MULTIPLICATION
JANUARY 12TH, 2009
The word of the Lord to the Church for the New Year (2009) is MULTIPLICATION.
God's very first commandment to the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the animals of the ground and mankind was "Be fruitful and multiply!"
Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen 1:20 -28, NKJV).
Thousands of years ago, at the dawn of time, the Lord spoke these words to creation including mankind. Thousands of years later, in 2009, the Lord is again speaking these same prophetic words into our lives and the Church.
It is God's will for us to be fruitful and multiply in every area of our lives.
"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. "Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest-when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end-then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth' "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God" (Deut 8:1-20 NKJV).
The Lord is leading the Body of Christ into its Promised Land for the season we are coming into. The Promised Land represents the place that God has ordained for you to come into at the present time which is a place of deeper intimacy with the Lord, victory, abundance of blessings, answers to prayer, fulfillment of the promises of God and rest (peace). The word of the Lord to us (the Church) at this time is MULTIPLICATION. We are in a time of transition. We are coming into a season of multiplication and multiplication greatly.
"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers." (Deut 8:1).
Here in this promise, as well as in the following promises, we see that the Lord declared multiplication over His people. The Lord was specifically speaking to the Israelites but many of the prophetic promises we read in the word of God have what is called a double or triple fulfillment. This means that they were not only relevant for the people who the Lord was speaking to at the time but they are relevant for us (the Church) today for Israel is a type of the Christian Church. Many of the things that the Lord spoke to His people then, He is also speaking to us now.
There are three blessings we see here,
"That you may live..." Abundance of life
"and multiply…" Multiplication
"and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers." The Lord is bringing us into our Promised Land
But notice, how will we see the manifestation of these blessings in our lives? If we are careful to observe every command which the Lord commands us. "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe…" The word "observe" here in the Hebrew is shamar which means, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard, to protect, attend to, keep, heed, keeper, preserve, beware, mark, watchman, wait, watch, regard, save, be circumspect, look narrowly, reserve, sure. This is saying that if we hedge ourselves about with, guard in our hearts, protect, attend to, keep, heed, preserve, mark, regard and obey the voice and word of the Lord, then we will not only see but will walk in these blessings.
"…And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied…" (Deut 8:13).
Notice in this promise, God does not say if but when. "…And when your herds and your flocks multiply…" God was speaking to His people. A people who walked in an inferior covenant to the New Covenant we walk in as Christians, according to the book of Hebrews, yet He says when. Many of us still treat the promises of God in terms of "if" not "when". "If it is God's will to bless me", "if I receive my breakthrough", "if I am healed", "if I receive a financial miracle", "if the situation changes" and that is why we do not see it. When we think and speak in such a way, we walk in doubt and unbelief and dishonor God, the New Covenant and the blood of Jesus Christ by which that covenant is ratified. The Israelites here were walking in an inferior covenant. Why was it inferior? One of the main reasons is because it was sealed only with the blood of animals but the New Covenant we are walking in is a better covenant with better promises and what makes it such is that it is not sealed with the blood of an animal but with the blood of God's own eternal Son - God's own blood. If the Israelites expected to see multiplication under an inferior covenant, how much more should we expect to see multiplication in our lives under the New Covenant, a better covenant with better promises sealed with the very blood of God?
Also notice that multiplicity is mentioned three times in this verse. The Bible teaches that out of the mouths of two or three witnesses will a thing be established. When the word of God mentions something more than once, it is because the Lord is emphasizing the importance of it to us, therefore we can say that it is not only God's will but it is important to Him that we walk in multiplication.
"Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you - 'a land flowing with milk and honey.' (Deut 6:3).
In this promise, God says, "Therefore hear, O Israel…" However, God is saying, "Therefore hear, O Church…" Because Israel is a type of the Church, He is saying the same thing to us now as He said to the Israelites thousands of years ago. Therefore, the promises He gives to the Isrealites in this verse are also for us.
Here we see another three blessings,
Wellness (success), "that it may be well with you…"
Multiplication greatly, "and that you may multiply greatly…"
The Promised Land and prosperity, "as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you - 'a land flowing with milk and honey."
Notice in this verse it is no longer just multiplication but multiplication greatly.
Some may say, 'this is Old Testament, where is this in the New Testament?' This pattern is not exclusive to the Old Testament; we see the same pattern in the New Testament which tells us that it is God's will for the New Testament Church to see multiplication.
We see in the book of Acts that God led the early Church through a four level process of growth and prosperity which included multiplication;
Addition: Acts 2:47 "…And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Acts 11:24 "…And a great many people were added to the Lord."
Increased addition: Acts 5:14 "…And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women…"
Multiplication: Acts 9:31 "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied."
Multiplication greatly: Acts 6:7 "Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."
The contemporary Christian Church is the New Testament Church. We are living in the New Testament Church age therefore the blessings we see in these verses are for us today. It is God's perfect will for us to go from strength to strength, to multiply and to bear much fruit for His Kingdom (Jn 15:8, 16). It Is God's perfect will for the contemporary church to experience the multiplication that the early church experienced plus more. This is the place the Lord is bringing us to now.
The Lord said that in 2009, the darkness in the world will continue to grow thicker and darker but as it does, the glory of the Lord will grow stronger and brighter in the Church and we, the Church, will multiply.
"As the darkness in the earth grows darker, the light in the Church will grow brighter and many will be attracted to it." (Richard Pace - Build Me an Ark)
"Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side (Isa 60:1-4, NKJV).
This will occur so there will be a distinction between the people of God and the people of the world - so the people of the world will see that as the world is getting worse, the Church is growing stronger and as a result, will desire to know and walk with the Lord.
"The Lord said that in 2008 and in the years to come the world will see great economic trouble, turmoil and instability such that has not been seen since the great depression. Economic structures will crumble and fall. A shift will take place in the world's economic climate but as the world falls deeper into darkness the church will grow and prosper. This will occur so all will know that they cannot rely on the feeble structures of the world's systems but only on God and His word. As a result, the wealth of the sinner will be given over to the righteous (the church) for the preaching of the gospel and the building of the body of Christ." (Richard Pace - Build Me an Ark).
On the 14th of Dec, 2001, the Lord gave me the following prophetic word. Despite the fact that it was given in 2001 it is not exclusive to 2001 but is also for 2009 and the years to follow.
The Lord spoke to me about next year and the years to come: what to expect, watch and pray for.The Lord said; "much of the turmoil that you saw happening in the world this year will continue next year. Not exactly in the same way but in different manifestations. The darkness in the world will continue to grow darker but the light in the church will continue to grow brighter and the darker the darkness becomes [in the world] the brighter the light will become [in the church] so bright in fact that the people of the world will be attracted to it and will be drawn into the church. Millions of people will be brought to salvation and into the kingdom of God." (Richard Pace - Prophecy, 14th Dec 2001).
The Lord is sending such a strong, clear message to us about this because He wants to re-assure us that we have nothing to fear. That as we continue to walk with and obey the Lord, as the world's system deteriorates, we (God's people) will prosper and multiply. We have nothing to fear!
- Richard Pace