and a safeguard of his purity.” Then he went on to say that we have a tendency to let that fire go out. 

 

Preparing For Revival - by Jim Tharp, 1999

Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. (Mark 1:3)

So many American Christians expect nothing more at this late and dangerous hour than the wrath of God to be poured out on their wicked country, even as a Just and Holy God poured out judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. And this is surely what we deserve. And yet, dear friends, I am convinced that God wants His people to hear what His Spirit is saying to His Church, to meet His conditions for revival, in order to show the world His merciful and amazing end-time plans.

Self Examination

It is not our pagan society in its appalling moral darkness that prevents the mighty revival so desperately needed. It is the sleeping majority in the Church that is responsible for the spiritual famine in the land. 

Revival tarries because of the self-righteousness, the hardness, coldness, blindness, carnality and arrogance in the Church. Five of the seven churches addressed by our Lord in the book of Revelation were commanded to repent. That same call is going out to the slumbering body of Christ at this hour. May we have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches! Revival is the marvelous work of the Sovereign Holy Spirit, but He begins it by preparing the hearts of His people for repentance and obedience. Revival is a new beginning of obedience to God's Word as revealed by the Holy Spirit.